Rail Heritage WA

Rail Heritage WA Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Rail Heritage WA, History Museum, 136 Railway Parade, Bassendean.

Information and updates about Rail Heritage WA's museum in Bassendean, our involvement in the South-West Rail and Heritage Centre in Boyanup, and other local rail heritage news and activities.

Rail Heritage WA has been able to digitise some items from our archives thanks to AMaGA (WA) and the Digitisation Centre...
17/06/2026

Rail Heritage WA has been able to digitise some items from our archives thanks to AMaGA (WA) and the Digitisation Centre at UWA. We are very thankful as this has enabled us to get some film digitised and so ensure it is available in the future. One small film shows the arrival in Fremantle of "Kate' which arrived on 16 October 1963 from Wyndham on 'SS Dorrigo'. 'Kate' is recognisable by many as the little locomotive that is in the park at Margaret River. We hope you enjoy the short film clip of tis arrival back in 1963 and enjoy learning more about it below.

'Kate' was built in Leeds, England in 1888 and started her working life in Tasmania. It hauled sawn timber.
Then it was sold to James F. Mixner in Victoria in 1892 for a Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works project ie construction of the Werribee main outfall sewer. It was named "WERRIBEE".
Finally in 1894 is was purchased for use in WA for work with M.C. Davies, Karridale, W.A. It was shipped from Port Melbourne arriving at Hamelin Bay on 12 January 1895 and renamed "KATE", after Davies’ daughter Katherine. By 1898 it was rebuilt with side tanks.
“Kate’ was used for hauling log rakes along the company's bush railways to mills at Karridale, Boranup and Jarrahdene, and sawn timber to ports at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay. In August 1902, M.C. Davies merged his company into 'Millars Karri & Jarrah Company (1902) Ltd.' 'Kate' remained at Karridale until 1909, when she was sent to the company workshops at Yarloop for overhaul. Subsequently, used at Millars mills at Jarrahdale and Marrinup.
In 1917 “KATE” was sold to Public Works Dept. and sent to Wyndham. There it was used on the 3'-6" tramway, which linked the new State Meatworks with Wyndham Town jetty. The locomotive was later converted to burn oil. “KATE” was out of use by October 1953.
It was donated to the Margaret River Rotary Club in 1963 by the State Government with transport costs to be covered by Rotary. The locomotive was transhipped on 16 October 1963 from Wyndham on 'SS Dorrigo' to Fremantle.
'Kate', on its return from Wyndham was offloaded at Fremantle onto a railway wagon in November 1963 and sent by train to Busselton. Then by low loader to Margaret River and preserved in park with side tanks removed.
'Kate' was removed from park in late 1990s to evaluate for possible restoration to operation – being stripped and the boiler removed. Later it was rebuilt with fake boiler and returned to Margaret River in 2001, old boiler placed nearby.

You asked for a Winter Night Lights, so here it is! On 18 July, the Railway Museum will be offering photographers a uniq...
14/06/2026

You asked for a Winter Night Lights, so here it is!

On 18 July, the Railway Museum will be offering photographers a unique opportunity to photograph winter night-time scenes within the museum. Six curated scenes will come alive with locomotive headlights, drifting smoke and glowing carriage windows creating dramatic, one-of-a-kind night images. This will provide participants with some tantalizing photo opportunities.

Following the photoshoot, light refreshments will be provided. The cost for the evening is $29. Places are strictly limited to 30, so early registration is recommended. Tickets are available here: https://www.trybooking.com/DMZKA

Another overnight passenger service operated by the WAGR was 'The Midlander' which ran between Perth and Geraldton from ...
12/06/2026

Another overnight passenger service operated by the WAGR was 'The Midlander' which ran between Perth and Geraldton from September 1964 until July 1975.

Before the WAGR takeover of the line from the Midland Railway Co. on 1 August 1964, the private company operated overnight trains between Midland and Walkaway. A sleeping car was provided on the services, but there was no buffet or dining car, nor was a shower available.

Following the takeover, the WAGR introduced a new service on the route and painted several carriages in a special red and ivory livery for the launch of the train. The train was displayed at the annual Sunshine Festival in Geraldton prior to the train entering service on 2 September 1964.

The train departed Perth on Wednesday evenings and returned from Geraldton on Thursday evenings. The carriages were also utilised on weekends on the Albany Weekender train.

Did you miss out? At our recent Raise the Roof day the demand for Devonshire teas exceeded our supply even though we had...
11/06/2026

Did you miss out? At our recent Raise the Roof day the demand for Devonshire teas exceeded our supply even though we had four sittings. So we thought we should give everyone another chance to step back in time and enjoy a traditional Devonshire tea aboard a beautifully restored 1917 Trans-Australian Railway dining car at the Railway Museum.

It will be held on Sunday 5 July at 2pm and the cost is $10 per head. Please note: Museum entry is not included and standard Rail Heritage WA Museum admission fees apply. Guests should ensure they have entered the museum grounds and made their way to the dining carriage before the 2pm start. Places are strictly limited to 40 guests and bookings are essential via https://www.trybooking.com/DNCDX

Some people buy beanies because they’re cold.Some people buy beanies because they love railways.Some people buy a beanie...
09/06/2026

Some people buy beanies because they’re cold.

Some people buy beanies because they love railways.

Some people buy a beanie with a locomotive number plate on it because they have excellent judgement.

Winter has arrived and our new beanies wearing the plate from Leschenault Lady are now available from the Railway Museum shop in the entry building for $25 each.

This design with this number plate is a limited run, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Winter is temporary. Good taste is forever.

'The Westland’ was the express passenger train that ran on the narrow gauge railway between Perth and Kalgoorlie. An exp...
07/06/2026

'The Westland’ was the express passenger train that ran on the narrow gauge railway between Perth and Kalgoorlie. An express passenger service on this route started in December 1887 after the opening of the Eastern Goldfields Railway. However, the service wasn't formally named 'The Westland' until 4 June 1938 to coincide with the Commonwealth Railways launching their improved ‘Trans-Australian’ service across the Nullarbor between Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie. 'The Westland' ran until 15 June 1969 when the 'Trans-Australian' began running through to East Perth after the completion of standard gauge between Perth and Kalgoorlie and passengers no longer had to change trains at Kalgoorlie.

'The Westland’ had a dining car service, with dinner served heading towards Kalgoorlie and breakfast served heading towards Perth. The dining cars were modernised in late 1940s with the removal of the timber features and substitution with ‘modern’ Laminex.

The train also had lounge cars, converted from three suburban AY Class carriages. Their initial use was short-lived as in 1942 they were converted for use as ward cars on the Ambulance train. After the war they were converted back to lounge cars before AY 26 was converted back to a suburban car and ran in Perth until electrification of the metro network in 1991. Modern steel AH Class sleeping carriages were introduced in 1948 replacing the wooden carriages for first class passengers.

An all-stations service also operated between Perth and Kalgoorlie known as 'The Kalgoorlie'. This was replaced in November 1971 by 'The Prospector' service operated by diesel railcars.

Do you remember 'The Westland' train?

The WA railway network has changed so much over the years. In many places the original buildings have disappeared, and i...
05/06/2026

The WA railway network has changed so much over the years. In many places the original buildings have disappeared, and in some places all of the railway infrastructure has disappeared too. Wouldn't it be amazing if our railway still served places like Augusta and Margaret River? Who could have realised what a tourist hotspot that part of WA would become.

We'll be at the Perth Model Railway Exhibition on 20 and 21 June. Will you be there too?
01/06/2026

We'll be at the Perth Model Railway Exhibition on 20 and 21 June. Will you be there too?

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came along and supported the Railway Museum's Raise the Roof event. Yes, it was wi...
01/06/2026

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came along and supported the Railway Museum's Raise the Roof event. Yes, it was windy at times and rainy too but this just showed what a difference a roof can make.

Whether you attended the event, enjoyed a Devonshire tea, purchased memorabilia, made a donation, did a behind-the-scenes tour or simply helped spread the word, your support was greatly appreciated. It was wonderful to see so many members of our community come together to support the Museum and its future.

Thanks to your generosity and enthusiasm, we have made a fantastic start to our Raise the Roof Campaign. Every contribution, big or small, helps us move closer to preserving and protecting important pieces of our railway heritage.

Thank you for being part of such a successful day and we hope you got home and found your place safe. We look forward to sharing our progress with you and welcoming you back to the Museum again soon. Thanks to Colin Feilen and James Waterhouse for the photos.

Tomorrow (Sunday 31 May) our museum hours will be 11am to 4pm (opening and closing earlier than normal). In that time yo...
30/05/2026

Tomorrow (Sunday 31 May) our museum hours will be 11am to 4pm (opening and closing earlier than normal). In that time you can enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour, a sausage sizzle, our collectables/memorabilia stall, children's activities including the WA Model Railway Club and all the usual museum items of interest.

For our behind-the-scenes tour, our AB 1535 locomotive is visiting and you will get up close to GM 1 - plus you can buy a 1954 postcard of her from our stall. These behind-the-scenes tours will run throughout the day and are offered by donation, with all proceeds going directly toward the Raise the Roof campaign.

You can prebook your entry tickets at https://www.trybooking.com/DLXOT Note: presales of the Devonshire teas have closed but a small number for the later sessions will be available tomorrow. Come along to the memorabilia stall to book a spot if you are interested but be quick.

Our volunteers are looking forward to seeing you, so bring your jacket and enclosed footwear for the tours.

Address

136 Railway Parade
Bassendean, WA
6054

Opening Hours

Wednesday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

0892797189

Website

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