The National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Australia. More than 100 major exhibits, mainly from the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways and their successor, Australian National, are on display at its 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) site in Port Adelaide, South Australia. The museum opened at Lipson Street in 1988 after 18 years at the SAR's former main locomotive depot at Mile End.
Locomotive Peronne hauls a special train on narrow-gauge – 1067 millimetres (3 feet 6 inches) – track at the museum; track on the left is for miniature train rides around the site.
Mile End, 1964–1988
In 1963, a group of rail preservationists asked the South Australian Railways Commissioner to allocate land on the site of the former Mile End roundhouse to hold a small collection of withdrawn steam locomotives. The first locomotive arrived in 1964 and in 1970 the site opened as the Mile End Railway Museum. Only a few exhibits were under cover and the effects of weather took their toll; an alternative, under-cover venue was sought.[1]
Move to Port Adelaide
In 1987, the Mile End Railway Museum obtained a $2 million Australia's Bicentennial commemorative grant to redevelop the former Port Dock goods terminal as the new property. In January 1988, the museum closed at Mile End and 11 months later opened as the Port Dock Station Railway Museum.[1]
In 1999, funding was received as part of Australia's Centenary of Federation to construct a Commonwealth Railway Museum within the museum's precinct.[2] The facility, opened in 2001, houses a representative sample of exhibits from the Commonwealth Railways and its successor, the Australian National Railways Commission, later named Australian National. Included are vehicles from The Ghan, Tea and Sugar and Trans-Australian trains. At the opening, the museum was renamed the National Railway Museum on the initiative of deputy prime minister and noted railway enthusiast, Tim Fischer, AC.[1][note 1]
In May 2009, the main pavilion was named after Ron Fitch, who as South Australian Railways Commissioner had facilitated the transfer of much of the museum's early rolling stock. At the same time, the Commonwealth Railways Museum was renamed the Ronald E. Fluck Pavilion, after the museum's founder.[1]
In 2017, $16.4 million was allocated in the state budget for a new station to be built next to Baker Street, near the original site of the Port Dock railway station. It was to be at the end of a new 1.0 km (1100 yard) spur line[4][5] using the existing corridor beside the museum that connects to the Outer Harbor railway line.[6][7] However, in June 2019 when some museum track had already been dismantled, the development was paused while a North West Planning Study was conducted; a forecast cost increase to $40 million was cited.[8][9][note 2] On-ground preparatory work was reversed in January 2020.[citation needed]
Collection
The South Australian Railways owned 129 diminutive Y and Yx class locomotives on its narrow-gauge system from 1885. Beyond Y97 is the broad-gauge 500 ("Mountain") class locomotive number 504, one of 10 introduced in 1926 to haul trains unaided over the Mount Lofty Range. The 500 class was almost 3 times as powerful than the Rx class that it displaced, and 41⁄2 times more powerful than its museum neighbour.
The museum houses its large static collection in two pavilions and the historic Port Dock railway station goods shed. On the site, all three mainline gauges of Australia are represented: narrow, 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in); standard, 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in); and broad 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in). The collection comprises more than 100 major exhibits, mainly from the Commonwealth Railways and South Australian Railways. It also holds rolling stock from the Silverton Tramway and Victorian Railways.[10]
Operational locomotives and railcars on these gauges are:
narrow gauge: former Broken Hill Associated Smelters steam locomotive Peronne (1918 Andrew Barclay0-6-0T tank locomotive)
The museum also operates locomotives, including steam locomotives Bill (with a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement) and Bub (0-4-2T), for visitor rides on its 457-millimetre (18.0-inch) track around the site.
Locomotive and railcar exhibits as of 2022[update]
Steam engine Bub, which hauls visitor trains around the museum
The museum operates a number of historic locomotives for shunting of rolling stock and during special events. Within the museum grounds, 457 mm (18.0 in)-gauge steam and diesel locomotives provide rides on a track 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long. In 1992, the museum, in cooperation with the local council, built a 1.7 km (1.1 mi) line along the beach from Semaphore to Fort Glanville. From October to April, trains operate – subject to temperatures being less than 35 °C (95 °F) – on weekends, public holidays and school holidays. The line travels along the coastline, through the sand dunes and the Fort Glanville Conservation Park; the locomotive is turned at each end.
Since 1982 the museum has published its bi-monthly Catch Point Magazine, a full-colour, A5-format, 48-page magazine that features news and articles about railway operations mainly in South Australia.[11][12]
Buildings
The museum has a number of historic buildings, some original to the site and others transported for display,[13] including the following:
Port Dock station goods shed: this is the only remaining intact building of the Port Adelaide (later named Port Dock) station complex. Typical of South Australian Railways structures of the 19th century, architecturally it is an austere industrial building notable for its scale and the use of large timber beams throughout. Its size and scale reflect the economic prosperity of South Australia when it was built, in 1878 – a time when Port Adelaide's facilities were being extended to serve the growing import and export trade.[14] It has been entered in the SA Heritage Register.[14]
Woodville signal cabin: this two-storey wooden building from suburban Woodville, prominently backing on to Lipson Street, is connected to the narrow gauge yard.
Callington shelter shed: typical of a type of building provided by the South Australian Railways at small country stations, this shelter shed and minuscule booking office was originally built in 1951 for the then small rural community of Callington, 24 kilometres (15 miles) west of Murray Bridge on the main Adelaide-Melbourne line.
Eudunda gangers shed: typical of hundreds of such sheds on the South Australian Railways where track-maintenance gangers held their tools and track inspection trolleys, this example came from Eudunda, 110 kilometres (68 miles) north of Adelaide.
Gallery
A train on the museum's 1.7 km (1 mi) Semaphore and Fort Glanville Tourist Railway, headed by miniature steam locomotive, Bub
Turning a miniature locomotive on the seafront line at Semaphore
SAR-designed and built diesel-electric locomotive no. 900 ready for transfer to the museum
1914-built locomotive no. 4, which hauled BHP iron ore trains from Iron Knob to Whyalla
Narrow-gauge Beyer-Garratt 400 class locomotive no. 409 was one of ten introduced in 1954 to haul silver-lead-zinc ore trains to Port Pirie
Notes
^Mr Fischer proposed "national" in view of the multi-jurisdictional scope of the museum's collection and the incorporation of all three of the nation's major railway gauges.[3]
^For a double mainline connection and signalling, a 300-metre loop, about 700 metres of new line, a level crossing and basic station.[9]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Railway Museum (Port Adelaide).
^ abcd"About the National Railway Museum – A brief history of the museum". National Railway Museum. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
^150 years of the Port Adelaide Railway, 1856 to 2006: a review of the Adelaide to Port Adelaide Railway. Port Adelaide, S. Aust.: National Railway Museum. 2006. pp. 79, 80.
^Sampson, Bob (November 2019). "Vale – Tim Fischer AC". Catch Point Magazine. Port Adelaide: National Railway Museum. p. 28.
^"Port Adelaide to get new train station served by 1km rail spur". ABC News. 24 June 2017. from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
^Kemp, Miles (24 June 2017). "State Budget 2017: Trains return to the heart of Port Adelaide after a 36-year absence". The Advertiser. Adelaide. Retrieved 15 July 2017. subscription: the source is only accessible via a paid subscription ("paywall").
^Pisani, Ashleigh (30 June 2017). "National Railway Museum warns issues to resolve before Port Dock Railway spur can return". Portside Messenger. Adelaide. from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
^Pisani, Ashleigh (18 July 2018). "Barossa Wine Train booted from the Port". Portside Messenger. Adelaide. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^Adelaide's public transport going back to the future under Stephan Knoll 12 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine ABC News, 21 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
^ abSampson, Bob (July 2019). "DPTI News". Catch Point Magazine. Port Adelaide: National Railway Museum. p. 6.
^. National Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.
^. National Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013.
^Catchpoint Magazine. Port Adelaide: National Railway Museum. from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^. National Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.
^ ab"The South Australia Heritage Places database". maps.sa.gov.au. from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
Bibliography
Sampson, Bob (2010). Your Guide to the National Railway Museum (6th (revised) ed.). Port Adelaide, SA: National Railway Museum.
national, railway, museum, port, adelaide, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources National Railway Museum Port Adelaide news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message The National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Australia More than 100 major exhibits mainly from the South Australian Railways SAR and Commonwealth Railways and their successor Australian National are on display at its 3 5 hectares 8 6 acres site in Port Adelaide South Australia The museum opened at Lipson Street in 1988 after 18 years at the SAR s former main locomotive depot at Mile End National Railway MuseumThe Ron Fitch Pavilion at the museumEstablished1970 1970 Mile End 1988 Port Adelaide Location76 Lipson StPort Adelaide SA 5015AustraliaCoordinates34 50 44 S 138 30 31 E 34 84556 S 138 50861 E 34 84556 138 50861TypeRailway museumOwnerNational Railway Museum Inc Nearest car parkOn siteWebsitewww wbr nrm wbr org wbr auNational Railway Museum site in 2021 Contents 1 History 1 1 Mile End 1964 1988 1 2 Move to Port Adelaide 2 Collection 2 1 Locomotive and railcar exhibits as of 2022 update 3 Operations 4 Buildings 5 Gallery 6 Notes 7 See also 8 References 8 1 Bibliography 9 External linksHistory Edit Locomotive Peronne hauls a special train on narrow gauge 1067 millimetres 3 feet 6 inches track at the museum track on the left is for miniature train rides around the site Mile End 1964 1988 Edit In 1963 a group of rail preservationists asked the South Australian Railways Commissioner to allocate land on the site of the former Mile End roundhouse to hold a small collection of withdrawn steam locomotives The first locomotive arrived in 1964 and in 1970 the site opened as the Mile End Railway Museum Only a few exhibits were under cover and the effects of weather took their toll an alternative under cover venue was sought 1 Move to Port Adelaide Edit In 1987 the Mile End Railway Museum obtained a 2 million Australia s Bicentennial commemorative grant to redevelop the former Port Dock goods terminal as the new property In January 1988 the museum closed at Mile End and 11 months later opened as the Port Dock Station Railway Museum 1 In 1999 funding was received as part of Australia s Centenary of Federation to construct a Commonwealth Railway Museum within the museum s precinct 2 The facility opened in 2001 houses a representative sample of exhibits from the Commonwealth Railways and its successor the Australian National Railways Commission later named Australian National Included are vehicles from The Ghan Tea and Sugar and Trans Australian trains At the opening the museum was renamed the National Railway Museum on the initiative of deputy prime minister and noted railway enthusiast Tim Fischer AC 1 note 1 In May 2009 the main pavilion was named after Ron Fitch who as South Australian Railways Commissioner had facilitated the transfer of much of the museum s early rolling stock At the same time the Commonwealth Railways Museum was renamed the Ronald E Fluck Pavilion after the museum s founder 1 In 2017 16 4 million was allocated in the state budget for a new station to be built next to Baker Street near the original site of the Port Dock railway station It was to be at the end of a new 1 0 km 1100 yard spur line 4 5 using the existing corridor beside the museum that connects to the Outer Harbor railway line 6 7 However in June 2019 when some museum track had already been dismantled the development was paused while a North West Planning Study was conducted a forecast cost increase to 40 million was cited 8 9 note 2 On ground preparatory work was reversed in January 2020 citation needed Collection Edit The South Australian Railways owned 129 diminutive Y and Yx class locomotives on its narrow gauge system from 1885 Beyond Y97 is the broad gauge 500 Mountain class locomotive number 504 one of 10 introduced in 1926 to haul trains unaided over the Mount Lofty Range The 500 class was almost 3 times as powerful than the Rx class that it displaced and 41 2 times more powerful than its museum neighbour The museum houses its large static collection in two pavilions and the historic Port Dock railway station goods shed On the site all three mainline gauges of Australia are represented narrow 1067 mm 3 ft 6 in standard 1435 mm 4 ft 8 1 2 in and broad 1600 mm 5 ft 3 in The collection comprises more than 100 major exhibits mainly from the Commonwealth Railways and South Australian Railways It also holds rolling stock from the Silverton Tramway and Victorian Railways 10 Operational locomotives and railcars on these gauges are narrow gauge former Broken Hill Associated Smelters steam locomotive Peronne 1918 Andrew Barclay 0 6 0T tank locomotive broad gauge former SAR diesel electric locomotives 515 and 801 Red Hen railcars 321 and 400 and Bluebird railcar 257 The museum also operates locomotives including steam locomotives Bill with a 2 4 0 wheel arrangement and Bub 0 4 2T for visitor rides on its 457 millimetre 18 0 inch track around the site Locomotive and railcar exhibits as of 2022 update Edit Steam locomotivesSAR Rx 93 SAR Y 97 SAR P 117 SAR T 253 SAR F 255 SAR 409 SAR 504 Tom Barr Smith SAR 523 Essington Lewis SAR 624 SAR 702 SAR ex VR 752 CR G 1 CR NM 34 Silverton Tramway Y 12 Silverton Tramway A 21 Silverton Tramway W 25 Broken Hill Associated Smelters Peronne operational BHP Whyalla no 4Diesel locomotivesSAR diesel shunter 515 amp 517 no 515 is operational SAR mainline diesel 703 static to be operational SAR diesel shunter 801 operational SAR mainline diesel 900 SAR mainline diesel 930 CR GM class GM 2 CR mainline diesel NSU 61 CR diesel shunter DE 91RailcarsSAR Model 55 Brill railcar 8 SAR Model 75 Brill railcar 41 SAR Bluebird railcar 257 Kestrel operational SAR Redhen railcars 321 and 400 operational STA 2000 class railcars 2006 and 2112 CR Budd Railcar CB 1Operations Edit Steam engine Bub which hauls visitor trains around the museumThe museum operates a number of historic locomotives for shunting of rolling stock and during special events Within the museum grounds 457 mm 18 0 in gauge steam and diesel locomotives provide rides on a track 1 2 km 0 75 mi long In 1992 the museum in cooperation with the local council built a 1 7 km 1 1 mi line along the beach from Semaphore to Fort Glanville From October to April trains operate subject to temperatures being less than 35 C 95 F on weekends public holidays and school holidays The line travels along the coastline through the sand dunes and the Fort Glanville Conservation Park the locomotive is turned at each end Since 1982 the museum has published its bi monthly Catch Point Magazine a full colour A5 format 48 page magazine that features news and articles about railway operations mainly in South Australia 11 12 Buildings EditThe museum has a number of historic buildings some original to the site and others transported for display 13 including the following Port Dock station goods shed this is the only remaining intact building of the Port Adelaide later named Port Dock station complex Typical of South Australian Railways structures of the 19th century architecturally it is an austere industrial building notable for its scale and the use of large timber beams throughout Its size and scale reflect the economic prosperity of South Australia when it was built in 1878 a time when Port Adelaide s facilities were being extended to serve the growing import and export trade 14 It has been entered in the SA Heritage Register 14 Woodville signal cabin this two storey wooden building from suburban Woodville prominently backing on to Lipson Street is connected to the narrow gauge yard Callington shelter shed typical of a type of building provided by the South Australian Railways at small country stations this shelter shed and minuscule booking office was originally built in 1951 for the then small rural community of Callington 24 kilometres 15 miles west of Murray Bridge on the main Adelaide Melbourne line Eudunda gangers shed typical of hundreds of such sheds on the South Australian Railways where track maintenance gangers held their tools and track inspection trolleys this example came from Eudunda 110 kilometres 68 miles north of Adelaide Gallery Edit A train on the museum s 1 7 km 1 mi Semaphore and Fort Glanville Tourist Railway headed by miniature steam locomotive Bub Turning a miniature locomotive on the seafront line at Semaphore SAR designed and built diesel electric locomotive no 900 ready for transfer to the museum Commonwealth Railways dining car DA 52 which served fine food across the Nullarbor Plain between 1930 and the 1960s Commonwealth Railways GM class diesel electric locomotives such as no GM2 revolutionised schedules on the Trans Australian Railway in 1951 Railway signalling and safeworking display South Australian Railways 75 class railcars designed by US company Brill were introduced in 1928 to run on suburban and country lines alike The relocated Woodville signal cabin 1914 built locomotive no 4 which hauled BHP iron ore trains from Iron Knob to Whyalla Narrow gauge Beyer Garratt 400 class locomotive no 409 was one of ten introduced in 1954 to haul silver lead zinc ore trains to Port PirieNotes Edit Mr Fischer proposed national in view of the multi jurisdictional scope of the museum s collection and the incorporation of all three of the nation s major railway gauges 3 For a double mainline connection and signalling a 300 metre loop about 700 metres of new line a level crossing and basic station 9 See also EditList of railway museumsReferences Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Railway Museum Port Adelaide a b c d About the National Railway Museum A brief history of the museum National Railway Museum Archived from the original on 14 February 2018 Retrieved 14 February 2018 150 years of the Port Adelaide Railway 1856 to 2006 a review of the Adelaide to Port Adelaide Railway Port Adelaide S Aust National Railway Museum 2006 pp 79 80 Sampson Bob November 2019 Vale Tim Fischer AC Catch Point Magazine Port Adelaide National Railway Museum p 28 Port Adelaide to get new train station served by 1km rail spur ABC News 24 June 2017 Archived from the original on 24 June 2017 Retrieved 25 June 2017 Kemp Miles 24 June 2017 State Budget 2017 Trains return to the heart of Port Adelaide after a 36 year absence The Advertiser Adelaide Retrieved 15 July 2017 subscription the source is only accessible via a paid subscription paywall Pisani Ashleigh 30 June 2017 National Railway Museum warns issues to resolve before Port Dock Railway spur can return Portside Messenger Adelaide Archived from the original on 7 October 2021 Retrieved 15 July 2017 Pisani Ashleigh 18 July 2018 Barossa Wine Train booted from the Port Portside Messenger Adelaide Retrieved 1 August 2018 Adelaide s public transport going back to the future under Stephan Knoll Archived 12 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 21 June 2019 Retrieved 21 June 2019 a b Sampson Bob July 2019 DPTI News Catch Point Magazine Port Adelaide National Railway Museum p 6 Search rollingstock exhibits National Railway Museum Archived from the original on 3 April 2013 Catch Point Magazine National Railway Museum Archived from the original on 17 March 2013 Catchpoint Magazine Port Adelaide National Railway Museum Archived from the original on 19 February 2022 Retrieved 19 February 2022 Buildings National Railway Museum Archived from the original on 3 April 2013 a b The South Australia Heritage Places database maps sa gov au Archived from the original on 18 May 2019 Retrieved 18 May 2019 Bibliography Edit Sampson Bob 2010 Your Guide to the National Railway Museum 6th revised ed Port Adelaide SA National Railway Museum External links EditOfficial WebsitePortals Trains History Architecture Australia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Railway Museum Port Adelaide amp oldid 1159890048, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
