The Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum in Dorrigo, New South Wales, Australia is a large, privately owned collection of railway vehicles and equipment from the railways of New South Wales, covering both Government and private railways. The collection dates from 1878 until 1985.[1]
 Engines and carriages stored at the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in August 2005 | |
 | |
Former name | Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | 1973 |
| Location | Dorrigo |
| Coordinates | 30°20′01″S 152°42′27″E / 30.333701°S 152.707458°E |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Website | www.dsrm.org.au |
Status edit
The museum was opened very briefly in 1986, but has been described as "not yet open to the public" ever since.[2]
History edit
The museum's origins stem from the formation of the Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum in 1973 which was formed following the closure of the Glenreagh to Dorrigo branch line the previous year with the aim of restoring the 69 kilometres as a tourist railway.[3] Much of the rolling stock was stored at the former Rhondda Colliery, three kilometres from Cockle Creek while the line was repaired.[4][5] It was renamed the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in 1982.[6]
On 20 December 1984, the section from Glenreagh to Lowanna was reopened with 5069 hauling the first train.[7] On 5 April 1986 the line was opened through to Dorrigo, with a steam hauled service hauled by 3028 and 5069, operating the first service over the final 13 kilometres from Megan through to the terminus with 300 members on board.[8][9] At this stage the line still needed further work before trains could operate on it regularly. This was completed in October 1986.[10]
However, before operations could begin, a faction within the museum's membership commenced legal action over the ownership of the collection and the line fell back into a state of disrepair.[11] The dispute was finally resolved in February 1999 with the Glenreagh to Ulong section of the line sold to the Glenreagh Mountain Railway and the Ulong to Dorrigo section sold to the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum.[12] By 2017, it had the largest collection in the world with 75 locomotives, 19 railmotors and 280 carriages and wagons.[13]
Preservation edit
| Ex-NSWGR Steam Locomotives | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Description | Manufacturer | Year | Location | Status | Ref | ||
| 1904 | 0-6-0 passenger | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1877 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 2414 | 2-6-0 goods | Dübs & Company | 1891 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 2535 | 2-6-0 passenger | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1883 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 3028 | 4-6-0 mixed traffic | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1904 | Dorrigo | stored | [14] | ||
| 3046 | 4-6-4T passenger | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1908 | Dorrigo | stored | [15] | ||
| 3813 | 4-6-2 express passenger | Cardiff Locomotive Workshops | 1946 | Dorrigo | parts only | |||
| 5069 | 2-8-0 passenger | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1903 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 5132 | 2-8-0 goods | Clyde Engineering | 1909 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 5353 | 2-8-0 goods | Clyde Engineering | 1913 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| ROD 20 | 2-8-0 | North British Locomotive Company | 1918 | Dorrigo | static display | |||
| ROD 24 | 2-8-0 | Gorton Locomotive Works | 1918 | Dorrigo | static display | |||
| 5920 | 2-8-2 goods | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1953 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 6039 | 4-8-4+4-8-4 goods | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1956 | Dorrigo | stored | |||
| 6042 | 4-8-4+4-8-4 goods | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1956 | Forbes | stored | [16] | ||
| Ex-Private Steam Locomotives | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Description | Manufacturer | Year | In Service Railway | Location | Status | Ref | |
| Juno | 0-4-0ST | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co | 1922 | Commonwealth Steel Co | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| 3 | 0-6-0ST | Kitson & Company | 1878 | J & A Brown | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| 3 | 2-6-0T | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co | 1911 | Blue Circle Southern Cement | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| 4 | 0-4-0T | HK Porter | 1915 | Commonwealth Steel Co | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| 5 | 0-6-0T | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co | 1916 | Blue Circle Southern Cement | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| Corby | 0-4-0T | Peckett & Sons | 1943 | Tubemakers of Australia | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| Marian | 0-4-0T | Andrew Barclay Sons & Co | 1948 | John Lysaght | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| Badger | 0-6-0T | Australian Iron & Steel | 1943 | Australian Iron & Steel | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| SMR 14 | 0-8-2T | Avonside Engine Company | 1909 | South Maitland Railway | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| N/A | 0-4-0 | Appleby | 1900 | Hexham Engineering | Dorrigo | stored | ||
| SMR 17 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 20 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 23 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 26 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 27 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 28 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
| SMR 31 | 2-8-2T | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1915 | South Maitland Railways | Dorrigo | stored | [17] | |
Other locomotives edit
- 42 class diesel locomotive 4206
- 421 class diesel locomotive 42102
- 44 class diesel locomotive 4420
- 45 class diesel locomotive 4521
- 46 class electric locomotive 4602
- 47 class diesel locomotive 4706
- 48 class diesel locomotive 4822
- 49 class diesel locomotive 4918
- 70 class diesel hydraulic locomotive 7007, 7008, 7010
- 73 class diesel hydraulic locomotive 7329, 7335
- 85 class electric locomotive 8507
- 86 class electric locomotive 8601, 8650
- BHP D9 class diesel locomotive D11
References edit
- ^ Exhibit List No 39 Dorrigo Steam & Railway Museum 17 April 2013
- ^ "Welcome to our web site". Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum.
- ^ Gunton, George (1996). Travellers in Time: Living History in Australia. Oceans Enterprises. p. 109. ISBN 0 958665 70 2.
- ^ An Operating Museum for the Hunter Valley Railway Digest August 1973 page 11
- ^ Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum Continental Railway Journal issue 25 March 1976 page 404
- ^ Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum Continental Railway Journal issue 55 September 1983 page 181
- ^ Dorrigo Reopens Railway Digest March 1985 page 82
- ^ Dorrigo Re-opened Railway Digest July 1986
- ^ Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum Continental Railway Journal issue 68 December 1986 page 228
- ^ Dorrigo's Army Railway Digest November 1986 page 336
- ^ Dorrigo court case dismissed Railway Digest July 1991 page 229
- ^ Dorrigo Line Breakthrough Railway Digest March 1999 page 15
- ^ A day out at the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum Railway Digest August 2017 pages 46-50
- ^ 3028T australiansteam.com
- ^ 3046 australiansteam.com
- ^ Landlocked giant left to rust in peace Track & Signal November 2019 pages 86/87
- ^ a b c d e f g "Historic engines to go". Maitland Mercury. 11 July 2013.