Richmond Vale Railway Museum

Last updated

Richmond Vale Railway Museum
SMR30 near Pelaw Main.jpg
Richmond Vale Railway Museum
Established1979
LocationLeggett's Drive,
Richmond Vale, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 32°51′26″S151°28′33″E / 32.857293°S 151.47582°E / -32.857293; 151.47582
Type Railway museum
Nearest car parkOn site
Website Official Site

The Richmond Vale Railway Museum operates a railway and museum located at the heritage-listed Richmond Main Colliery south of Kurri Kurri, New South Wales. The museum is a volunteer non-profit organization, formed in 1979 with the aim of preserving the Richmond Vale railway line and the mining heritage of J & A Brown and the Hunter Valley.

Contents

History

After the closure of Richmond Main Power Station in 1976, Cessnock City Council acquired the abandoned Richmond Main Colliery together with 40 acres (16.2 ha) surrounding the buildings from Coal & Allied. [1]

In 1979 the newly formed Richmond Vale Preservation Co-operative Society assumed the responsibility for the railway, leaving the development of Richmond Main Park and Mining Museum to be done independently.

Operations

The museum is opened on the first three Sundays of each month and every Sunday during school holidays, and the site consists of the following features:

Preservation

Steam Locomotives
No.DescriptionManufacturerYearIn Service RailwayLocationStatusRef
9 Pelaw Main 2-8-2T Kitson & Company 1908 J & A Brown Kurri Kurri stored unrestored
10 Richmond Main 2-8-2T Kitson & Company 1911 J & A Brown Kurri Kurri stored unrestored
SMR 19 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock & Company 1915 South Maitland Railway Kurri Kurri Stored unrestored
SMR 22 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock & Company 1920 South Maitland Railway Kurri Kurri Stored unrestored
SMR 24 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock & Company 1922 South Maitland Railway Kurri Kurri Overhaul
SMR 25 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock & Company 1922 South Maitland Railway Kurri Kurri stored
SMR 30 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock & Company 1924 South Maitland Railway Kurri Kurri Overhaul
BHP 260T CraneIndustrial Works1913 BHP Newcastle Steelworks Kurri Kurri pending restoration
BHP 515T CraneIndustrial Brownhoist1920BHP Newcastle Steelworks Kurri Kurri undergoing restoration
ROD 23 2-8-0 Kitson & Company [2] 1918 J & A Brown Kurri Kurri static display
Alison 0-4-0ST Andrew Barclay Sons & Company 1922John Lysaght Kurri Kurri static display
Marjorie 0-4-0ST Clyde Engineering 1938John Lysaght Kurri Kurri Operational
Kathleen 0-4-0ST Avonside Engine Company 1921John Lysaght Kurri Kurri undergoing restoration

The museum also operates a small number of ex-industrial diesels, and owns a wide variety of ex-New South Wales Government Railways and ex-industrial rollingstock.

Ex-industrial diesels are:

Rail Motor

2017 Fire

Following a fire on 13 September 2017, the museum was closed, [3] [4] with the following losses.: [5] [6]

The museum reopened to limited rail operation on 4 March 2018 and is gradually restoring damaged track to trafficable condition, with shuttle train services available over restored track. Other elements of the museum's operations remain available on open days as before the fire.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tyneside Steam Railway</span> Visitor attraction in North East England

The North Tyneside Steam Railway and Stephenson Steam Railway are visitor attractions in North Shields, North East England. The museum and railway workshops share a building on Middle Engine Lane adjacent to the Silverlink Retail Park. The railway is a standard gauge line, running south for 2 miles (3.2 km) from the museum to Percy Main. The railway is operated by the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA). The museum is managed by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Coast Line</span> Railway line in North East England

The Durham Coast Line is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction.

The South Maitland coalfields was the most extensive coalfield in New South Wales until the great coal mining slump of the 1960s. It was discovered by Lieutenant-Colonel William Paterson's party when they were engaged in an exploratory visit to the Hunter Valley during July 1801.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurri Kurri, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the 2016 census, its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, Weston, Abermain and Heddon Greta, called Kurri Kurri – Weston by the ABS. Its estimated population was 17,241 at 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Heritage Rail</span>

East Coast Heritage Rail is a not for profit company limited by guarantee formed in June 1985 as 3801 Limited to operate steam locomotive 3801 and its associated rolling stock. The company operated heritage train tours from 1986 until 2017, with operations recommencing in February 2019 under the new brand, East Coast Heritage Rail.

The railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. By 1880, there was a half hourly service to Homebush.

The Berrima railway line is a partly closed private railway line in New South Wales, Australia. It was a short branch from the Main South line to serve the Berrima Colliery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Maitland Railway</span>

The South Maitland Railway was once an extensive network of privately owned colliery and passenger railway lines which served the South Maitland coalfields in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia and were the second last system in Australia to use steam haulage, having used steam locomotives until 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Vale railway line</span> Former colliery railway line in New South Wales, Australia

The Richmond Vale Railway was a 4 ft 8+12 in colliery railway line in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, servicing coal mines at Minmi, Stockrington, Pelaw Main and Richmond Main. It was over 26 km (16 mi) long and passed through three tunnels, and was the last commercially operated railway in Australia to use steam locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelaw Main, New South Wales</span>

Pelaw Main is a hamlet a few kilometres south-west of Kurri Kurri, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It owes its origins entirely to the colliery there of the same name. It had a population of 1,027 in 2011

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales 43 class locomotive</span>

The 43 class were a class of Australian diesel locomotives built by A Goninan & Co, Broadmeadow for the New South Wales Department of Railways in 1956–1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Valley Steamfest</span>

The Hunter Valley Steamfest is one of the major events in the New South Wales steam locomotive season and also one of the major events held in Maitland, in the Hunter Region. Held over two days in April, it is usually attended by steam locomotives from the Canberra Railway Museum, NSW Rail Museum and East Coast Heritage Rail and railmotors from the Rail Motor Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Maitland Railways 10 Class</span>

The South Maitland Railways 10 Class locomotives is a class of 14 2-8-2T steam locomotives built for the East Greta Coal Company by Beyer, Peacock & Company in Manchester, England, between 1911 and 1925. Members of this class of locomotive were the last steam locomotives in commercial use in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BHP Newcastle 37 class</span>

The BHP Newcastle 37 class were a class of diesel locomotives built by A Goninan & Co, Broadmeadow for the BHP's, Newcastle Steelworks between 1960 and 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5917</span> Historic steam locomotive

Locomotive 5917 is a two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, superheated, coal-fired, 2-8-2 ‘Mikado' steam locomotive and one of five D59 class locomotives that were preserved. As of June 2021, it is the main steam locomotive used for the Picnic Train, mainly running between Sydney and Kiama.

The New South Wales stainless steel carriage stock was a type of passenger carriage operated by the New South Wales Government Railways from 1961 until 1993.

J & A Brown was a privately owned Australian coal family firm founded by James Brown (1816–1894) and Alexander Brown (1827–1877).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport Heritage NSW</span> Australian organization

In 2013, Transport Heritage NSW was established by the Government of New South Wales to manage the State’s rail heritage collection and provide support to the broader transport heritage sector in NSW following an independent review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales E17 class locomotive</span> Class of 23 Australian 0-6-0 locomotives

The E.17 class was a class of patent long boiler steam locomotive built by the Robert Stephenson & Company for the New South Wales Government Railways of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Main Colliery</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Richmond Main Colliery is a heritage-listed former coal mine and now open-air museum at South Maitland Coalfields, Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the staff at J & A Brown's Engineering Workshops at Hexham under the direction of John Brown and built from 1908 to 1913 by J & A Brown. The site now operates as the Richmond Main Heritage Park, including the Richmond Vale Railway Museum and Richmond Main Mining Museum. The property is owned by Cessnock City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. "History of the Richmond Vale Railway Museum". Richmond Vale Railway Museum.
  2. J & A Brown No. 21/23., australiansteam.com. Accessed 14 April 2024.
  3. Giselle Wakatama (14 September 2017). "Asbestos fears at scorched rail museum site". ABC News . Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. Brodie Owen (14 September 2017). "Richmond Vale Railway Museum expects fire damage to surpass $1 million as police investigation rolls on". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. "STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF RICHMOND VALE RAILWAY MUSEUM". Richmond Vale Railway Museum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. "NSW RFS battles to save homes, as bushfires take hold on hot, windy day". ABC News. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.