The Plains Vintage Railway and Historical Museum
PO Box 5051
Tinwald, Ashburton 7700
New Zealand

Phone: +64 3 308 9600
Rogers 'K' 88
Next Running:
12 February 2012

Attractions & Exhibits

The Plains Vintage Railway and Historical Museum is home to a wide range of exhibits, spanning the history of Mid-Canterbury since European Colonisation. Our core exhibits are split into three main sections, The Vintage Railway - Featuring three operational steam locomotives and the New Zealand Rail Speed Record holding Vulcan Railcar, The Pioneer Village - With the old Waterton Anglican Church taking pride of place alongside the former Chertsey Railway Station, and our vast Rural History section - Complete with vintage tractors, traction engines and other farm machinery.

To find out more about any of these sections, click on the arrows inside the box of your choice below.

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Vintage Railway

Rogers K 88Our Steam Locomotives 'A' 64 - from the New Zealand Railway's construction days in Canterbury, 'K' 88 'Washington' - from the Vogel era of railway expansion in the late 1870's, 'Ja' 1260 - big mainline power from the zenith of steam railways in NZ in the 1950's and Vulcan Railcar 'RM' 50 the New Zealand Rail Speed Recorder holder are the mainstays of our vintage railway.


Click the arrows in this box to learn more about the Vintage Railway rolling stock of The Plains Railway.
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Pioneer Village

Plains Railway Station Our Pioneer Village comes complete with Railway Station, Church, Cottage and recreated shops - there is even a blacksmiths shop complete with functional forge! Many of the buildings are of historicial value to the local area and we transported to our site, other buildings have been built on-site with a 'heritage' feel to them in order to recreate the feel of days long gone by.

Click the arrows in this box to learn more about the buildings of our Pioneer Village.
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Rural History

The Lanz Bulldog Our Rural History section contains Tractors, Traction Engines and vintage Farm Machinery from across the wider Canterbury district. Most of these exhibits are in working order and can sometimes be found being used to machine and harvest the land that we lease from the Ashburton District Council's Tinwald Domain.


Click the arrows in this box to learn more about the machinery in our Rural History section.


Also located at The Plains are the Lynn Museum of Woodworking and Ornamental Turning, and the Ashburton Fire Service Museum with a large collection of appliances spanning the history of Ashburton.*

* Whilst neither of these museums are under the control of The Plains Vintage Railway and Historical Museum, though they do endeavour to be open at all public running days.
Private viewing of these museums can be arranged via The Plains Vintage Railway and Historical Museum if required.