Valley Heights

Climbing the Blue Mountains was once quite a task for old steam trains along the Great Western line. About a third of the way up, before the grades became especially steep, was situated a locomotive depot, complete with coal dumps, water towers, a roundhouse and turntable. Trains would struggle up to the station at Valley Heights where engines would be swapped for freshly watered and coal fuelled replacements and where extra locos would be added for double heading to Katoomba.

Steam engines went out of service with NSW State Railways more than 50 years ago now but the old depot remains - in the form of a museum, maintained by enthusiastic volunteers.

One feature of the place is an accurate, authentically scaled model of the complex as it would have appeared back in 1950, complete with moving trains.  There was also a model depicting the late 1880s.

There was also a grand old original steam tram, one of several that first saw service in Sydney streets some 140 years ago along with mainline passenger carriages and some period locomotives. Well worth a visit.