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The Mt Lyell railway ran from Queenstown to Regatta Point and was the property of the
Mt Lyell Mining Company, The first section of the line from Teepookana on the King River to Queenstown was opened at the end of 1896, and in 1899 the line was extended to RegattaPoint,
The line was closed in 1963 due to transport costs and maintenance,
The cost of construction of this line was given at 216.000 pounds.
In 1994 the Abt Railway Society was formed by Queenstown residents and local business people who shared a vision to once more see this little train travel the 1 in 16 grade from
Halls Creek to Rinadeena and from Dubbil Barril to Rinadeena on the 1 in 20 grade.
The society produced feasibility studies and worked tirelessly to bring the railway to the attention of the State and Federal Governments, So in 1999 the Federal Government announced that it would give a grant of $20.4m to rebuild the Abt Railway all the way to Regatta Point,
Today the railway is owned by the Tasmanian State Government, It now operates with a private operator in Federal Hotels, and runs under the name of the West Coast Wilderness Railway.
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