The Museum Site that RailCorp Refused to tell the Minister about - 24th August 2007.

Yes a Railway Museum easily accessible to all Sydneysiders and visitors from interstate and overseas and almost 100% under cover. What could be better?

The Friends of Eveleigh have been actively seeking to preserve the last remaining intact operational section of the Eveleigh Railway Workshop Heritage Precinct, the Large Erecting Shop; which has now been accepted as a Nomination for National Heritage Listing (The Large Erecting Shop Eveleigh, Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, NSW. - Place ID 105945, Place File No. 1/12/003/0016). Having achieved this target, we set about developing a concept plan for a workable Heritage Workshop/Museum which would also see the continued regular running of heritage trains from the heart of this great city.

In consultation with qualified people in the heritage field, with historians and academics and with present and past railway workers, this concept plan has now been completed and on early reports has been widely accepted. A copy was presented to the NSW Tourism Forum being conducted for the State Government by Mr John O’Neill AO. Although RailCorp has received a copy, interestingly, no response has been received.

The Large Erecting Shop and Eveleigh Rail Yards are still under RailCorp’s control and have not as yet been vested to the Redfern Waterloo Authority. Unlike other current projects under the Redfern Waterloo Authority’s control, a Rail Museum would be self funding and would bring people and money into this area.

It has always been FOE’s view that the Large Erecting Shop at Eveleigh should be used as a working museum and a base for heritage restoration because of its equipment, its availability to skilled restorers and its access to tourist and rail tour departure points. Although the use of Eveleigh has not been considered by RailCorp or the Government because of their perceived view of major structural faults with the building, it is only their lack of maintenance of this heritage building that has allowed this to happen. Surprisingly, after an independent Engineer’s Survey was completed by an external party, the structural problems have now been downgraded to minor. The plan now appears to remove all railway heritage out of metropolitan Sydney to where it is “out of sight and out of mind”.

The Vince O’Rourke Report, perceived to be the Government’s final working plan for all rail heritage in this State says - “consideration needs to be given to accessing layover facilities in the metropolitan mainline network”. Eveleigh for over 120 years has been used for this purpose and is still the most suitable place available, yet RailCorp and the Government will not accept the umpire’s decision.

Instead RailCorp plan to turn the S170 Heritage Listed Mortuary Station in Regent Street into a steam locomotive overnight staging, coal loading and watering site. The taxpayers of NSW as usual will pick up the cost of these arrangements including extra security staff needed to protect these trains. Eveleigh, the better option has its own permanent 24 hour security service. Will these costs also be taken from the RailCorp’s Heritage’s Fund?

If this Eveleigh facility is lost, there will only be a short term gain where its current use allows the benefits to continue for generations to come.

From Friends of Eveleigh Media Release - All correspondence to: The Secretary, FOE, PO Box 381, Belrose West NSW 2085.