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 - Wingello Station
The 1883 station building, although altered, remains largely intact and is a good example of a small timber roadside station building dating from the late Victorian period. The 1915 station building and signal box remain largely intact and are good examples of standard weatherboard railway buildings introduced throughout the network during the Federation period. The station buildings, signal box and the small corrugated-iron lamp room collectively demonstrate widespread 19th and early 20th Century railway customs, activities and design in NSW.
You can see early photographs at Stations Past.
MAJOR STRUCTURES
STATION BUILDING (1883)
Located on the Up Platform the building is constructed of timber weatherboard with a gabled roof glad in corrugated sheet metal. The building features a verandah to the platform elevation which is supported on simple timber posts. The two extant chimneys appear to have been altered.
STATION BUILDING (1915)
Located on the Down platform the building is a simple two-room structure constructed of timber weatherboard with a gabled roof glad in corrugated sheet metal.
SIGNAL BOX (1915)
The Signal Box is located adjacent to the station building on the Up Platform. The building features a low skillion roof clad in corrugated sheet metal and sloping towards the platform. The building is clad in timber weatherboard and features large sliding multi-pane timber windows fronting the platform. The lever frame and equipment and electronic circuit diagram are still in situ.
LAMP ROOM
A small corrugated iron shed with skillion roof located adjacent to the signal box. Most likely the c.1915 lamp room showed on historic plans, and relocated to current site at an unknown date.
PLATFORMS (1915)
The two wayside platforms are both brick faced with asphalt surfacing.
Following the completion of the first railway from Sydney to Parramatta Junction in 1855, proposals for the first railways to the rest of NSW were driven by landed interests seeking improved transport for their wool from the inland centres of Goulburn, Bathurst, Singleton and Muswellbrook. John Whitton arrived in Sydney in December 1856 to take up his position as Engineer-in-Chief of the NSW Railways, but it wasn’t until 1860 that definite plans were made to extend the Great Southern Line to Picton, with an extension to Goulburn.
Line: Main South Line
Distance: 177.1 km from Sydney
History:1868 single line from Moss Vale to Marulan was completed.
1 Jun 1871 a siding and crossing loop opened at Wingello.
1882-83 a public platform and station building were provided, as well as a loading dock and a porter’s house re-erected from Bowning.
1 August 1885 the station was named Wingello.
1915 the line was duplicated from Kareela to Tallong.
1920 New crossing loop extended and Up Refuge Siding extended.
1921 Automatic signals introduced for section Wingello to Tallong.
1960 Down Refuge Siding extended by 122m.
1965 New cottage erected by the Housing Commission for Assistant Station Master to replace one destroyed by fire.