Penrith railway station is a heritage-listed suburban railway station located on the Main Western line, serving the Sydney suburb of Penrith. The station is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western Line services and intercity Blue Mountains Line services, as well as NSW TrainLink Central West XPT and Outback Xplorer services. It was designed by New South Wales Government Railways and the 1863 building was built by M. and A. Jamison and D. Forest. It is also known as Penrith Railway Station group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
History The single track line opened on 19 January 1863 as the terminus of the Main Western line when it was extended from St Marys. The line was extended to Springwood on 11 July 1867. The line was duplicated in 1886. As soon as the line was extended over the Blue Mountains, Penrith became an important railway centre where locomotives and crews were changed and passengers took refreshments. Trains were assisted in both directions from Penrith with additional locomotives but the status of Penrith locomotive depot diminished between 1913 and 1916 when new depots were opened at Valley Heights and Enfield. Penrith was closely associated with Driver John Heron and The Heron train was a daily commuter train to and from Sydney that was named after him.
The Platform 3 building dates from 1863. Additions were made in 1880 by contractor, F. Goodsell. In 1881 the original timber platform was replaced with an earth-filled structure. In 1895 the Railway Refreshment Room at the Sydney end was substantially expanded and further altered in 1906, 1917, 1929 and 1952, and closed in 1957. In 1901 a telegraph office was added. The posted verandah was replaced in 1955 with a cantilevered awning. Further upgrading took place in 1957, 1959, 1980 and 2003. Although many alterations have been made, there is a considerable amount of extant fabric both internally, externally and in the sub-floor area. In 2000, substantial alterations were made to the road elevation.
There is a dock platform behind Platform 3, which although raised in height, was also provided in 1863.
The Station Master's residence at Penrith was constructed in 1878. It was a common practice not to provide an official residence until an officer or a senior officer was appointed to the station. In this case, the residence was not provided until 15 years after the station opened. However, by this time, the station was very busy as locomotives were changed at Penrith and additional helper locomotives were added to trains crossing the Blue Mountains as well as pushing trains towards Sydney.
In the history of structures erected for the NSW Railways, buildings higher than one level were extremely rare. Out of a total of approximately 5,000 railway buildings in NSW, less than 50 were more than one level in height. This included offices, stations and residences. Penrith and Emu Plains became one of two locations where two-storey residences were built at adjoining stations. However, Penrith was built as a stand-alone residence, while Emu Plains was a combined office/residence building. The only other known metropolitan examples of standard two-storey residences were constructed at Lithgow, Newcastle and Lavender Bay demonstrating the importance of these locations as major terminus stations on the network.
Its symmetrical style and lack of adornments indicates a balance between an expression of status and financial restraint. They also reflect the railway residential style before 1880.
The Platform 1 & 2 building dates from c.1890. The building was partly converted to a Railway Refreshment Room in 1895, altered in 1917 and 1926, and closed in 1957. A new control room was added in 1989 and new meal room in 1990. The pitched roof was replaced with a flat roof but the 1890 posted verandah is extant. This was one of the last uses of posted verandahs on the NSW rail system.
In the 1890s, the turntable at Penrith was replaced by the present facility. The existing is an imported turntable in length and is cast steel and was a standard design imported from the American firm of William Sellers and co. Inc. at Philadelphia, who supplied large numbers of such items to the NSW Railways in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was fitted in 1896 in the locomotive depot at its present site and it is likely that the sandstone support wall was re-used from the earlier turntable. In 1926 it was strengthened with steel bracing and continued in service after the 1956 electrification of the line to serve those locomotives using the coal stage until at least 1970, even though the main depot had by then closed. In more recent years it has been disconnected from the sidings and presently is out of service. All remnants of the locomotive depot have been removed except the turntable, which is now physically isolated from the remainder of the network of tracks in the yard.
There is a water tank built in 1921, at the Sydney end of the station. It was built in the Newcastle PerWay Workshop and is one of 82 extant tanks in NSW but one of only three in Sydney (2009). The water tank was erected to serve the expanding traffic needs for the Penrith Station, an important locomotive service stop prior to the Blue Mountains ascent. It was part of a series of water tanks at Penrith, with smaller ones for older locomotives replaced by this tank, while other earlier ones were still used at the Loco Depot until it was phased out.
The steel beam footbridge at Penrith was erected in 1953 and has been substantially altered.
The Platform 1 track was extended around the platform in 1955.
There is a water column at the end of Platforms 2 & 3, which was built in 1955. It is built to a design only used in electrified areas and is one of the only extant electrified types. This spout continued the tradition of filling the tender tanks of steam locomotives beside the platforms of railway stations using a modified design developed in the 1940s as the electrification system expanded and required a safer method of transferring water from the storage tanks into the tenders. This example was part of the last series of new water columns to be erected on the NSW rail system to serve locomotives with a relative few to follow on the Lithgow line in 1957 and along the Main North line to Newcastle some years later. The spout now has direct water main connection. Since it has been used by excursion steam locomotives.
The brick, elevated signal box was opened in 1956. It was among the last brick signal boxes constructed on the NSW rail system.
Description The complex comprises Station Buildings: type 4, third class, brick, platforms 1 & 2 () type 3, second class, brick, platform 3 (1863) Signal box – elevated brick, type S, polygonal tiled (1956) Station Master's residence (1878) Roadside platform & island platform – concrete faced (1863 & ) Footbridge – modern, steel beam & column structure over platforms and tracks (2000s) Water column & Filler spout – Up end platform 1/2 (1955) Water tank – Up end platform 3 (1921) Turntable (1896)
Platforms 1/2 building () External: A third-class road side station building with corrugated metal hipped roof over the central building and the later wings on both ends. The original central building remains relatively unchanged and maintains its wide awning supported on cast iron turned posts and decorative brackets though roofing has been replaced with metal sheeting. The original timber joinery survive only on the central section of the building. The remaining joinery is relatively new.
Interior: Interiors of the building has been significantly modified with no evidence of earlier finishes visible. The floor layout remains essentially the same and used for staff meal and communication purposes with ticket office on the Up end of the building.
Platform 3 building (1863) External: A large second-class roadside brick building with corrugated metal hipped roof and a brick double chimney with corbelled top. The building has been significantly modified with changes to its openings including reducing width of double doors into single doors and converting windows into door openings. Some timber door joinery survives. A corrugated metal awning supported on steel column & cantilevered beams replaced the original post supported timber decorative awning on rail side of the building. A flat roofed brick wing is attached to the Down end of the main 1863 station building and accommodates staff toilets and appears to have been an early addition. The roadside elevation of the building is asymmetric and is characterised by a series of tall multi-paned window openings with cement rendered decorative architraves around and a group of two arched windows on the projecting bay, and a pitched timber framed awning supported on timber post to the recessed bay. The roadside elevation of the building is rendered with paint finish while the other elevations are painted brick finish.
Interior: The Platform 3 building accommodates the Station Master's office, ticket offices and a large waiting/ticket window hall (formerly parcels and ticket offices). The interior of the waiting hall has been modified with only two corner columns with moulded plaster capitals and a cast iron turned post remaining from the original features. Large rectangular openings have been created on both side walls of the hall for easy circulation.
Signal box (1956) Exterior: A two-storey face brick elevated signal box with polygonal signal tower and flat roofed stepped down wing. The box presents a design more like an airport control tower than a signal box. The lower floor level of the box features regularly placed metal framed windows with three horizontal panes while the control room of the tower features multi-paned glazing to Up, Down and rail side elevations. A polygonal hipped and tiled roof with wide eaves provides sun protection to the control room. The signal box is located at the Down side of Platform 1/2 of Penrith Station and is accessible from the platform side elevation of the tower.
Internal: The signal box is relatively intact with its equipment including CTC panel, communication and control desk, and staff instruments. A narrow timber stair with carpet finish provides access to the control room. The internal finishes are of typical 1950s design with plasterboard panelled ceiling and timber cornices for hidden lighting.
Station master's residence (1878) Exterior: Constructed in 1878 the Penrith Station Master's residence is a two-storey English bond brickwork residence with paint finish and double corrugated metal hipped roof. It presents symmetrical fenestration to both street elevations with no decorative elements or embellishments. Two brick chimneys with corbelled tops are the distinctive features of the residence's roofscape.
The Belmore Street (front) elevation has a centrally located entrance door with transom above and two vertically proportioned double-hung sash timber windows with rendered sills on both sides. A corrugated metal ogee style timber framed veranda, supported on timber square posts with moulded tops over timber board flooring, covers the entire ground floor elevation. The upper floor level features two windows that match and align the ground floor windows.
The Station Street elevation of the residence is also similar to the front elevation in its symmetrical fenestration and window and door joinery as well as the ogee style veranda. The differences are the additional central window on the first floor level, and the L-shaped ogee verandah turned around eastern elevation with timber board enclosure featuring a small ticket window on the Belmore Street elevation. The verandah floor is concrete slab.
Two of the side elevations of the residence are secondary and utilitarian in nature.