Powerhouse Museum collection - steam locomotives

Steam locomotives

150 Years: NSW Railways 1855 - 2005Locomotive No. 1 (pictured below) is one of the Powerhouse's most visited and loved objects. It hauled the first trains in New South Wales in 1855 - first, the ballast train to construct the first rail line, and then passenger carriages, making 2005 the 150th anniversary of rail transport in NSW. But Locomotive No. 1 is only one of the historic steam locomotives in the Museum's collection.

Click on the links below to find out more about the four NSW Government Railways steam passenger locomotives in the Powerhouse collection - including the first and last steam passenger locomotives in regular service in NSW (Locomotives No. 1 and 3830) and of two massive and heroic restorations undertaken by the Museum (Locomotives 3830 - completed in 1997, and 3265 - commenced in 1998 and still underway).

Locomotive no. 1 in the Museum Locomotive No. 1 - On permanent view at the Powerhouse Museum on the main entrance floor (level 4). Locomotive No. 1 hauled the first passenger train, a special service, from Sydney Station to Long Cove viaduct (near the present site of Lewisham) on 24 May 1855. It was withdrawn from service in 1877 after 22 years of operation, having travelled 155,667 miles (250,468 km). It has been in the collection of the Museum since 1884. It is extremely rare for a museum to have in its collection a 'first' locomotive such as this.

 

Locomotive 1243 in the Museum Locomotive 1243 - On permanent view at the Powerhouse Museum in the Transport exhibition on level 2. Locomotive 1243 is one of the few surviving 19th century passenger locomotives built in NSW to an English design and from a class necessitated by the railway boom of the 1870s-1880s. It was designed for Australian conditions and built in Australia to encourage local industry.

 

Locomotive 3265Locomotive 3265 - (pictured at left: top - during restoration in 2004 and below - a model of the engine as it will look after restoration - as it was in the black and maroon livery of its glory days in the 1930s). The restoration of Locomotive 3265, commenced in 1998, is being undertaken at the former Eveleigh locomotive workshop by essentially the same indomitable team which brought Loco 3830 back to life (see below). Locomotive 3265 is the only low frame survivor of the famous 32 class engines of the NSW Government Railways, which operated from the 1890s to the 1970s.

 

Locomotive 3830 steaming in the Museum's courtyardLocomotive 3830 - Restored to full steam operation in 1997 after an heroic five-year project undertaken by the Powerhouse Museum in partnership with steam train operator 3801 Limited and the Hunter Valley Training Company.


Generous support came from many sources, the core of which was a skilled and passionate team of staff and volunteers. This last steam passenger locomotive designed and built by the NSW Government Railways was the pinnacle of local steam locomotive engineering. Locomotive 3830 is housed in the Eveleigh Large Erecting Workshop, and displayed in the Powerhouse Museum courtyard from time to time, as well as hauling vintage train excursions operated by 3801 Limited.