Kalamunda Railway Station

Child Places

• 24784 Big Station Building

Statement of Significance

Historic Value Kalamunda demonstrates the importance of railways from the small waiting shelters to the later structures which included a large waiting room for passengers and offices for staff and goods, which were the main traffic. The construction of the railway is indicative of the opening up of the major timber concessions in the Darling Range including the various mill sites. The later station building reflects the growth in the area and its adjustment to other developmental phases after timber - those being fruit growing and greater passenger transport to the city. The railway's construction and early operations are associated with both Edward Keane MLA and later Lord Mayor of Perth, and Frank Wilson, later Premier of WA. Social Value The takeover by the government and the building of the structures indicated the power of the local lobby group and the importance of the railways to the community. The buildings are part of the community-run History Village and are held in high regard by the community as representatives of an integral part of the history of the development of the district. They are part of the famous Zig-Zag railway and are the only 'in-situ' buildings in the History Village. The build ings are a prominent part of tbe main street and associated with the Kalamunda Hotel which served as a refreshment stop for the passengers whilst the locomotives were being 'watered'. Rarity & Representativeness As the buildings represent two generations of standard railway station buildings, they are one of only two such complexes remaining in the state. As representatives of the 1906 & 1927 generations they are the only such adjacent buildings remaining. The 1906 Ladies Waiting Shelter is one of probably only three such structures left and the 1927 station is an excellent example, with ve1y high heritage integrity, of the late 1920s standard station building of which less than ten remain. Additionally, the build ing of the 1927 station on 'stilts' on the sloping site makes this example different to the others remaining. These buildings clearly show part of the railway component of our cultural heritage. They are the only buildings left on the UDRR and therefore associated with the only WAGR operated zig-zag railway. Condition, Integrity and Authenticity In J 998 the condition of the buildings and the platform are very good as it has been well maintained and managed. The locomotive and wagon are both in good condition. The integrity is very high as it is part of the Kalamunda History Village which is maintained by the Shire in conjunction with the Kalamunda & Districts Historical Society. It is vital to that project as the buildings and platform are the on ly items on site which have not been moved from another location. The wooden wagon in particular must be continually protected from the elements. Authenticity is very high as very few alterations to the fabric have taken place. The fitting of display panels in the Ladies Waiting Shelter is easily reversible and so does not detract from the authenticity. The locomotive and wagon have been modified as they would have been in service, though the impact of its years of operations in the North-West have increased the wear and tear on the locomotive.

Physical Description

Ladies Waiting Room - twenty foot by eight foot building of a slight variation on the standard WAGR Portable Shelter design. It is constructed with walls made ofjarrah weatherboard on a timber frame with concrete footings. Weatherboards painted a light grey colour. Windows on two sides and the front with two lights per sash. A five foot one piece awning is attached to the front of the building protecting the only door which is on the western end. This door opens onto the track side of the platform. Roofing of corrugated iron. Interior unlined but now has display boards fixed onto frame. All in good condition. 1927 Ra ilway Station House - this is of standard type of WAGR small country building which was constructed in the late 1920s. Jarrah weatherboard painted pale grey with a tiled roof. Comprised of three rooms. At one end an instrument room while the centre operated as the traffic office with a ticket counter and parcel collection point. Unfortunately the ticket counter is no longer present. At the other end of the office is a double sided brick fireplace which also heats the waiting room at the western end. The waiting room is entered from the platform itself. Four sash windows are present at the rear of the build ing. Due to the slope down from the rail track area to the street level, the building is set high on timber stumps making it prominent at the street level. Well maintained with rooms recently painted. G Class Locomotive #118 - G 118 was introduced into service on 05.11.1897. After the WAGR takeover of the Canning .Tarrah Timber Company railway to Picker ing Brook on I July 1903, G class locomotives became the principal motive power used on the line. This class was one of the few ever authorised to operate on the line and retained this important link with Kalamunda until the railway closed in 1949. Timber Wagon Frame - The Canning Timber Company operated the railway through Kalamunda from 1891 and the Company became part of the Millars Combine in 1902. Thus, the wagon was built sometime within this period. lt is the only known example of Canning Jarrah Timber Company rolling stock to survive and one of the few of any timber company railway wagons to be preserved in Western Australia It is an excellent example of 1890s metal wagon frame construction.

History

Assessment 1998 Construction : Ladies Waiting Room 12 May 1906; Railway Station 12 Nov 1927 Kalamunda had been known as 'Stirk 's Landing' and later Jeck's Crossing but was gazetted as a townsite under its own name in December 1901. Kalamunda Railway Station was the major station (only one with a raised platform) on the Upper Darling Range Railway (UDRR) which ran from Midland Junction to Karragullen with, until 1939, a spur to Barton's Mill. The contract to build the line from Midland to Canning Mills was signed between the Government and Edward Keane, a Director, of the Canning Jarrah Timber Company on April 15th 1891. It was needed to serve their mill at Canning Mills which, among other work, was supplying sleepers for the building of the Midland Railway. The contract stipulated that the gauge should be 3'6", and that the line should be the absolute property of the contractor until December 31, 1899, after which the Government would have the right the purchase it as £1,000 per mile. rn 1895 the company manager was Frank Wilson. Alt11ough the line was built mainly for the conveyance of timber products, the Company would also transport passengers and other commodities, such as produce from the orchardists. Those intending to use the train would usually have to wait at the side of the track and flag down approaching trains. Such a limited service frustrated the local people who brought pressure to bear on the government who then negotiated to take over the line. The railway from Midland to Pickering Brook, including the zig-zag section south of Statham's Quarry, was taken over by the WAGR on ist July 1903. Apart from track upgrading the provision of small buildings was planned and station masters were appointed at Pickering Brook and Kalamunda. The Ladies Waiting Room at Kalamunda was built a little later on 12th May 1906. The Canning Mills section became part of the government system in 1910 and the extension to Karragullen was opened in August 1912. This meant that the major fruit and vegetable growing areas in the region were serviced by rail. Tight curves on the whole line meant that passenger carriages longer than 42' in length could not be used and so generally older carriages worked the line. A goods yard with facilities for locomotive servicing including an elevated tank (8,000 gallon) was developed at Kalamunda. Kalamunda lost its status as a booking office on I st May 1939 and during the 1940s the increased role of road transport was taking its toll on the railways. The UDRR was closed in 1949 due to an Australia-wide coal strike. This strike was the excuse the government needed and the line was never re-opened. Kalamunda had as few as 23 passengers per day in its last days of operation as well as the decline in freight traffic. Rails and other materials were recovered in 1952. The Kalamunda station site was then used as a bus depot. Two station buildings survive today from when Kalarnunda was the largest station on the line and the most important for passengers. The 1906 Ladies' Waiting shelter was one of three small buildings constructed during the early days of the WAGR operation. When the WAGR station replacement program in 1927 resu lted in a new main station building for Kalamunda only the Ladies' Waiting shelter was left from the early structures and the new standard station was placed where the station master's office and shelter shed had been located. Similar station buildings were erected in other country locations including Mukinbudin and Kojonup. As a consequence Kalamunda now is the only place to have standard station buildings from 1906 and the 1927 era left standing. That they are in good condition and both in their original location adds to the importance of this site

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