Fremantle Railway Workshops Explained

Fremantle Railway Workshops were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways from 1886 until 1904 when the workshops were moved to Midland Junction where the Midland Railway Workshops operated until 1994.

The workshops were created in 1886, and expanded in 1896.

Industrial unrest at the workshops was common.^{[1] [2]}

The proximity of the Fremantle Harbour and the Fremantle town was a convenience for the workers and also the community businesses.^{[3] [4]} By accounts from the era, local pride in having the workshops was strong, and in most cases the workers lived locally.^{[5] [6]}

The Fremantle workshops were located west of the Fremantle railway station^[7] and were considered to be in an area that would not accommodate the needs of the railway system.^{[8] [9]}

The move in 1904 was a major change for the labour force, and some did not move to Midland for the new location.

Notes and References

1. News: THE FREMANTLE RAILWAY WORKSHOPS' STRIKE. . . 209 . Western Australia . 13 February 1897 . 9 March 2017 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
2. News: WEST AUSTRALIA. . . LXIX . 8412 . Tasmania. 13 February 1897 . 9 March 2017 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
3. News: FREMANTLE RAILWAY WORKSHOPS. . . 16 . 4,533 . 14 September 1900 . 9 March 2017 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
4. News: THE FREMANTLE RAILWAY WORKSHOPS. . . VII . 355 . Western Australia . 1 October 1892 . 9 March 2017 . 30 . National Library of Australia.
5. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120514140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/24883/20120515-0000/john.curtin.edu.au/fremantle/carpenter4.html
6. News: LOCOMOTIVE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL PICNIC. . . XIII . 638 . Western Australia . 18 March 1898 . 9 March 2017 . 30 . National Library of Australia.
7. Hutchison, David (2004) The Railway Workshops in Fremantle pp 75 – 87 in Fremantle Studies Volume 3,
8. Editorial on the decision by Parliament to remove the railway workshops from Fremantle to Midland The West Australian, 6 September 1895, p.4,
9. News: RAILWAY WORKSHOPS AT FREMANTLE . . 2 . 102 . 1 May 1886 . 9 March 2017 . 5 . National Library of Australia.