The Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre is located at the heritage-listed former railway workshops in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, on the Main Southern railway line. Now a museum, it is also known as the Goulburn Rail Workshop and Goulburn Roundhouse. The workshops were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The workshops were saved from demolition by the Goulburn Locomotive Roundhouse Preservation SocietyGoulburn Rail Heritage Centre Trackside and is now a museum open to the public with large collection of rolling stock and various exhibits, as well as privately owned locomotives and carriages with some commercial repair work happening on site.Goulburn Loco Roundhouse Preservation Society Inc NSW Rail Heritage
History Following the completion of the first railway from Sydney to Parramatta Junction in 1855, proposals for the first railways to the rest of NSW included a line to the inland centre of Goulburn. A single line from Marulan to Goulburn opened on 27 May 1869.
A depot was built by the New South Wales Government Railways on the southern outskirts of the town when the line from Sydney was opened to Goulburn in May 1869. In 1918, a 42 road roundhouse opened.Goulburn railway group moveable relics Heritage Council of New South Wales
Associated railway structures at Goulburn included the goods shed (1868), carriage shed (1869), engine shed (1869), a coal stage, water pump, turntable, and the station master’s residence (1870).
The roundhouse was constructed of brick and corrugated iron in 1918 around a electric-powered turntable.
The locomotive depot closed in July 1986 with its allocation of locomotives transferred to Junee Locomotive Depot, but remained as a stabling and refueling point for a few years."Goulburn Loco Closes" Railway Digest August 1986 page 239"Goulburn Loco Closure" Railway Digest September 1986 page 278 Goulburn City Council took out a lease on the roundhouse hoping to establish a national rail museum."Goulburn Roundhouse" Railway Digest March 1990 page 115
The Goulburn Roundhouse Museum became home to several preserved locomotives with the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum transferring 2419 from Thirlmere in August 1989."Rail Transport Museum" Railway Digest October 1989 page 353
In 1980, a wagon building and maintenance facility was constructed to the north of the roundhouse. In July 2006 this was transferred to UGL Rail. Following UGL Rail deciding to close the workshop in June 2010,UGL shuts up shop Goulburn Post 7 May 2010 in September 2010 Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia signed a ten-year lease for the site to maintain both its locomotive and wagon fleets.Bright Future for Goulburn Railway Workshops Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia 2 September 2010Workshops roll ahead Goulburn Post 12 June 2012"Born in Chicago" Railway Digest November 2012 page 34 As well as maintaining its own fleet, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia also perform maintenance for other operators including Aurizon.
Museum exhibits The Museum has a collection of railway locomotives, carriages, wagons and other railway equipment including: Steam LocomotivesNoDescriptionManufacturerYearLocationStatusRef107270T accident craneCraven Brothers1929Goulburnstored – out of service10760-6-0T Tank EngineVulcan Foundry1884Goulburnoperational(formerly 1804)24192-6-0 goodsDübs and Company1891Goulburnstatic exhibitLocomotive, Steam 241930854-6-4T passengerEveleigh Railway Workshops1912Goulburnstatic exhibitNSW Locomotive, Steam 308559082-8-2 goodsBaldwin Locomotive Works1952Goulburnstatic exhibitLocomotive, Steam 590859162-8-2 goodsBaldwin Locomotive Works1952Goulburnstatic exhibit Other Locomotives
48 Class diesel locomotive 4821 (operational) General Electric Bo-Bo L80T diesel locomotive D1 (under restoration) Clyde Engineering Co-Co GM12 Class diesel locomotive GM19 (owned by RailPower) Beyer, Peacock & Co 4-6-0 C32 class steam locomotive 3237 (Operational, owned by Lachlan Valley Railway)
Gallery
References