About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
About SideTracked - Penrose Station
The construction contract for the Exeter to Tallong section was awarded to Robert Forster & James Roberts on 13 January 1864, and the single line opened from Moss Vale to Marulan on 6 August 1868. The station opened as an unnamed loop in 1869 renamed Cables Siding; it was renamed Penrose on 27 June 1897; and relocated to a new site on 15 March 1916. On 19 December 1915 the line was duplicated from Kareela to Tallong.
The name Penrose was first suggested by Mrs Hammond, an early pioneer from Cornwall in England. Penrose was the name of a Cornish family well known to her. Mr P Rush of the Cables Siding Progress Association requested the Department of Railways to change the name of the place to Penrose which was approved. The Government town of Penrose was not named until 31 May 1911, the name coming from that of the railway station.
An historic plan (unofficially dated 1915) shows a platform building on the Down platform, described as a timber building with a gable roof, and comprising a General Waiting Room, Booking Office, Out-of Room and Ladies Room, as well as space for signal levers. The Up platform shows a small Waiting Room of weatherboard with a skillion roof and an awning, internal bench seat and water tank attached, a corrugated iron toilet, and a Goods Shed off a siding past the level crossing. It is not clear if or when these buildings were present at the station, though the remaining Waiting Room and Store appear to date from this period.
In 1985, there were numerous buildings on the Penrose station, but today most of them have been demolished. You can see a photograph from 1985 here. All that remains are a timber skillion roof waiting shed on platform 1, and an additional smaller timber station building, with two brick-faced platforms, and platform signs.
Line: Main South Line
Distance: 171.4 km from Sydney
History: 1869 opened as Cables Siding
1881 name boards fixed.
1883 Level crossing opened.
26 Nov 1891 31m long platform erected with waiting shed, on the Down side of the line.
27 Jun 1897 name changed to Penrose.
15 Mar 1916 first station site closed; new site opened with two side platforms and a signal box on the Down platform. The station had a goods siding.
26 Feb 1970 Accident: Penrose-Wingello section; Spirit of Progress carriage hit by a bale of wool from a passing freight train. One passenger injured.