Empty houses and coal stage, Harden, New South Wales

Abstract

Photograph of a row of cottages that back onto the railway yard. The timber houses have corrugated iron roofs and front verandahs with diagonal cross railings or vertical rails. A paling fence that runs in front is punctuated by white painted gates. In the background is the coal stage which loads coal onto trains. It is connected to a conveyor belt and is a long, high structure surmounted by metal trusses. These houses are probably a few of the many cottages that, like shops and barracks, were built near the railway station in order to accommodate the once large workforce that serviced the Harden loco depot. From the 1880s, Harden was an important railway junction and depot. In its heyday, around 1926, it employed 272 men, including fitters, to marshall and dispatch 40 trains a day. The repair workshops closed in 1967. Show more