National Railway Museum
General Meeting
7.30pm Friday 27 May 2022
West Adelaide Football Club
Milner Road Richmond
After the business session, a presentation of everyday images from the 1970s and 1980s will be displayed by Bob Sampson, from his extensive photographic collection.
Our next event, 'W A Webb Centenary, The American Influence' is coming up very soon! On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May, we will be running steam rides behind Bub and diesel 801 + Centenary car + GB8394.
There will be catering onsite. We also have an exhibition on for the month of May.
Almost 100 years ago big power arrived in Port Adelaide. In 1926, two 500 class Mountain locomotives – the strongest in Australia - were unloaded at the wharves. Bringing American big power into South Australia was one of the numerous achievements by the recently appointed commissioner of the South Australian Railways, William Alfred Webb - the ‘Yankee with the big ideas’. His challenging job was to revive the railway system in South Australia from the brink of collapse.
Webb's extravagant, costly, controversial working style did not get in the way of modernising the South Australian Railway system, by reconstruction of the Islington Workshops, introducing high capacity freight wagons, large power locomotives and other infrastructure improvements which were badly needed. When leaving Australia in 1930, an unhappy but wealthy Webb had reformed and rehabilitated the South Australian Railways.
This exhibition highlights his guiding principle: “The only basis of economy in railway operation is the reduction of train miles by the use of large capacity cars and the largest possible locomotives.” Also, some insight of a railwayman driven by his own passion to achieve with high standards.
Please download the PDF for the event here.
Guide to the Exhibition - Location Fitch Pavilion
Artefacts and interpretive banners are located in the foyer.
Highlighted exhibits/rollingstock related to the Webb exhibition are marked on the Facility and Exhibit Map
available when you visit
All exhibits have interpretive boards.
Relevant exhibits
Steam Locomotive 702, Brill Car 41,
Commissioner's Carriage - Murray, Adelaide Dining Car
Caboose 4367, Steam Locomotive 504
Events Program
Our events program for 2022 is now available!
We are excited to present our events program for 2022. There will be a couple of additional events later in the year which do not appear on this program.
We look forward to welcoming our visitors for these events.
Please download a copy of the events program here.
EFTPOS AT THE MUSEUM
Please note that effective immediately, EFTPOS is the preferred transaction method at the National Railway Museum. We still accept cash as a method of payment but would prefer EFTPOS as the method of payment wherever possible.
We've updated our YouTube page! Take a look at our latest videos.
We've started a podcast series! You can find our first episodes here. Keep an eye out for new episodes!
In episodes 1 to 3, we interview former South Australian Railways employee, author and owner of one of the largest collections of train orders in the world, John Evans.
In episodes 3 to 6 we interview former South Australian Railways employee Ray Bolt.
In episodes 7 to 8 we interview former South Australian Railways employee Geoff Wilmott.
In episodes 9 to 11 we interview former South Australian Railways employee Howard Luscombe.
In episodes 12 to 14 we interview former South Australian Railways employee Keith Fitzpatrick.
In season 2, episodes 1 to 3 we interview Helen Hill, who worked for a number of railway organisations.
Donations update
If you would like to make a monetary donation to the Museum, this is now achievable through our website! Simply use the Book Online button and choose 'Donations'.