NSW Rail Museum — Attraction in Thirlmere

Overall we enjoyed our trip to the NSW Rail Museum. (See my 'things to note before you visit' below) Family of 2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant - cost $85 entry inc train ride (free for under 2yo).

We had a ride on the steam train, had a compartment to ourselves and our daughters enjoyed looking out the windows.

I loved watching the station master and his side kick 'Pilkington' greeting customers boarding the train and also when disembarking. Poor Pilkington kept getting things wrong and dropping luggage (part of the act). Really made me smile, highlight for me!

The Exhibition Building and Train Hall is all under cover (great for all weather!) It has a large selection of trains to browse and you can also step inside a lot of them too.

A few things to note before you visit:

Reception/signal in the building and around the area can be quite poor so if you rely on your phone for directions it may be worth downloading your maps.

NSW Discover Vouchers, If you want to use these then download them before your visit. We were unable to use ours as we had no signal on our phones (even when we were outside).

Bank card, I rely on my phone for everything, so having no signal meant no payments. Luckily my husband had a physical card to pay for entry!

Thomas the Tank Engine, We thought we would see Thomas on our visit but we're told he is covered over and only comes out on special occasions (Festival of Steam / Thomas days) this is due to licensing and having to pay each time he is on display.

Mini train track, unfortunately due to the rain on previous day's the track had flooded so it was not in use.

Prams/Stollers, before boarding the train we were able to leave our pram in a room opposite where you...

I am a disability support worker and I brought my wheelchair bound client from winmalee (2 hours away) to visit because he absolutely adores all things trains and especially Thomas the tank engine. We were super excited because they had a Thomas and friends themed event. When we made it we were met with very friendly and helpful staff! Unfortunately that was the end of the positives, our troubles began on our arrival, where the very limited disabled parking spots were taken, and we had to park at least a kilometre down the main road, where I had to walk along the main road dodging cars while pushing the wheelchair due to the lack of paths in the area. When we finally made it, we were told that due to the event that was on they were not accepting companion cards, and therefore both me and my participant had to pay the $25 entry fee. Upon entry, we first stopped by the disabled toilet, which opened outwards, and was manual, making it next to impossible to get in there with the wheelchair without an extra pair of hands. Upon finally finishing in the bathroom, we finally went to go see the exhibits, much to our dismay, the vast majority of open carriages were accessible only via stairs. We were super disappointed and didn’t feel that we got our moneys worth, not to mention our times worth for the 4 hours of driving it took to get there and back, I hope to see the venue...

An amazing place to visit with kids to learn about the history of trains in NSW. It cost $80 for a family of four, which I felt was a little pricey. However, this price included tickets for the train ride, which was an amazing way to see some of the countryside and listen to the tour guide explain the history of the place. Then, I saw how much the staff loved what they were doing and how the volunteers kept the place looking tip top. I felt like my money was well spent to keep the history of trains alive for future generations. The buildings are modern and clean, and the facilities are also kept clean. I loved that we were able to walk through some of the trains. The kids loved it and asked questions about how trains were back in those days. They learnt so much. The café sold a small selection of hot food, pies and sausage rolls, but the prices were reasonable. We went on a rainy day, but if you are going on a sunny day, I recommend eating outside on the well kept lawns and admiring the awesome stock of trains they have while you eat lunch. This is definitely a place to visit during school holidays, but try and arrive in the morning to avoid crowds. The drive through the local town is surreal, and next time I want to check out some of the shops and support the...