AusLeisure

After a last-ditch bid to save the Canberra Railway Museum was rejected by liquidators many of its exhibits were sold at auction this week.

The auction saw around 100 people gather at the Canberra Railway Museum for the sale of its historic train carriages.

Based in the ACT suburb of Kingston for the past 34 years, the Museum, home to Australia's oldest and largest steam locomotives, closed last November after falling more than $700,000 in debt. Despite the concerns of locals and railway heritage enthusiasts, the liquidator said great efforts had gone into preventing a number of "prime assets" going under the hammer.

While a popular attraction, it cost $3 million a year to maintain the engines and run the museum.

The ABC reported that those gathered at the auction included railway enthusiasts, collectors and former museum volunteers.

Heritage conservationist Chris Richards protested, telling the crowd the sale was illegal, claiming that the liquidator had failed to produce a deed allowing the sale to go ahead.

He stated “the auctioneer is selling these items today without a good root of title or proof of ownership.

"What they're selling here today has high heritage significance to the ACT and also to New South Wales, and some of them are also of Federal importance."

Former museum volunteer Gary Reynolds said going to the auction felt a bit like going to a funeral, adding “hopefully this money earnt today will pay off the debt.”

Canberra Railway Museum was run by the ACT division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS).

Prior to this week's auction, a last-ditch bid by Capital Holdings to secure the collection for a new transport museum at the site failed, and the auction went ahead despite protests from several heritage conservationists.

Image: Past volunteers at the Canberra Railway Museum.

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