Rail History insights from August

Read below as Bob Newham, RTBU passenger organiser, explores some of the incredible history behind rail in New South Wales. As you will discover, the month of August has many stories to tell…

August 1906

There have been three terminal stations in Sydney. The original Sydney station was opened on 26 September 1855 in an area known as Cleveland Fields. This station (one wooden platform in a corrugated iron shed), called Sydney Terminal, had Devonshire Street as its northern boundary. It was frequently but unofficially called Redfern station, while at that time the present Redfern station was officially called Eveleigh. It should be noted that these first and second Sydney Terminals were never actually located in Redfern, being to the north of Cleveland Street which is Redfern’s northern boundary.

When this station became inadequate for the traffic it carried, a new station was built in 1874 on the same site and also called Sydney Terminal. This was a brick building with two platforms. It grew to 14 platforms before it was replaced by the present-day station to the

north of Devonshire Street. The new station was built on a site previously occupied by the Devonshire Street Cemetery, a convent, a female refuge, a police barracks, a parsonage, and a Benevolent Society. The remains exhumed from the cemetery were re-interred at several other Sydney cemeteries including Rookwood and Waverley cemeteries. Bodies were moved to Botany by steam tram motors and flat cars.

The present station was officially opened on 4 August 1906 and opening for passengers on 5 August 1906. The new station included the previous Mortuary railway station used to transport funeral parties to Rookwood Cemetery. The last train departed platform 5 of the 1874 station at midnight. During the remainder of that night, the passenger concourse was demolished and the line extended through the old station into the new station. The Western Mail arrived at 05:50 on 5 August 1906 at the new station.

August 1930

The Ballina Branch line opened on 25 August 1930 but passenger services ceased only 13 years later, on 16/4/1943. All services were suspended on 11/6/1948 due to landslides. The line was closed on 12/1/1949, and this was formally enacted in parliament on 14/10/1953,

Traces of the line are still visible along the Booyong-Teven Road. There are still remains of wooden pylons from the bridge across Teven Creek and the piers from the bridge across North Creek Canal near Ballina are still present.

The original Station building in 1930

August 1956

The 42 class design was based on the Electro-Motive Diesel EMD F7 locomotive and were very similar to the GM 12 class then being built by Clyde Engineering for the Commonwealth Railways.

They initially worked express passenger services including the Brisbane Limited, Intercapital Daylight and Melbourne Limited and later the Southern Aurora and Spirit of Progress. As newer locomotives arrived they were concentrated on the Main South line operating freight services.

By April 1978, the Australian Federated Union of Enginemen had placed a ban on the 42 class operating as lead engines due to cab conditions. In 1980, 4201 had its cab upgraded during overhaul to overcome these issues, but with their replacement imminent it was decided not to treat the rest of the class. All were withdrawn in 1983.

4206 was the last of this model and entered service in August 1956. 4206 was eventually purchased by Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum. After being used extensively on the Dorrigo line hauling 40 trains from Glenreagh to Dorrigo in the 1980s, it is currently stored but remains in operational condition.

 August 1972

On 16 August 1972 the locomotive was withdrawn from service and stored at Enfield Locomotive Depot. Ownership passed to the ‘5917 Society’ being operated and maintained by the Lachlan Valley Railway.

Locomotive 5917 was built in the United States by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) entering service on 12 March 1953. It was originally built as an oil-burning locomotive which was the NSWGR’s original plan when it was submitted to the builders during a coal shortage in New South Wales. It was later converted to a coal burner. 5917 was used for freight haulage during its NSWGR service right up to its withdrawal.

Locomotive 5917 at Central Station

August 1974

The last passenger train to use the station left in August 1974 and the last goods train in August 1985. Crookwell station closed to passenger traffic in March 1975 and to goods traffic on 6 September 1985 (Forsyth, 1991; SRA, 1993).

The railway station at Crookwell opened on 22 April 1902. Original 1902 buildings and structures most likely included the standard A5 station building, a residence, goods shed, turntable and a coal stage, with later additions consisting of a 10 tonne gantry crane (1914) and rest house (1914). The water supply came from a 10 ml excavated tank next to Kiamma Creek, which delivered water to a 90kl tank on a timber stand located near the coal stage. The tank and stand was sold and removed in 1970 and all other pumping plant removed by 1971 (Forsyth, 1991).

Crookwell Station today

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