Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre

16/04/2023

'Eskbank Station, N.S.W.'
c. 1910

Built by Engineer-in-charge of NSW Government Railways, John Whitton, and opened in 1882, Eskbank station was built to service Thomas Brown's Eskbank Colliery at Lithgow (later Eskbank Ironworks). By 1925, Lithgow's shopkeepers and publicans had successfully argued the necessity for a railway station closer to the expanding town. With the construction of Lithgow Station in 1924-1925, Eskbank Station then served as the Lithgow Goods Depot and Station Master's Headquarters until the 1980s. The heritage-listed Eskbank Station is now a depot for railway maintenance activities.

04/06/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyYYhrPtTas&ab_channel=MathewBaker

3801 shunting and departing Eskbank4/6/21

27/11/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAX-kZ5Xadg&fbclid=IwAR3OOsFv7xiH5EIz91uHoGDlyAcf8HpvEad0JppQ9zydd0SnykXBdsAS6Eg&ab_channel=LithgowStateMineRailwayLimited

Lithgow is rapidly emerging from a town with a history of coal and dust to a city with opportunity for the 21st Century. The town is not forgetting its past, but rather using its location and unique history to create a new future for the community and the greater region in the Central West of NSW.

COC Limited trading as the “Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre” is seeking community support for a funding application we are submitting as part of the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund. This initiative jointly funded by the Federal and NSW Governments will support social and economic recovery in regional communities most affected by the 2019 -2020 bushfires. The State Government is seeking applications for suitable NSW community projects of which ERHC are in a position to apply with community support for this shovel ready development.

The Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre together with its partners are applying for funding for two infrastructure projects which are interrelated and are located in the Lithgow Valley.
1. Refurbishment of the Lithgow State Mine branch line.
2. Development of the former Eskbank Locomotive Depot.

The Lithgow State Mine Branch line in its present state has been closed to all traffic since January 2020. The line was last re sleepered and laid without ballast between 1995 and 1997 with most sleepers now considered life expired. Some sections of rail on the line are also requiring replacement due to age and condition. Unfortunately the ravages of time combined with the recent bushfire and the lack of a regular maintenance program have had a detrimental effect on the line and its ability to continue to be serviceable unless there is some capital investment to refurbish the track to allow it to reopen to accommodate both tourist and workshop traffic.

The Eskbank Locomotive Depot development incorporating a rail Maintenance & Training Facility together with a Living Museum involves the construction of two buildings one of which will provide for the maintenance, restoration and storage of carriages and locomotives as well as providing a dedicated space for rail based training. The second building will be a replica of the former Eskbank Locomotive Depot’s three road running shed and will form part of the “living museum” concept to show case Lithgow’s unique rail heritage. The reinstatement of the Sellers 60’ turntable into the only remaining exposed sandstone turntable pit which was constructed in 1882 is also part of this development.

The Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre and its supporters are committed to helping Lithgow area and surrounding regions grow through the development of this joint initiative to develop industry, community and cultural partnerships, promote economic and cultural development and stimulate employment opportunities. We believe this project will provide a regional stimulus with several advantages in the form of formal, innovative digital rail technology research and development, vocational training and practical experiences in a non-live rail traffic environment, which currently is not available in this country. This, with an offering of extensive rail and civil maintenance upskilling and career opportunities, will provide business growth, diversification and employment opportunities through a trainee / apprenticeships program, a sustainable process to create the future employees for the Australian Rail Industry, leading to ongoing employment.

To assist with our application we need community support in the form of an email , a letter of support, a LIKE or comment below in this page.

Letters of support can be sent no later than the 31st December 2020 to;
The Chairman
Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre
PO Box 350
Lithgow NSW 2790
Or
E: [email protected]

Thank you in advance for your support.

Kind Regards
COC Limited (Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre)
Chairman & Board of Directors

The Eskbank Rail Heritage Centre is seeking your support with a funding application they are submitting as part of the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund....

19/11/2020

The last LSMR working bee held on the 17/10/2020 at the Eskbank Depot saw the large mound of English broom which had been cut out from the depot site over a number of weekends was rounded up and taken away. Chris Ray (Chris Ray Earthmoving & Landscaping) assisted us with the removal and also took away a number of trees which were growing out of control in front of Eskbank Station which were causing drainage issues. Thanks Chris.

The rest of the day was taken up clearing the area between the original running shed wall and the rail embankment retaining wall which was full of rubbish and soil build up.

24/10/2020

The Shell siding looking to Eskbank Station and the goods shed Lithgow. 14/5/1986. The siding was originally built to service Sandfords brickworks which was located on the other side of Mort Street in an area beside what is now Hoskins Church. Photo courtesy of Graeme Kirkby.

05/10/2020

04/10/2020

28/09/2020

Recently Sydney Train's contractors returned to site to install the period fencing on the platform at Eskbank Station. The heritage fence also compliments the original sandstone flag stones which have been uncovered and are now are a feature in front of the station building under the awning.

The fencing was the last part of the works undertaken on the Up platform as part of the NIF upgrade of the ten tunnels and station platforms on the Blue Mountains line to accommodate the new trains.

We can only hope that the restoration work on the fence may be the impetus for Sydney Trains to continue the great work and restore the rest of this heritage listed building which has been neglected for many years.

26/09/2020

Given the threat of snow, high winds, rain, low temperatures and anything else the weather was going to throw our way this weekend todays working bee was called off. However one of our intrepid volunteers felt that bad weather wasn’t an excuse to curtail our very important work at Eskbank depot. Matt braved the elements today and took on clearing out the ash and servicing pit which comes directly off the turntable. He did have a small black snake to keep him company in the morning however the cold weather had kept him a bit lethargic which was a good thing. His friend was relocated to a more eco friendly part of the depot.

Matts efforts can be seen in the selection of photos taken today which shows how complete the servicing pit is. The brick work is in pristine condition for its age and the drain at the end is also clear. He has also cleared around one of two water column foundations to uncover the water drainage pit and grate. The turntable which was built in in 1882 was part of the same contract that also saw Eskbank Station constructed. The development of the Eskbank yard, Station building and turntable were certainly the beginnings of establishing Eskbank as an important point on the Great Western Railway.

Thanks Matt for your efforts today.

20/09/2020

Another good productive day was held at the former Eskbank Locomotive Depot with a good roll up of enthusiastic volunteers. After a site induction and tool box talk work commenced on clearing out the two main servicing pits which were in the running shed and the second deashing pit in front of the running shed.

The overgrown retaining wall embankment was also defoliated giving a fresh new appearance to the area.

Whilst the area has been ear marked for development as the site for the Eskbank Locomotve Depot and Museam it will also in time be home base for LSMR will call home and operate out of. The site clean up is the beginning of continued efforts to bring the whole development into a reality. It wont happen over night but then again Rome wasn't built in a day either.

If anyone is interested in volunteering on this interesting and historic site drop us a line.

13/09/2020

Photos courtesy of Kane Bott of the heritage fencing being installed at Eskbank.

13/09/2020

As part of the NIF upgrade for the Eskbank Station platform works Sydney Trains contractors are back on site again to install the heritage fencing along the platform on the eastern and western sides of the station building. Photos courtesy of of Mathew Baker and Kane Bott.

12/09/2020

Another great day was had at Eskbank Loco with a good roll up of volunteers in attendance. All broom has now been cut out from with in the running shed foot print. Two of the external ash pits have been cleared of w**d growth to reveal the beautiful brick work which is a work of art in itself.

10/09/2020

On 5th September, 2020 LSMR volunteers held the first of what will be a number of volunteer days cleaning up and making the Eskbank depot presentable to showcase how unique and historically important this site was to western railway expansion back in its day.

The site has been overrun with Broom which is an evasive woody w**d and is hard work to cut out at the best of times. Once removed it is intended to keep it down and hopefully eradicate it from the site entirely. Our volunteers have certainly got the upper hand on it and also found and cleaned out the drainage pipe in the turntable pit which dates back to 1882.

The area will become home to the Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum as well as being the operational base for LSMR in the longer term. The development of the site will be dependant predominately on grant funding however its development will enhance LSMR's plans to provide Lithgow with a tourist rail service on the State Mine branch which will showcase Lithgow's unique industrial foundations which were predicated around railways, iron & steel making together with heavy industry and coal mining.

The former locomotive depot is the last of the local heritage sites within the valley's cradle of industry to be restored. Together with Blast Furnace Park and Lake Pillans, Eskbank House and the State Mine Museum all strung together via the State Mine branch line all come together to create a unique industrial heritage tourism precinct like no other in the Lithgow valley and all within 2 hours of a population base of 5 million people.

10/09/2020