Photo of Fell Locomotive Museum in Wellington1 / 2
Trains & Railways

Fell Locomotive Museum

πŸ“ Featherston, Wellington

β˜…4.6(216 Google reviews)πŸ’°$2-$15πŸ‘Ά5+

Featherston's Fell Locomotive Museum houses H199 Mont Cenis - the sole survivor of six specialised locomotives that climbed the Rimutaka Incline. Includes a documentary screening, scale model layouts, and volunteer storytellers.

βœ“ last Fell locomotiveβœ“ knowledgeable volunteersβœ“ model train layoutsβœ“ documentary screeningβœ“ Rimutaka Incline historyβœ“ toy trains for kids

πŸ† Family Action Verdict

A compact museum that consistently surprises visitors who expect little. The volunteer storytellers are the core of the experience - the story of how these locomotives actually worked is specific, dramatic, and memorable. Children leave knowing what a Fell locomotive did; adults leave wanting to visit Cross Creek.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

πŸ’‘Engage the volunteers directly - their knowledge of the Rimutaka Incline history goes far beyond the displays
⏰The museum is reachable by train from Wellington - a practical option for a car-free day trip to Featherston
🎟️Allow at least 90 minutes if volunteers are in full storytelling mode - the documentary and model layouts add time beyond the locomotive itself
πŸš—The heritage museum next door is a separate entity with its own entry - check if you want to visit both

πŸ’¬ What Families Are Saying

View all reviews β†’
4.6
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216 Google reviews

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G Reviews from Google

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Neil Baudinet

7 months ago

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β€œWell worth a visit to find out how they used to get the freight and passengers up the Remutuka Incline.”

E

Elna Baguya

3 years ago

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β€œWay back more than 100 years ago. This place is superb, I really love it. Even though I don't really like history, this place and a lovely staff makes me love it. The museum is awesome. You get to see the real last fell Locomotive. Get to watch a documentary. It's very specific. They also get some fun stuff for kids😍 highly recommended. They have entrance fee but the experience is worth more than that, the staff is so friendly and amazing. They get clean toilet too. The road to the place is adventurous for meπŸ˜β€

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AJ Wilson

2 years ago

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β€œWell worth the small charge of $7 an adult, $2 child over 5. Volunteer was extremely knowledgeable. There is so much history. The Fell Locomotive is the only one left out of the six used. This is a must visit for anyone ousting through. There is also the heritage museum next door but separate identity with another door charge. It's based alot on the military camp.”

πŸ“Š Commonly mentioned in Google reviews

Based on Google review tags

Friendly staff

18 reviews

History of trains

6 reviews

Guided tour

5 reviews

Fell engine

3 reviews

Educational experience

3 reviews

Overview

The Fell Locomotive Museum preserves H199 Mont Cenis, the only surviving example of six specialised locomotives that gripped a centre rail with horizontal wheels to climb the Rimutaka Incline. Knowledgeable volunteers share detailed operational stories - reviewers warn they are hard to leave once you get them talking. A documentary screening and scale model train layouts add depth. Toy trains keep younger children occupied.

πŸ• Opening Hours

MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
WednesdayClosed
ThursdayClosed
FridayClosed
Saturday10:00-16:00
Sunday10:00-16:00

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