The opening will take place at 11am during the museum’s annual open day, which kicks off at 9am.

The much-anticipated train exhibit showcases parts of the well-known miniature railway and village from Don McDonagh’s front yard.

Mr McDonagh donated his much-loved treasure to the museum in 2015. The set was damaged by fire in 2014.

The display has been more than two years in the making, with museum member Owen Tydd heading up the project.

Mr Tydd designed the exhibit with some input from Narelle Phillips who has given the miniature buildings a spruce-up. Fellow museum member, Ruddy Dormyer, has constructed a railway station.

“The next step really is to lay out the village a bit better and get a few more buildings built and painted and that’s being worked on,” he said.

Mr Tydd said Gunnedah Garden Club would help establish vegetation before summer.

“It will really start to add character to it when we get a few shrubs around the place," he said.

“That’s what we’re down to – the window dressing side of it.”

Mr Tydd said he was happy with the way the exhibit had turned out but believes it will be an “ongoing” project and already has plans to create a miniature farm.

“It’s one of those projects that will never be finished,” he said.

“There’ll always be some little thing that needs to be done.”

The project manager said it was “family-friendly” exhibit and “kids love it”.

“It’s sort of an iconic thing from Gunnedah being Don’s train set,” he said.

“It’s a lot different from Don’s but it’s sort of a memorial to Don in a lot of ways, but it’s a lot simpler than what Don had, to be run by people who aren’t enthusiasts.”

More than just trains will be fired up on Sunday, with plenty of tractors, pumps and two steam engines to make their presence known, along with the Tractor Trek down Conadilly Street.

Mr Tydd said one of the steam engines is circa 1912 and used to drive a shearing shed  near Goran Lake. The other used to drive a saw mill  near Barradeen and is circa 1886.

My Tydd is one of four studying to get a steam engine ticket and said “it’s something I always wanted to do”. 

“As a little boy I was fascinated with steam engines,” he said.

He said in the 1950s there was a saw mill on the corner of Martin Road that he enjoyed visiting.

“I used to love coming in with dad to get wood and watch the steam engine,” he said.

The Gunnedah Rural Museum will be open until 3pm on Sunday.