Illawarra Junction

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Illawarra Junction
Illawarra Junction Signal Box - interior (4842384368).jpg
The interior of the closed Illawarra Junction Signal Box, located south of Sydney Central
Overview
StatusOperating
Owner Transport Asset Holding Entity
Locale Eveleigh Railway Workshops, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°53′43″S151°11′26″E / 33.8954°S 151.1906°E / -33.8954; 151.1906
Connecting lines
Service
Type Commuter rail
System Sydney Trains
Operator(s) Sydney Trains
History
Opened15 October 1884 [1]
Automated signals1913 [2]
Relocation of signal box1916 [1]
Closure of signal box1979 [1]
Technical
Number of tracks10
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification c. 1925 [3]

The Illawarra Junction is a major railway junction located near the Eveleigh Railway Workshops, in Eveleigh, in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This complex junction joins a number of different lines and yards. There are two pairs of tracks (named Illawarra Main and Illawarra Local) from the Illawarra railway line from the south and three pairs of tracks (named Local, Suburban and Main) from the Main Suburban railway line from the west. [4]

Contents

It is likely that the junction opened on 15 October 1884, when the line to Hurstville was opened. [1] The line was duplicated in 1895, and quadruplicated in 1912, through St Peters and Erskineville stations. The quadruplication involved the relocation of the junction and the construction of a new signal box positioned above the tracks towards Macdonaldtown station, that was opened in 1916. [1] In 1927, the junction was expanded to accommodate the current ten-track configuration. [5] The signal box was closed in 1979, [1] was replaced by the Sydney signal box, and the former signal box subsequently removed.

Arrangement

An inverse view (looking south) showing the junction to the west of Redfern railway station (with 12 platforms). The darker shaded lines are the Illawarra Dive tunnels under the Main Suburban railway line to connect with the Illawarra railway line. The Illawarra line terminates top right; and the Main Suburban line terminates bottom right. All lines on left lead to Sydney Terminal. CityRail Redfern track diagram.png
An inverse view (looking south) showing the junction to the west of Redfern railway station (with 12 platforms). The darker shaded lines are the Illawarra Dive tunnels under the Main Suburban railway line to connect with the Illawarra railway line. The Illawarra line terminates top right; and the Main Suburban line terminates bottom right. All lines on left lead to Sydney Terminal.

Illawarra Line

The first set of junctions is in the south-west corner, just north of Erskineville station, where trains coming from the Illawarra line can dive into the Eastern Suburbs line. Further north is the Illawara Dive, where trains from the Illawarra line can crossover to the Main without obstructing any of the other tracks. This dive is mostly used by South Coast Line trains terminating at Sydney Terminal, services on the Southern Highlands Line and NSW TrainLink Southern regional services. East of Redfern station there are no further crossovers with the lines continuing toward the flying junctions at Central. On either side of the Illawarra Main, there are connections (with no track) to the disused platforms 13–14 at Redfern.

Main Suburban Line

In the north-west corner, just north of Macdonaldtown station, there are a number of crossovers allowing trains to switch between the Local, Suburban and Main lines. These crossovers are seldom used. Just past the end of the entry/exit track for Macdonaldtown Carriage Sheds are two crossovers between the Local and Illawarra Local tracks, allowing trains from the Illawarra Local to access Sydney Terminal. There is also a tunnel from the Eveleigh Railway Workshops connecting to the Up Main just beyond Redfern station. East of Redfern station is where the Main Suburban line ends. There are a complex set of flat junctions allowing trains on all three pairs of tracks to enter Sydney Terminal. The local and suburban tracks also continue on the City Circle and North Shore line respectively.

Eveleigh Maintenance Centre

Eveleigh Maintenance Centre lies to the south of all the surface tracks and on top of the Eastern Suburbs line tunnels. There are several crossovers providing access to the yard. There is a crossover in the south-west corner, allowing trains from the Up & Down Illawarra Main to access the yard. Another crossover allows trains to access the Down Illawarra Dive, which is actually bi-directional, due to the crossover at the other end onto the Up Illawarra Dive. Trains from Sydney Yard can enter/exit through the Engine Dive, which passes from the Down Main, under Redfern station, to the yard. Trains to/from the City Circle can enter through the Arrival/Departure Road, which joins the Up/Down Illawarra Main.

Macdonaldtown Carriage Sheds

The Macdonaldtown Carriage Sheds lie between the Main Suburban and Illawarra lines. It has a single entry/exit road. Crossovers allow trains to enter the yard from the Up/Down Local lines and allow trains to exit the yard onto the Up Local or Up Illawarra Local lines.

Incidents

At various stages, especially during the early years of the 20th century, incidents occurred at the Illawarra Junction including the death of fettlers [6] [7] [8] and other railway workers, [9] [10] and derailments. [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sharp, Stuart (22 February 2014). "Sydenham Railway Station" (PDF). Australian Railway Heritage Society (NSW). pp. 3, 5, 9–10. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALS". The Sydney Morning Herald . 7 May 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "ELECTRIFICATION". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 November 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ Bozier, Rolfe (n.d.). "Illawarra Junction". NSWrail.net. Rolfe Bozier. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Eveleigh Carriageworks: Conservation Management Plan" (PDF). Otto Cserhalmi + Partners PL. 2002. pp. 49, 64. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  6. ↑ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald . 6 October 1917. p. 11. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "THE EVELEIGH RAILWAY FATALITY". The Sydney Morning Herald . 5 June 1893. p. 7. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "FETTLERS KNOCKED DOWN BY TRAINS". The Sydney Morning Herald . 1 June 1904. p. 9. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "TWO MEN KILLED". The Sydney Morning Herald . 21 August 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "RAILWAY FATALITY". The Sydney Morning Herald . 2 September 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "DERAILMENT". The Sydney Morning Herald . 26 September 1927. p. 12. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via National Library of Australia.

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