National Rail Museum: Keith remembers his train set days in the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia

Ask any train buff and they'll tell you the Pichie Richi Railway in the Flinders Ranges is almost heaven. It's a living, breathing, smoking, steaming time capsule of the days when the train was king. No matter what your age - this is a unique South Australian experience - all within a day's drive from Adelaide.

But if you don't want to go that far just head to Port Adelaide and the National Railway Museum. This is living museum too. In fact, it's Australia's biggest railway collection with more than 50 steam engines, and countless carriages and freight trucks from all over the nation covering all three gauges.

Museum manager, Des Egan has a committed team of 145 volunteers who restore and maintain these solid chunks of railway history and you don't need to ask them twice to get them running. On special days throughout the year they fire up some of the engines and give rides along the historic tracks.

In a shed out the back, Des showed me a collection of steam engines harking back to the days of the Commonwealth Railways. They include a big black engine called G1.

Des Egan: "G1 was built specifically for the task of taking the train across the 300 mile straight on the Nullarbor in 1917. And of course we know that Western Australia only joined the Federation because the line was built to Perth. They demanded a railway to join the Federation and they got it."

The Trans Australia Railway connected our vast continent from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. It was a massive effort with the crews enduring the heat, flies and remoteness finally pushing the line through. The Governor General of the day was on the inaugural trip. One of the museum's latest exhibitions, the Tea and Sugar Train show's how the communities and gangs along the line got their supplies for more than 80 years.

There's also a Mountain Class engine that used to take the Overlander up over the Adelaide Hills and on to Melbourne. This is a hands-on museum and you are able to climb aboard a lot of the exhibits and even pretend you're a train driver.

While the big trains come out on special occasions, seven days a week your entry includes a ride on the small gauge train that runs around the museum grounds. It's a great way to get an appreciated of just how big this place is and how much history is here including the old Port Dock Station from the 19th century. The giant Goods Shed dates back to 1878 - two decades earlier in 1856 the line between the Port and Adelaide became the first Government built and owned steam railway in the British Empire.

There's plenty to see alright - even if you've been before it's time to visit again to see what's new as they begin their next 20 years. You'll find it at Lipson Street Port Adelaide. Train buffs will love the gift shop too and have a look at a great new DVD they've produced. It's historic film of the railways throughout the years. The Museum's open daily from 10 till 5. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

National Railway Museum
Lipson Street South
Port Adelaide
$29 per family $5 children $9 concession $12 adults
Open daily from 10 am to 5pm

Published 27th September 2009