Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway
| Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway | |
|---|---|
|
Lithgow State Coal Mine, ca. 1900-27; (Collection of the State Library of New South Wales) | |
| Location | State Mine Gully Road, Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 33°27′47″S 150°10′07″E / 33.4630604°S 150.1684772°ECoordinates: 33°27′47″S 150°10′07″E / 33.4630604°S 150.1684772°E |
| Type | Railway and mining museum |
| Owner | The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc |
| Website |
www |
The Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway is an Australian mining museum, located in the Central Tablelands city of Lithgow, New South Wales.
Collection
The museum is principally a museum of coalmining and related industries. The aim of the project is the showcase the industrial history of the western coalfield of New South Wales.[1]
The mining museum contains Australia's most comprehensive collection of coalmining artefacts, including coal cutters, coal loaders, continuous miners and underground transports. A recently developed multimedia exhibit titled "Fire in the Mine" explores the working lives of coalminers in the mid Twentieth Century and the horrific consequences of an underground fire that occurred in the State Coal Mine in 1953.[2]
A number of historic railway items are preserved in an adjunct facility located on the Lithgow State Coal Mine site. These include:
- New South Wales Z26 class locomotive 2605 acquired from Portland Cement;[3]
- BHP Port Kembla D1 class D6[3][4]
- BHP Port Kembla D16 class D20, D21, D23, & D24[3][4]
- BHP Port Kembla D34 class D34[3][4]
- New South Wales 600/700 class railcars 661/761 & 668/768[5]
- New South Wales 620/720 class railcar 726[6]
- South Australian Railways BE carriage.[3]
Organisation and history
The museum is owned and operated by The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc. The museum was developed from 1990 when the former Lithgow State Coal Mine site was given to the community of Lithgow by the now delisted mining company, Austen & Butta Limited.
The museum is located on the northern outskirts of Lithgow on the site of the State Coal Mine that was closed in 1964 after being damaged by floods. The museum is connected to the Main Western railway line via a 1.5 kilometre branch from Lithgow yard. In 1976 the site was sold to Austin & Butta Collieries who donated the site to the City of Lithgow in 1990 with restoration work commencing shortly after.[7] In October 2001 a fire destroyed the carriage shed and a number of items of rolling stock.
The site is also used by Southern Shorthaul Railroad as a maintenance depot.[8][9]
References
- ↑ Business Plan 2012-2013. The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc t/a Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway.
- ↑ Lithgow State Coal Mine Underground Fire Interpretation Plan 2007
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Newsletter No 1". Lithgow State Mine Railway. April 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Newsletter No 2". Lithgow State Mine Railway. October 2012.
- ↑ "Eligible Preservation Groups Car Allocations". Railway Digest: page 39. December 1998.
- ↑ Newsletter No 3 Lithgow State Mine Railway November 2013
- ↑ "State Mine Heritage Park & Railway". Railway Digest: page 39. December 1998.
- ↑ Wilson, Michael (27 April 2012). "Rising from the Ashes" (Press release). The Lithgow State Mine Railway Limited. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ Workshop Services Southern Shorthaul Railroad