Location Dorrigo Website www.dsrm.org.au | Type Railway museum Function Museum | |
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Address Tallowood St, Dorrigo NSW 2453, Australia Similar Dorrigo Showground, Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, Glenreagh Mountain Railway, Lachlan Valley Railway, Trainworks Railway Museum | ||
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.
Contents
Status
The museum was opened very briefly in 1986, but has been described as "not yet open to the public" ever since.
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. 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. 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. At this stage the line still needed further work before trains could operate on it regularly. This was completed in October 1986.
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. 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.