Glen Innes railway station, New South Wales explained

Glen Innes
Style:Australian closed station
Address:Lambeth Street, Glen Innes
Coordinates:-29.7397°N 151.7265°W
Distance:681.32 kilometres from Central
Line:Main Northern
Structure:Ground
Platform:1
Tracks:3
Opened:9 January 1882
Code:GLI
Owned:Transport Asset Holding Entity
Operator:State Rail Authority

Glen Innes railway station is a closed station located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It served the town of Glen Innes. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[1]

History

The station opened on 19 August 1884 when the line was extended from Armidale. It was the terminus of the line until it was extended to Tenterfield on 1 September 1886.[2] It has one platform with two loops.

The line closed north of Glen Innes on 22 October 1989.[3] [4]

The last train to regularly service Glen Innes was the overnight Northern Mail which ceased in November 1988.[5] The Northern Tablelands Express provided a daylight service to Glen Innes until truncated in October 1985 to Armidale.[6] The line to Glen Innes was still open in July 1992 when diesel locomotive 4499 operated a crew route learning service.[7]

Following closure, the station building was used as a restaurant and bar for several years, and then leased to the council for the local Musicians' Guild, but is now vacant.[8] [9] [10] In 2016, it was described as being in a state of disrepair and having had problems with vandalism. A community group, Business in Glen (BIG), was reported to be in negotiations to lease the building at this time; however, nothing further has been announced regarding this.[11]

Description

The station complex consists of a first-class brick station building of a type 5 design with a brick-faced platform, dating from 1884. It also includes a timber signal box, metal water tank, water column, and timber overbridge with brick piers at the Sydney end of the station yard. The forecourt plantings are also included in the station's heritage listing.[1]

Heritage listing

Glen Innes station is an excellent country Victorian railway station, well designed, detailed and proportioned. It is important in the development of the railways and marks the importance of Glen Innes in the railway system. The station building is a landmark building in the town terminating the vista of Wentworth Street. As a group it is significant and retains good elements from the early period of construction including the two residences. It is a fine example of a first class station building which is an enlargement of the standard roadside structure with the pavilions at each end and the central entry with colonnaded verandah.[1]

Glen Innes railway station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[1]

Notes and References

  1. 01149. 2 June 2018.
  2. http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Glen+Innes Glen Innes Station
  3. "Gone: "Irish Lyn" and Trains – But at Least the Lizards are Safe" Railway Digest December 1989 page 399
  4. "Glen Innes" Railway Digest December 1989 page 412
  5. "Requiem for a Mail" Railway Digest January 1989 page 14
  6. "More Timetable Changes" Railway Digest November 1985 page 326
  7. Railway Digest October 1992 page 404
  8. Web site: Glen Innes Railway Station . 13 December 2012 . NSW Railway Stations . 28 August 2018.
  9. News: Passenger Trains North of Armidale push for railway to reopen . Glen Innes Examiner . 5 February 2018 . 28 August 2018.
  10. News: Council steps out of railway building contract . Glen Innes Examiner . 2 September 2015 .
  11. News: BIG plans on track . Glen Innes Examiner . 20 October 2016 .