McDonald Contracting were directly approached by the Powerhouse Museum’s Manager of Collection Logistics to undertake the complex task of relocating a range of heritage-listed items—including locomotives, carriages, and the historically significant Governor’s Carriage, famously used by Queen Elizabeth during her 1954 Australian tour.

However, removing these items was far from straightforward. Since the artefacts were originally installed, the museum had undergone extensive renovations, including the installation of climate control systems to protect the collection. These upgrades had permanently altered internal access, with narrowed doorways and updated infrastructure creating significant restrictions for extraction.

Further complicating matters, City of Sydney Council denied approval to remove a tree located at the front of the museum—this blocked the easiest route for transporting Loco 1, its tender, and three carriages, and required the McDonald Contracting team to rethink everything.

Shane McDonald and the team at McDonald Contracting responded with their trademark ingenuity and adaptability. They designed and engineered a custom relocation system specifically for the project—utilising skates, jacking systems, and bespoke transport rigs to safely extract each item without compromising their historical integrity or the museum’s infrastructure.

The project highlight? The transport of the Catalina Aircraft’s full wing section—a staggering 50 metres in length—from the Powerhouse Museum to the Aircraft Museum at Albion Park. This move wasn’t just complex, it was historic: the Powerhouse Museum confirmed it as the first time in global history that a Catalina wing of that size had been transported in one piece along public roads.

All artefacts—excluding the Catalina—were safely relocated to their new home at Castle Hill. The operation required careful coordination, tailored equipment, and problem-solving under pressure—exactly what McDonald Contracting is known for.

View the article on the Powerhouse Museums website Safe Carriage: Moving an Icon