Old Ghan Heritage Railway and Museum facts for kids
A former Commonwealth Railways diesel-electric locomotive at the Old Ghan Heritage Railway and Museum in 2006
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| Established | 1981 |
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| Location | Norris Bell Avenue, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Type | Railway |
The Old Ghan Heritage Railway and Museum is a cool place in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. It's a museum all about trains! It used to have a special narrow-gauge train line for tourists, but that line is now closed. The museum is run by the Road Transport Historical Society. This group also looks after the National Road Transport Hall of Fame next door.
Contents
History of the Old Ghan Museum
How the Museum Started
After the old Central Australia Railway closed in 1980, a new, wider train track was built. This new track went from Tarcoola all the way to Alice Springs. Because the old railway was no longer used, a group called the Ghan Preservation Society was formed in 1981. They wanted to save parts of the old railway.
The society started at a place called McDonnell Siding. This spot is about 6.4 kilometers south of Alice Springs. In 1987, they received a big grant of $800,000. This money helped them build a copy of an old South Australian Railways station building. They also made a deal to use 25 kilometers of the old track. This allowed them to run tourist trains from October 1988. These trains traveled south to Ewaninga Siding.
Trains and Their Journeys
In the early 1990s, the society ran four train trips each week. These trains were pulled by special locomotives. One was an old steam engine from Western Australia. The other was a diesel engine from the Commonwealth Railways. The carriages used for these trips were the same ones that once ran on The Ghan train.
Challenges and Revival Efforts
In 1995, the society faced some tough times with money. They also had problems with volunteers and even separated from the Road Transport Hall of Fame for a while. Train services stopped completely in 2001. The locomotives and carriages were then just put on display.
By 2005, some of the trains and tracks had been damaged. News reports talked about disagreements among members. Some wanted paid staff to run the museum. Others hoped to get more volunteers involved again.
However, in November 2020, there was exciting news! The project, which had been quiet for over ten years, was getting a new push. The local community and businesses started helping to fix up the locomotives, carriages, and the railway line. People involved knew it would be a lot of work. But they believed that if they succeeded, Alice Springs would have a "huge tourist drawcard." It would also be a "fun transportation park for locals."
