Lithgow railway station is a heritage-listed former station master's residence and railway station located on the Main Western line at Railway Parade, Lithgow, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by New South Wales Government Railways and built from 1924 to 1925. It is also known as Lithgow Railway Station Group and Residence and Eskbank East. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 30 August 2013. The station has frequent NSW TrainLink services running to and from Sydney Central.
History
With the completion of the Lithgow Zig Zag in 1869, the Western railway's terminus moved from to Bowenfels, signifying the successful crossing of the Blue Mountains. Whilst the railway would continue west, Lithgow proved to be an important destination in itself due to coal and iron ore deposits. The line opened in 1869 but there was no station for Lithgow until 1877. The first station at Lithgow was located east of the present site in June 1877. The former 1877 railway platform is still extant. The line was duplicated in 1880.AM consulting, 2014, 2.
In the first half of the 1920s, it was decided to expand Lithgow as a regional headquarters for the NSW Railways. Apart from the new large locomotive depot, the Railways selected a new site west of Eskbank station for the development of a new passenger station to replace Eskbank Station, which remains but is unused.
Like most stations between Emu Plains and Lithgow, Lithgow received a standard Federation style set of two platform structures, a main face brick building and a detached brick "out-of" shed. There was also a footwarmer shed on the western end of the platform. The new station site featured two new buildings, both opened on 9 March 1925.Lithgow Station NSWrail.net The first was a timber booking and parcels office elevated on a steel beam frame with a concrete deck that was located adjacent to Eskbank Street. Access from this entry point was by a ramp and stepway to the island platform. One unusual feature was the installation of a lift for staff use only to handle baggage, parcels and "out-ofs".
It is assumed that the dry stone retaining wall is associated with the adjacent remnant concrete pedestrian ramp and therefore the original construction of the railway station.
A two-storey face brick office building for train controller and western communications was constructed at 12 Railway Parade at the corner of Railway Parade and Eskbank Street in 1954–56, and is still in use in 2009. In 1957 the line was electrified through Lithgow to Bowenfels, but Lithgow is the present limit of electric operations.
In 1961, the last traditional Railway Refreshment Room was built and opened in the Sydney end of the building, following the closure of a similar facility at Mount Victoria. The refreshment room closed in July 1990, being the last example in the state.
The station exit was originally located on the footbridge at the eastern end of the platform until replaced by the present concourse in August 1991. The overhead station offices and footbridge were constructed in and access has been relocated to the western end of the station.
Description Landscape features The setting of the station within a relatively steep rock cutting provides a distinctive landscape presentation to Lithgow Railway Station. The northern embankment has been sealed with shotcrete and the same material has been used partway along the southern embankment. The exposed embankment surface is a friable composition of shale, rubble and soils. Removal of vegetation has revealed a dry stone wall of roughly shaped sandstone blocks set near to the top of the southern embankment, extending from the overhead footbridge for approximately with a height ranging form to the concrete ramp. Proximity to the ramp indicates the wall is an integral element of the original station construction. A "path" or bed for the concrete ramp runs across the embankment in front of the wall.AM consulting, 2014, 3.
Apart from a couple of garden beds with shrubs (clipped into spheres and rounded shapes) and a small planting of annuals (traditionally) and hardy soft-wooded perennials (again, tightly clipped into shapes)Longworth, 2012, 4. along the eastern portion of the island platform there is no other landscaping at the station. The existing landscaping is not considered significant but contributes to the setting and character of the place and continues a tradition of railway gardening on this site for some time.
Structures and buildings The heritage-listed complex comprises: Island platform – brick-faced (1925) Old Station Platform – levelled rock face (1877) Eskbank Street Overbridge (1924) Station Building – type 11, island-building, brick (1925) Former Booking/Parcels office & Goods lift tower – timber (1925) Station Master's residence – 6 Railway Parade (c.1880) Hayley Street Footbridge and Overhead Booking Office (1993)
Island platform, erect 1925 Lithgow station is a typical island platform, curving slightly along the Up end. The platform is brick faced with concrete deck and asphalt finish. Modern light fittings, illuminated signage, timber bench seating, small planters, and a central garden bed (which appears to be the former location of the access ramp/stairs from Eskbank Street) comprise the platform furnishings. The platform is set within the rock cutting lower than the adjoining street levels and accessed from the western end via concrete stairs and U-shaped tube-like ramps leading to the footbridge linking the station to both Railway Parade and Main Street. A contemporary canopy provides weather protection between the station building and the footbridge through the stairs.
Hayley Street Footbridge and booking office, erected 1993 The Hayley Street Footbridge is a modern concrete deck footbridge suspended over steel beam and trestles over the station platform and the railway tracks to both side streets leading to the bus interchange on Railway Parade. It has a simple arrangement with the Station Master's office and the booking office on the northern half featuring a gabled corrugated metal roof with a small series of skylights. The remainder of the footbridge is covered with the same roof with no skylights and features steel pipe-rail balustrades with glazed enclosures. It is linked to the platform by the tube-like ramp and the stairs. A lift tower is located at the ramp entrance of the footbridge. The footbridge, overhead booking office and Station Master's office are typical of modern structures with simple detailing and no architectural merit. Excluded from listing.
Old Station platform, erected 1877 This former platform is evidence of the first Lithgow Station and is a levelled railway platform over the rock cutting. It is located further to the west of the present station at the southern foundation of the Sandford Avenue overbridge. Access to the redundant platform was not available for close inspection. The former station building no longer exists.
Esbank Street over bridge, erected Two rendered segmental arch spandrels with rock cliff abutments on both sides of the former overhead booking/parcels office structure.
Station building, erected 1925 and extended 1961 External: Constructed of face brick with a corrugated metal gabled roof extending as an awning to both platforms, the Lithgow station building is an island platform building in standard "A10" Federation style design. It features ten bays with a linear arrangement along with the platform with tuckpointed brickwork and engaged piers between the bays. The eastern (Up) end of the building has been extended approximately one bay in 1961 (formerly used as Railway Refreshment Room) with a matching gable end detailing featuring large metal box-framed window openings supported on with brick brackets with security mesh and a single door with side windows and fanlight on the east side. A narrow awning provides protection over this door. Other features to the original bays of the building include standard iron brackets over decorative corbels supporting the ample platform awnings, fretted timber work to both ends of the awnings, timber-framed double-hung vertically proportioned windows with multi-paned upper sashes, timber panelled doors with multi-paned fanlights, and a brick chimney with corbelled top and modern roof vents to toilets. The wall-mounted clock on the No.1 platform next to the Station Master's office appears original. Windows on the platform elevations of the two most eastern bays have been enlarged and covered by security mesh or grills. Another single door with windows on each side is also located on the west end of the building and provides access to the gent's toilets. There is a modern canopy extension at the western end of the station building, where the new platform canopy extends from the footbridge stairs access to the station.
Internal: Although the station building generally appears intact externally its internal room layouts and divisions have been modified. The original floor layout included (from west to east) an SM's office, telegraph office, general waiting room, ladies room & lavatory, store and gent's room. The current floor layout consists of a locked room, SM's office, waiting room, ladies toilets, staff meal room and gent's toilets. Apart from the toilets and the waiting room the rest of the rooms are kept locked. The interiors have been refurbished with only plasterboard ceiling panelling, simple moulded cornices and high wall vents appear to remain from the original phase. The floors are tiled.
Former book / Parcels office and goods lift tower, erected in 1925 External: The former booking office is located on the western side of the Eskbank Street overhead bridge at the Up end of the station. Constructed of timber with weatherboard cladding the building is now partially utilised as ladies waiting room and public toilets. It is elevated on a steel beam and trestles structure with a concrete deck and adjoins the arched road overbridge on the eastern side. The former booking/parcels office also adjoins the timber goods lift tower on the north side. The street elevation of the building has been faced with a brick wall and a flat awning along the street frontage. A timber panelled balustrade with artwork reflecting a coal mining theme completes the remaining portion of the overhead bridge on the north side of the tower. The door and windows on the street elevations are of later modifications with metal frames and security mesh. The large gates to the former parcels office and the goods lift have been blocked with metal panels. The original timber-framed double-hung windows with multi-paned upper sashes are located on north, east and west elevations of the booking/parcels office. A shallow pitched gabled red corrugated iron roof covers the building. The timber goods lift tower is the dominant element of the former booking/parcels office building and has a hipped corrugated metal roof. The goods lift is not in operation, and it is not clear if the original lift survives. However; the existence of a few safety signs indicates possible uses for maintenance or similar activities. The timber tower extends down onto the platform with a timber panelled out-of-shed building on the platform. The southern leg of the steel trestles sits within the out-of-shed.
Internal: Access only was available to the open ladies waiting room and toilets. The interiors of this former booking office are simple with plasterboard wall and ceiling panelling decorated with plain timber rail at lintel height and timber skirting. Floors are tiled. The original ticket window survives.
Station Master's residence, erected