Panoramic view towards the North Ipswich Railway Workshops, from Telegraph Lane, North Ipswich, 1958

Creator Details

TitlePanoramic view towards the North Ipswich Railway Workshops, from Telegraph Lane, North Ipswich, 1958Date Created1958StudioWhitehead StudiosAcknowledgementWhitehead Family

Location

StreetTelegraph LaneSuburbNorth IpswichCity & StateIpswich, QueenslandGeo Coordinates^[1]

Description

DescriptionPhotograph taken in Telegraph Lane of the North Ipswich Railway Workshops, showing the back of the roundhouse. The roundhouse was built in the 1920s and was used to store steam engines when not in use. North Street runs alongside the roundhouse. Pine Mountain can be seen in the background, with entrance to the workshops on the far right. This precinct was included in the Heritage Study as ‘significant in a city-wide context as a collection of workers’ dwellings associated with the Railway Workshops’.Additional Information North Ipswich was a half roundhouse design focussed on a central turntable approximately 19 metres in length. From this central point there radiated a series of short lengths of railway track used for the storage of locomotives. These lengths could then be placed under a form of building /shelter to provide cover for locomotives in storage and for workers involved in their preparation.

At its height over 250 workers in various capacities were involved in keeping the Roundhouse a going concern, some 170 of these being “running crews”, the drivers, firemen and guards.

The need for modern engine preparation facilities, and complaints about the cramped and inadequate Ipswich shed, saw planning begin in 1907 for this place. Construction began in September 1908. Anticipated costs were in the order of £ 20 000. Delays in procuring materials and engineering faults in building design and rail access meant that it was not until June 1910 that the running shed was ready to receive its first locomotives.

The locomotive depot was home for nearly fifty locomotives that serviced not only the main line from Brisbane to Toowoomba, but also the many branch lines centred on the Ipswich area. Water hydrants, ash pits, a coal stage, and the other ancillary features of the steam age contributed to the feeling of action and activity within the depot area.

Additional information provided by Greg Hallam, Historian with Queensland Rail. References (offline)Ipswich Heritage Study 1992

Connections

Buildings & StructuresRoundhouseGovernment & Non-Government OrganisationsNorth Ipswich Railway WorkshopsCurated CollectionsWhitehead Studios - The Whitehead CollectionPanoramas, Landscapes, & Aerial ViewsDefining Tulmur | IpswichDreaming of Tomorrow: Growth & Development

Subjects

SubjectsRailwaysTimber buildingsWorkers residencesRailway buildingsTin buildingsBackyardsClothes hoistsHousesCorrugated roofsClothes linesPanoramasStreetscapesTransport

Asset Details

Reference IDWHD-015-NEG-1221Asset TypeImage - JpegColour or Black & White ImageBlack & WhiteOrientationLandscapeGenreArchitecture - CommercialArchitecture - DomesticIndustrialTransportPanoramasPhysical DescriptionNegativeHigher Resolution Available (contact Picture Ipswich)YesCopyright NoticeReproduction rights remain with Whitehead Studios. CopyrightPicture Ipswich Copyright Information

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