The Hunter Valley Steamfest is one of the major events in the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

steam locomotive season and also one of the major events held in

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

, in the Hunter Region. Held over two days in April, it is usually attended by steam locomotives from the

Canberra Railway Museum The Canberra Railway Museum is located at Kingston in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), next to Canberra railway station on the Bombala railway line. Since May 2018, Canberra Railway Museum has been the trading name of a not-for-profit ...

NSW Rail Museum The NSW Rail Museum is the main railway museum in New South Wales, Australia. A division of Transport Heritage NSW, it was previously known as the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum (NSWRTM), Rail Heritage Centre and Trainworks. Transport H ...

and

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill. Although often de ...

and railmotors from the Rail Motor Society.

History

The first Hunter Valley Steamfest was held in April 1986 to commemorate the days of steam, three years after steam operations on the

South Maitland Railway The South Maitland Railway was once an extensive network of privately owned colliery and passenger railway lines which served the South Maitland coalfields in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia and were the second last system in Aust ...

ceased. In 2017, Steamfest attracted 50,000 visitors. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, while the 2022 event was cancelled due to flooding at Maitland.

Locomotives

Hunter Valley Steamfest has seen different locomotives from over six different preservation organisations within New South Wales and even one from the United Kingdom. This list contains the locomotives that have attended the Hunter Valley Steamfest: Local area of Maitland * SMR 10: Steam Display item at South Maitland Rail Yard 1990–95, 2006–07 and Steam trip in 2007 *SMR 17: Steam Display item at South Maitland Rail Yard 1991 *SMR 18: Steam Display item at South Maitland Rail Yard 1991–93, 2007 and Steam trip in 1994–95, 2007 *SMR 25: Display in Maitland railway Yards in 1986 before being moved to Richmond Vale Railway *SMR 27: Static Display 1987 Richmond Vale Railway *Marjorie: 1986–2015 *SMR 24: 1990–93, 1995–97 *SMR 25: 1991–96, 1998–99 *SMR 30: 2000, 2003, 2005–09 Ex

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

* 3001:

- 1986, 1988 * 3016:

- 2013, 2016, NSW Rail Museum - 2017 * 3112: Barry Tulloch - 1988–89, 1992, 1994–96, 2002–07 * 3237:

Lachlan Valley Railway The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve and operate former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives ...

- 2009, 2015 * 3265:

- 2010–14, 2019 * 3526: NSW Rail Museum - 2007–12, 2019 * 3642: NSW Rail Museum - 1986–87, 1990–92, 2008–18 *

3801 3801 (pronounced Thirty-eight o-one) is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive operated by the New South Wales Government Railways between 1943 and 1974. It is arguably Australia's most famous steam locomotive, being the only one to have visited all mainl ...

3801 Limited East Coast Heritage Rail is a not for profit company limited by guarantee formed in June 1985 as 3801 Limited to operate steam locomotive 3801 and its associated rolling stock. The company operated heritage train tours from 1986 until 2017, wit ...

- 1987, 1989–98, 2000–2006, NSW Rail Museum - 2007 * 3830: Powerhouse Museum - 1998–2009 * 5910: NSW Rail Museum - 1986–88 * 5917: Lachlan Valley Railway - 1986, 2009, 2014, 2016 * 6029: Canberra Railway Museum - 2016, Private Owner - 2018 Ex

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

United Kingdom * LNER 4472 ''Flying Scotsman'' - 1989

Excursions

During the Steamfest, trips to

Broadmeadow Broadmeadow is the geographic center of Newcastle city. Its main commercial hub is located at the "Nineways".Branxton,

Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...

, Paterson and

Dungog Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire local government area and at the 2016 census it had a po ...

are operated by both steam and preserved rail motor. The Sunday ''Barrington Bullet'' travels to Dungog, then to Stroud Road loop and return. In 2015, a new trip to Port Waratah was introduced. In the early years of the festival, steam hauled charters brought passengers to the event but this is no longer the case with the locomotives and rolling stock moving to the festival empty. In 1986 two trips from Sydney Central and another from

Blacktown Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Great ...

operated. In 2013 and 2014 passengers were able to travel on the stock movement from Picton to Maitland, albeit on the Friday before and Monday after the festival.

The Great Race

One of the excursions involves a race between one or more steam locomotives and one or more de Havilland Tiger Moth. In 2010 a triple parallel of 3265, 3642 and 3526 was organised taking months of planning. The locomotives raced against three Tiger Moths and winner of the race was the oldest locomotive in the race, 3265. A Tiger Moth eventually won the race for the first time in 2012. In 2016, the race was between four trains and four Tiger Moths.

Related events

In 2004, Hunter Valley Steamfest received its own ground at the intersection of Church Street and the

New England Highway New England Highway is an long highway in Australia running from Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, Queensland at its northern end to Hexham at Newcastle, New South Wales at its southern end. It is part of Australia's National Highway system, an ...

adjacent to Maitland station. The ground is called Maitland Steamfest Rally Ground and is managed by Maitland Steam and Antique Machinery Association. Steam traction engines and portable steam appliances are stored, maintained and refurbished by volunteers onsite. Traction engines are also run onsite and driven on local roads in the Maitland area. Events and displays provided by the association include traction engines, portable steam appliances and equipment, road steam equipment, mini train rides (provided by the

Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is ...

Live Steam group), vintage machinery, interpretive tours and static displays. Maitland Steam and Antique Machinery Association also provide event management and catering at Hunter Valley Steamfest and other events hosted at the Maitland Steamfest Rally Ground including Maitland Motor Heritage and Steam Fair and the Annual Postie Bike Rally. Maitland Park plays host for the "Show 'n Shine car expo" where hundreds of vintage, veteran and classic cars are on display. The car expo is held on the Sunday during Steamfest. As part of Steamfest, the Richmond Vale Railway Museum south of

Kurri Kurri Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the , its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, ...

is open to the public with tours provided on the museum's own operational steam locomotive and with other steam related machines on site.Hunter Valley Steamfest 2012
Richmond Vale Railway Museum

References

External links

{{Hunter Region places and items of interest Festivals established in 1986 Festivals in New South Wales Maitland, New South Wales Rail transport in the Hunter Region 1986 establishments in Australia