Turntable and roundhouse in the 1950s
The Valley Heights Locomotive Depot was officially opened in January 1914. The Depot’s locomotives assisted up to 30 trains every day from Valley Heights to Katoomba.
Located on the steeply graded line to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, the Depot served the railways for 75 years. However, its days became numbered when more efficient and powerful electric locomotives were introduced – eventually resulting in the closure of the depot, marking a major milestone in the State’s rail history.
Turntable current day
The site is now home to the Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum which provides interactive exhibits of engines and carriages, along with other unique displays of railway memorabilia, and the oldest remaining steam locomotive roundhouse in NSW.
The Museum houses a collection of historic railway and tramway locomotives depicting the development of rail transportation in NSW over a century from the 1880s through to the 1980s.
My son looking through the smokebox door of a locomotive with a museum volunteer
It is open on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, except for Mothers’ Day and the last Sunday of December. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm.
Springwood Boys and Girls Club shares a driveway with the Museum, so at times there could be a fair amount of traffic in the area, with parents dropping kids in for gymnastics, acrobatics or circus skills classes.
Congratulations to Dare by Brook and A Mad Coin on their joint FTF