Canberra Railway Museum houses displays of historic locomotives, passenger cars, freight vehicles, track machinery and railway memorabilia. Guided tours provided.
Location: Geijera Place, at the end of Cunningham Street in Kingston
Opening times: 1pm to 4pm on Sundays
Cost: Adult $7, child (to year 12) $4, family (2 adults & 2 children) $15, pensioners, seniors or concession card holders $4
Canberra Railway Museum contains a variety of exhibits and includes the railway yard housing most of the Society's rolling stock — locomotives, rail motors, passenger cars, freight cars and track-maintenance vehicles.
Vintage wooden passenger cars, with their open platforms, and more recent stainless steel passenger cars are housed at the yard. A guided tour is provided so visitors can walk through the public areas to see a selection of this rolling stock at the Museum platform, in the railway yard or in the Society's restoration workshop.
On the last Sunday of the month, rail motor rides operate from the Museum platform and the nearby Kingston Miniature Railway* provides rides through the grounds of the Museum.
For information about group tours or weekday school visits, please contact our Museum Coordinator, Paul White, on 6295 7909 or (if unanswered) 6284 2790 (10am-3pm weekdays). To talk to Museum staff during the opening times, phone 6239 6707.
To enquire about using the Museum as a venue for a function or party, please contact the Museum Coordinator. Barbecue facilities are also available at no charge.
Museum exhibits
Because the Society is a working railway, the exhibits on display can change if there are trains running on the day of your visit. However the collection usually includes these exhibits:
Canberra's most important historical locomotive 1210, built in 1878 and restored to working order in 1988, which hauled the first train into Canberra in 1914.
The beautifully-restored tender locomotive 3016, which started life as a tank engine hauling Sydney suburban trains prior to electrification, is usually stabled at the Museum.
The giant 265 tonne Beyer-Garratt steam locomotive 6029 is currently undergoing restoration and so at present is not part of the display.
You can observe the rudimentary comfort of a 'dog box' carriage, and American-style end-platform carriages, which ran in Sydney before the "red rattlers" electric trains took over.
Appreciate the craftsmanship of the carriage builders, with the ornate polished timber and metal ceilings of the vintage cars.
Memorabilia and photographs of the railways of the Canberra and Monaro districts are also part of the Museum's displays.
Three diesel locomotives and three vintage 'Tin Hare' rail motors are also part of the collection housed at the Museum.
On the last Sunday of the month, a CPH rail motor (also known as a 'Tin Hare') provides rides for visitors, departing from the Museum platform and travelling to Fyshwick.
As you browse among the exhibits, you are most likely to come across a number of Society members undertaking voluntary restoration work on various items of rolling stock - if you are interested in this work, please consider becoming a member (see link at foot of page).
Group tours, functions, meetings
The Museum's barbecue facilities and vintage carriages which stand at our own station platform are ideal for parties for all ages, and for meetings.
Our trains have on-board catering facilities suitable for cocktail parties and conventions.
Arrangements can be made for the Museum to be opened during weekdays for school visits. Conducted tours are provided by experienced guides.
