Valley Heights Rail Museum facts for kids
The roundhouse, pictured in 2007
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| Established | 1994 |
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| Location | 17B Tusculum Road, Valley Heights, New South Wales, Australia |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Key holdings | Valley Heights Steam Tram Rolling Stock |
| Nearest parking | On site |
The Valley Heights Rail Museum is a cool place to visit in Valley Heights, New South Wales, Australia. It's a railway museum where you can learn all about trains and their history! The museum is about 400 meters north-west of the Valley Heights railway station.
Two main groups work together to run the museum:
- The Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum (VHLDHM) is part of Transport Heritage NSW. They help keep the history of the railway alive.
- The Valley Heights Steam Tramway runs old steam trams and trains. They are part of the Steam Tram and Railway Preservation (Co-op) Society.
Contents
The Old Train Depot
The museum is located at an old train depot. This depot is a special historical site. It was built in 1913 when the main railway line was made into a double track. This meant trains could travel in both directions at the same time. The depot officially opened on January 31, 1914.
The depot was very important because of the steep hills nearby. Trains needed extra help to get up these hills. This help came from "bank engines." These were extra locomotives that pushed trains from behind. The section from Valley Heights to Katoomba was especially steep. It rose 670 meters over 33 kilometers!
What Was at the Depot?
The Valley Heights depot had many important parts:
- A large yard for locomotives.
- A 10-bay roundhouse, which is a circular building for storing and repairing engines.
- An 18.3-meter turntable to turn locomotives around.
- A tall coal stage to load coal onto steam engines.
- Water tanks and columns for refilling engines.
Steam to Electric Trains
In the past, the depot was always busy with steam engines. About 30 trains each day needed help from bank engines. In October 1956, the railway line to Valley Heights became electric. This meant electric locomotives could now be used. By February 1957, electric trains like the 46 class took over from steam engines.
Later, the depot became a workshop for repairing electric locomotives and freight wagons. However, newer, more powerful electric locomotives were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. This meant fewer trains needed bank engines. The depot became less busy.
The Depot Closes
In October 1988, it was announced that the depot would close. The very last train to be banked from Valley Heights to Katoomba was in January 1989. It was pulled by locomotive 4627. The depot officially closed in 1993.
Key Moments in Depot History
- 1914: The new roundhouse and depot started working.
- 1925: Improvements were made, including a special tunnel for handling ash from locomotives.
- 1957: Electric locomotives replaced steam engines as bank engines.
- 1960s: The depot was updated to service electric locomotives.
- 1988: The use of bank engines was reduced.
- 1993: The depot closed down.
- 2014: The depot celebrated its 100th birthday! The museum was officially opened by the Governor Marie Bashir.
The Museum Today
In 1994, the Blue Mountains Division of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum started the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Railway Museum. Their goal was to save the depot. They wanted to create a place for history, education, and fun for everyone.
After a fire destroyed another tramway in 1993, the Valley Heights Steam Tramway was set up in 1997. Many of the old steam tram items were moved here.
Since then, the museum has worked hard to improve the site. They built new sheds and fixed up old buildings. They also cleaned and restored the ash disposal tunnel.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Valley Heights locomotive depot is a very important historical place. It is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it's protected because of its history. It was a key place for servicing bank engines for almost 80 years. These engines helped trains travel over the difficult Blue Mountains railway line.
The Valley Heights Steam Tram Rolling Stock (the old steam trams and their parts) at the museum are also heritage-listed. They are important because they show how steam trams worked in New South Wales from the 1880s to the 1930s.
Celebrating 100 Years
On January 31, 2014, the museum celebrated 100 years since the depot opened. It was a big event! The NSW Governor Marie Bashir and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell gave speeches. The Governor officially opened the museum during this celebration. Many local news channels covered the event.
Museum Exhibits
The museum has a great collection of old railway locomotives, carriages, wagons, and other equipment. You can see many different types of trains!
| Locomotives | ||||||||
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| No | Description | Manufacturer | Year | Status | Ref | NSW Heritage Office | Custodian | |
| 103A | 0-4-0T Steam saddle tank tram engine | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1891 | operating exhibit | Exhibit information, Steam tram motor 103A | Valley Heights Steam Tram Rolling Stock | Valley Heights Steam Tramway | |
| CPC2 | 0-6-0T Steam loco | Robert Stephenson & Company | 1899 | operating exhibit | Exhibit information, Stephenson Locomotive No CPC 2 | Valley Heights Steam Tramway | ||
| 1022 | 0-4-0T Steam saddle tank | Vulcan Iron Works | 1896 | in parts under restoration | Exhibit information, Locomotive 1022 | Valley Heights Steam Tramway | ||
| 1308 | 4-4-2T Steam passenger loco | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1877 | parts only | Exhibit information, Locomotive 1308 | Locomotive, Steam 1307 | Valley Heights Steam Tramway | |
| 3214 | 4-6-0 Steam passenger loco | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1891 | static exhibit | Exhibit information, Locomotive 3214 | Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum | ||
| 5461 | 2-8-0 Steam goods loco | Clyde Engineering | 1915 | static exhibit | Exhibit information, Locomotive 5461 | Locomotive, Steam 5461 | Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum | |
| 5711 | 4-8-2 Steam goods loco | Clyde Engineering | 1929 | static exhibit | Exhibit information, Locomotive 5711 | Locomotive, Steam 5711 | Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum | |
| 4601 | Co-Co Electric loco | Metropolitan Vickers | 1956 | static exhibit | Exhibit information, Locomotive 4601 | Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum | ||
| X206 | 0-4-0 Diesel mechanical shunting loco | Chullora Railway Workshops | 1963 | operating exhibit | Exhibit information, Locomotive X206 | Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum | ||
The museum's website has more details about all their exhibits.
Images for kids
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Valley Heights Mixed train at Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum
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NSWGR Steam Tram and Trailer at Valley Heights 2015-12-06
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NSWGR Steam Tram and Trailer at Valley Heights 2023-07-08
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4601 on turntable at Valley Heights 2015-03-17
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Locomotive 5711 under restoration at Valley Heights
