The following information post (printed in full) was shared by Phillip Buckley on the Condobolin Railway Station on the NSWGR News and History/New South Wales Government Railways Facebook Group Page (19 January). The Condobolin Argus printed an image of the Condobolin Railway Station in its 18 December 2024 edition, which was shared to the group by Theo Lucas, and it prompted Mr Buckley to share historical information, soured from NSW History Records, on the station and the surrounding infrastructure.
Condobolin Railway Station
Condobolin railway station opened on 1 March 1898. It initially had in the precinct a small timber station building, goods shed, carriage shed, engine shed, loading bank and turntable.
Station and rail infrastructure
The original railway station building was constructed from timber, in an early Federation style as a ‘pioneer’ station building. It had 2 decorative gables facing the track and the entry from the platform was via a central covered area, this was similar to the railway station station buildings at Tumut and Coonamble.
Some early changes to the precinct included raising the platform levels, erection of a rest house and the provision of an ash pit for the locomotives (1903).
Numerous additions and changes occurred throughout the 1900s that included the construction of a new Station Master’s residence (rebuilt in place of an earlier house which was destroyed by fire, 1914), and in 1921 replacing the original 50ft turntable replaced by 60ft table.
Across the western side of the station precinct, a new precast concrete barracks building was constructed in 1921. This building consisted of six bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, and toilet arranged in a mostly standard configuration for barrack construction at this time, with rooms opening on to a verandah.
The barracks building was located near the former Station Master’s residence. A plan was made for an additional or alternative building (drivers’ barracks c1920) to be located on or near the location of the existing rest house.
A 1929 plan of Condobolin railway station shows a typical railway station layout with the station building surrounded by a series of smaller sheds, a Station Master’s residence, a goods shed and crane, engine shed, coal stage, water tank, turntable, rest house and weighbridge
A new station in 1935
In 1935 a new larger brick railway station building was constructed to replace the small timber building. The new building was situated approximately 100m to the west of the previous building.
Later changes to the site included construction of a wheat silo (1933), 90kL water tank and 304mm bore water columns erected for defence work (1941), rest house closed (1963), and a wheat depot constructed (1967)
Many of the earlier structures have been removed from the site. The station building remains in use and is managed by RailCorp. The barracks building is now used as a museum. The Station Master’s residence still exists but is now privately owned. A signal box has also been relocated to the museum site.