Pinjarra Railway Yards

Statement of Significance

Since 1893 Pinjarra Railway Station Precinct has been a focus of the town, contributing to the community's sense of place. The engine shed is believed to be the oldest remaining engine shed in Western Australia, and the carriage shed is believed to be the only surviving carriage shed in Western Australia. The goods shed, engine shed, carriage shed and barracks provide tangible evidence of an historic continuum, retaining functions close to their original uses. Through interpretation, the site has a capacity to demonstrate the particular operations at Pinjarra Junction. Pinjarra Railway Station Precinct is valued by those with affection for rail and rail history. Pinjarra Railway Station Precinct is associated with Sir John Forrest, George Temple Poole, C. Y. O'Connor, and Neil McNeil.

Physical Description

A group of buildings, tracks and spaces related to the former railway operations at Pinjarra, including goods shed, engine shed, carriage shed and barracks. Station building burned down. Loco Shed and Goods Shed (1902) still in use. Also still standing and in good order: hand crane, turntable, barracks. A replica of the Station Building was constructed in the early 21st century and currently operates as the Visitor Centre for Pinjarra.

History

The extension of the railway to Pinjarra was a catalyst for the development of the town, the surrounding hills and Coolup region. The expansion of the rail network in the 1890s was an ambitious program which brought economic benefit to the region and to the State, improving communications and transport for mail, imports and exports. The program was particularly ambitious in the light of the limited resources of the colony and required considerable borrowings to effect their construction. The development and construction of the yards, in the initial phases at least, had close associations with the politicians Sir John Forrest and William Paterson, who played an important role in securing the extension of the network to Pinjarra and beyond. Civil servants who also played an important role included Alpin Fowler Thomson, Under Secretary of Railways; George Temple Poole, Colonial Architect and Assistant Engineer in Chief at the Public Works Department, who developed the design for many of the standard railway yards and station structures; C. Y. O'Connor, Engineer in Chief who made the East Perth to Picton Junction line the first of the many projects he completed. Pinjarra Railway Station Precinct is also associated with contractors Neil McNeil & Co. who built the Pinjarra to Picton Junction section of the South-West Railway and later the section from Jarrahdale Junction to Pinjarra. Finally, there is the association of all those who managed and worked in the yards and their families, all of whom had a role to play in the construction and subsequent functioning of the yards. The first train from Bunbury to Pinjarra, before the official opening of the line, was notable because of the trial of Collie Coal in the locomotive. The cost of importing coal from New South Wales was very high and the ability of WAGR engines to use Collie Coal was a design consideration for engine construction. The continued use of Pinjarra Railway Station Precinct as an operating tourist railway, following the decline of rail use in the post-World War II period, is indicative of a shift in the historical importance of railways and the sustained interest in them.

Integrity/Authenticity

Fair

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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