Goulburn Roundhouse/ Locomotive Depot

Item details


Name of item:	Goulburn Roundhouse/ Locomotive Depot
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Workshop
Primary address:	Braidwood Road, Goulburn, NSW 2580
Parish:	Goulburn
County:	Argyle
Local govt. area:	Goulburn Mulwaree

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Braidwood Road	Goulburn	Goulburn Mulwaree	Goulburn	Argyle	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Australian Rail Track Corporation	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The Goulburn roundhouse is significant as an excellent example of a mostly intact, standard railway roundhouse building from the early 20th century. The locomotive depot (including the roundhouse) is one of few relatively intact locomotive depots in NSW, with the roundhouse one of only seven remaining roundhouse buildings in NSW. The roundhouse is also one of the most intact roundhouse buildings in NSW. The roundhouse and Wellington Shed are prominent industrial buildings in Goulburn, which, along with other structures from the former locomotive depot, are closely associated with the development of the wider Goulburn railway precinct, one of the earliest major railway centres in country NSW.
	Date significance updated: 01 Feb 10
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Physical description:	The locomotive depot at Goulburn includes the roundhouse building (roads 18 to 42), a 90 foot diameter turntable, a machine shop (Wellington Shed), the District Locomotive Engineer's office, the Main Store/Compressor House, amenities block, disel refuelling point, Chargeman's Office, and various sidings and ancillary buildings. The roundhouse is of a two-bay sawtooth roof design with timber frame construction. The rear wall is of brick construction to 1600mm (painted), with timber framed windows, followed by asbestos sheeting to the roof. The roof is corrugated galvanised iron sheeting.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Fair. Some of the roof requires repair or replacement.
	Date condition updated:14 Jan 10
Modifications and dates:	Roads 1-17 in the roundhouse were demolished in the c1980s.
Further information:	Note: The roundhouse was originally listed on the State Heritage Register as part of the wider Goulburn railway precinct, including the station building and yard. In 2010 the roundhouse/locomotive depot was given a separate listing and curtilage.


Current use:	The roundhouse is leased by the Goulburn Roundhouse Preservation Society. The so
Former use:	Locomotive depot used to service steam locomotives.

History

Historical notes:

The railway station at Goulburn was officially opened on 27 May 1869 with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that the first train between Sydney and Goulburn departed Sydney at five minutes past eight in the morning and arrived in Goulburn at five minutes to four, travelling at a maximum speed of 35mph (Sydney Morning Herald quoted in Forsyth, 1989).

The original layout at Goulburn included a platform with horse and carriage docks at each end, with the platform located on the Up (west) side of the original loop. An additional 42-metre long platform was erected later (in 1883) for the opening of the Bombala line in 1884. The tender for construction of the station building was awarded to a Mr. J. Taylor on 7 May 1868. Tenders for other early structures included the goods shed (1868), the car shed (1869), engine shed (1869) and the Station Master’s residence (1870). Other early or original structures at Goulburn included a coal stage, water pump and 15.2m turntable (Forsyth, 1989).

The roundhouse was completed in 1918. The existing locomotive depot (including the roundhouse) replaced an earlier loco depot. The location and construction date of the original loco depot has not been established, however it is likely to have been built north of the existing depot and in the early 1880s. Both new and old loco depots operated simultaneously until 1935. The old depot was demolished in 1941 (Forsyth, 1989; b cubed Sustainability, 2006).

Major additions and modifications to the loco depot since 1918 included:

1920 - Boiler wash out plant established;
1935 - New turntable established, 45 foot radius, with all machinery moved from the old depot to the new roundhouse;
1943 - New sand bin constructed
1944 and 1954 - water service and supply upgraded within the site;
1946 - Erection of more accommodation;
1953 - Roundhouse roof repaired at the eastern section;
1960 - Shed erected to house 60 class locomotives (in 1956 sheds converted for diesel-electric servicing area), provision of appropriate power outlets for diesel-electric locomotives and erection of water treatment plant (radiator);
1965 - Fuelling facilities established and steam facilities removed over several years from 1965, including wash out boilers and watering facilities;
c1980s - Roundhouse encompassing roads 1-17 removed (b cubed Sustainability, 2006).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Railways-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The roundhouse at Goulburn was built in 1918 and the wider locomotive depot also built in the 1910s and modified in subsequent decades. The roundhouse/ loco depot is closely associated with the development of the wider Goulburn railway precinct, one of the earliest major railway centres in country NSW. The major railway buildings at Goulburn are integral to the history and identity of the town which has relied on the railways to a large extent for its growth and prosperity, particularly in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The roundhouse and Wellington Shed are prominent industrial buildings in Goulburn.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The roundhouse and associated buildings are maintained by a local preservation group, with some members of the group having formerly worked at the place and/or have a close association with it. Therefore, there is evidence that the roundhouse and wider loco depot has social significance for a section of the Goulburn community. The roundhouse is also used for some commercial activity (to service locomotives) thereby maintaining to some extent the traditional use of the building for more than 90 years.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The roundhouse and associated structures are maintained and interpreted by a local rail heritage group, allowing public access to the roundhouse and surrounds and revealing the layout and operation of a large railway roundhouse.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Goulburn locomotive depot is one of few relatively intact locomotive depots in NSW, with the roundhouse one of only seven remaining roundhouse buildings in NSW.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The roundhouse is significant as an excellent example of a mostly intact, standard roundhouse building from the early to mid 20th century.
Integrity/Intactness:	The loco depot is highly intact with most buildings and other infrastructure remaining and in satisfactory condition. The roundhouse is one of the most intact roundhouse buildings in NSW, despite the loss of 17 roads in the c1980s.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	b cubed Sustainability	2006	Locomotive roundhouses heritage conservation strategy

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	4281706

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.