Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Goulburn Railway Workshops

Goulburn locomotive depot
Location
Location	12 Braidwood Road Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	34°46′16″S 149°42′41″E / 34.7711564°S 149.7114792°E / -34.7711564; 149.7114792
History
Opened	1869
Closed	1986

The Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre is a cool museum located at the old railway workshops in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. It's right on the main railway line that goes south. People also call it the Goulburn Rail Workshop or the Goulburn Roundhouse. These workshops are really important, so they were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999.

A group called the Goulburn Locomotive Roundhouse Preservation Society saved them from being pulled down. Now, it's a museum where you can see lots of old trains, carriages, and other railway stuff. They have a large collection of rolling stock and various exhibits. Some private train owners also keep their locomotives and carriages here. Sometimes, commercial repair work happens on site too!

History of the Goulburn Railway Workshops

How the Railway Came to Goulburn

Railways first started in New South Wales in 1855. Soon after, people wanted a railway line to Goulburn, an important inland town. A single railway line from Marulan to Goulburn opened on May 27, 1869.

Building the Goulburn Depot

When the railway line from Sydney reached Goulburn in May 1869, a special depot was built. This depot was located on the southern edge of the town. In 1918, a very large building called a "roundhouse" was opened. It had 42 tracks for trains.

What Was at the Workshops?

Besides the roundhouse, there were many other railway buildings at Goulburn. These included:

• A goods shed (built in 1868)
• A carriage shed (built in 1869)
• An engine shed (built in 1869)
• A coal stage, where trains got their coal
• A water pump for steam engines
• A turntable, which spun locomotives around
• The station master’s house (built in 1870)

The roundhouse itself was made of brick and corrugated iron. It was built around a large electric-powered turntable. This turntable was about 27.4 meters (90 feet) long.

The Workshops Become a Museum

The locomotive depot stopped being used in July 1986. Its locomotives were moved to the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum. However, Goulburn still used the site for a few more years to stable and refuel trains. The Goulburn City Council then leased the roundhouse. They hoped to create a national rail museum there.

The Goulburn Roundhouse Museum officially became home to several preserved locomotives. For example, the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum moved locomotive 2419 from Thirlmere in August 1989.

Later Use of the Site

In 1980, a new facility was built north of the roundhouse. This part was for building and fixing railway wagons. In 2006, this facility was taken over by a company called UGL Rail. UGL Rail decided to close their workshop in 2010.

Later in 2010, another company, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia, signed a ten-year lease for the site. They use it to maintain their own locomotives and wagons. They also do maintenance work for other train operators, like Aurizon.

Museum Exhibits: See the Trains!

The Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre has an amazing collection of railway locomotives, carriages, wagons, and other railway equipment. Here are some of the cool steam locomotives you can see:

Other Locomotives you can see include:

• 48 Class diesel locomotive 4821 (this one works!)
• General Electric Bo-Bo L80T diesel locomotive D1 (being fixed up)
• Clyde Engineering Co-Co GM12 Class diesel locomotive GM19 (owned by RailPower)
• Beyer, Peacock & Co 4-6-0 C32 class steam locomotive 3237 (this one also works, owned by Lachlan Valley Railway)

Gallery

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  Locomotive 4821

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  Wheel Lathe

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  Locomotive 3085

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  Signalling Display

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  General Electric Bo-Bo L80T

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  Telegraphy

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  Breakdown Crane 1072

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  Carriages

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  Entrance

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  Carriage under restoration

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  Heritage boundaries