Brickworks railway station was a suburban railway station located on the Abattoirs line, serving the State Brickworks at Homebush Bay, in the modern Sydney suburb of Sydney Olympic Park. Initially built only for industrial purposes, the station subsequently received public passenger services until its closure in the early 1980s.
History Brickworks station was opened in December 1939, to serve the Sydney State Brickworks, which was responsible for the creation and transportation of bricks throughout Sydney and New South Wales.Brickworks railway station NSWrail.net, accessed 2 July 2025 The State Brickworks itself had originally opened in 1911, but had been sold to private operators in 1936 before being closed, three years before the railway connection was constructed. The State Brickworks was then reopened in August 1946,State Brick Works Opened by Premier Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW: 1941–1955). Trove, National Library of Australia. 26 August 1946. p.2, accessed 2 July 2025 with the Brickworks supplying over 250 million bricks within the state in the seven years after reopening. The role of the railway station and facilities at the State Brickworks was described by Jack Renshaw, the then Minister for Public Works in 1953:
Most passenger services were through services running to Abattoirs from or , although in the 1950s a limited number of services terminated at Brickworks before reversing to via .Timetable Sydney Suburban Services, Department of Railways New South Wales. 15 November 1953, Table 2a .p.67
Sidings constructed near the station were also used to stable empty carriages such as red rattlers. On 14 January 1953, a C32 class locomotive overran a siding, and was turned onto its side. No one was injured.LOCOMOTIVE DERAILED AT STATE BRICKWORKS SIDING The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842–1954). Trove, National Library of Australia. 15 January 1953. p.1, accessed 2 July 2025 The Brickworks signal box located near the sidings, was destroyed by termites in 1984, one day after closure of the Abattoirs line.To Sandown and Abattoirs by Rail Motor (video) 19 October 1984, youtube.com, tressteleg1. Published 2 June 2016, (21:00) accessed 2 July 2025
Station facilities were minimal. After closure to public services, Brickworks was used for empty car runs, and people alighting at the station would do so directly onto the ground.To Sandown and Abattoirs by Rail Motor (video) 19 October 1984, youtube.com, tressteleg1. Published 2 June 2016, (09:54–10:22) accessed 2 July 2025 The station served the State Brickworks until its closure in the early 1980s. By 1982, Brickworks was no longer served by any public passenger service,Working Timetable for Passenger Train Services Metropolitan, Public Transport Commission. 18 September 1976, Abattoirs Branch. p.303Working Timetable Mondays to Fridays, State Rail Authority. Book 1, 4 April 1982, Section 5 Abattoirs Branch. p.213 two years before the closure of the rest of the Abattoirs line.
The State Brickworks closed in 1988, and was demolished in order to redevelop the area into Sydney Olympic Park for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The area around the former station is now part of the Brickpit Ring Walk.NSW State Brickworks/Brickpit Ring Walk - Homebush, NSW Past/Lives of the Near Future, accessed 2 July 2025
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