Our links section contains information about all of the model railway clubs we know about in South Australia, together with Live Steam Railway groups, Railway Museums and other web sites that may be of interest to anyone interested in the South Australian Railways and in modelling the railways in South Australia.
For changes to the information shown, please email [email protected]
Last updated February 2026
MODEL RAILWAY CLUBS AND GROUPS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition Inc. – AMRE.
Address – PO Box 462, Prospect SA 5082
Contact ConvenorMatt La Vista 0429 070 084 or send an email via the Web site.
Web site www.modelrailwayshow.org.au or just enter “Adelaide Model Railway Show”This organization is made up of several model railway clubs who combine each yearto present the annual Model Railway Exhibition.This year (2026), the exhibition will be held in the main hall at Wayville Held on the June long week end.This exhibition comprises numerous stands including anumber of local and interstate layouts,second hand and trade stalls and exhibits from kindred organizations. Tickets are available for the show on line.
Adelaide Model Railroaders Inc.
Address – Outer Harbor
Contactthe Secretary Tony Mikolaj at[email protected]
Web site type in “Adelaide Model Railroaders”
The inception of the club can be traced back to 1946, and in more recent years, the club has had layouts at Mt Lofty, Islington and now at Outer Harbor. Most of the members model USA prototypes, although a few members also run Australian and European outline. Membership is limited, and people with an interest in joining this club are invited to contact the above. The club is constructing a large HO layout and meets each Wednesday night at the club rooms, as well as on Saturdays. .
British Railway Modellers of Australia Inc.
South Australian Branch
Address – The group meets in private homes around Adelaide.
Contact Andrew Emmett – Mobile 0401 126 348 or email [email protected]
Australian web site www.brma.org.au
Modellers of British Outline in all scales including N, OO, O Gauge and live steam.
Meet 1st Thursday night and 3rd Saturday afternoon at private members homes.
Please contact Andrew Emmett should you wish to go to one of the BMRA meetings.The British modellers publish a quarterly Australia wide journal called “The Clearing House”
CTC Classic Train Collectors
Address – The group meet in private homes around the State.
Contact email [email protected]
for information on Classic Train Collectors around Adelaide.
The collector’s group are interested primarily in “O” gauge and bigger scales including electric, clockwork and steam models manufactured by the likes of Hornby, Bassett-Lowke, Bons, Bowman, Trix, Bing, Lionel, Ferris and Robuilt just to mention a few.
Digital Experimental Command Control of Australia Inc. DECCA
Address – This group meet in private home.
To contact this group, email [email protected].
Web – type in “DECCA Model Railway Group”
Monthly meetings are held in private member’s homes. Digital Command Control (DCC) is now the commonly used method to control model railway operations using 18-volt AC and contains many features not available to older style controllers using 12 -15-volt Direct Current. Anyone with an interest in, or wanting to find out more about DCC is welcome to contact the group.
Dublo Circle– Part of the Hornby Railway Collectors of Australia.
Address – Meet in private homes
Contact Michael Gryst for information on O gauge on email [email protected]
Web www.hrcaa.net.
As the name suggests, this group run mainly “OO” gauge 3 rail Hornby Dublo equipment on Monday evenings at private homes.
Limestone Coast Model Railway Club.
Address– Millicent Men’s Shed. 2c Fifth Street, Millicent SA 5280
Contact Men’s Shed on 0456 086 262 or [email protected]
The model railway group is well established at Millicent and it has two layouts, one in N scale and one in HO. The club caters for both DC and DCC operations and they have a good mix of locomotive power and rolling stock,
The group welcomes visitors and new members and the club rooms are open most
Sundays from 10am until the last member leaves. Members can often be found in the Shed during the week as well. Ring or contact the club via email to arrange a visit.
Marklin Model Railway Club of South Australia
Address. – Former DSTG ballroom at Penfield being building number 38 Woomera Avenue, DSTO, Edinburgh SA 511
Contact Dusan on 0404 377 693 or email [email protected]
Internet. facebook.com/mmrcsa/
or type in “Marklin Model Railway Club of South Australia
Marklin three rail HO equipment is made in Germany and therefore tends to follow European prototype. HO, N gauge and Z gauge layouts are owned by members. The club has clubrooms in the former DSTO ballroom at Edinburgh near Salisbury.
New members are welcome. Check with the club to see if meetings are held on the second and last Sundays of each month.
National Model Railroad Association – Australasian Region – Division 6 (SA)
Address This group meets in private homes around Adelaide.
Contact Division 6 Superintendent. – Scott Taylor [email protected]
email [email protected]
Web www.nmra.org.au or type in “National Model Railway Assn Australia”
Meet in Adelaide on the second Saturday afternoon of each month. This is a large organization with groups in each State, and in many States, the NMRA have large model railway clubs. The NMRA region publishes a bi-monthly digital on-line magazine called “Mainline”.
Noarlunga Model Railroaders Inc.
Address – 163 Old Station Road, Old Reynella SA 5171 on former Railway land.
Contact the Secretary Stuart Rees 0400 064 728 or at PO Box 707, Morphett Vale South Australia 5162. The Clubrooms telephone number is 08 8322 7047.
email – [email protected]
Web – www.noarlungarail.com, or type in “Noarlunga Model Railroaders Inc”.
The Club has meetings on Tuesday evenings, Thursdays, and Saturdays in their own clubrooms on Old Reynella Railway Station land. The large model railway shed with painted murals at the southern end of the town can be easily found. All types of HO/OO trains are run. Visitors are welcome. Junior members are catered for at running sessions on Saturday mornings. A monthly magazine can be found on their website.
Port Pirie Model Railway Club
Address – Former refreshment rooms on Port Pirie Railway Station platform.
Contact – Tim Richards. [email protected]
Web – type in “Port Pirie Model Railway Club” or phone 0419 838 227
The club’s layout is in the former refreshment rooms on what was one of the longest platforms in South Australia. It is quite a large layout at about 30 feet long with several tracks running around it on three levels. A photo of the layout is on the website. Running days are held on the first Sunday of the month. The club layout is now owned by the Council as is some of the rolling stock on the layout.
A live steam railway is also operated on the first Sunday of the month and is situated next to the Port Pirie platform.
SANGS – South Australian N Gauge Society Inc.
Address 118 Fletcher Road, Peterhead, SA 5016
Contact Secretary is Carol Van Der Wijngaart Telephone 0419 820 907.
email [email protected]
Web http://www.sangs.asn.au/ or type in “South Australian N Gauge Society”.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/South-Australian-N-Gauge-Society-210883689251250/
SANGS started in 1983 and is the largest N Scale Moel Railway Club in South Australia.
The Club’s aim is to promote interest in the N scale model railway hobby to the wider community and to offer a social club for model railway enthusiasts. They have several large N scale modules that are taken to exhibitions and public demonstrations. You can often see the club at various shopping centres and community events, especially in the northern and western suburbs of Adelaide, as well as regional areas such as Loxton, Kingston SE and Mount Gambier.
SANGS clubrooms are situated at 118 Fletcher Road, Peterhead SA 5016 where they store their equipment and have a smaller layout for club members to run their trains. All prototypes are catered for.
Club meetings are held at the nearby Bower Cottages on the 1st Saturday of each month 1.30pm to 4.00pm. The clubrooms are open on other Saturdays 12.30pm to 4.00 pm and at other times by appointment. New members and visitors are welcome.
More information on the club’s events and activities is available on their social media pages including on the Web and Facebook.
South Australian Railway Modellers Association Inc.
Address, “Log Cabin” and Clubrooms at corner of Lyons Road and Balmoral Road, Dernancourt SA 5075
Contact. President Tim Leach on 0409 582 274. or
email [email protected]. Postal Address Secretary PO Box 4 Prospect SA 5082 Infoline at clubrooms 08 8411 5500
Web www.sarma.asn.au or type in “South Australian Railway Modellers Assn.
Meetings held at on the second Wednesday of each month. Other activities most Tuesdays during the day and on Wednesday evenings which include construction nights where members are given assistance with model building projects. Members run all types of HO/OO equipment and there is also now a good size permanent N scale layout in the clubrooms. The club’s permanent layouts are always being worked on, and both are in working order with regular running nights. There is encouragement to model SAR, but there are plenty of American and English modellers as well and separate running nights are held for American, English, Australian and “any Prototype” equipment. The monthly magazine “The Buffer Stop” has been printed since the inception of the club in 1957. The clubrooms are wheelchair friendly, are airconditioned and contain a large library. Visitors are always welcome.
South Australian Protofour Group Inc.
Address – St Kilda Tramway Museum, about 22kms north of the Adelaide CDB.
Contact President Sam Hyde 0401 125 757 or email [email protected]
Meets Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11am in their own clubrooms which are situated within the grounds of the Tramway Museum where they are currently building a P87 layout.
This fine scale group models both South Australian and British trains to the scales of HO (P87) and OO (P4) using track gauges of 18.38mm for SAR broad gauge and 18.83mm for British standard gauge. The group uses a mix of converted RTR kits and scratch-built models with finer wheels and track than that commercially available. Current members have layouts in OO -16.5mm, O – 32mm, 2mm.fine scale – 9.42mm, N scale – 9mm and 5” live steam. The group would welcome new members.
Southern N Scale Model Railway Club Inc
Postal Address 5 Reynold Street, Morphett Vale SA 5162
Contact – Email [email protected]
The Club meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month 10am to 4pm at the Girl Guides Hall, 9 Greenbank Grove, Hackham. SA
New members and visitors are welcome. The aims of the club are to promote the N scale model railway hobby in the Southern Suburbs of Adelaide.
Whyalla Model Railway Society Inc.
Address – the Clubrooms at Fisk Street, Whyalla.
Contact the Secretary, Jim Cochrane on 0439 653 740 or president Geoff Buckland on 0455 255 517.
email [email protected]
Web – Type in “Whyalla Model Railway Society Inc”
Meet on Tuesdays at 7pm and on Sundays at 10am at the clubrooms. The club has a DCC operated HO layout which also incorporates some HOn3.5 narrow gauge track.
OTHER AUSTRALIAN MODEL RAILWAY CLUBS
See the listing of other clubs around Australia prepared by The Australian Model Railway Magazine. Look on the web under “Australian Model Railway Magazine”.
and look for the heading “other clubs”
HOBBY SHOPS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA WITH A GOOD SELECTION OF MODEL RAILWAY EQUIPMENT AND ROLLING STOCK.
Orient Express Model Railway Shop
Address – 27/464 Pulteney Street, Adelaide SA 5000 (not far from South Terrace)
Contact Ask for Fred. Telephone 08 8271 7861
email [email protected]
Web www.orientexpressmodels.com.au or enter “Orient Express Model Railway Shop”
This shop contains a good selection of European and Australian Model Trains.
This shop only stocks model railway equipment and now produce their own ready to run fine scale injection molded plastic models of South Australian Railways rolling stock and locos. So far, the OB bogie open wagon, the four-wheel Obf open wagon, a four-wheel Dwf louvre van, a bogie D class louvre van, a bogie M class box car in numerous colour schemes, the SAR “Centenary” passenger cars and the ready to run 4-6-0 F class tank loco of the SAR in both coal and oil burning versions have all been produced by Orient Express. Open on Monday to Saturday. 10am to 6pm
Junction Models
Address – Shop 4, 449 Main North Road Enfield SA 5085
Contact Telephone 08 8349 7464 or email [email protected]
Web www.junctionmodels.com.au or enter “Junction Models”
The shop stocks lots of different types of model railway equipment including
Australian, British and American prototypes. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9.30am except Public Holidays. One of the offerings from Junction Hobbies that can’t be found in most other Hobby Shops is their kits of the SAR “Red Hen” railcars.
Junction Models also stock all of the SDS range of models.
Ozrail Model Trains
Address – Shop 2 / 1A Lawrence Hargrave Way, Parafield SA 5106
Contact Telephone 08 8258 7665 or email [email protected]
Web – Ozrail Model Trains – Model train Shop”
Opening hours Mon to Friday 9am to 5pm, Thursdays 9am to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 4pm & Sunday 11am to 4pm.
Ozrail are well known for their injection molded SAR freight wagons which have included the FB fish belly flat wagons, the C class bogie Cattle Vans and the S class bogie sheep vans. The shop stocks a multitude of model railway items including locos, rolling stock track etc. Their website lists some of the items in stock.
Hobby Habit
Addresses – 144 Daws Road, Melrose Park
Contact 08 8277 1111 Melrose Park. (The Blair Athol shop has been closed.)
email [email protected]
Web – www.hobbyhabit.com.au
Model car enthusiasts should check out the racing tracks behind the shop at Daw Park. Although dealing mainly with model cars, model planes and drones, there are plenty of other plastic kits and some model railway equipment in stock, as well as basic modelling materials and lots of different brands of paints.
AZTRONICS
Address – 4/174 Sturt Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Contact David Crosby Telephone 08 8212 6212 or [email protected]
Web – “Aztronics Adelaide”
An electronics shop that has a large selection of electronic components. The shop specifically caters for model railway enthusiasts and has a number of electronic kits to put together for model railway purposes.
LIVE STEAM MODEL ENGINEERING CLUBS
Always wear totally enclosed footwear when visiting a live steam engineering club if you intend to have a ride on one of their trains.
Adelaide Miniature Steam Railway Society
Address – 370 Regency Road, Prospect SA 5082 or P.O. Box 205, Prospect SA 5082. Secretary Andrew Parrott.
Contact Phone 0403 308 601 or email [email protected].
Web – “Adelaide Miniature Steam Railway Society – Facebook” for up-to-date info.
Large 5” gauge railway with plenty of marshalling yards, turntable, signal cabin etc. Runs scratch built rolling stock behind live steam locomotives and the club also has riding trucks for members of public to ride on. Public running days are on the 4th Sunday afternoon of each month. Pay to get in, but rides on the trains are free.
Clare Valley Model Engineers Inc
Address – Melrose Park, off Phoenix Avenue, Clare South Australia 5453
Contact 0417 859 659 or email [email protected]
Web – enter “Clare Valley Model Engineers”.
Melrose Park contains a lake, playground, BMX bike track and walking paths.
November to March, twilight running on 2nd and 4th Saturdays. April to October running on 2nd and 4th Sunday afternoons Opening days and times the Society will be open are advertised on their website.
Morphett Vale Railway Inc
Address – Wilfred Taylor Reserve, Wheatsheaf Road, Morphett Vale SA 5162
Contact – Secretary Jeff Hague at PO Box 743, Morphett Vale SA 5162 Telephone 08 8387 6564. Or phone Adam on 0414 263 249 or email [email protected]
Web – “Morphett Vale Railway Inc”
Large 7.25” gauge layout capable of taking the largest live steam models there are in this gauge. Features a long main line run of around 1.6 km. No entrance fees, so public pay for the rides. Open days for the public are advertised in the “What’s on” column of the Advertiser, but usually 2nd and 4th Sunday afternoons from 1pm to 4.30pm. Suggest you check with the website to see if trains are running.
Penfield Model Engineers Society
Address – 1-3 Woomera Avenue, Edinburgh SA 5111
Contact – 08 8281 2220, email [email protected] Secretary PO Box 792, Salisbury SA 5108
Web – enter “Penfield Model Engineers Society”
Public running days are on the last Sunday afternoon of each month except December. And on the second Saturdays during daylight saving months for twilight meetings. There is a large amount of 5” and 7.25” track as well as a G gauge garden layout and an HO/HOn3 model railway layout.
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Roseworthy Railway Club Inc
Address – Roseworthy Campus of the University of Adelaide on Mudla Wirra Road, Roseworthy.
Contact 0414 412 436 email [email protected]
Web – type in “Roseworthy Railway Club Inc”
7.25” gauge track. Public running days are on the 3rd Sunday afternoon (12.30 to 4.30 pm) of each month during April to November and evening running on the 3rd Saturday of each month during the period November to March from 6pm to 9pm.
South Australian Society of Model & Experimental Engineers Inc
Address – Millswood Crescent, Millswood SA
Contact telephone 0493 065 175,email.[email protected] or Snail Mail
PO Box 208, Goodwood SA 5034
Public running days are first Sunday and third Saturday afternoon of each month between 2pm and 4.30pm..
Live steam trains can run on three different gauges. An admission fee is payable, but an unlimited number of rides is then available to the public. A lake is also used by a number of model boat enthusiasts. Group bookings for birthday parties etc. are taken.
Other Model engineering societies
Look at the Australian listing on www.steamengine.com.au
OPERATING STEAM RAILWAYS, MUSEUMS CONTAINING ITEMS OF RAILWAY INTEREST & KINDRED SOCIETIES.
SteamRanger
Address – Depots at Mount Barker Railway Station, Dutton Road, Mount Barker and just North of Goolwa on the Strathalbyn Road. Goolwa
Contact Telephone enquiries 08 8391 1223 Mt Barker Depot & 08 8555 2691 Goolwa Depot.
Bookings can be made for train trips online at[email protected]
Web sitewww.steamranger.org.au or type in “SteamRanger Heritage Railway”
The Society operates steam and diesel hauled trains and railcars between Mt Barker and Victor Harbor. Trains run on the Goolwa to Victor Harbour section of the line most Sundays, some Wednesdays and during school holidays and tickets can be purchased at Goolwa, Victor and Port Elliot on running days or online. Steam locos held by SteamRanger include Pacific Nod. 621, Rx class 4-6-0 No. 207 and Rx class 4-6-0 No 224, all of which are in working order. F class tank loco No. 251, and 520 class 4-8-4 No. 520 are currently held out of service although the 520 class is being worked on for the purpose of returning the loco and its tender to working order. Work on retubing the boiler is almost complete and the tender has been fully rebuilt. Various “Red Hen” railcars, a Brill 75 class railcar, 350, 500, 830 and 930-class diesels also provide motive power on the railway. Quite a few people can be found working at the Mt Barker depot every week day. Volunteers are always welcome.
Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society
Address – The large depot at Quorn can be accessed from Altmann Road or Stocks Road at Quorn and the trains leave from the Quorn Railway Station in the main street of Quorn or the Afghan Express leaves from the Port Augusta Railway Station, Stirling Road, Port Augusta.
Contact Secretary [email protected] Telephone and online bookings 1800 777 245
Web – type in “Pichi Richi Railway” or www.pichirichirailway.org.au
Pichi Richi Railway have a large depot at Quorn in the Flinders Ranges and operate well restored equipment running on 3’6” gauge track. The Society runs steam and diesel hauled trains, Brill Railcars and Steam Motor between Quorn and Port Augusta. It operates during the winter months and in school holidays.
Steam locos on the Pichi Richi Railway roster include a T class 4-8-0, W class 4-8-2’s, an NM class 4-8-0, a steam motor coach called “The Coffee Pot”, a Wx class 2-6-0 and a Yx class 2-6-0 which has been returned to working order and has been beautifully restored. Operating diesels include NB, NSU, and NT classes of the former Commonwealth Railways. The Pichi Richi Railway have also acquired a former SAR Alco diesel No 843 which is currently being restored to working order. Of more than passing interest is the news that a private individual is building a full-scale replica of a James Martin 4-4-0 Z class steam loco at his house in the Adelaide Hills. The Z class loco and its fully restored tender are now both back at Quorn, and a new boiler being the last item required is currently being built. A considerable number of narrow-gauge passenger cars have also been beautifully restored by the Society. Timetables and fares for various length trips can be found on the Societies website and tickets can also be booked online through this site.
The Great Northern Lodge 8648 6940 is the newest Motel in Quorn.
Semaphore Tourist Railway
Address – Semaphore beach front next to the Semaphore Jetty.
Contact Telephone 8341 1690.
Web – Search “Semaphore Tourist Railway”.
Operates most Sundays during the warmer months and more frequently during school holidays. It is usually a steam hauled train on narrow gauge (457mm) track that travels two kilometers along the foreshore between the Semaphore Jetty and Fort Glanville. Tickets can be purchased at Semaphore on the train (by eftpos or card). This railway is operated by and on behalf of the National Railway Museum, and any profits are used to help run the Museum which is privately funded rather than Government funded.
Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum
Address Trussell Terrace, Cobdogla SA 5346, near Barmera in South Australia’s “Riverland”
Contact Phone 08 8588 2289 or 0414 822 367
email [email protected]
Web – type in “Cobdogla irrigation & Steam Museum”
This intriguing museum has a large steam traction engine, a “Humphrey pump” and a small “Bagnall” 2-foot narrow gauge steam loco which operates on over a kilometer of track near the Museum. Open days are irregular, but are advertised on their web site. Contact Berri Visitor center for details of open days or the Museum can be found on the web.
Jamestown Railway Station and Goods Shed Museum.
Address – In the former Railway Station Building at Irvine Street, Jamestown. SA 5491 Contact Phone 0403 259 923 or 0417 863 450
Web enter “Jamestown Railway Station”
Most of the objects on display which have been donated by local residents to this National Trust Museum relate to non-railway subjects. Of particular interest to Railway Enthusiasts is the oldest preserved South Australian Broad-Gauge Passenger Carriage stored in the Goods Shed. Built in November 1882, originally a Cleminson passenger car numbered 105, it was converted to a bogie passenger car, then to an Ambulance Car in 1914. After being used as single men’s quarters at Booleroo Centre, the broad-gauge car is now displayed on narrow gauge bogies. The Museum is open on Mondays to Saturdays from 10.30am to 4pm, but closed on Sundays.
Kalangadoo Railway Station
Address Crowe Street, Kalangadoo SA
Contact 08 8739 3148 or 08 8739 2525. Web enter “Kalangadoo Railway Station”.
The Railway Station Building at Kalangadoo has been turned into a Railway Museum by the former Station Master, Peter Savage. Peter is apparently at the station “most of the time”. A number of collectable railway items are currently housed in the Station Building.
Karoonda Pioneer Park.
Address – Pioneer Park. Eastern Terrace, Karoonda SA
Several railway vehicles including carriages and goods wagons are on display in the, Park which just happens to be at the eastern end of the town. The display is centered on the rebuilt Yurga railway siding. Entry is free and can be seen anytime. There are a number of items on display as well as several pieces of railway rolling stock.
Light Railways Research Society of Australia
The Light Railways Research Society has branches that meet in Adelaide,and other cities. The South Australian Branch meets on the last Thursday of March, May, July and September at 7.30 pm at 1 Kindergarten Drive, Hawthorndene. Contact the Convenor, John Meredith 0447 734 163 or email [email protected]
The Society was founded in 1961, its purpose is to encourage interest and research into light railways. With around 700 light railways that operated in South Australia, there is plenty to research. The Society publishes a bi-monthly magazine, The Light Railways Magazine. Where were these railways to be found in South Australia. On most jetties, they were used to build the reservoirs, the locks and barrages on the River Murray, on salt fields, from Smithfield to ninety various explosive storage sites and perhaps the last to operate, the horse drawn line from Dry Creek to the Port River servicing explosives stores for Adelaide quarries. This line lasted until the 1970s.
Loxton Historical Village
Address – Situated near the river at the end of the main street on Allen Hosking Drive, Loxton SA 5333
Contact 08 8584 7194. email [email protected]
Web – www.thevillageloxton.com.au or enter “Loxton Historical Village”
A very well maintained and presented village made up from 45 old buildings and displays brought in from the surrounding area. Included in the display is a church, a school, a bank, a number of shops, old farm equipment, a typical Murry Mallee station shelter shed, a few other railway relics as well as a preserved Rx class locomotive and tender (No 55). The Museum is well worth a visit if in the Riverland with a lot of displays having been updated. recently.Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm
Millicent National Trust “Living History” Museum
Address – 1 Mount Gambier Road, Millicent.SA 5280
Contact – Telephone 08 8733 0904 or email [email protected]
Web – enter “Millicent Museum”
Based in the former Millicent School precinct, the Museum complex is accessed via the Visitor Information Centre. The displays include a Shipwreck room, a large machinery shed, some beautifully restored ladies’ costumes and arguably the best collection of restored horse drawn vehicles in Australia. This Museum is one of the best presented rural Museums in the State. For the railway enthusiast, a 4-8-0 narrow gauge T Class loco and tender (T224) is nicely preserved at the museum. Open 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Moonta Mines Tourist Railway – Yorke Peninsula
Address – One place to start is the Visitor Information Centre situated in the former Railway Station Building off Blanch Terrace near Pollard Street, Moonta.
(It can be seen from the main road as you enter the town.)
Contact – The Moonta Tourist Information Centre. 08 8825 1891 Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Email [email protected]
A train runs on a small narrow-gauge line hauled behind an internal combustion engine of indeterminate origin between the well-presented Moonta Mines Museum which is situated in the original Moonta Mines School and the former Moonta Railway Station (now nicely restored as a tourist information centre,) a trip of a few kilometers that takes about 50 minutes. The best place to catch the train is at the Moonta Mines Museum ticket office, 155 Veran Terrace, Moonta Mines. The train runs on weekends, school holidays and Wednesdays. There are plenty of mine relics, a restored horse tram that ran at Moonta, an Old School which is the main Museum and a few former miner’s cottages. The whole area well worth a visit. It is significant that the area has received a National Heritage listing. Even strolling down the main street of the town is an interesting exercise with plenty of shops including antique shops open on weekends.
Naracoorte Information Centre and Museum Complex
Address – Situated on the corner of Macdonald Street and Cameron Street in Naracoorte, the Information Centre is located within the precinct containing the National Trust’s Old Mill Museum, the Sheep’s Back Museum and a multitude of other well-presented buildings and displays.
Contact Telephone 8762 1399 or email [email protected]
Web – type in “The Sheep’s Back Museum
Much of the ground floor of the Old Mill is taken up with a Model Railway Display that was built by a former resident of Naracoorte, the late Lindsay Baker. This layout would be one of the best, if not the best, operating layout on permanent public display in South Australia. The layout features three stations including models of Naracoorte, Kingston and Mt Gambier. With over 50 scratch-built buildings, many of which were based on prototypes in the South East, the layout is well worth a visit if you are a model railway enthusiast. The Museum is open every day, although the open hours vary slightly between winter and summer.
National Railway Museum
Address – 76 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide.
Contact Phone 08 8341 1690
Web – www.nrm.org.au/ or enter “National Railway Museum”
Email [email protected]
Open daily 10am to 4.30pm
Large undercover pavilions house a multitude of Locomotives, Rolling Stock and Railway paraphernalia. Historical records including over 700,000 photos are available for research purposes by appointment. Various steam and diesel locos and some railcars are still in working order and run on special occasions. There is small railway (free) for everyone to ride on once the admission fee has been paid to get into the Museum. A Model Railway display is also in main pavilion. A Book shop at the Museum with Railway Books, slides and Videos can be accessed at any time without entering the Museum. A favorite display is a train simulator which visitors are allowed to drive. The Museum well worth a visit and it is close to the Aircraft and Maritime Museums as well.
Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village
Address at 8552 Princes Highway, Tailem Bend which is just a few kilometers west of Tailem Bend on the main freeway.
Contact Telephone 0419 359 532 or 08 8572 3838
or email [email protected]
Web enter “Old Tailem Town”
Set out as a large village of over 100 buildings, Old Tailem Town is a collection of older shops, houses, churches, a railway station, some rolling stock, and some road vehicles. Each building is chock full of displays and collectables. A real feature of this display is the fact that all of the buildings have been salvaged from the Murry Mallee area and are therefore genuine examples of what our Pioneers built. A remarkable display considering the few people involved which is no doubt the reason that some of the collectable displays are not in pristine condition. A most interesting day can be spent wandering around the large collection of buildings and display items. Plenty of buildings to use as prototypes for modelling. Open 10am to 5pm daily except Christmas day.
Port Lincoln Railway Museum
Address – Railway Station Building at “Railway Place” Port Lincoln SA 5606
Contact – Peter Knife 0428 119 287 or e-mail president@[email protected]
Web www.eprps.org.au or enter “Port Lincoln Railway Museum”
Run by the Eyre Peninsula Railway Preservation Society Inc., whose address is PO Box 2736, Port Lincoln South Australia 5606, the Museum is housed in the former station building and in the nearby freight shed. Numerous articles of Railway interest are on display and the museum also contains the J.D. Somerville reading room which houses research material and photographic displays. The Museum is open on Wednesdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 1pm to 4pm or when a large cruise ship comes to town.
Port of Morgan Historic Museums including a Railway Museum
Address – Railway Terrace, Morgan. Just head for the river and the ferry.
Contact 08 8504 0073 or 0447 495 138 – Visitor Information Centre 08 8540 2643
Web. Type in “Port of Morgan”
Although mainly about local history including river boats, the museum contains a few railway relics including a few pieces of rolling stock. Housed in the historic “Landseer” stone shipping agents building, the Tea Rooms and the former Railway Building, it is worth a visit if in the area. Morgan claims to have been the busiest inland port in Australia for 30 years from 1880 to 1910 having diverted much of the river traffic from Goolwa and Victor Harbor. Up to six freight trains a day ran from Morgan to Adelaide carrying goods that had been offloaded from paddle steamers. More information and details of open days can be found on the Web.
Port Milang Historic Railway Museum
Address. 182 Daranda Terrace, Milang SA on the shore of Lake Alexandrina.
Contact the Secretary. Peter Lucas 0414 232 060 or
email [email protected]
Web enter “Port Milang Historic Railway Museum”
An increasing number of pieces of Rolling Stock are displayed at the railway station yard and in the former Milang Railway Station building. The station building has been nicely restored having been salvaged from a local farm. One of the interesting additions to the display is a 350-class diesel, locally built at Islington in the 1940’s. A train simulator situated in the cab of the 350 is a hit with children and adults alike. A craft shop and a cafeteria car are also located at the Museum. A small train on which rides are available runs on a newly extended track from the “Light Railway” Shed. The Museum is open on Saturday & Sunday afternoons 12 noon to 4pm or by appointment which can be made by ringing the Secretary.
Port Pirie National Trust Museum
Address – 73-77 Ellen Street, Port Pirie SA
Contact – Phone 08 8632 3435 or email [email protected]
Web enter “Port Pirie Museum”
Situated in the former Railway Station Building and old Customs House in the main street of Port Pirie, the Victorian “Pavilion Style” station building itself is well worth a look, let alone the exhibits. Closed in 1967 when the trains stopped running down the main street of Port Pirie, the station building is now owned by the National Trust. Given that Port Pirie had three gauges of railway for over 30 years, there is a rich and interesting railway history, snippets of which can be found in the museum. There is also plenty to be found on the Ports shipping history. A preserved 0-6-0 BHAS Barclay steam loco is also on display in the museum. Open every day except Christmas day. 10am to 4pm on Monday to Saturday, 1pm to 4pmon Sundays.
Renmark Paringa Community Museum.
Located next to the historic rail and road lift bridge over the River Murray at Paringa, this Museum is run by a keen group of volunteers (although they are always looking for more) on a large 2.5-hectare site. Railway enthusiast will find a four-wheel Workers Sleeping Car amongst the displays, but the Museum is probably best known for its collection of over 80 vintage stationary engines. The former Railway Bridge next door to the Museum has a 24-metre lift span in the bridge to let river traffic through. It still opens or lifts twice a day at 9.30am and 2.30pm.
Contact Wayne Howell 0407 618 311 or Email [email protected]
Open 10am to 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday or be appointment.
Entry is free or by donation.
Steamtown Heritage Railway Centre – Peterborough South Australia
Address – 2 Telford Avenue, Peterborough SA 5422
Contact. Telephone 08 8651 3355 or email [email protected]
Web enter “Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre”
Has a good collection of narrow-gauge locos and rolling stock stored in and around the Peterborough heritage listed roundhouse of 23 bays. The collection has been established as a Static Railway Museum and is open daily except Christmas day. Trains can no longer run from Peterborough to Orroroo as the track has been pulled up. Particularly popular is the evening light and sound presentation, but contact the museum for details as to the frequency of this presentation.
As from August 2025, the Museum has been closed, but it is hoped that the Museum will reopen in 2026. Suggest you check if intending to visit this site.
St Kilda Tramway Museum
Address 300-360 St Kilda Road, St Kilda SA 5110 (about 24 kilometers north of the center of Adelaide.
Contact 08 8280 8188 e-mail [email protected]
Web. Type in Tramway Museum, St Kilda
Quite a large collection of beautifully restored tramcars, most of which are in good working order. Situated on the road to St Kilda Beach, the Museum is much easier to get to now via the Northern Expressway and also via the Port Wakefield Road. Admission to the Museum includes unlimited rides on the trams that travel about two kilometers between the Tram Museum and the foreshore at St. Kilda. The terminus is situated next to a large children’s adventure playground. The museum is open Sunday afternoons from 12 noon to 5pm. Open on public holidays, but check.
Tailem Bend Railway Station Building
Address – The main street which is Railway Terrace, Tailem Bend. SA
Contact – Telephone 08 8572 4277
Web enter “Tailem Bend Railway Museum”
The former railway station building in the main street of Tailem Bend is now used as a Tourist Information Centre. Part of the building including a former signal cabin area houses a collection of railway photos and other exhibits. Open 10am to 3pm daily according to the website. Public toilets and an Rx locomotive in a playground are close handy to the station building. Entry is free.
Locomotives
Other railway relics in the form of locomotives in various states of disrepair can be found at Kapunda Children’s playground (Rx 5); Nuriootpa park (Rx 217); Tailem Bend Station area (Rx 201); Victor Harbor Children’s playground (Rx 191); Gawler Railway Station (F 230 or F177?); Murray Bridge Wharf area (Rx 160); Naracoorte Park narrow gauge 0-4-4 loco (V9); Kadina Park (Rx231); The 0-6-0 Barclay Tank called “Passchendaele” that used to be at Homestead Park at Port Augusta can now be found at Quorn on the Pichi Richi Railway.
OTHER WEB SITES OF RAILWAY INTEREST
ComRails
Chris Drymalik’s Commonwealth Railways (and others) pages contain a lot of information, plans and photos. In particular, photos of many passenger carriages and freight wagons can be found on this web site. Chris has also added quite a lot of information about the Australian national Railways, Great Southern Railways and South Australian Railways. Easiest web search, just enter “Comrails”
www.railpage.org.au/ then click on “Commonwealth Railways Page” There are several different sites to look at.
Refreshing Memories
Formerly known as Inprotrans, this shop now trades as “Refreshing Memories” at 438a Main North Road, Blair Athol SA 5084 and deals mainly with educational toys. Telephone 08 7225 8516 or Mark 0417 846 008. Mark O’Malley still provides modellers with copies of plans of South Australian locos, rolling stock and buildings. Some of these plans used to be housed at the Islington Workshops. Mark can still be contacted for information on where drawings can best be accessed. He can provide very large format plans and or copy them as well for those modellers who want copies of plans already in their personal possession.
Great Southern Railways, Pacific National, Toll Holdings, SCT Logistics, Aurizon, Genesee and Wyoming and Balco Australia.
All operate freight or passenger services within or through South Australia and all can be found on the internet by typing in the appropriate name.
Adelaide Metro
South Australian passenger transport web site with information on all public transport around Adelaide. Recommended are rides on the O’Bahn busway to the Tea Tree Gully shopping centre and the Glenelg Tram which now runs the full length of King William Street and part of North Terrace out as far as the Entertainment Centre at Hindmarsh. Glenelg has beaches, a jetty, lots of shops and eating places. Travelling anywhere from North Terrace to South Terrace on the tram is free. The best train ride is probably up to Belair through the foothills. Best views are from the right-hand side of the train as it travels up into the hills. The electric train service to Seaford is also worth a ride with views over the Ocean at several locations. Access to the beach if you are happy to walk for a few minutes is also available from Brighton and Seacliff stations.
Minnipa Siding
Another private web site, presented by Peter Knife who is a computer programmer, and railway historian, about modelling the narrow gauge, especially the station of Minnipa on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. A wealth of information on Narrow Gauge Railways of the Eyre Peninsula can be found on this site including Photos of all of the different types of Rolling Stock that ran on this isolated line. Peter Knife has also published two excellent books on the narrow-gauge railways of the Eyre Peninsula including “Peninsula Pioneer” and “Peninsula Memories”. These books contain a large number of photos useful for modelling purposes.
www.minnipasiding.com.au or type in “Minnipa – South Australian Railways”
Lionel Nobel photo collection
If your interest is in South Australian Railways Narrow gauge operations, the late Lionel Nobel took a large number of photos, some of which are now on the internet. There are photos of locos, rolling stock and some station infrastructure. The website is well worth a look because of the photographic collection.
Web search “Lionel Nobel photo collection”
Terowie North Model Railway
A well-presented web site showing some of the best railway modelling in South Australia. Terowie North is one of the many highly detailed layouts that Gavin Thrum has been involved in. This layout is now over 25 years old and is displayed from time to time at the Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition.
Gavin Thrum’s blogspot shows some of Gavin’s other work which includes building Great Western and LMS English layouts, shunting layouts including “Port Dock” and he is now building an American Layout! To look at his blog, try www.thrumligton.blogspot.com or enter “Terowie North YouTube”
Victor Harbor Horse Tramway
Horse drawn double decker trams are run between the foreshore at Victor Harbor
and Granite Island, a distance of about two kilometers. The broad-gauge double deck horse trams are modelled on the originals which used to operate in Victor Harbor up to the early 1950’s.
The horse trams run most days leaving about every 40 minutes – more often at peak periods – contact the Victor Harbor Tourist Information Centre.
Web www.horsedrawntram.com.au Email [email protected]
Telephone 08 8551 0720 or 0418 353 266.