NSW HRSI NEWSLETTER Issue 8 HRSI NSW HRSI NEWS August 2016 Mt Horeb railway station on the Cootamundra-Tumut branch line in the 1980s (Andrew Roberts collection) NSW HERITAGE RAILWAY STATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS ISSUE N.8 WELCOME to the 8th newsletter Copyright © 2014 - 2016 Newsletter index of NSWHRSI. The objective of NSWHRSI . All photos and WELCOME / MAIN NEWS 1 this newsletter is to inform, information remains property of RAILWAY GATEKEEPERS HOUSES ACROSS NSW - educate and provide insights HRSI / Phil Buckley unless stated A REVIEW 2 about the latest updates, plans to our various contributors / and heritage news relating to original photographers or COMMUNITY REUSE OF ABANDONED RAILWAY STATIONS PART 2 SOUTH / SOUTH WEST NSW 2 Heritage Railway Stations and donors. Infrastructure (HRSI) across RAIL HERITAGE WEEKEND – SYDNEY 4 NSW. The news in this letter is Credits/Contributors this issue – Greg separated into 4 core NSW Finster, Ainslie Pasql, Bruce Nelson, SOUTHERN NSW RAIL GRAIN SHEDS – FADING Peter Watters, Lindsay Richmond, STRUCTURES 7 regions – Northern, Western and Chris Stratton, Mark Zanker, Brett Southern NSW and Sydney. Leslie, Allan Hunt, Andrew Phelan, MARKING TIME NSWGR CLOCKS / BRUCE NELSON INTERVIEW 10 MAIN NEWS Gordon Ross, Adrian Compton, Gordon Issue 8 and we are focusing on Williams (Craig Short), Weston RYLSTONE BRANCH LINE SECTION REOPENS 16 heritage operations in Sydney, Langford, Nicole Hentscher, Douglas Moyle, Steve Bucton, Jim Lippitts, NORTHERN NSW 22 examining gatehouses relics, Marc Conyard, Peter Sweetten, Hayley interview a Sydney trains Hailz, Warren Banfield, Andrew WESTERN NSW 25 heritage employee, along with Roberts, Peter Burr, Philip Vergison, various news and updates which Bob Dines SOUTHERN NSW 26 include more heritage stations Northern NSW reporters – Gordon SYDNEY REGION 30 being repainted across NSW. We Ross, Peter Watters also welcome NSWHRSI latest Western NSW reporters – Phil Pedley, YOUR SAY - HERITAGE PHOTOS 39 reporter Peter Watters who Peter Watters Southern NSW reporters – Greg NSWGR TICKET REVIEW, HELP OTHERS, OTHER contributes news from across NEWS, NEXT ISSUE AND LINKS 46 NSW. Finster, Angela Rodwell, Andrew Lawson, Peter Watters Phil Buckley, NSWHRSI Editor TAIL END TRIANGLE PHOTO 49 Page | 1 NSW HRSI NEWSLETTER Issue 8 _____________________________________________________________ RAILWAY GATEKEEPERS HOUSES ACROSS NSW Railway Gatekeepers houses were built for resident railway staff needed for controlling the opening and closing of gates at busy times. These staff were normally housed in these nearby gatehouses or cottages to allow the gatekeeper easy access to their duties The movement of traffic was managed by a person who was required to open and close either boom or farm paddock type gates to ensure no encroachment into the operational railway corridors as trains passed. The building designs were readily constructed and easily identifiable from most other housing. They were built with a central single chimney. Many of the houses were located along the Blue Mountains line – 5 remain out of 12 built. Some houses were built on the main southern line at Mittagong, while others were built on the western line to Broken Hill and others also on the line to Wallangarra. Some example of surviving houses can be seen below, Nevertire, Uralla and Armidale taken in 2016. __________________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNTIY REUSES OF RAILWAY STATIONS IN RURAL NSW PART 3 – SOUTHERN NSW Where does the NSW railway network stand in 2016 with vacated station buildings?. What has become of them?. As the decline of the NSW railway network started in the 1950/60ss, many stations were vacated, unused and not maintained. Over the years this lack of care has increased. Even as late as 2014 some heritage station buildings were still being demolished. This last article in our 3 part series investigates heritage railway buildings and their reuse in 2016. This includes recent changes/demolitions. In reading this listing, you will notice in southern/south western NSW that there are a number of reused stations. This reuse is mostly by community groups or museums but not many actual businesses. (We are open to corrections of this listing if you know more details / information). ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Culcairn - Operational with local decaying, line closed. Albury – NSW Govt utilised as an community shop in station. operational stop. Bombala - Preserved by locals. Jincumbilly – Preserved Tarago – Operational stop, /decaying private property Henty - Operational and in use – unstaffed. with local community shop in Royalla – Station remains station. Page | 2 HRSI NSW | Issue 8 3 Bukalong – Decaying with new Corowa – Preserved by local Robertson – Preserved, local roof installed recently community, library reuse. reuse. The Rock - Operational and in Tocumwal – NSW/Victorian Mangoplah – decaying, private use station, preserved. NSW side property. non-operational, Victorian side is Wagga Wagga – Operational and operational. Burrandanna - Preserved private manned at certain hours. Rail property heritage museum on site. Whitton – Building removed from station and now in local Westby – Preserved decaying, Bomen – Standing but not in use. town museum park private property. Harefield - Still standing but Griffith – Station preserved and Gunning - Operational stop / freight yard only. To close under in limited operational use (once a standing, unused. proposed plans by NSW Govt. week) Marulan - Operational stop, Barellan – Only a signal hut Grenfell – Preserved and reused unstaffed but in use. remains by local community Tallong – Preserved, operational Coolamon – Station unstaffed Tumut – Preserved, community stop, unstaffed but in use and preserved by local building – pending new tenants. community Bundanoon - Operational stop, Junee - Operational stop and in unstaffed but in use Hay – Preserved and reused by use – with local community run local museum Goulburn - Opertational stop café/ restaurant in station. and in use. Lockhart - Former Gerogery Cootamundra - Opertational station reused by RFS. Narrandera – Preserved but stop and in use. unstaffed, operational stop. Crookwell - Preserved rail Bungendore – Preserved for museum Jerilderie – Preserved and leased local reuses, operational stop. out. Queanbeyan – Operational stop, Harden - Opertational stop and preserved run by ARHS ACT Wingello – Preserved, in use but unstaffed. operational stop, unstaffed but Michelago – Preserved by local Wallendbeen - Still standing, in use community unused. Penrose - Operational stop, Chakola – Rebuilt by CMR but is Binalong - Still standing, unused. unstaffed but in use unused in 2016 Bowning - Still standing, unused. Exeter – Preserved, operational Holts Flat – Decaying but new stop, unstaffed but in use roof installed recently Galong - Still standing, unused. Mittagong - Opertational stop Gundagai – Preserved and rail Mt Murray – Decaying, non- and in use. museum. operational unstaffed. Bowral - Opertational stop and in Finley – Rail heritage location, Yass Junction - Operational stop use. preserved and in use. Moss Vale - Operational stop Cooma – Preserved / maintained Yass Town – Preserved, rail and in use. by CMR museum. HRSI NSW | Issue 8 4 Tahmoor - Operational stop and Colo Vale – Still standing and in use. preserved Menangle - Preserved / Thirlmere – Preserved, reused by operational stop but unstaffed. RTM. Picton - Operational stop and in use. RAIL HERITAGE WEEKEND IN SYDNEY – JUNE 2016 On the 3 day Long Weekend in June 2016, various NSW Transport Heritage operators came to Central railway station. Working with Transport Heritage NSW, these operators put on numerous heritage train trips across southern and western Sydney over the 3 days. The trains used included the newly returned to operating condition Red Rattler set F1 from HET. Steam locomotive 3642 hauled carriages and a diesel 4001 set hauled carriages from the RTM. A private owner had a static display 42101 which was connected up to a restored carriage from 3801 Ltd. These static displays were placed nearby some static RTM displays using a 48 diesel and mixed carriages. The use of heritage single deck electric set F1 is first time in nearly 14years it has been allowed out on the rails. NSWHRSI followed the heritage tours from Central to Erskenville, St Peters, Turella, Arncliffe and Sydenham to capture various views of the action over the 3 days. Left and right, RTM 48 class locomotive and F1 on platform HRSI NSW | Issue 8 5 Left, Central tower looms over diesel 42101, centre, train driver dressed in old NSWGR uniform for F1 set and right 3642 waits to departs for a trip to Hurstville. Left, F1 set drivers cab view, F1 ready to depart on another trip and 4001 sits under the clock at Central. HRSI NSW | Issue 8 6 Left, F1 passes through newly repainted St Peters railway station and right, overview of Central Left, F1 passes through Turella station and right, 3642 passes through Sydenham station. Left, 4490 leads the train through Arncliffe station and right, F1 moves slowly through Sydenham station. HRSI NSW | Issue 8 7 Left, The F1 set passes through Sydenham towards the end of its runs. Inside a carriage at Central. Right, This passenger carriage at Central, the editor helped contribute towards its restoration at the LES back in 2009/2010 with painting / repairing of the underframe and buffers Rail photographer Ainslie Pasql has