Tamworth Power Station Museum has a new website.
Seriously, it is powered by a Collections Mosaic catalogue database, but it was launched on Monday, the 127th anniversary of the switching on of the electric streetlights in Tamworth, in a cloud of steam from the two Fowler double-acting cross-compound semi-portable undertype steam engines that recreate the original 1888 power station.
Local dignitaries were there to cut a ribbon draped over a monitor, and to help launch a book about local hero V. Guy Kable, for many years Town Clerk and Chief Engineer in Tamworth, and lots of local people stopped by to enjoy the occasion. The website allows users to search the museum catalogue for information on objects on display, but also for more general information on manufacturers and reference material held. Not everything is yet in the database, but the home page leads directly to some representative items in the collection. They range from the very technical to the very domestic as the collection includes not only switchgear and instruments used by the council engineers, but also domestic appliances, many donated by local residents after decades of faithful service. And more different sorts of lamps than you knew ever existed.
The website also has some striking panoramic images of the museum rooms that give the virtual visitor an idea of what a rich collection is squeezed into quite a modest space. For those able to make a physical visit, the website can be accessed within the museum on a smart phone with QR codes taking him/her directly to catalogue entries for some of the star exhibits.
The url is http://tamworthpowerstationmuseum.com.au/
The website will also tell you the date of the next Running of the Steam Engines.
I wish we had a steam engine.
