Fell Locomotive Museum, Railway museum in Featherston, New Zealand

The Fell Locomotive Museum in Featherston houses the H199 Mont Cenis, a rail engine designed with a special gripping system for steep mountain grades. The collection includes scale models, archival photographs, and historical railway equipment that trace the development of transport in New Zealand.

H 199 is one of six H class locomotives built for the Rimutaka Incline, where it worked for 77 years from 1877. It climbed 265 metres over 4.8 kilometres using John Barraclough Fell's system of four grip wheels on a raised centre rail. After the Rimutaka Tunnel opened on 3 November 1955, Minister for Railways John McAlpine presented H 199 to the Borough of Featherston.

The collection reflects the engineering challenges faced by early railway builders who had to cross steep mountain passes in New Zealand. The solutions they developed became part of the country's transport identity and show how people adapted technology to their landscape.

The museum stands across the main road from the old Featherston courthouse, next to the former playground where H 199 was first displayed. The locomotive was moved into the building on a house removal truck in March 1984. Access is by road; the collection is indoors.

An electric motor powers the locomotive on mounted rollers, bringing its gripping and friction systems to life. This working display shows visitors how the complex mechanical parts actually operated during service.