What is Rail Heritage?

The movement to save and conserve historical elements of our State railways began in the 1950s, as the steam engine was just starting to fade from prominence - replaced by the new and sleek diesel and electric trains. Pioneering organisations such as the Australian Railway Historical Society, and later the NSW Rail Transport Museum, took up the challenge of documenting and conserving this way of life. These groups strived to save and document theses elements of the past: the iconic locomotives, the historic station buildings, signal boxes, the photos, the records - now collectively known as 'rail heritage'.

Today, RailCorp's Office of Rail Heritage works with a range of heritage organisations across NSW to conserve and display NSW's important railway heritage assets. A key component of this partnership is to support the development and transfer of heritage conservation skills between generations. This site contributes to the broader aim of improving the identification, recording and sharing of skills and knowledge of rail heritage.

Click on the links to the left for useful resources on how to conserve, research and interpret NSW rail heritage.