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 old trains and railway history. It used to have a special narrow-gauge tourist railway line, but that line is now closed.
The museum is run by the Road Transport Historical Society. This group also owns the National Road Transport Hall of Fame, which is right next door.
History of the Old Ghan Railway
The original railway line, called the Central Australia Railway, closed down in 1980. This happened because a new, wider railway line was built from Tarcoola to Alice Springs.
To save the old trains and history, a group called the Ghan Preservation Society was started in 1981. They set up their base at McDonnell Siding, about 6.4 kilometres south of Alice Springs.
In 1987, the society received a big grant of $800,000. This money helped them build a copy of an old South Australian Railways station building. They also got permission to use 25 kilometres of the old track.
Starting in October 1988, the society began running tourist trains. These trains travelled south to Ewaninga Siding. In the early 1990s, they ran four trains a week.
These special trains were pulled by a steam locomotive and a diesel locomotive. The carriages used were the same ones that once travelled on the famous The Ghan train.
Challenges and Revival Efforts
In 1995, the society faced some tough times with money. They also lost many of their helpful volunteers. Because of these problems, the train services stopped in 2001. The locomotives and carriages were then put on display for people to see.
By 2005, some of the trains and tracks had been damaged. There were also disagreements among the members about how to run the museum.
However, in November 2020, there was exciting news! People started working hard to bring the railway back to life. The local community and businesses are helping to fix the locomotives, carriages, and the railway line.
Even though there are many challenges, supporters believe that if they succeed, Alice Springs will have a fantastic tourist attraction. It will also be a fun place for local people to visit and learn about history.
