Trains & Railways in New South Wales

Only two of these seven open on a regular basis. Bathurst Rail Museum is the indoor option, and reviewers keep singling out the Brio layout in Kids Central for under-5s and a model railway that impresses older children and adults; it is not the place for live steam or a large artefact collection. Sydney Tramway Museum at Loftus runs hourly tram rides into the Royal National Park on what Wikipedia notes was once a heavy rail line, with hands-on trams and volunteer guides praised in reviews, though the tram shed itself is compact.

The rest need a diary check. The Sydney Live Steam Locomotive Society in West Ryde runs on the third Saturday of the month only: a Tripadvisor reviewer describes a big set of tracks near the station with four or five model steam trains hauling passengers, and reviews mention children from nine months up loving the coal smell and steam sounds. Wascoe Siding Miniature Railway in Blaxland opens the first weekend of each month and is pitched at ages 2 to 10; tickets are non-refundable, so start small. Hornsby Model Engineers in Galston runs the second Sunday, holds the highest rating here from 113 reviews, and lets children under 18 in free with a paying adult.

For a longer day, Illawarra Light Railway Museum at Albion Park Rail operates every second Sunday with steam and diesel rides, a playground for younger children and workshop tours worth asking the volunteers about; our verdict aims it at school-age children. Richmond Vale Railway Museum, which Wikipedia lists among the state's heritage railways, is closed temporarily. When it reopens, expect a walking site spanning acres, seven museum rooms and kangaroos along the bushland ride.