Rail Motor Society facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rail Motor Society

Established	1984
Location	5 Webbers Creek Road, Paterson, New South Wales, Australia
Type	Railway museum
Nearest car park	On site and in adjoining streets

The Rail Motor Society is a special place in Paterson, New South Wales. It's like a big family that takes care of old trains! They collect and fix up self-propelled railway vehicles. These are trains that can move by themselves, like buses on tracks. Their collection includes trains built between 1923 and 1972.

The Society started in 1984. It's a non-profit group, meaning they don't make money for themselves. They are a registered charity. Their main goal is to find, fix, and run old rail motors from the New South Wales Government Railways. They only focus on trains that can move by themselves, like diesel trains. They are allowed to operate these trains in many parts of Australia, like New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.

The 621/721 railcar, a special part of the collection.

The Story of the Rail Motor Society

The idea for the Society began in Newcastle, New South Wales. A small group of people wanted to save some CPH rail motors. These trains were going to be taken out of service in 1983.

The Society officially started in 1984. Four other heritage groups helped them. These groups bought rail motors when they were sold. They all shared these trains to start the Society's collection. They found a place for their base in the old goods yard near Paterson railway station. The first trains arrived in Paterson on New Year's Eve in 1984.

The Rail Motor Society is run completely by volunteers. These amazing people give their time for free! They get money for their daily work, fixing trains, and building new things from train rides they offer and from donations.

Special Trains in the Collection

The Society has many special trains. Their collection is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. This means they are very important historical items.

One of their most special trains is CPH 3. It's the oldest working rail motor in New South Wales! They also have the only working 400 Class rail motor.

The 620/720 class rail cars, NPF 621 and NTC 721, are also very important. They are managed by the Society. These trains were built in 1961 to replace steam trains in the Newcastle area. They worked their whole lives there.

• In October 1986, CPH 1 was ready to run again. It was painted in its old cream and green colours.
• CPH 7 joined it in January 1987. These two trains have traveled all over New South Wales.
• In July 2011, CPH 3 also started running again.

In August 1986, HPC 402 was rented back to the State Rail Authority. It was used to test radio systems across New South Wales. It came back to the Society in July 2000 after traveling about 200,000 kilometres! It's still used today for testing and inspections.

Locomotive 7344 at Sydney Central in 1991.

In 2018, the Society also became the caretaker of locomotive 7344. This is a special shunting locomotive. It arrived in Paterson on December 28, 2018. The Society has painted it back to its original Indian Red colour.

Some other trains are being fixed up. The 42-Foot Rail Motor Trailer CTC 51 is being restored. Also, 600/700 Class vehicles 602 and 707 are starting their restoration journey.

In June 2023, the Society bought another 620 Class rail car, 629/729. They plan to get it working again for main line service.

The Museum and Depot

The Society's Depot and Museum is located next to Paterson Railway Station. It's a big area, about one hectare in size. This site is 213 kilometres north of Sydney.

The site has:

• The Society's collection of rail motors.
• A large shed to store trains.
• Workshops for maintenance.
• The old station Master's cottage. This cottage has a small museum with railway items.
• Two old carriages (TAM 503 and BR 1395) for members to use.
• A former training car (FZ 663) used as a meal room and training area.

In 2017, they made the depot even better. They built a 30-metre by 4-metre extension to the shed. This created a weather-proof workshop. This work was paid for by a NSW Heritage Grant. In 2020, the depot grew even more. They added an old railway siding next to their property.

Historic Importance

Most of the Society's own trains (eleven out of fourteen) were listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on August 17, 2001. This means they are officially recognized as important historical items.

These special vehicles include:

• 42-Foot Rail Motors: CPH No.1, No.3, No.7, No.14, and No.19.
• 42-Foot Rail Motor Trailer: CTC No.51.
• 400 Class: HPC 402.
• 500 Class Rail Motor Trailer: FT 501.
• 600 Class Rail Motors: WFP 602 and FPH 606.
• 700 Class Rail Motor Trailer: CT 707.

Other trains they manage, like the 620 Class 2-car diesel unit (621/721) and locomotive 7344, are also listed as heritage items.

Friends and Partners

The Rail Motor Society works with many other groups and organizations. Some of these include:

• Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division)
• Australian Railway Monument
• Canberra Railway Museum
• Cooma Monaro Railway
• East Coast Heritage Rail
• Finley Pioneer Railway Station
• Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre
• Historic Electric Traction
• Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway
• Lachlan Valley Railway
• Lithgow State Mine Railway
• Regional Heritage Transport Association – Junee
• Royal Australian Historical Society
• Tenterfield Railway Station Preservation Society
• Transport Heritage NSW
• Wagga Wagga Rail Heritage
• Zig Zag Railway

Our Train Collection