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The Train Shed was an official Thomas & Friends licenced theme park in Sydney, Australia, from 1998 to 2016. A 7.25" Gauge miniature railway operated with a range of scaled locomotive characters, hauling passengers on Saturdays and Sundays.
Over 16 years of operation, the railway was built and extended to include around 1km of track, with a turntable, traverset, storage sheds, tunnel, bridge, and three station. The railway operated at its peak with seven four-car trains in continuous running for 150 days per year.
Establishment[edit]
In 1992, Powerline Models was operating with a factory unit in Emu Plains, where it warehoused and manufactured HO scale model Australian trains. At that time it was decided to construct a miniature railway as a promotional activity, to encourage young people to join the modelling hobby. This was quickly expanded to include a licensed Thomas locomotive, and proved very successful. For two years from 1994 to 1996 the Thomas locomotive, joined quickly by a Toby locomotive, operated at the Emu Plains site.
Vicary's Winery[edit]
During 1996, the owners sold the Powerline business, and arranged a new site to move the railway. Unfortunately that site, and multiple others chosen after that fell through, and in 1998 a site was located, with the railway commencing operations in October 1998, six weeks after construction began.
Over the following 16 years, the railway grew from an initial 200m to the fully extended track with around 1km of running line. Additional locomotives were constructed, including James, Percy, Mavis, and Gordon, with others used as non-character assistance trains.
In 2014, notice was given that the Badgery's Creek Airport construction would commence during 2015, and that the site would be lost. The decision was made to cease operations in October 2014, ending 16 years at Vicary's Winery, and a 20 year history of licensed Thomas operations.
Park Features[edit]
- 7.25" Gauge Miniature Railway
- 1km of track
- 3 Stations
- Bridge
- Tunnel
- 7 Trains
- U-Drive Model Railway
- Built as G-Scale with Lionel locomotives
- Rebuilt as HO Scale with Hornby and Bachmann locomotives
- Ex NSW Suburban Railway Carriage
- Display Model Trains upstairs, rebuilt to Party Activity Area.
- Model Trainset Building Courses, rebuilt to Party Function Area.
- Railway Refreshments Room
- Snacks and lunch meals.
- Thomas and Friends Toyshop
- Specialising in short-run items
Locomotives and Rollingstock[edit]
- Thomas, built 1994. A total of three models were built, for maintenance purposes and use on multiple sites.
- Toby, built 1995.
- James, built 1999.
- Percy, built 2004.
- Mavis, built 2008, privately owned.
- Gordon, built 2010.
Bill and Ben were constructed in 2013 and tested as the next two characters for release. Prior to final painting, the notice was given that the site would be lost. As a result, the paintwork was not completed, however these engines ran for the final years as non-character locomotives and saw extensive service.
Additional locomotives which were built or saw service at the park over this time were:
- NSWGR 4621, 5" Gauge, privately owned, built 1970s.
- NSWGR Silver City Comet, 5" Gauge, privately owned, built 1990s.
- "Kemira" Mining Locomotive, privately owned, built 2010s.
- "Tassie" Tasmanian V-Class locomotive, privately owned, built 2000s.
All locomotives that saw regular service were Battery-Electric.
The railway utilised semi-enclosed style articulated passenger carriages, with a total of 28 carriages in use at peak times. These carriages had decorated side and end panels to match the trains, styles as Thomas Character carriages, including Annie, Clarabel, and Henrietta, while others were generic, such as the "Express" set.
Gallery[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Category:Defunct railway companies of Australia Category:New South Wales government agencies (historical) Category:1980 establishments in Australia Category:2003 disestablishments in Australia