The NSW Rail Museum is the main

railway museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives (steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. A division of

Transport Heritage NSW Transport Heritage NSW is a body established by the Government of New South Wales to manage the state’s rail heritage collection and provide support to the broader transport (bus, tram, rail) heritage sector in NSW. It operates the NSW Rail M ...

, it was previously known as the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum (NSWRTM), Rail Heritage Centre and Trainworks. Transport Heritage NSW has divisions located in

Thirlmere, New South Wales Thirlmere is a small semi-rural town in the Macarthur (New South Wales), Macarthur Region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. Popularly known for its railway origins, the town is located 89 km south west of t ...

, where the NSW Rail Museum is dedicated to displaying

locomotives A locomotive is a rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for longer and heavier freight train ...

passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

, and

freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

formerly operated by the

New South Wales Government Railways New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in the colony, and then the state, of New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. History The NSWGR built ...

(NSWGR) and various private operators. The Blue Mountains division is located at the

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum The Valley Heights Rail Museum is a railway museum located in Valley Heights, New South Wales, Australia. The facility is located north-west of Valley Heights railway station. The museum is operated by two partner organisations: * The Valley ...

. * At Thirlmere, the NSW Rail Museum operates steam heritage trains on the Picton – Mittagong railway line between Picton, Thirlmere and

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

. It also hosts the Thirlmere Festival of Steam in March each year. * In addition to this, Transport Heritage NSW regularly operates mainline tours under the ''NSW Rail Museum'' branding. These can consist of day or extended tours, usually over a weekend. * At Valley Heights, the co-located Valley Heights Steam Tramway runs an 1890s steam tram and trailer, and a Stephenson loco 0-6-0 CPC2 (built in 1899) with open ended carriage over track in the former roundhouse and associated access tracks.

History

The NSWRTM was established in October 1962 with 62 members. A survey of potential sites around Sydney found

Enfield Locomotive Depot The Enfield Locomotive Depot was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways in Strathfield South, New South Wales, Strathfield South, Sydney. It was part of the Enfield Marshalling Yards, which covers a considerable area in the west of t ...

to be the most suitable and in 1963 a successful submission was made to the Department of Railways. Under the arrangement the department would retain ownership of the locomotives and rolling stock and responsibility for their maintenance. As Enfield depot was still active, exhibits were sent to Enfield for storage but not able to be accessed. In 1967, the department made an area adjacent to Petersham station available to the museum. The first locomotives outshopped were 3526 and 3609 painted blue and green respectively."The New South Wales Rail Transport Museum; The First Thirty Years" '' Roundhouse'' January 1994; page 4 In July 1969, the NSWRTM was able to move into Enfield Roundhouse Number 3 with all exhibits transferred by September. In 1970, the museum was able to relocate into the larger Roundhouse Number 1, allowing the majority of the collection to be stored undercover. In October 1972, the display at Enfield was officially opened by Commissioner for Railways, Neil McCusker. 3820Thirlmere1991

The NSWRTM had always maintained a good relationship with the Department of Railways, but in October 1972 it was replaced by the

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, respons ...

. The PTC under Commissioner

Philip Shirley Philip Shirley (1913–1998) was a businessman, who held senior positions with the British Transport Commission, British Rail Board and Cunard in the United Kingdom and the Public Transport Commission in Australia. Life and career Philip Shirle ...

decided it wanted all steam locomotives, including those owned by preservation organisations, off the network with 3820 operating the NSWRTM's last tour to

Taree Taree () is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. It and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then it has grown to a population of 26,381, and commands a significant agricultural district. Situ ...

in 1974. The PTC also decided it wanted nothing to do with maintaining the NSWRTM's collection and handed over the exhibits to the museum under a Deed of Gift. The PTC also wanted to demolish the Enfield roundhouses to make way for a container terminal and offered the museum a site at

Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district in Cumbria and the English Lake District National Park, Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a numbe ...

on the then lightly used Picton – Mittagong loop line. Site clearing began in late 1974 and works were sufficiently advanced for the transfer of stock to begin in June 1975. While some trains were hauled by diesel locomotives, most were worked by the museum's own steam locomotives."Museum on the Move" ''Roundhouse'' July 1976 page 5 The NSWRTM opened at its current location in on 1 June 1976. Services on the loop line between Thirlmere and Buxton began on 13 June 1976. Initially uncovered, the first section of roofing was completed in 1979. It was over a decade before the whole site was covered. The PTC relaxed its ban on main line steam in October 1976.

3801 3801 (pronounced Thirty-eight o-one) is a New South Wales C38 class locomotive, C38 class 4-6-2 steam locomotive built for and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways between 1943 and 1974. It is arguably Australia's most famous s ...

returned to the main line. By the early 1980s it was operating enthusiast journeys on a regular basis including a monthly service from Sydney Central to Thirlmere. In 1984, the NSWRTM became a founding member of the

3801 Limited East Coast Heritage Rail is a Non-profit organization, not for profit company Limited By Guarantee, limited by guarantee formed in June 1985 as 3801 Limited to operate steam locomotive 3801 and its associated rolling stock. The company operated h ...

managerial board that was created to oversee the operation of the locomotive

. The famous British railway locomotive 4472 ''Flying Scotsman'' visited Thirlmere in March 1989 as part of its tour around Australia. In 1993, the museum concluded a lease for the Picton – Buxton railway line following its closure by the

State Rail Authority The State Rail Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, operated and maintained railways in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 1980 until December 2003. History The ''Transport Authorities A ...

. The NSWRTM was removed as a board member of

in November 2006 after the 20-year lease of

was not renewed. The locomotive was returned to the NSWRTM.

Redevelopment

In 2006, the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

endorsed the Sustainable Rail Heritage Asset Management Strategy to ensure the collection of the State's rail heritage assets are maintained and conserved by dedicated volunteers and shared with the public for current and future generations to appreciate and enjoy. In 2007,

RailCorp Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, established in 2004 pursuant to the ''Transport Administration Act 1988''. It was a division under the control of Transport for NSW, foll ...

’s Office of Rail Heritage commissioned the development of a concept design for the NSWRTM’s upgrade. This saw ownership in the NSWRTM vested in Trainworks Limited, a 100% subsidiary of RailCorp. A major redevelopment saw the locomotive depot relocated to a roundhouse built at the southern end of the site opening in November 2009. To create room for stage two of the development of the museum, some of the exhibits were moved to

Broadmeadow Broadmeadow is a locality in the Hunter region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is the geographic centre of the Newcastle city and suburban area. Its main commercial hub is located at the "Nineways".

and

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...

in 2009. Work on stage two began in December 2009, which included demolition of the existing locomotive maintenance building, construction of a new major exhibits building and other works. The New South Wales Rail Transport Museum re-opened in April 2011.

Organisation

The museum has over 2,300 members, including an active volunteer workforce of over 400 and a small number of full-time staff. It is administered by a voluntary Board and a Management Committee. The museum is accredited as a rail operator under the NSW Rail Safety Act 2002 meaning it has network access rights on the NSW main line rail network. It also has accreditation to operate in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Amalgamation

In May 2013, the

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

announced

, a new not-for-profit company, would be established to manage rail heritage in NSW following an independent review of rail heritage commissioned by the NSW Government. THNSW have responsibility for the rebranded NSW Rail Museum and the Valley Heights site. All assets were transferred to THNSW after the merge.

Museum exhibits

The museum has an extensive collection of railway locomotives, carriages, wagons and other railway equipment from both the NSWGR and privately operated railways displayed at Thirlmere:

Other locomotives

* 40 class diesel locomotive 4001 * 42 class diesel locomotive 4201 * 43 class diesel locomotive 4306 * 44 class diesel locomotives 4490 * 442 class diesel locomotive 44211 * 45 class diesel locomotive 4501 and 4520 * 48 class diesel locomotive 4803, 4807 and 4833 * 49 class diesel locomotive 4916 * 86 class electric locomotive 8646 * BHP D1 class D1 *

CPH railmotor The CPH (or 42 foot) rail motors were introduced by the New South Wales Government Railways in 1923 to provide feeder service on country branch lines. Introduction Often referred to as "Tin Hares", having evolved at the same time as the mechanica ...

CPH 18 and CPH 13

Carriages

* The Governor-General's state carriage. A wooden carriage built for the Governor-General of Australia and royal guests at the

Eveleigh Carriage Workshops The Eveleigh Carriage Workshops were built by the New South Wales Government Railways in 1888 as a depot for its passenger carriage fleet. The workshops are located west of what is now Redfern station on the northern side of the Main Suburban r ...

in 1901 ahead of the opening of the first parliament of Australia when it was used by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. In 1920 it carried the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

whilst he was visiting Sydney aboard HMS ''Renown'' and in 1927 it carried the Duke and Duchess of York whilst they were visiting to open the first session of the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The carriage was also used by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

during the 1954 royal visit. In 1964 the carriage was used for the visit of Princess Marina. The carriage was initially put on display at the

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...

in 1993 before being transferred to the NSW Rail Museum where it was restored and put on display. * The State Governor's Car, built in 1911 * A van used by Arnott's biscuit company to transport biscuits

Other items

* A collection of over 18,000 train tickets and passes

Publications

* ''Roundhouse'' (periodical)

References

External links

NSW Rail Museum website

Transport Heritage NSW website

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum

{{Authority control Railway museums in New South Wales 1962 establishments in Australia Thirlmere, New South Wales Steam museums in Australia