The Newport Railway Museum is located on Champion Road, Newport, Victoria, near the North Williamstown station.

History

The museum opened on 10 November 1962, after the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) Victorian Division was allocated space at Newport Workshops by the Victorian Railways to develop a collection of key examples of steam locomotives that were then in the process of being replaced by diesel and electric locomotives. By the late 1980s, the early diesel and electric locomotives that had replaced steam traction were themselves nearing end of life, and the museum expanded its collection to incorporate a number of key examples. Following a safety audit by VicTrack, the landlord and owner of most of the exhibits, the museum closed in February 2010. After various improvements, it reopened in March 2014. On 16 June 2020, it was announced that the ARHS had withdrawn from the operation of the museum and a new group, Newport Railway Museum Inc., formed by museum volunteers, had entered into an arrangement with VicTrack to take over the Museum site lease.

Site improvements

In recent years, projects have been undertaken to construct roof canopies to cover the exhibits and protect the collection from the elements.

Opening hours

The museum's regular opening hours are between 12 noon and 5 pm on Saturdays. During school holiday periods, the museum opens on both Saturdays and Sundays, between 12 noon and 5 pm.

Collection

The museum contains the largest existing collection of Victorian Railways steam locomotives, a wide range of other Victorian Railways rolling stock, and numerous Victorian Railways artefacts. The collection includes:

Steam locomotives

Diesel locomotives

Electric rollingstock

Passenger carriages

Vans

Freight wagons

Other items

Gallery