ABOUT THE MUSEUM

ur Museum is located at our Depot, situated in the old Paterson Goods Yard. Here we store and maintain our heritage-listed collection of rail motors and other rolling stock items. Road access and visitor entrance to the museum is located 5 Webbers Creek Road, Paterson. Visitor parking access is off the corner of Prince and Church Streets. See where to find us below.

EXHIBITS

The Society's rail motor collection is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. The principal items in the Society's collection that are on display at our museum are:

• CPH 3 - built 1923 - the oldest surviving rail motor in NSW - operational
• CPH 7 - built 1924 - 42-Foot rail motor - operational
• CPH 1 - built 1925 - 42-Foot rail motor - operational
• CPH 14 - built 1925 - 42-Foot rail motor
• CPH 19 - built 1926 - 42-Foot rail motor
• CTC 51 - built 1926 - the oldest rail motor trailer in NSW - under reconstruction
• HPC 402 - built 1938 - the only two compartment 400 Class rail motor
• FT 501 - built 1938 - 500 Class rail motor trailer
• SFP 602 - built 1949 - one of two surviving 600 Class rail motors in original condition
• WFP 606 - built 1949 - one of two surviving 600 Class rail motors in original condition
• CT 707 - built 1950 - the only surviving 700 Class rail motor trailer in original condition

Other Society rolling stock items on display at our museum are:

• BR 1395 - rebuilt 1937 - First Class sitting car
• TAM 503 - built 1937 - Sleeping car
• MHO 2639 - built 1953 - Guard's Van
• KB 2511 - built 1928 - Parcel Van
• FZ 663 - built 1927 - Training Car

Rolling stock items that are part of RailCorp's Heritage Fleet on display are:

• NPF 621 - built 1961 - class leader of the 620 Class
• NTC 721 - built 1961 - class leader of the 720 Class
• 7344 - built 1972 - 73 Class shunting locomotive

The old Station Master's residence was restored to its 1930's exterior appearance and colour scheme by State Rail Heritage in 2003. The residence provides a reception centre for visitors, facilities for members and houses a display of railway memorabilia from both the steam and diesel eras. Key items on display include a pair of NSWGR standard block telegraph instruments and large and miniature electric staff instruments formerly used for training at the Newcastle Railway Institute. In addition, our museum site also includes one of the few remaining standard NSWGR Goods Sheds on the North Coast Line.

MUSEUM DISPLAYS

NSW Guard's Uniform Photos: Bruce Agland	Some of the items on display	Large Electric Staff Instruments

WHERE TO FIND US

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DIRECTIONS

Please use the Directions option on Google™ Maps above to find us.

OPENING HOURS

The museum is open for inspection during the following hours:

• 3rd Sunday of each month (except December) - entry from 10 am and last tour commences at 2 pm. Please Note - As our museum is staffed entirely by volunteers, we make every effort to be open as advertised. However, on occasions, we may not be able to open due to our operational activities, maintenance works in our Depot or the unavailability of guides to escort visitors around our site. We recommend that you contact the Secretary 24 hours before any visit to confirm that our museum will be open. On our Open Day we will generally run one of our trains to Dungog and return departing at around 11:00am. Due to track closedowns by the network owner, there may be occassions when we are unable to operate this service.
• Other times by appointment - Please contact the Secretary to make an appointment for your visit. You will appreciate that your visit requires volunteers to make arrangements to be on site to escort you around. We will do our best to accommodate your request, however, your nominated date and time will be subject to the availability of suitable guide(s) for your visit. Unaccompanied site visits are not permitted for safety and security reasons.
   
• Visiting requirements - Our museum is a working railway yard and workshop and suitable clothing should also be worn. This particularly applies to footwear - bare feet, thongs and sandals are not permitted at any time and we recommend that sturdy shoes with a closed-in toe and low heels are worn. Children visiting our museum are most welcome, but must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult at all times.

DISABILITY ACCESS

As our museum is a working railway yard and workshop, there are some limitations on access to our exhibits for the mobility impaired including steps, trip hazards and some unpaved areas. If you have any concerns, please contact the Secretary before your visit to ensure that we can adequately cater for your needs.

VISITING PATERSON

Paterson is a historic township located on the Paterson River, about 15 minutes north of Maitland. The town has a population of a little over 300 and farming activity in the area dates from the early 1800's. There are a number of historic buildings including St. Anne's Presbyterian Church and the Court House, now the local history museum. There is also a large park (Tucker Park) in the centre of town located on the river bank suitable for group activities including picnics and barbeques.

An excellent tourist video on the Paterson Valley, including a trip on the Society's rail motors by Greg Grainger can be found at Travel Oz.

When visiting Paterson, or the nearby village of Vacy, the following local businesses are open to service your needs 7 days a week:

Food & Beverage Services

• Paterson Lodge (a la carte meals & accommodation) - 19 King Street - Phone (02) 4938 5767 - Web Site
• Court House Hotel (a la carte meals & accommodation) - King Street - Phone (02) 4938 5122
• Paterson Country Cafe (light meals & takeaway) - 24 King Street - Phone (02) 4938 5135
• Paterson Tavern (a la carte meals) - 25 Prince Street - Phone (02) 4938 5196 - Web Site
• Vacy General Store and Cafe (light meals & takeaway) - 803 Gresford Road, Vacy - Phone (02) 4938 8425
• The Flying Duck Cafe (a la carte meals) - 802 Gresford Road, Vacy - Phone (02) 4938 8305 or (0475) 786 808

Other Services Available

• Paterson IGA - 12 Duke Street, Paterson - Phone (02) 4938 5521 - 8:00am to 6:00pm [Mon-Fri] 8:00am to 12:30pm [Sat]
• Paterson Butchery - 18 Duke Street, Paterson - Phone (02) 4938 5455 - 7:00am to 6:00pm [Mon-Fri] 7:00am to 12:00pm [Sat]
• Paterson Post Office - 21 King Street, Paterson - Phone (02) 4938 5138 - 9:00am to 5:00pm [Mon-Thu]
• Paterson Chemist - 16 King Street, Paterson - Phone (02) 4938 5335 - 9:00am to 5:30pm [Mon-Fri] 9:00am to 12:00pm [Sat]

Accommodation Services

To find and book hotels nearby, visit the Hotels Combined Web Site

Other Attractions

For further information about attractions in and around Paterson and in the greater Dungog Shire, please contact the Dungog Visitor Information Centre on (02) 4992 2212 or visit their web site.