If you are planning to visit Adelaide, make time to get to the National Railway Museum (NRM) at Port Adelaide.

The Museum is easy to reach by car, train or bus, and you can easily spend a whole day at this museum alone, or combine it with a visit to the nearby Maritime Museum.

The NRM has a superb collection of South Australian and Commonwealth Railways rolling stock plus associated exhibits.

They are housed in two large purpose-built modern buildings, while alongside is an associated 1870s heritage-listed goods shed where restoration work is carried out.

The Museum boasts exhibits on four track gauges (yes four, not just the "usual" South Australian three of broad, standard and narrow - see later explanation) with plenty of information readily available to visitors.

Whereas in Canberra we have become used to a railway museum with the trappings of a working railway attached, in Adelaide it is very much the reverse - the museum with its mainly static exhibits is the centrepiece, although there are some associated rail operations.

The Museum uses a full colour leaflet (pictured above - click image for details) at tourist venues to advertise the museum, while at the museum itself visitors can purchase a guide ($4 - pictured below) which describes many of the exhibits and features.

With two paid staff and around 100 volunteers, it is open every day except Christmas Day.

The Museum history dates back to 1963 when rail fans set about saving and restoring South Australian Railways rolling stock which at that time was fast passing into history.

A big breakthrough came in 1988 when a $2 million bicentennial grant provided the wherewithal to relocate from Mile End to Port Adelaide, to be known as Port Dock Station Railway Museum.

A later federation grant of $560,000 saw additional major changes including multi-gauging of several tracks and the addition of a new Commonwealth Railways display pavilion.

At the official opening in 2001, the name also changed to the National Railway Museum.

The name change reflects the diversity of exhibits representing rail operations from various State, Commonwealth and private operators on the three major rail gauges used in Australia.

For visitors, it is the range of rolling stock exhibits and their well-preserved condition which is striking.

While the SAR and Commonwealth Railways exhibits are impressive, other operators are well represented - BHP (click on image), Electricity Trust of SA and Silverton all have a significant number of exhibits.

The SAR exhibits are gems.

There are well-preserved engines from from the 1880s, not to mention more recent treasures:

• massive 504 built in 1926 to haul The Overland (click image below for details); and
• SA's (and Australia's) first mainline diesel (number 900, introduced into service in 1951).

And 409, the narrow gauge (but massive) Beyer Garratt built mainly to haul Broken Hill ore traffic.

Even though a narrow gauge loco, it is every bit as impressive at our own 6029.

Passenger cars range across hard-seat 2nd class wonders, sleeping cars, dining cars, a commissioner's car and even a vice-regal car - not to mention the famous Bluebird rail car plus Red Hen suburban car and Budd rail car used by the Commonwealth Railways for services to Maree, Woomera and Whyalla.

Some of the cars have a wonderful history which is described on plaques located at each of the cars.

Freight wagons are also represented, and include a four-wheel BAS steel hopper (built 1917, and which can also be seen in our Canberra collection).

The Museum has been innovative in its way of maintaining the state of the exhibits (34 locomotives, let alone the extensive array of rail cars, passenger cars and freight wagons).

 
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As well as the dedicated band of volunteers who restore or repair exhibits or staff the museum, the NRM encourages families or groups to "adopt" an exhibit.

They are recognised by a small plaque on the relevant exhibit, and are expected to visit at least once monthly to clean and tidy-up "their" exhibit (even under cover, exhibits still get dusty!).

Donors to the museum can also "buy" a sleeper within the museum, and again a small plaque acknowledges their support.

So, what is this business of having four railway gauges?

The Museum contains broad, standard and narrow (3ft 6in, or 1067mm) tracks, and includes some clever multi-gauge track for moving exhibits.

But all of this is ringed by a 457mm gauge railway (hence the four gauges on the museum site), and the visitor entry fee ($10 adults, $7 concession, $4.50 children, $25 family) includes a ride around the museum on these steam or diesel-hauled trains, which leave from Callington Station, whose buildings were relocated from an actual station.

Annually, in the July school holidays, a nine day major fund-raising event celebrating the Friends of Thomas (the tank engine) is held which is well publicised and attracts large numbers of young visitors.

Another important annual occasion is a Behind the Scenes day, when exhibits not normally open to the public become accessible and visitors get to chat with volunteers.

The Museum's staffing needs are not unlike what we experience in Canberra - volunteers are encouraged to become involved in areas like the upkeep of the museum gardens, restoration work, cataloguing of archive material, plumbing, electrical or carpentry work.

And of course safe working, for the miniature railway at the museum or at the nearby Semaphore to Fort Glanville Tourist Railway (this Museum-operated steam railway runs from September through to April).

On special days, Museum staff also operate the 1919 narrow gauge (1067mm) tank engine Peronne for special events, working a short length of track within the Museum grounds.

The Museum is also available for corporate events, weddings, smaller dinners in a 1930 former Commonwealth Railways dining car, and children's birthday parties in a 1947 cafeteria car. Event organisers can even hire a TransAdelaide suburban train to bring guests directly into a museum platform.

There are many more features - an extensive model railway, signalling displays, working railway crossing warning bells (the young-at-heart can (and do!) press a button to ring the bells and flash the lights), ticket printing machine, Woodville signal cabin, women in railways feature, plus audio guides inside some exhibits.

And all housed in an excellent, well-maintained environment.

If you're visiting Adelaide, don't miss it!

The hard yakka of improving the Michelago Tourist Railway continues.