As part of the Legend of Steam tour, the locomotive left from Werris Creek and visited Breeza, Curlewis, Gunnedah, Boggabri and Narrabri before returning to Werris Creek.

The Legend of Steam North-West steam train rides were organised by Transport Heritage NSW to bring the golden age of train travel back - if only for a few days.

Carriages were close to full for the train rides, with Transport Heritage NSW saying the response had been “overwhelming”, and more events were in the pipeline for next year.

“Clearly, there’s an apetite for transport heritage in regional NSW,” Transport Heritage NSW spokesman David Bennett said last week.

The locomotive 3642, which was used to transport passengers between Newcastle and Sydney between the 1920s and 1969, also puffed its way through four round trips between Tamworth and Kootingal on the weekend.

The unusual sight of a steam train travelling across the region stirred a little romance in local people.

Raelee Bruce wrote on the Namoi Valley Independent’s Facebook page: “I saw it coming into Gunnedah from Curlewis this morning with our beautiful plain as the perfect backdrop, then had the thrill of travelling on it from Gunnedah to Curlewis this afternoon with my grandson Jack. Wonderful.”