NSW Rail Transport Museum

A step back in time, to an era when everyone travelled by train, it is a nostalgic visit for older visitors, and a novel and educational experience for children of all ages.

Open daily, the centre provides public access and information for most of our collection of rolling stock and other railway artefacts, including signalling and permanent way displays.

There are over 125 railway exhibits on display under cover and represent the history of NSW railways from the late 1800s to the present day and a comprehensive exhibition of railway items and memorabilia.

Our commitment to preserving rail history includes passenger carriages and freight wagons, including a number of interesting and unique examples such as a prison van and a horse box.

Visitors can view inside carriages and locomotive cabs, see the changes in design, style and technology of railway travel and relive the atmosphere of bygone times.

Our newest attraction is the recently completed maintenance operations facility, the first roundhouse built in Australia for 45 years.

The newly opened Roundhouse and relocated 105-foot turntable make up the centrepiece of the new operations precinct for the maintenance of operational heritage rolling stock.

Up to eight items of rolling stock can be worked on simultaneously, and visitors now have a behind-the-scenes view of the important maintenance work that is performed at the centre.

Our shop offers visitors the opportunity to purchase souvenirs and keepsakes, books and railway memorabilia, including reproduction railways china and glassware and a wide range of “Thomas” merchandise.

Take a nostalgic journey to a bygone railway age on the Thirlmere Heritage Railway… a time of majestic steam locomotives, elegant carriages and quaint country stations.

Steam train services on the Thirlmere Heritage Railway are hauled by a grand survivor from 1913 – steam locomotive 2705 with end platform tourist cars built as suburban cars during 1910-11 and altered internally to tourist cars between 1929 and 1936.

Our regular steam-hauled trains operate Thirlmere to Buxton and return on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month March to November except on high fire danger days.  

The Rail Heritage Centre and Thirlmere Heritage Railway are operated by the NSW Rail Transport Museum, the largest rail heritage organisation in NSW.