Thirroul Railway Depot

The Thirroul Railway Depot, at Thirroul, New South Wales, opened in about 1917 and closed in April 1965. During that time it was a major servicing destination for the steam locomotives that ran on the Illawarra Line. The depot was located a little north of Thirroul station and was bounded by Church Street and the lower part of Sea Foam Avenue. After its closure most of the buildings and structures were removed. Only the crew barracks remain on the site at the corner of Church Street and Lawrence Hargrave Drive. The depot area is still owned by RailCorp and is used as a storage facility. The barracks have been rented by an artist’s cooperative.

Thirroul was one of the major depots that were built by the NSW Railway Department. At one time it employed about 450 men. It consisted of a roundhouse engine shed capable of accommodating eighteen engines, a 90 ft. turntable, a general office, machine shops, ash pits and an elevated coal stage where coal and water for the engines were dispensed.

The barracks for railway employees were also located on the depot site. These were behind the roundhouse and are shown in the top photo as the long rectangular building on the extreme right. They consist of a series of rooms with no internal access between the rooms with shared bathrooms at the northern end. There is also a kitchen and dining room. There are no chimneys in the building which means that there were no fires to keep the occupants warm. Many former employees remember railway barracks (in general) as being very uncomfortable because they were either too hot or too cold. Some recall having to wrap clothing around their feet to keep warm at night.

One notable employee at the Thirroul Depot in its early days was Harry Starling. He was the roundhouse chargeman who was employed in this position between 1918 and 1934. Harry commenced his career in the NSW Railways as a cleaner and worked his way up to be an engine driver. However, in 1914 he was badly injured while driving a steam train when the gauge glass of the engine burst and he lost the sight of one eye. He lived in Bulli after he commenced duties in the Thirroul Depot and was a widely respected member of this community.

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Wikipedia