Canberra Railway Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Canberra Railway Museum

Established	1985 (1985)
Location	Geijera Place, Kingston, Canberra
Type	Railway museum
Public transit access	Canberra railway station
Nearest car park	On site

The Canberra Railway Museum is a special place in Kingston, Canberra. It's right next to the Canberra railway station! This museum is all about trains and the history of railways. Since 2018, it has been run by a not-for-profit group called Capital Region Heritage Rail Limited. Another group, ACT Heritage Rail Holdings Limited, helps protect the museum's old and valuable train items.

The museum used to have many cool things. These included old steam engines, passenger cars, freight cars, and railway tools. Some of these trains even went on trips outside Canberra for people to enjoy! Two very special trains were:

1210: One of Australia's oldest working steam locomotives, built way back in 1878.
6029: Australia's most powerful steam locomotive, a huge Beyer, Garratt engine.

The Museum's Journey: A History of Trains
- Challenges and Changes
- A New Beginning
Amazing Museum Exhibits
Images for kids
See also

The Museum's Journey: A History of Trains

Locomotive 3016, a type of steam engine.

For many years, from 1967 to 2016, the museum was looked after by a group called the ACT Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS). Their main goal was to save railway history, especially from Canberra and nearby New South Wales. They wanted future generations to enjoy and learn from it.

The museum started in 1985. Many volunteers worked hard to collect and fix up old trains. They also recorded railway history and even ran train trips with their restored trains. The museum was built in an old railway yard in Kingston. This was perfect because it meant the museum could connect to the main railway lines. Sometimes, the Australian and ACT Governments helped the museum with money. They knew how important the museum was to the community.

In 2007, the ACT Government officially said that railway history was very important to Canberra. They also praised the Canberra Railway Museum for its great work.

Challenges and Changes

In 2016, the museum faced some big challenges. A part of the museum that ran commercial train services had money problems. Because of this, the museum had to close in November 2016. Many of the museum's valuable items were sold in an auction in 2017.

Later in 2017, someone broke into the closed museum. They caused damage and stole important parts, especially from the old steam locomotive 1210. This was very sad for everyone who loved the museum.

A New Beginning

The powerful 6029 steam engine crossing the Queanbeyan River bridge in 2014.

After the break-in, some people in Canberra who loved trains decided to help. They wanted to make sure railway history could still be saved in the ACT. So, in May 2018, two new not-for-profit companies were started:

Capital Region Heritage Rail Limited: This group focuses on running the Canberra Railway Museum.
ACT Heritage Rail Holdings Limited: This group is in charge of protecting the museum's old train items.

People who join the Canberra Railway Museum become members of both groups. They help choose the leaders for each company. The new groups want to protect the valuable train items. They also want the museum to focus on its main purpose: sharing railway history with the people of Canberra and the surrounding area.

The leaders of the new companies said they are working hard to protect the trains and keep everyone safe. They are also being careful with money. They hope to keep the museum at the Kingston site for a long time.

Amazing Museum Exhibits

You can find a full list of the museum's trains and items on their website. Before 2016, the museum had many incredible exhibits. Here are some of the types of trains you might have seen:

Steam Locomotives

These are classic trains that run on steam power!

Steam Locomotives
No.	Description	Manufacturer	Year	Location	Status
1210	A passenger steam engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1878	Canberra	Stored, being repaired (was in repairs before the museum's changes)
1307	A passenger tank engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1902	Yass Railway Station Museum	On display
2413	A goods steam engine	Dübs & Company	1891	Junee Locomotive Depot	On display
3013	A passenger tank engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1903	Canberra	Stored, privately owned
3016	A mixed-traffic steam engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1903	Canberra	Being restored
3102	A mixed-traffic steam engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1912	Canberra	Stored, privately owned
6029	A very powerful goods steam engine	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1953	Thirlmere	Working, owned by Transport Heritage NSW
530	A small shunting steam engine	Vulcan Foundry	1877	Yass Railway Station Museum	On display

Diesel Locomotives and Railmotors

These trains run on diesel fuel.

Rail Motor CPH 37 at the museum platform.

4403: A diesel-electric locomotive that used to pull tour trains. It's now part of the Transport Heritage NSW collection.
4807: Another diesel-electric locomotive. It's also now with the Transport Heritage NSW collection.
D25: A smaller diesel locomotive used for moving trains around the museum yard. It is now privately owned.
X203: A diesel rail tractor. It is now at the Yass Railway Museum.
CPH Railmotors: These are special diesel trains that carry passengers. Several of them (CPH 13, CPH 27, CPH 37, and CPH 2) are currently on loan to another organization.

Carriages

The museum used to have a large collection of passenger carriages. These included old-fashioned cars with platforms at the ends, sleeping cars for long journeys, and other special passenger cars. After the museum's changes, these carriages were moved to different places.