Some people can remember glory days of steam trains while others remember the train trips they took as a child.

The arrival of the first train into a town is always a big event like it was 125-years-ago in Bomaderry.

The Shoalhaven Historical Society and community group Pride of Bomaderry are joining forces to mark this anniversary with a massive community event on Sunday, June 3.

The Nowra Town Band will greet the arrival of a modern train, which will be decked out in signage and colour for the celebration,  at 12.22pm and the celebrations will continue.

The event will continue in Waratah Park with music, food, croquet, community displays and vintage cars will be on display.

At 1pm Robyn Florance from the Shoalhaven Historical Society will launch the book ‘Going South Constructing the Railway - Kiama to Bomaderry’ on the history of local rail she wrote with Alan Clark.

The book comes complete with many great photos and the historical society received a heritage transport grant to produce it.

This event snowballed when the historical society contacted the Pride of Bomaderry members.

Shoalhaven Historical Society President Lynne Allen says Pride of Bomaderry is doing a great job with the organisation.

“They have done a wonderful job setting things up and we greatly appreciate their support and they have obviously pulled out all stops,” Mrs Allen said.

"It (the event) is going to be great. It going to be a great day for Bomaderry and a great day for local history.”

Mrs Allen has great memories of being on a steam train and loved them.

Her words flow when she talks about being on a steam train.

“The noise, the whooshes, the steam going past you, you put your head out the window and get hit by a bit of coal and going around Coalcliff you could look around and see the train curling around with the steam coming out,” she said.

“There is something very evocative about steam trains.”

Inside she said steam trains had beautiful woodwork in the cabins and even things to get water from glass containers.

“They don’t make them like they used to and in fact I think these modern trains are slower,” she said.

“I travel to Sydney a lot by train and it takes us three hours and I am sure it did not take three hours in the old days.”

Mrs Allen hopes the community supports the June 3 event in force.

All down the line, including one at Berry Station hosted by the Berry Historical Society, there will be celebrations going on.

“From Kiama right down everybody is excited about the anniversary,” Mrs Allen said.

Pride of Bomaderry President Terry Barratt says they are looking forward to the event.

He said trains and the train line were important are important parts of Bomaderry’s history.

“Well it opened Bomaderry up when trains first came and we are pushing hard to get the electric line upgraded and down to Bomaderry,” he said

He said people need to know when the got off the train they are coming to Bomaderry, not Nowra.

He also has big rail dreams.

“Everyone tells me I am dreaming but one day we might see a rail bridge going across the river,” he said.

“We have to think about it in the long term because there is a limit to how many cars we can put on the roads.”

He said even in the 1870s there was a local group pushing to get rail across the river.

Mr  Barratt  is looking forward to the celebrations.

“It's going to be a good relaxing day and a chance to people to see what we are doing at Waratahs Park,” he said.

Mr  Barratt  also loves trains and remembers going to school on them from Mt Druitt to Penrith

“Trains were part of our life,” he said.

Constructing the railway line from Kiama to Bomaderry began in August 1890 and was completed by May 1893.

This critical piece of infrastructure finally provided a reliable connection for the people, produce and businesses of the Southern Illawarra and South Coast to the markets of Sydney and beyond.

Built largely by pick, shovel and explosives, this book is a testimony to those who laboured to make it a success.

Temporary encampments, complete with post offices, schools and churches sprung up along its route to service the navvies and their families as they toiled on the line. Once complete the line would permanently change the economic and social structure of the towns it serviced.

The book features the story of the construction of the line and highlights the photos of Samuel Cocks who captured the detail of the works as they were undertaken.

The 125 anniversary of the South Coast railway line being extended to Bomaderry is something that needs to be marked.

Prior to that time, the trains came only as far as Bombo (then called North Kiama), and it was an excellent achievement that the final section took less than six years to construct.

The section included seven stations, Kiama, Rose Valley (soon to be called Omega), Gerringong, Toolijooa, Berry, Jaspers Brush and Bomaderry.

Special guest on that first train on Friday, June 2, 1893 was Sir Robert Duff, who had taken up the post of NSW Governor the previous week, and this was his first trip to the country.

His wife was also among the 100 or more passengers, with Colonial Treasurer John See and Works Minister Lyne leading the contingent of politicians.

After leaving Central Station at 8.30am, the train had encountered rain by the time it reached Redfern and it was a wet journey for most of the way.

Along the way the train stopped at Wollongong where the Governor was introduced to local aldermen; and at Kiama where he was presented with an address and walked across to the Grand Hotel for luncheon.

A large crowd awaited the steam train's arrival at Nowra, but the mounted policemen were there only for ceremonial reasons.

The dignitaries walked some 200 yards to a large tent, where Mrs Rebecca Marcus served a further meal.

At its conclusion, an illuminated address was presented to the Governor by Central Shoalhaven's Hugh McKenzie, one of four local Mayors in attendance.

Of equal importance with the train's arrival was the departure of the first one for Sydney.

Organiser of the day, Philip Morton, MP presented a gold whistle to the Governor, to give him the status of a railway official.

It could scarcely be heard, but a green flag provided the signal for the start of another historic journey.

Sir Robert did not return on the train but proceeded to Nowra for a banquet in the School of Arts and a ball at the Nowra Skating Rink.

It appears likely that he spent the night in the Imperial Hotel, for shortly afterwards its name was changed to the Duff.

Despite the lengthy stops, the first train to Nowra did well to reach its destination in four hours.

The timetable for this era showed that the regular service took an additional 15 minutes, with 10-minute stops at Wollongong and Kiama.

These were no doubt appreciated by passengers for in the first three years there were no toilet facilities in the carriages.

The station sign indicated "Nowra" and this caused problems with some passengers refusing to leave the train at Bomaderry.

However, this was soon sorted out by adding the word Bomaderry.

Contract for construction of the line between Kiama and Bomaderry was let to a company headed by Edward Pritchard, at a cost of £224,821.

After completing that job, Pritchard took on a farm at Numbaa, and he boasted one of the first Holstein herds in the district.