Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineer's office facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineers office |
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Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineer's office
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| Location | Main Suburban railway line, Redfern, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1887 |
| Owner | RailCorp |
| Official name: Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineers office and movable relics; Sydney Technology Park | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1139 |
| Type | Office building |
| Category | Government and Administration |
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The Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineers office is a special old building in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It used to be an office for the main engineer in charge of railway work. Today, the building is not used, but it is protected because of its history.
It was built in 1887 and is located near the Main Suburban railway line. The building is owned by RailCorp, which is part of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, meaning it is a very important historical site.
Contents
What is the History of the Eveleigh Office?
Building the Eveleigh Workshops
The Chief Mechanical Engineers Office was built around 1887. It was part of a bigger plan to expand the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. These workshops were huge places where trains were built, fixed, and maintained.
The building was made bigger in 1900 and again around 1920. Each time, new parts were added that matched the original style.
Why Were the Workshops Built?
John Whitton, a famous railway engineer, first thought of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. Their main job was to keep locomotives (train engines) and railway cars in good shape. They also built new wagons and passenger carriages. At that time, there was nowhere else in New South Wales to build train engines.
The workshops were set up on both sides of the main railway lines. This meant some jobs were duplicated, but heavy work like metal forging was done on the locomotive side.
Choosing the Location
The land for the Eveleigh railway yards was chosen in 1875. It cost about A£100,000 for 64.5 acres (about 26 hectares) of land. Work to clear the land started two years later. A lot of effort went into designing the buildings because the soil was very sandy.
Eveleigh Station opened in 1878. It was later renamed Redfern Station in 1906. The old Redfern Station then became Sydney Terminal (Central).
Early Workshop Operations
The first building finished was the Engine Running Shed, which is now gone. The main Locomotive Workshops officially opened in 1887. Other workshops, like the Carriage Sheds and Paint Shop, also opened that year.
The workshops were open every day until 1892. After talks with unions, they started closing on Saturdays.
How the Area Grew
As the railway workshops grew, more houses were built nearby in the 1870s and 1880s. Many street names in the area, like Eveleigh, come from early settlers. A school and other public buildings were also built around this time.
Powering the Workshops
For a while, Eveleigh had its own gas works to provide power. But in 1901, the Ultimo Power Station was built, providing electric power to the workshops. This led to old steam engines being replaced with powerful electric motors, a process finished by 1914.
In 1907, the railway bosses decided to start building new locomotives at Eveleigh. A special New Locomotive Shop was designed for this purpose.
Challenges and Changes
By 1915, the Eveleigh Works were becoming too crowded. There were also several strikes between 1915 and 1917. A big general strike happened in 1917, lasting 82 days. It started when workers at Eveleigh and a tramway depot went on strike. Volunteers, including students from private schools, helped keep the trains running. This happened during World War I, which made conditions tougher.
More land was bought around 1917, and 230 houses were removed to build the Alexandria Goods Yard.
Building new locomotives stopped in 1925.
World War II and Beyond
During World War II, parts of the workshops were used to make gun-shells for the war effort. This lasted until 1945. After the war, new locomotive construction started again but only until 1952. After that, Eveleigh became a place just for repairing and maintaining trains.
In 1963, steam locomotives were no longer used. This meant Eveleigh, which focused on steam trains, began its final stage.
New workshops were built in other areas, like Chullora and Clyde, taking over some of Eveleigh's jobs.
The Workshops Close
Attempts to modernize the workshops in the 1970s came too late. Much of the machinery was only good for steam trains. The workshops slowly declined and finally closed in 1988.
After closing, some parts of the site were used by Paddy's Markets. Other buildings were pulled down. In 1991, the NSW Government announced plans to create a technology park at Eveleigh.
Today, many of the jobs once done at Eveleigh are no longer done by government companies or even in Australia.
Future of the Office Building
Even though it has been empty for ten years, the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office will be restored. This project will make the building safe and fix its outside, including the balcony, paint, windows, and decorative work. The restoration is expected to finish by mid-2017.
What Does the Office Look Like?
The Garden Area
The area around the office used to have beautiful gardens. Now, it's mostly open space with grass and a row of large London plane trees along Wilson Street. There's a sign nearby with an old photo showing how fancy the gardens once were.
Outside the Building
The Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office is a large, two-story building made of brick. It looks almost the same as it did in the 1920s. The different parts added in 1887, 1900, and 1920 all blend together nicely.
It has a main entrance with a pointed arch and the letters "NSWGR" (New South Wales Government Railways) above the door. The roof is sloped and covered with corrugated iron, with brick chimneys.
A two-story veranda (a covered porch) runs along the front of the building. It has cast iron columns and pretty decorative iron brackets and railings. The front door has an arched window above it. The ground floor has wooden windows, mostly boarded up. The first floor has wooden French doors. A modern metal fence stands in front of the building along Wilson Street.
Inside the Building
The inside of the building has been changed a lot over time. There are new office walls and modern ceilings. However, some original features are still there. These include the main wooden staircase, marble fireplaces, decorative plaster designs on the ceilings, and old tiled bathrooms. The entry and bathrooms also have patterned tiles.
Moveable Items
Some old items that used to be in the office are still considered part of its heritage. These include an old toilet bowl with a special seat, a wall mirror with a timber frame, and a wooden cabinet with six drawers for storing plans.
Condition of the Building
As of 2013, the outside of the building was in fair to poor condition. The inside was in poor to very poor condition.
Changes Over Time
The building had additions made to it between 1900 and 1920.
Why is the Office a Heritage Site?
The Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineers office is a very special old railway office. It is much grander than other similar buildings in New South Wales. It shows how important railway engineers were in developing the state. Its closeness to the Eveleigh workshops also shows how confident people were in railway construction back then.
This building style is not common in Sydney, making it a rare survivor. It is an important part of the look and feel of Wilson Street in Redfern, especially because it is so close to the historic railway workshops.
The Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineers office was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Beautiful Design and History
The Chief Mechanical Engineers Building is perhaps the most impressive building in the workshop area. It is a great example of a late Victorian railway office building.
Rare and Important
This building is considered rare in terms of its history, scientific importance, architectural style, and social value. It is a unique piece of New South Wales' past.
