A comprehensive listing of the world's heritage railways can be found HERE
Africa
The National Railway museum of Sierra Leone
The Sierra Leone National Railway Museum tells the fascinating story of Sierra Leone's railways from their origins in the 1890s to the present. It portrays both the Sierra Leone Government Railway and the mineral railway which still operates today. The museum was founded in 2004 by British Army Officer Colonel Steve Davies, following the rediscovery of the locomotives and rolling stock that had been hidden away in the old railway workshops, by the General Manager and Chief Mechanical Engineer, when the government railway closed in 1975. The museum continues to grow, with new displays and activities being added on a regular basis. It has an active education and outreach programme.
The Museum is operated by the Sierra Leone Monuments & Relics Commission, on behalf of the Sierra Leone Government. The Commission also operates the Sierra Leone National Museum, Bunce Island Slave Castle and a wide range of other historic sites and monuments.
Americas
The B&O Railroad Museum brings alive the magic and adventure of railroading every day! This historic national landmark allows you to see, touch, hear and explore the most important railroad collection in America. Start your journey with a visit today!
Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
Museum of the American Railroad
The Museum of the American Railroad is a 50-year old collecting institution with a long history of providing quality educational and entertaining experiences to over 3 million visitors from around the world. We continue to realize our mission of preserving and presenting our priceless collection of trains, while pursuing our vision of becoming the preeminent museum of transportation in the Southwest.
Railways played a key role in the development of communities across the United States and Canada and throughout the world. Railway museums and tourist railroads interpret this exciting and pivotal history, and provide an opportunity for the public to experience rail travel as it once was.HeritageRail Alliance fosters the development and operation of these unique preservation efforts through education, research, and the free exchange of information among members
The Ferroclub Argentino is a nonprofit organization founded in August 1972, which brings together all those who share a passion for the railroad, coupled with concerns about the railway tradition in Argentina.In joint action with the National Railway Museum, Ferroclub Argentine preserves and restores its preservation centers, the exponents of the rich historical heritage, work to be performed without subsidies or official contributions, relying solely on private donations and active participation of its members.
Travel in tourism holidays
Asia
The association of the "Railway Cultural Society of Taiwan" was opened by the transport minister in China and the ONG born on October 22, 1995. From then until now, the non-profit association has been focusing on the preservation of trains and railway culture. At first based in Taipei, now they are located in Kaohsiung Gushan, at the old station Kahsiung.
The first railway museum in Japan was opened in 1921, but the first museum for preservation of steam locomotives in working order was opened in 1972, as the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum. Although the last steam trains on Japanese National Railways (JNR) ceased commercial operations in 1975, regular steam operations restarted in the following year on Oigawa Railway, a private rural railway in Shizuoka Prefecture. The revival of steam locomotive means a creation of new tourism resources, as well as preservation of railway heritage in regional societies. From these early beginnings the number of preserved railways operating steam locomotives and other old rolling stock has increased throughout Japan.
Australia
Australia’s tourist and heritage railways have since their inception suffered from a parochialism that has seen a multitude of gauges, standards, policies and procedures.The Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia was incorporated in June 2004 as a National body that would represent the interests and needs of all Australian tourist and heritage rail organisations. Since that time, ATHRA has served the industry by providing a united front for the sector by representation on behalf of its members to Government statutory bodies as well as contributing to Government regulatory reviews and legislation concerning rail and tram operations and safety, from the wealth of knowledge and experience of its state members.
Members of the Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia https://www.athra.asn.au/members/
Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway Inc.
PO Box 150
Herberton Queensland 4887
Australia
<www.athrail.com
Our Tourist Railway and Museum facilities located in Drayton,Toowoomba consists of a completely restored station building, and two restoration sheds, one being open to the public. The station building is fitted out with an office, Gift Shop and public Toilets, with the Darling Downs Finest dining and commercial kitchen catering car directly adjacent to our station building.
Within our unique precinct visitors have the opportunity to take part in our instructive guided tours to see our rolling stock, museum displays and our awe-inspiring Dreamtime Journey Coach.
Europe
The annual meeting of the European Federation of Museum and Touristic Railways (FEDECRAIL) 2014 in Budapest was a special one as the European umbrella organisation celebrated the 20th birthday. The delegates met in early April and had a program with conferences and excursions in Hungary. This was the opportunity to look back on the past two decades of FEDECRAIL and to consider what it has achieved.
NERHT (New Europe Rail Heritage Trust)
NERHT is a voluntary society founded in 1999 to help railway preservation in the former Soviet Union and the other ex-Communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
NERHT is registered in England as a charity.
Railway preservation is no longer a movement of dedicated railway enthusiasts; it is a big and growing industry and a key factor in tourism programmes in many areas. From the Great Little Trains of Wales which feed hundreds of thousands of visitors into the remoter and lovelier parts of the Principality to busy commuter lines such as the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway, Heritage Railways are thriving and thrusting in all directions.
Midland Railway Trust
Seaton Tramway
Travel back in time. Visit Seaton Tramway a narrow gauge electric tramway running 3 miles from Seaton to Colyton via Colyford.
West Somerset Railway
Other Members
We are a new museum with a global vision, a project that does not know boundaries, a museum with one of the most important and largest model train collection in the world. It will be an integrated resource to present every aspect of the world’s railroad development and its impact on the world’s society, culture and economy.
MUSEIT will offer a wide an incomparable collection of scale model trains. It will illustrate the worldwide train adventure from its beginning to the present day, all presented with an extensive historical documentation and interactive tools, that will help and stimulate children to enter the railway adventure. Thousands of artefacts will show the visitor the railroad world in all its many facets.
Application was made for the incorporation of the new body and, on 3 March 2004, the NSW Department of Fair Trading issued a "Certificate of Incorporation as an Association" in the name of Rail Heritage Australia (NSW) Incorporated ¬ Incorporation No. INC9881307.