Railway Crane and Loading Ramp

Author

Shire of West Arthur

Place Number

23874

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Location

Coalfields Rd Darkan

Location Details

Railway Reserve,

Local Government

West Arthur

Region

Wheatbelt

Construction Date

Constructed from 1908, Constructed from 1965

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	16 Aug 1996	Category 3	Category 3 A place of some cultural heritage significance to Shire of West Arthur. No constraints. Recommend: Encourage retention of the place, and document the place if retention is not possible.

Statement of Significance

The ramp and crane were used extensively for lifting goods (particularly fertilizer, grain and stock) arriving and departing by rail and for the piles of sleepers stacked in the station yard for onward delivery. The railway continued to operate until 1988. It is one of the few buildings or structures on the railway reserve that have remained on site (together with the Station Masters House and the Station).

It is an important part of the Railway Precinct which contributed so greatly to the development of the Darkan Townsite.

Physical Description

Ramp 1908, 1965 Crane

The crane and ramp lie on the southern side of the Railway Reserve and on the southern side of where the railway line was located. It is situated close to where the rail track goods shed and yards were originally located (these are no longer visible).

The Ramp is built up and retained by timber railway sleepers and iron railway line construction. The finished surface of the ramp is gravel (1). The ramp was built in 1906. A request was made for a new ramp in 1965 but it is not known if this request was agreed to(1).

The crane is a three ton steel crane set onto a concrete plinth with timber surrounds. It has a detachable hand and is still in working order.

History

In 1949 the Farmers Union of WA requested a crane for the loading ramp to handle the offloading of heavy machinery and goods. But the request was refused. Other places were deemed more in need than Darkan. In 1963 another request for a crane was made and this time the request was successful. The crane provided was a second hand three ton steel crane that was removed from a station that was being upgraded to a six ton crane. It was 1965 before the crane was eventually installed at Darkan(1).

Integrity/Authenticity

Modifications: None known. A request was made in 1963 for a new loading
platform but is not know if this request was agreed to
Extent of original fabric: most

Condition

Good

Associations

Name	Type	Year From	Year To
WAGR	Architect	-	-

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	L Grey & I Saumann; "Conservation Plan Darkan Railway Precinct".	Shire of West Arthur	2002

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	VACANT\UNUSED	Vacant\Unused
Original Use	Transport\Communications	Rail: Other

Historic Themes

General	Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Rail & light rail transport

Creation Date

27 Mar 2012

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Jan 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.