Known as the ABT Railway, it was an engineering triumph in 1893 when the Mt Lyell Mining Company built it to carry copper and mining community passengers from Queenstown to the Strahan Wharf on Macquarie Harbour. The ABT system of rack-and-pinion was used to cope with the 1:16 gradients normally impossible for steam engines. The railway closed in 1962, but with community pressure and Centenary of Federation and State Government funding, the enormous task of reconstruction was begun...four years in which 48 bridges were reconstructed, the 1893 engines completely rebuilt, stations, carriages and tourist infrastructure built. It is now one of Tasmania's most popular attractions. The 35 kilometre journey through rainforest and along steep gorges is breathtaking.