| Historical notes: | STATEMENT OF COUNTRY
The Railway Turntable at Armidale Railway Station is located on the country of the Ainiwain people (Heritage NSW 2021; 2026). To date, no specific Aboriginal cultural heritage values have been identified as being associated with the land currently occupied by the turntable. However, the landscape currently occupied by the railway station was originally covered by a tall sclerophyll open forest (New England Hills Stringybark-Box Woodland) that dominated the low hills of the New England Tableland in this area (Trees Near Me NSW). This suggests the Ainiwain may have used this area for hunting and gathering food resources in association with the marsh land hunting grounds along the nearby Dumaresq Creek (Heritage NSW 2021). Use of this area may have been associated with the nearby traditional camping place, known today as North Hill Aboriginal Place, on a hill (Drummond Park, Snow Gums Bushland Reserve) on the northern bank of Dumaresq Creek (Heritage NSW 2021). This camping place continued to be occupied throughout the historic period until the 1950s (Heritage NSW 2021).
Another similar historic camping place may have been located near what would become the railway station in the 1850s (Heritage NSW 2021:19, University of New England 2026). The presence of several historic camping places in Armidale suggest that some Ainiwain men may have worked on the railway gangs (as fettlers) on the rail network around Armidale (McKillop 2009:15). This may have included the railway tracks associated with the Armidale Railway Station.
MAIN NORTHERN LINE
During the development of the NSW Railway Network from the 1850s onwards, three main trunk lines were developed across the State from Sydney: the southern (to Albury), the western (to Bourke), and the northern (to Jennings on the Queensland Border). The northern originally commenced from Newcastle, with a line to Maitland completed in 1857. This was extended to Singleton in 1865 (Davies 1987:39).
In the early 1870s the Colonial Government became concerned that wool from the Riverina and West of the state would be diverted to Melbourne via river transport and the Victorian railway at Echuca (opened in 1864). In response to this perceived threat, John Sutherland, the Minister for Public Works, established a policy in 1874 to complete the main trunk lines prior to the construction of branch lines. However, this decision did not assuage all the powerful pastoral interests of regional NSW, and soon influential individuals upset this policy in their favour. This resulted in several branch lines being constructed while work on the main trunk lines continued. Consequently, a period of 'railway mania' ensued, where lobbying by various regional railway leagues resulted in the NSW railway network rapidly expanding in a 'chaotic' fashion between 1877-1887 (McKillop 2009:41-2).
Nevertheless, under Sutherland's policy the main northern line still progressed relatively quickly reaching Murrurundi in 1872, Tamworth in 1878, and Uralla in 1882. The powerful pastoral interest of Armidale were rewarded in 1883 when the main northern line reached the town. It soon benefited from connections to both Sydney and Brisbane, as by 1888 the main northern line reached Jennings on the Queensland border and was connected to the Queensland Railways southern line. The following year in 1889 a line was completed between Sydney and Newcastle, which completed the connection between Sydney and Brisbane. The main northern railway remained the only rail connection between these two cities until the completion of the north coast line in 1932 (Davies 1987:39; McKillop 2009:41, Appendix 1).
The coming of the railway to Armidale upset the grid layout of the town plan established in 1848 by isolating the southwest corner. It changed the dynamics of the town and region by fatally wounding the area's struggling wheat industry (through imported South Australian flour), drawing settlement and development towards the station, away from the town centre along Dumaresq Creek, and encouraging subdivision of estates and expansion of the town to the south. Its presence encouraged the western side of town to develop into a working class area with associated manufacturing enterprises. The trade links it provided supported Armidale's declaration as a city in 1885 and its continued growth in importance, and as a regional centre, over the following decades. Consequently, by 1900 Armidale was the fourth largest town in NSW (Kass 1990:12, 14-15, 20, 23-24).
ARMIDALE LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT
The construction contract for the Uralla to Glen Innes section of the main northern line was awarded to D Proudfoot in c1881-1882. Soon afterwards a contract was awarded to Edmund Lonsdale and Mr Elliot for the construction of a station building, Station Master's residence, goods shed with wool platform, three-road engine shed, 50ft turntable, coal stages, water tanks, sheep/cattle yards, staff cottages, and carriage dock and buffer (Forsyth 2016:17; Cottamundra Herald 3/2/1883:4).
The line to Armidale was officially opened on 1 February 1883. However, the station buildings were still in an unfinished state (Armidale Express 2/2/1883:4). Due to a range of reasons, their completion was delayed until September, when they were finally handed over to the NSW Government Railways (Armidale Express 13/4/1883:6; 18/9/1883:2).
When the depot was completed in September 1883 it consisted of the following structures (Armidale Express 18/9/1883:2; TfNSW ECM Planroom; ARHS Archives):
- A 111ft x 53ft three-road engine shed constructed of timber with a shingle roof and a small, attached store. The shed included three interior inspection pits and three exterior inspection pits to the northwest;
- a 120ft by 16ft timber coal stage;
- a water tank on a timber platform; and
- a 50ft turntable.
From its commencement, the locomotive depot was a primary site for the maintenance and servicing of locomotives on the main northern railway. Trains working north and south on the line exchanged their engines at Armidale (as well as potentially their crews), which required the depot staff to manage a small fleet of engines (Armidale Bicentennial Railway Museum - locomotive depot display).
Over the following decades small additions were made to the depot including a carriage shed (140ft x 15ft) (to the northwest of the station) in 1896, an upgraded 60ft turntable (to replace the original 50ft version) in 1899, and a sand furnace, small loco office, oil store, and mess room prior to 1912 (Armidale Express, 18/8/1896:5; Forysth, 2016:17; TfNSW ECM Planroom).
Between 1918 and 1926 a range of upgrades occurred at the depot. Within the Engine Shed this included a new machine shop (with 14.1kW oil engine and shafting), night store, and boiler maker's shop on the buildings east side. On the approaches to the Engine Shed a drop pit was added to its southeast side and the inspection pits on its northeast side extended. Across the wider depot, additional inspection pits, a water column, waterclosets, S.S. Inspector's Office, and Sub Foreman's Office were installed. Most importantly, a Holmen Coaling Plant with new receiving coal siding was installed. This plant allowed coal to be dropped into a pit from arriving coal hoppers and then hoisted up via a mechanism to an elevated 100ton bunker. This bunker greatly facilitated the loading of coal into waiting engines. Few depots appear to have been fitted with these coaling plants during this period. The installation of this plant required the removal of the obsolete original coal stage (Forysth 2016:17; TfNSW ECM Planroom).
During this period (1924), a 100,000 gallon reservoir was also provided to the east of the depot, along Mann Street outside the railway corridor, due to water scarcity in the town and the need to provide the railway station with its own independent water supply. This reservoir was also provided with a connection to Dumaresq Creek (1925-6) (Forysth 2016:17; ARHS Archive Plans).
Over the following years a range of minor upgrades were made to the Holmen's Coal Plant, assumedly as local staff identified necessary improvements for this new form of technology. In 1938-9 the original ladder to the coal bunker was replaced with a switchback stairway for safety reasons and the coal bunker chute was upgraded with a new radial gate and converted to a chain weight system. Additional ladders and platforms were also added to provide safe access to the tower in 1943. Further small upgrades were made in 1948 (TfNSW Plan Room).
Between 1945-1952 another series of upgrades were made to the depot, principally to the staff office and accommodation facilities. A large co-ordination building (1948) with offices, stores, meals room, locker room, showers, wash room, and electrical workshop was added to the north of the Holmen's Coal Plant. To the east of this building a Bulk and Inflammable Liquid Store was also constructed (1950), using materials from the dismantled existing bulk store and oil store, along with a new 20,000 gallon water tank (1945). These new buildings replaced the separate loco store and sub-foreman office buildings and original water tank, that were removed. The Engine Shed was extended to the southeast to provide shelter over the existing drop pit (c1945) and the offices altered to add a new bicycle store and office for the sub-foreman, fitter, and leading boiler-maker. Several safety upgrades were made to the shed (1951) and the inspection pits deepened and the separate inspection pit on the arrival road (adjacent the Holmen's Coal Plant) extended (1952). A new coal stage was also added to the southeast of the turntable (1945) (Forysth 2016:17; TfNSW ECM Planroom).
In the early 1960s diesel fuelling facilities were added to the depot, including a 12,000 gallon tank and fuelling point, to allow basic servicing of the new diesel locomotives. These facilities were provided at the northwestern end of the depot, opposite the station building. The introduction of diesel locomotives meant that trains no longer swapped their engines at Armidale, instead working between Werris Creek and the Queensland border without change. This caused the Armidale locomotive depot to wane in importance over the following decades (TfNSW ECM Planroom; Armidale Bicentennial Railway Museum - locomotive depot display).
The locomotive depot was closed in 1984 and most of its redundant buildings and sidings removed over the following years (Forysth 2016:17; TfNSW ECM Planroom). Today, the turntable and inspection pit adjacent the Holmen's Coal Plant are the only extant features from the depot. However, archaeological remains from a range of the original buildings are present across the site. |