Established 1984 Phone +61 2 4954 4904 | Type Railway museum | |
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Nearest car park On site and in adjoining streets Website www.railmotorsociety.org.au Address 3 Webbers Creek Rd, Paterson NSW 2421, Australia Similar Hunter Valley Events, Maitland Visitor Informatio, Maitland Gaol, Maitland Station, Telarah Profiles | ||
Rail motor society neath tour 9th july 2016
The Rail Motor Society, based in Paterson, New South Wales, is a privately owned collection of preserved self-propelled railway vehicles and equipment from the New South Wales Government Railways. The items in its collection date from 1923 through to 1961.
Contents
- Rail motor society neath tour 9th july 2016
- Cph7 cph1 rail motor society on ssfl at macarthur 9 04 13
- Status
- History
- References
Cph7 cph1 rail motor society on ssfl at macarthur 9 04 13
Status
The Society was established in 1984 as a not-for-profit organisation to collect, preserve and operate a representative fleet of New South Wales Government Railways rail motors. The Society’s sole focus was to be on self-propelled or diesel multiple unit rolling stock, a principle that it still adheres to today. The Society is an accredited rail operator in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
History
The Society's origins stem from the Newcastle Branch of the Australian Railway Historical Society where a small band of members proposed a local organisation to preserve and operate some of the CPH railmotors that were planned for withdrawal at the end of 1983 by the State Rail Authority. The nucleus of the Society was established in 1984 with the support of four established heritage organisations - the NSW Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society, the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, the Zig Zag Railway and the Sydney Tramway Museum. Each of these organisations purchased CPHs when they were sold and these were pooled to form the nucleus of the fledgling Society's fleet. A site for its base in the old goods yard opposite Paterson station was identified and the first rolling stock items were delivered to Paterson from Sydney on New Year's Eve of 1984.
The Rail Motor Society is run entirely by volunteers and self funds its day-to-day activities, restorations and construction programs from heritage train operations and donations from the public.
The Society's collection is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and contains CPH 3 the oldest surviving rail motor in NSW. The 620/720 class railcars 621/721 are part of RailCorp's core heritage fleet and are managed on behalf of the NSW Office of Rail Heritage by the Society under a custody agreement.
In August 1986 HPC 402 was leased back to the State Rail Authority and after an overhaul used as a radio system test unit operating across NSW. Initially leased for six months, it would not be until July 2000 that it returned to the Society after travelling some 200,000 km. It has continued to see regular main line use, often being hired by rail network owners as a route learner or for executive inspections. In 2013, it performed such duties in Victoria.
In October 1986 CPH 1 was returned to traffic painted in post-war cream and green livery. It was joined by CPH 7 in January 1987 and together these have toured NSW and beyond extensively. In July 2011 they were joined by CPH 3.
42-Foot Rail Motor Trailer CTC 51 is currently under restoration to operational service by the Society.