The Newport Railway Museum is located on Champion Road, Newport, Victoria, near the North Williamstown station.
Established | 10 November 1962 |
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Location | 26 Champion Road, Newport, Victoria |
Coordinates | 37°51′22″S 144°53′12″E |
Type | Railway museum |
Website | Official Site |
The museum opened on 10 November 1962, after the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) Victorian Division was allocated space at Newport Workshops by the Victorian Railways to develop a collection of key examples of steam locomotives that were then in the process of being replaced by diesel and electric locomotives. By the late 1980s, the early diesel and electric locomotives that had replaced steam traction were themselves nearing end of life, and the museum expanded its collection to incorporate a number of key examples.[1]
Following a safety audit by VicTrack, the landlord and owner of most of the exhibits, the museum closed in February 2010.[2] After various improvements, it reopened in March 2014.
On 16 June 2020, it was announced that the ARHS had withdrawn from the operation of the museum and a new group, Newport Railway Museum Inc., formed by museum volunteers, had entered into an arrangement with VicTrack to take over the Museum site lease.[3]
In 2016, a project was announced to construct a 693 m2 (7,460 sq ft) roof canopy over four wooden passenger carriages and three of the oldest steam locomotives on the site;[4] this project was completed in 2017. In 2019, the Victorian Government announced a project to construct a roof canopy to protect the heritage-listed locomotive H220 Heavy Harry.[5] A 1,112 m2 (11,970 sq ft) structure that covered H220 and several adjacent exhibits was completed in 2020. In announcing the completion of the second roof canopy, Newport Railway Museum stated its intention to continue to construct further roofing over remaining exhibits to ensure their preservation.[6]
The museum's regular opening hours are between 12 noon and 5 pm on Saturdays.[7] During school holiday periods, the museum opens on both Saturdays and Sundays, between 12 noon and 5 pm.[8]
The museum contains the largest existing collection of Victorian Railways steam locomotives, a wide range of other Victorian Railways rolling stock, and numerous Victorian Railways artefacts. The collection includes:[9]
Number | Image | Type | Year built | Builder | Livery | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F 176 | F class (Steam) | 1880 | Phoenix Foundry | Canadian Pacific red | ||
T 94 | T class (Steam) | 1884 | Phoenix Foundry | Two-tone green | Built as T 265. Renumbered as T 94 in 1924. Modified with flangeless wheels and coupled to W Class tender | |
Y 108 | Y class (Steam) | 1889 | Phoenix Foundry | Two-tone green | Built as Y 395. Renumbered as Y 412 in 1924. Renumbered as Y 108 in 1951 | |
E 369 | E class (Steam) | 1892 | David Munro | Black | Built as E 494. Renumbered as EE 494 in 1919. Renumbered as EE 369 in 1923. Renumbered as E 369 in 1931 | |
E 236 | E class (Steam) | 1893 | David Munro | Two-tone green | Built as E 506. Renumbered as E 236 in 1923 | |
D4 268 | D4 class (Steam) | 1910 | Newport Workshops | Maroon | Built as 790. Renumbered 268 in 1923. Renumbered as D4 369 | |
D2 604 | D2 class (Steam) | 1912 | Beyer, Peacock and Company | Maroon with blue lining | Built as DD 557. Renumbered DD 580 in 1925. Renumbered DD 795 in 1926. Renumbered D2 795 in 1929. Renumbered D2 604 in 1951 | |
D3 635 | D3 class (Steam) | 1912 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Black with red lining | built as DD 597. Renumbered D1 597 in 1930. Renumbered D3 635 in 1939 | |
A2 884 | A2 class (Steam) | 1913 | Newport Workshops | Maroon with blue lining | Built as A2 848. Renumbered A2 884 in 1929 | |
A2 995 | A2 class (Steam) | 1916 | Newport Workshops | Maroon | ||
C 10 | C class (Steam) | 1922 | Newport Workshops | Black | ||
X 36 / Gerald A Dee | X class (Steam) | 1929 | Newport Workshops | Black | ||
H 220 / Heavy Harry | H class (Steam) | 1941 | Newport Workshops | Black | ||
K 165 | K class (Steam) | 1941 | Newport Workshops | Black | ||
N 432 | N class (Steam) | 1951 | Newport Workshops | Jubilee Train - Green and gold | Last steam locomotive built by VR's Newport Workshops. Its green and gold livery was applied to N 430 for the 1951 Centenary-Jubilee train | |
R 704 | R class (Steam) | 1952 | North British Locomotive Company | Black with red lining | Was displayed at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and retained its commemorative plaques | |
J 556 | J class (Steam) | 1954 | Vulcan Foundry | Black with red lining | Wears the historically significant plates of scrapped J559, the last steam locomotive to enter service on the VR |
Number / Name | Image | Type | Year built | Builder | Livery | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F 216 / SEC 2 | F class (Diesel-electric) | 1952 | Dick, Kerr & Co. | SEC green | Renumbered back to SEC 2 | |
F 211 / Little Trimmer | F class (Diesel-electric) | 1953 | Dick, Kerr & Co. | V/Line Orange & Grey | Was SEC 3 | |
B 83 | B class (Diesel-electric) | 1953 | Clyde Engineering | VR Blue and gold | ||
S 308 | S class (Diesel-electric) | 1958 | Clyde Engineering | V/Line Orange & Grey | ||
V 56 | V class (Diesel-hydraulic) | 1959 | Newport Workshops | The Met (Trefoil logo) | ||
W 243 | W class (Diesel-hydraulic) | 1960 | Tulloch Limited | VR Blue and gold | ||
W 255 | W class (Diesel-hydraulic) | 1960 | Tulloch Limited | VR Blue and gold | ||
T 367 | T class (Diesel-electric) | 1964 | Clyde Engineering | V/Line Orange & Grey | ||
Y 137 | Y class (Diesel-electric) | 1965 | Clyde Engineering | V/Line Orange & Grey |
Number / Name | Image | Type | Year built | Builder | Livery | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8M | Swing Door motor | 1888 | Newport Workshops | Heritage red | ||
E 1102 | E class (electric) | 1928 | Newport Workshops | Black | ||
L 1150 / R G Wishart | L class (electric) | 1953 | English Electric | VR Blue and gold | ||
795M | Harris motor | 1968 | Newport Workshops | VR Blue and gold | ||
187M | Hitachi motor | 1980 | Martin & King | Steel | ||
903M | Refurbished Harris motor | 1983 | Comeng | The Met (Trefoil logo) | Converted from Harris 744M |
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