Canberra Railway Museum

Ex-NSWGR locomotive no. 3016 hauls a Canberra-based heritage shuttle

Canberra Railway Museum was run by the ACT division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS).^[1] The museum housed displays of historic locomotives, passenger cars, freight vehicles, track machinery and railway memorabilia. The precinct also served as a base for the society's rail operations.

The society ran frequent tours year-round, including trips on the Bungendore branch and many themed trains such as a Santa's Train, a Tulip Time express, and school holiday "rail discovery" events.

The museum was home to New South Wales Government Railways locomotive no. 1210, built in 1878 – Australia's oldest operating steam locomotive and one of the world's oldest mainline steam locomotives – and the heaviest Australian steam locomotive, the 265-tonne Beyer-Garratt no 6029.

Role

The society's aim was to preserve railway history, particularly that of Canberra and the southern districts of New South Wales, for the enjoyment and enlightenment of present and future generations. Members worked toward this goal by collecting and restoring locomotives, other rolling stock and items of railway memorabilia; preserving and recording railway history; and operating trains with restored rolling stock.

Collapse

In November 2016 the museum was suddenly closed after its freight company, which had been started up to subsidise popular but expensive heritage train trips, collapsed with more than $700,000 of debt.^[2] The ACT Division of the ARHS was placed into liquidation.^[3]

The Canberra Railway Museum's Garratt locomotive no. 6029 hauling a load test train over the Queanbeyan River bridge in 2014, before re-entering service.

In July 2017 it was announced that the museum's historic collection would go to auction on 2 August.^[4]. A last-ditch bid by Capital Holdings to secure the collection for a new transport museum at the site failed, and the auction went ahead despite protests from several heritage conservationists. The bid was later found to be without sufficient financial backing and lacked support from the former ARHS ACT membership.

Some assets including steam locomotive 3016, diesel locomotives, railmotor CPH27 and rolling stock were stored or lent to Transport Heritage New South Wales, Thirlmere. In September 2017 locomotive 6029 was sold to private owners who soon returned it to operation in New South Wales.

In December 2017 valuable and irreplaceable pieces and parts from 1210 and items in storage at the closed site were stolen.^[5]

New beginning

In 2018 the NSW Rail Museum, the main museum division of Transport Heritage NSW, announced it would run steam train trips from Canberra railway station to Queanbeyan and Bungendore to raise money for a new Canberra museum.^[6] The museum's director said that an agreement had been reached with the liquidator and the Australian Capital Territory Government to take back the Kingston site on 1 September 2018. A collection of about 40 carriages and locomotives remained on the site, which would not be open to the public until a clean-up operation made it safe, possibly in 2019. As of 14th October 2018, the liquidator has not handed back control to the new organisation^[2]

Museum exhibits

Some of the Canberra Railway Museum exhibits were as follows.

Diesel locomotives and railmotors

CPH 37 at the museum

Former NSWGR diesel-electirc locomotive no. 4403, which had been restored to operational condition at Junee, hauled tour trains, including lengthy trips, until the society went into liquidation. It is part of the Transport Heritage NSW collection and in the custody of the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere.

Diesel-electirc locomotive no. 4807 – rated at 1050 hp with a Co-Co wheel arrangement – is part of the Transport Heritage NSW collection and in the custody of the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere.

Diesel-electric locomotive no. D25 (400 hp Bo-Bo), formerly owned by Australian Iron and Steel, was the yard shunter at the Canberra Railway Museum. It is now privately owned.

Diesel-mechanical locomotive no. X203 (260 hp Bo), was a former NSWGR rail tractor. It is now held by the Yass Railway Museum.

Three diesel-hydraulic railmotors (CPH 13, CPH 27 and CPH 37), and one other (CPH 2) are on loan to another organisation. CPH 13 is destined to be transferred to the Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway after restoration at Goulburn Roundhouse.

Gallery

• 
  3016 in Canberra
• 
  6029
• 
  1210 and 4807 hauling a tour train

External links

{{new Canberra rail museum website http://www.canberrarail.org.au/index.htm}}

References

Coordinates: 35°19′03″S 149°09′17″E / 35.3176°S 149.1546°E / -35.3176; 149.1546