Loco 3265

Published by Paula Bray on November 21, 2009 6 Comments

Photo Nº: 00z40309

Since its public launch on 20 September 2009, the Museum’s reconstructed steam locomotive 3265 has been hired by two steam train operators for their day trip excursions. On Sunday 4 October, 3265 performed faultlessly as it hauled a Cockatoo Run service operated by 3801 Limited to the Southern Highlands. On Saturday 7 November, 3265 shared some hard work with locos 3526 and 3642 en route to Blackheath hauling a special train operated by the NSW Rail Transport Museum. Hundreds of passengers and thousands of delighted onlookers took in the spectacular site of a rarely seen “triple header” steam train working the steep Blue Mountains grades.

The restoration of 3265 received an award from the Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia at the International Rail Heritage Conference held from 14-17 October at the Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich, Queensland. The award is testimony to the high standard of work invested in the project by Powerhouse Museum staff and the dedicated team of volunteers who worked for 11 years to finally realise their objective.

On Monday 9 November, 3265 was prominently displayed at the opening of the new Roundhouse at the Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere. The Roundhouse represents the first stage in RailCorp’s redevelopment of the Thirlmere site where both the Powerhouse Museum’s steam locomotives, 3830 and 3265, will soon be stored, displayed and maintained.

Photography by Marinco Kojdanovski
License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0
Post by Andrew Grant, Curator
Photo of the Day 2nd anniversary statistic: one of our top 5 posts is Future of image licensing

  • http://www.yarradigital.com Photo Restoration

    Hope to travel on steam train!

  • Nick

    Hi- first of all I would just like to thank the Powerhouse Museum & 3801 Limited for bringing this loco back to life. 3265 looks great! I love its maroon colour scheme. I know 3265 is in operaton, but is it going to be at the Hunter Valley Steamfest in 2010? Its now my favorite loco.

  • Andrew Grant

    Dear Nick

    Thanks for your encouraging comments about 3265 and in particular the maroon livery. We think the colour is great too!

    The Museum is planning to have 3265 at Steamfest in April next year so you will have an opportunity to see it up close and hopefully enjoy a ride behind it. In the meantime, 3265 can be seen in the new roundhouse at the Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere.

  • Nick

    Thanks Andrew Grant, I hope 3265 will be at the steamfest, because I would love to have a ride behind it. Are there any other trips with 3265 planned for 2010?

  • Andrew Grant

    Dear Nick

    You can anticipate seeing 3265 in operation several times in 2010 but there is no program in place at this early stage.

    It is likely that the two main heritage train operators, 3801 Limited (see http://www.3801limited.com.au) and Heritage Express (see http://www.heritageexpress.com.au) which is operated by the NSW Rail Transport Museum (see http://www.nswrtm.org/), will be hiring 3265 a few times each next year. Steamfest at Maitland is one of these occasions and because it is such a major event, planning starts with a very long lead time.

    The best advice I can give you at this stage is to check out the above websites occasionally for updates and/or call them, commencing early in the new year. Naturally you are also welcome to contact the Powerhouse Museum any time for further information.

  • Nick

    Thanks Andrew. I have heard about the condition of 3830 and that it is currently out of service. I wish you good luck on getting 3830 back on the tracks soon. Its a great loco!