Midland Railway Workshops

Child Places

• 02516 Midland Redevelopment Authority Offices
• 02518 Midland Railway Workshops Personnel War Memorial
• 02517 WAGR Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office

Statement of Significance

The place is an intact example of a major early 20th century railway workshop.

The place contains the most important group of early 20th century brick industrial buildings in Western Australia.

Physical Description

Midland Railway Workshops occupies a site of about 68 hectares, roughly rectangular in form, three times as long as wide and orientated east-west. It is adjacent to the Midland Railway Terminal and accessed by Montreal Road East, which forms its north boundary.

The coal storage dam is at the western end of the site, the salvage depot at the east, and the southern boundary is the Swan River

The site was once serviced by a large number of spurlines, which brought materials to the various buildings and allowed access for locomotives and rolling stock undergoing repairs. Many of the tracks are still extant.

Altogether, there were once in excess of 70 buildings and structures on the site. Some of these are large masonry workshop buildings such as the powerhouse and former boiler house; some are steel-framed and corrugated iron, such as the paint shop; and others are small to very small and built from a variety of materials.

One of the more interesting structures is the coal storage dam, which is a concrete walled dam once fitted with an overhead travelling crane, which loaded tenders and trucks with Collie coal. Collie coal disintegrates when in contact with air for a period of more than two months, so it must be stored underwater if it is to be stockpiled.

The railway workshops were closed down in 1994. The coal storage dam is now the centre piece of an upmarket housing estate.

History

The place was the most substantial industrial complex established by the West Australian Government in the early 20th century.

The place played a major role in the economy, development and daily life of the State for almost a century.

Integrity/Authenticity

Good

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.