Mount Victoria railway station is a heritage-listed former barracks and now staff accommodation, guest accommodation, railway signal box and railway station located on the Main Western line in Mount Victoria in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by NSW Government Railways and built from 1868 to 1913 by Allan McClean and James Barrie . It is also known as Mount Victoria Railway Station group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station opened on 1 May 1868. 'Mallard Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Great Western Rail To Mount Victoria', BlueMountainsAustralia.com
The Platform 2 building dates from 1868 with a railway refreshment room added in 1884. The Platform 1 building dates from 1911 when the line was duplicated. An extensive yard including a locomotive depot existed west of the station.
History Mount Victoria has always been an important railway centre since its opening in 1868. It was the first platform structure made of material other than timber built after Penrith station. The original station building still remains and was to a design consistent with the time of John Whitton, Engineer-in-Chief of the NSW Railways. Further additions were carried out in 1899 to the ladies' toilet and other areas. The parcels office was added in 1911 to the Sydney end of the building.
In 1884, the two level stone addition containing the Railway Refreshment Room was built under the supervision of George Cowdery, Engineer-in-Chief for Existing Lines and was built by George Dengate. The Refreshment Room contained on the upper level eight bedrooms for travellers and quarters for the Manager and family, again typical of NSW practice. Alterations to the Refreshment Room occurred in 1919 and additional bedrooms were built at the rear in 1943. The Refreshment Room closed in 1957.
A locomotive depot existed at Mount Victoria in 1897 and was greatly expanded in 1911-13 when duplication of the line through Mount Victoria was completed. The depot was home to the locomotives and crews who worked the famous "The Fish" commuter train to Sydney. Mount Victoria also was the destination of the Caves Express from Sydney, which conveyed holidaymakers to the Blue Mountains.
The construction of accommodation for enginemen, train guards and other on-board staff has been provided by the NSW Government Railways from the 1880s. In the late 1890s, a standard design of barracks was approved. Those at Mount Victoria reflected a standard arrangement with rows of four bedrooms on each side of the building. There was also a central kitchen and meal room, reflected in the roofscape by a large transverse gable. A toilet and Attendant's Room completed the plan. It continues also to be used for non-overnight purposes, for meals and locker accommodation.
Also on the Lithgow-bound platform is an elevated signal box. It was constructed in 1911 and continues in service (2009). It is built to the typical elevated signal box design dominant between 1910 and 1920.
A free-standing male toilet was built towards the western end of the Lithgow-bound platform in 1900. The verandah posts which supported the original platform awnings on the Lithgow-bound platform were removed in 1927. This was part of a programme to modernise the appearance of platform buildings by the use of large brackets which had begun in the 1890s under Chief Commissioner, E.M.G. Eddy.
The present Sydney-bound platform was built to serve the duplication west to Hartley in 1911, and the present buildings provided. It featured a second Railway Refreshment Room with the traditional lantern roof, which closed in 1957. The 1911 Up platform building is roofed with slates. This is possibly the last station to utilise slates as a roofing material.
The station's history is closely linked to Jenolan Caves. The station was the destination for the famous "Caves Express" which operated between the 1920s and 1942 conveying holidaymakers to the Blue Mountains. It was also the nightly destination of the famous "The Fish" train from Sydney. It was the only destination on the NSW railway system to have two named trains terminate, one for commuters and the other for tourists.
The pedestrian footbridge linking both platforms was of truss form and built in 1911, replacing an earlier c.1896 bridge. It is largely in original condition and is typical of the design used throughout the NSW railway system.
A Station Master's Cottage was also constructed in 1868 and was similar to another 11 residences on the Blue Mountains built in stone. The structure was demolished over 30 years ago but the keystone showing the date of construction is still extant. It is now located in the Baden Powell Park, Mount Victoria. The history of the cottage is important as it illustrates that residences not always reflected the status of the occupant. In this case, the Station Master received the same type and size structure as did Gatekeepers on the line.
The train involved in the 1977 Granville Rail Disaster, consisting of eight passenger carriages hauled by 46 class electric locomotive 4620, commenced its journey towards Sydney's Central Railway Station at 6:09 am. At approximately 8:10 am, whilst approaching Granville railway station, the locomotive derailed and struck one of the steel-and-concrete pillars supporting the bridge carrying Bold Street over the railway cutting, causing the bridge to fall on the derailed train, killing 84 passengers. "The Day of the Roses" and its associated death toll has been regarded as Australia's worst peacetime railway accident, eclipsing the death toll of the Camp Mountain Rail Accident that occurred in Queensland on 5 May 1947.
Platforms and services Mount Victoria has two side platforms. It is serviced by Sydney Trains Blue Mountains Line services travelling from Sydney Central to Lithgow. Some services terminate at Mount Victoria and stable in the sidings west of the station. The Bathurst Bullet operates two evening services to Bathurst.
Journey Beyond's weekly Indian Pacific also passes through Mount Victoria, but stops when traveling towards Sydney only.
Description The complex includes a type 3, second class, sub-type 1, stone station building for platform 2, erected in 1869 with a refreshment room, erected in 1884; and a type 11, brick station building for platform 1, erected in 1913; platform 1 Lavatory Block 1 (); platform 2 Lavatory Block (); a signal box – type E, 48 lever, brick on platform 2 (1911); barracks/Rest house, brick (1911–1913); and the site of the former Station Master's Cottage (1868).
Other structures include a part stone and part brick faced platform 1, erected in the 1870s; a brick faced platform 2, erected in 1911; a footbridge (1911); and various other structures.
Station building platform 2 (1869, 1884) External: Constructed of stone with a slate roof the station building on Platform 2 is a "type 3", second class station building altered to include refreshment rooms on the upper level with later brick extensions to both Up and Down ends. Its key features include a large two-storey central stone building flanked by attached stone and brick single-storey wing structures, a hipped slate roof to main building, gambrel roof to the Up end wing and flat roof to Down end wing, timber framed double-hung windows and timber panelled doors with standard iron brackets over decorative corbels supporting wide platform awnings, fretted timber work to both ends of awnings. The main two-storey central building features four tall brick chimneys with stone base and tops (one with chimney pot), bracketed eaves and segmental arched tall windows to the upper level. The single-storey sandstone south wing is part of the original station building with pitched slate roof and brick extension with corrugated metal gambrel roof and a brick chimney. The stone eaves of the original south wing are visible over the later platform awning. The south wing (ladies room) is a painted brick on the platform side and face brick on the car park side featuring tall face brick chimneys with corbelled tops and double-hung timber framed windows. An enclosed cantilevered balcony is located on the west side of the central wing, supported on cast iron brackets with iron lace (mostly removed). A ground floor brick and weatherboard skillion addition with a tall brick chimney is also located on the west side of the central wing.
Internal: The original layout of the station building in its extended form remains. The room arrangement on the ground floor includes combined station master's office, ticket office and booking office, general waiting room, and ladies room. The upper level accommodates the local museum with entry via the rear staircase. The station refreshment rooms no longer function. The original internal finishes include decorative plaster ceiling and moulded plaster cornices to the waiting room and ladies waiting room, moulded timber architraves to original building joinery, plasterboard ceilings to amenities, and tile and carpet floorings. All fireplaces have been enclosed.
Station building platform 1 (1913) External: A single-storey building with slate gabled roof, gabled lantern roof to the centre and terracotta ridge capping. The walls are of face brick with black tuckpointed red brick jack arches to the openings. The walls have a brick plinth with red splay bricks. The south 5 bays are recessed with red bricks to the head of the recesses. The platform side of the building has timber framed double-hung windows with multi-paned upper sashes and double doors with coloured multi-pane fanlights. A double-hung ticket window is also located at the south end of the building. The building has various gabled wings at the rear. A cantilevered awning over the platform is supported on steel brackets on stanchions. It returns around the south side of the building and extends north to link with the lavatory building. A fretwork valance finishes the bay between the platform building and the lavatory. The half timber panelled gable end is visible behind the awnings.
Internal: The Platform 1 building is generally used by station staff and consists of two locked rooms and a general waiting room in the centre. The waiting room features decorative plaster ceiling, moulded timber architraves to window and door surrounds, a timber moulded dado above rendered dado line, timber skirting board and bricked in fireplace. Staff rooms were not accessible.
Platform 1 Lavatory Block () External: A single-storey face brick men's lavatory building with a parapeted gable on the platform side featuring roughcast frieze between moulded string courses. The roof is of corrugated metal with exposed rafters. The other features include a four-panelled door with arched fanlight, a louvered/fixed window on the north side with segmental brick arch and decorative stone sill, and a double window on the platform elevation with louvered upper sashes, segmental arch and decorative stone sill.
Platform 2 Lavatory Block () External: A single storey face brick gabled building with a brick screen wall on the south side providing privacy to the men's toilet entry. The building has a corrugated metal roof and plain bargeboards. The door and window openings have segmental arch lintels with louvers to the windows on east side and slots for ventilation in the gable ends.
Signal box (1911)