THE Rosewood Lions Club has donated $10,000 towards the costs of repairs and maintenance of the Rosewood Railway Museum.
The museum is currently closed to the public while volunteers carry out repairs.
Australian Railway Historical Society President John Pollard said that most countries have some form of heritage railways and the Rosewood Railway Museum represented one of Australia’s own.
The first rail line in Queensland opened in 1865 and ran from Ipswich to Bigge’s Camp (which was renamed Grandchester on the day of the opening).
“We are extremely lucky to have in our collection of rolling stock, some very special items, including a coach that dates to the late 1890’s,” Mr Pollard said.
“In the future we are going to downsize our collection of coaches, as we can only haul small trains along our line.
“One of our most valuable items in our collection is Red Fred, a rail motor that once was used on many branch lines in Queensland.
“This has been getting some special treatment of late with repairs to seats.”
The next project on the board for Red Fred is a complete repaint.
Mr Pollard said the museum’s collection included many rare items most of which needed restoration work.
But the museum was facing the hurdle of an ageing membership.
“We are looking to find younger members to take over in the future and lead us into the next phase,” he said.
“Our vision is to be a major contributor to Rosewood in any way we can.
“The museum can help bring visitors to the town, which will in turn bring money into the community.”
Work on upgrading the museum goes well beyond the rolling stock.
“We are installing a new toilet block, and repairs to termite damage in our refreshment room.
“Our volunteers have worked tirelessly in keeping the grass mowed, and completing repairs to our rolling stock and we plan to open the facility to the public soon.”
