Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum

Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum
Location Dorrigo
Coordinates 30°20′01″S 152°42′27″E / 30.333701°S 152.707458°E / -30.333701; 152.707458
Type Railway museum
Website www.dsrm.org.au
Engines and carriages stored at the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in August 2005

The Dorrigo Steam Railway & 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]

Status

The museum was opened very briefly in 1986, but has been described as "not yet open to the public" ever since.[2]

History

The museum's origins stem from the formation of the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum Limited 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.

On 20 December 1984 the section from Glenreagh to Lowanna was reopened with 5069 hauling the first train.[4] 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.[5] At this stage the line still needed further work before trains could operate on it regularly. This was completed in October 1986.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8]

Preservation

Ex-NSWGR Steam Locomotives
No.DescriptionManufacturerYearLocationStatusRef
1904 0-6-0 passenger Beyer, Peacock and Company1877 Dorrigo stored
2414 2-6-0 goodsDübs and Company1891 Dorrigostored
2535 2-6-0 passenger Beyer, Peacock and Company1883 Dorrigo stored
3028 4-6-0 mixed trafficBeyer, Peacock and Company1904 Dorrigo stored [9]
3046 4-6-4T passenger Beyer, Peacock and Company1908 Dorrigo stored [10]
3813 4-6-2 express passengerCardiff Locomotive Workshops1946 Dorrigo parts only
5069 2-8-0 passenger Beyer, Peacock and Company1903 Dorrigo stored
5132 2-8-0 goodsClyde Engineering1909 Dorrigo stored
5353 2-8-0 goodsClyde Engineering1913 Dorrigo stored
5920 2-8-2 goodsBaldwin Locomotive Works1953 Dorrigostored
6039 4-8-4+4-8-4 goodsBeyer, Peacock and Company1956 Dorrigostored
6042 4-8-4+4-8-4 goodsBeyer, Peacock and Company1956 Forbesstored
Ex-Private Steam Locomotives
No.DescriptionManufacturerYearIn Service RailwayLocationStatusRef
Juno 0-4-0ST Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.1922 Commonwealth Steel Co. Ltd. Dorrigo stored
30-6-0ST Kitson and Company1878J. & A. Brown Dorrigo stored
3 2-6-0T Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.1911Blue Circle Southern Cement Dorrigo stored
4 0-4-0T H. K. Porter, Inc1915Commonwealth Steel Co Dorrigo stored
5 0-6-0T Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.1916Blue Circle Southern Cement Dorrigo stored
Corby 0-4-0T Peckett and Sons1943Tubemakers of Australia Ltd Dorrigo stored
Marian 0-4-0T Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.1948John Lysaght (Aust.) Limited Dorrigo stored
Badger 0-6-0T Australian Iron & Steel1943Australian Iron & Steel Dorrigo stored
SMR 14 0-8-2T Avonside Engine Company1909South Maitland Railway/Peko-Wallsend Dorrigo stored
N/A 0-4-0 Appleby1900Hexham Engineering Dorrigo stored
SMR 17 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 20 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 23 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 26 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 27 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 28 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]
SMR 31 2-8-2T Beyer, Peacock and Company1915South Maitland Railways Dorrigo stored[11]

Other Locomotives

References

  1. Exhibit List No 39 Dorrigo Steam & Railway Museum 17 April 2013
  2. Welcome to our web site Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum
  3. Gunton, George (1996). Travellers in Time: Living History in Australia. Oceans Enterprises. p. 109. ISBN 0 958665 70 2.
  4. "Dorrigo Reopens" Railway Digest March 1985 page 82
  5. "Dorrigo Re-opened" Railway Digest July 1986
  6. "Dorrigo's Army" Railway Digest November 1986 Page 336
  7. "Dorrigo court case dismissed" Railway Digest July 1991 Page 229
  8. "Dorrigo Line Breakthrough" Railway Digest March 1999 Page 15
  9. 3028T australiansteam.com
  10. 3046 australiansteam.com
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Historic engines to go". Maitland Mercury. 11 July 2013.
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