Tasmanian Transport Museum

The Tasmanian Transport Museum is a museum located in Glenorchy, Tasmania, preserving and exhibiting a collection relating to Tasmanian transport history including items such as locomotives, carriages, ephemera and railwayana.

Tasmanian Transport Museum
The station building and railway platform
Map
Established3 December 1983; 40 years ago (1983-12-03)
Location2B Anfield Street,
Glenorchy, Tasmania 7010
Coordinates42°49′52″S 147°16′29″E / 42.831242°S 147.274754°E / -42.831242; 147.274754
TypeTransportation Museum
PresidentPhil Lange
Public transit accessMetro Tasmania - Glenorchy
bus station
Websitetasmaniantransportmuseum.com.au

History

edit

In 1960, the Metropolitan Transport Trust donated a Hobart tramcar to be preserved, and as a result the Tasmanian Transport Museum Society was founded in 1962, with the aim of preserving representative items of transport interest that were disappearing from everyday life.[1]

The first decade of the Society's existence saw the preservation of many items that had been donated or purchased, and it was not until 1972 that a site adjacent to the railway station in Glenorchy was leased from the Glenorchy City Council. After the laying of track, the first items were moved there in 1976.[1]

After this time, the museum prospered in building on the site, with an electric traction shed built in 1976, as well as the Steam Technology building in 1983, a carriage shed in 1984 and a roundhouse in 1986. The most recent additions to the museum include a Fire Services shed completed in 2004, and a Road Transport shed completed in 2013.[1]

In 1979, after the cessation of passenger train services in Tasmania, the Museum purchased and moved the former New Town railway station building to the site in sections, and this was completed in 1980. The Museum also acquired a railway turntable from Brighton and a signal cabin from the Botanical Gardens railway halt.[1]

The Society has steadily acquired an extensive array of exhibits, relics, models and photographs, that portray many facets of the history of Tasmanian transport. Society members also have carried out much of the development work on exhibits and the site, with the State Government being the major financial contributor for capital works, however; membership is small and the Society relies mainly on volunteers, due to the financial and time constraints on the museum.[1]

In 2023, the Society reopened a section of the South Line between Elwick and Grove roads, allowing for the operation of both steam engines and railcars.[2]

Exhibits

edit

All items from this list were attained from[3]

Railway locomotives

edit
Number & name Description History & current status Livery Owner(s) Built Acquired Photograph
C22 Mixed traffic, 2-6-0 steam locomotive Operational TGR Black Tasmanian Government Railways 1902 1967
Climax B-type Climax type, B-B steam locomotive Statically restored Australian Newsprint Mills 1923 1977
H1 Mainline goods, 4-8-2 steam locomotive Statically restored TGR Green Tasmanian Government Railways 1951 1974
M5 Mainline passenger, 4-6-2 steam locomotive Operational (Mainline) TGR Green Tasmanian Government Railways 1952 1974  
Abt No. 2 General purpose, 0-4-2T rack steam locomotive Statically restored Green Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company 1889 1968
Q5 Mainline goods, 4-8-2 steam locomotive Statically restored TGR Green Tasmanian Government Railways 1922 1965
Ruston Shunting, diesel-mechanical locomotive Operational EBR Blue and Yellow Emu Bay Railway 1950 1998
Markham & Co.
Vertical Boiler
Logging tramway, 0-4-0 steam locomotive Statically restored 1889 1983
X1 General purpose, Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive Operational TGR Red and Cream Tasmanian Government Railways 1950 1989
Y4 General purpose, Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive Operational (mainline) TGR Red and cream Tasmanian Government Railways 1964 1994

Railmotors

edit
Number & name Description History & current status Livery Owner(s) Built Acquired Photograph
DP15 Country and suburban passenger railmotor Under overhaul TGR Green and cream Tasmanian Government Railways 1939 1979
DP26 Articulated country passenger railmotor Operational TGR Red and cream Tasmanian Government Railways 1950 1979  
PT4 Driving railmotor trailer Stored TGR Red and cream Tasmanian Government Railways 1939 1979

Engineering heritage award

edit

The museum collection received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[4]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Welcome to the Tasmanian Transport Museum. Glenorchy, Tasmania: Tasmanian Transport Museum Society. 2011. p. 4.
  2. ^ "Tasmanian Transport Museum to Run Trains Again". Tasmanian Times. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Railway Exhibits". www.railtasmania.com. Tasmanian Transport Museum Society. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Tasmanian Transport Museum Collection, 1883-". Engineers Australia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2020.