Tokomaru Steam Museum

Tokomaru Steam Museum

Visitors first see the old ticket office, the museum railway and the original Tokomaru Station building.

The station once stood on the main line; it was sold for firewood in 1972 but bought by the Stevensons because it suited the museum.

New Zealand’s late Prime Minister Norman Kirk, a former stationery-engine operator, opened the first section of the 1km track in 1973. The railway was added at the request of locomotive enthusiasts.

More than 8,000 people attended the first Tokomaru Steam Festival that same year.

All the stationary engines were once powered by a single boiler — originally wood-fired, now diesel.

Beyond the boiler house stands New Zealand’s oldest steam engine, the 1869 Appleby engine from Wellington’s Patent Slip. It once hauled ships of over 2,000 tons out of the water for repair.

Inside the main hall, are engines of every size.

Small ones could power a farm milking shed; larger ones drove generators, sawmills, freezing works and early factories.

Working miniature models are also on display.

Dominating the front is one of New Zealand’s biggest steam engines — the Filer and Stowell from Wanganui’s Imlay Freezing Works. This 70-ton machine was so difficult to move that scrap dealers refused to touch it. Colin Stevenson accepted the challenge and brought it to Tokomaru after great effort and expense.

Two further rooms complete the tour: “The Powerhouse,” filled with electricity-generating machinery, and “The Loco Shed,” which houses four locomotives including a large 1904 American Climax (none currently operational).

Steam powered New Zealand’s first hundred years of development — sawmills, log haulers, traction engines, road rollers and early trucks. The museum’s collection preserves this industrial heritage.

Tokomaru village grew to support the surrounding farms. Today the Steam Engine Museum is its most striking feature, while Stevenson’s Structural Steel remains the district’s largest employer. Nearby lies the popular Horseshoe Bend river reserve.

Unfortunately, opening hours are limited, so please plan in advance.

Contact Information

Tokomaru Steam Engine Museum

(06) 329 8867

Damian 0212090060

Roxanne 02102225385

tokomaru.museum@gmail.com

Hours of Operation

The museum is open by arrangement, with bookings generally available weekly on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Address

742-744 Makerua Road

State Highway 57

Tokomaru

Palmerston North