Transport Heritage NSW have been announced winner of the 2022 National Trust Heritage Awards 'Events, Exhibitions & Tours' category for last year's Locomotive 3801 Relaunch Events Program.
The relaunch program saw the restored 1940s steam locomotive travel over 6,000kms, engaging thousands of people in communities across both Sydney and regional NSW.
The program commenced with an official relaunch event at Sydney’s Central Station, with Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of NSW, before moving onto regional NSW, including Southern NSW (Albury, Junee, Wagga Wagga) in April, Blue Mountains Day Trips from Sydney in May and Western NSW (Bathurst, Blayney, Orange, Dubbo) in June.
A further tour to Northern NSW was planned for September, but cancelled due to COVID restrictions.
A dedicated ‘3801 A Legend of Steam’ visual identity was developed to ensure a consistent experience when arriving at railway stations, as well as for brochures, a special commemorative magazine and dedicated 3801 project page.
Throughout the relaunch program, live broadcasts were streamed on THNSW social media channels to keep online viewers engaged. One video posted to Facebook alone reached some 400,000 viewers worldwide.
The locomotive made headline news wherever it travelled.
A big congratulations to all our volunteers and staff for achieving this prestigious award.