Orange Railway Station, Peisley Street, Orange, NSW
Main
HistoryOrange is located on the Main Western line. The single line railway from Blayney to Orange was opened on 19 April 1877. The line was duplicated from Spring Hill to Orange on 5 November 1916.
In 1874 a contract was awarded for construction of the line from Bathurst to Orange and in 1876 a contract let for construction of a combined station/ residence building, goods shed and station verandah at Orange. The design for the new station building/residence was finalised in 1876 and the building completed the following year, being officially opened on 19 April 1877. A Guards’ rest house was also provided in 1877, and in 1885 a branch line was opened from Orange East Fork to Molong (Cottee, 2004; SRA, 1993).
In the year of the railways arrival to Orange, 20,170 acres of land was under cultivation, wheat being the primary crop. It was the wheat farmer, therefore, that stood to benefit most from the opening of the line. Accordingly the initial planning of the precinct included a goods shed, which still stands today, for the loading of Orange grown grains onto rail trucks destined for Sydney markets. The original goods shed was much longer than it is today, extending northward almost to the end of the railway station platform, where the car park is now, and utilizing the jib crane (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
The original 1875 plans for the station arrangement for Orange show that the Orange precinct was intended to service more than just passenger trains. The precinct included a depot and carriage shed with a turntable opposite the railway station and goods shed. The depot was subsequently moved in 1937 to East Fork and the area was converted for use as a marshalling yard (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
The 1930s saw significant developments to the rail infrastructure at Orange. With the Railway Institute already established, it was announced in 1936 that the new headquarters for the District Superintendent of Railways was to be constructed next to the station on the north-western side. As the town of Orange grew, the rail activities at Orange were being divided between the station in town and the depot at East Fork and accordingly the coal shed (perhaps only a coal dump or an elevated loading facility) and engine shed were relocated from an area opposite the station to East Fork in 1937 (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
In 1938, a signal box was added to the precinct, south of the goods shed and in-between the bifurcated main line and the lines of the marshalling area. The construction of the signal box represented the modernization of the 19th century railway station and yard and a new mechanized system of signalling to better cope with the increased number of trains travelling through Orange (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
Over time, the arrangement of the rail precinct at Orange has changed as a result of the development of Orange as a major regional centre, and due to changes in railway technology and practices. Once the rail head moved on from Orange in 1880 and the railways continued into far western NSW, Orange turned to the production of fruit, finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the wheat production in the drier climate wheat districts. The production of grain in the Orange district in the 19th century was replaced to a large extent with fruit by the 1950s. A reflection of this change was the construction of the Orange Producers Rural Association (OPR) transhipment shed (c1959) within the Orange railway precinct (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
Other additions and alterations within the Orange railway station and yard included the installation of a gantry crane (1896), erection of a carriage shed (1897), extension of the awning over the station platform (1898), alterations to station buildings (1918), provision of a wheat stacking site in the triangle (1918), construction of institute building (1921), new stockyards (1935), and at least one new rest house for Loco staff (1939) (Cottee, 2004; SRA, 1993).
In 1874 a contract was awarded for construction of the line from Bathurst to Orange and in 1876 a contract let for construction of a combined station/ residence building, goods shed and station verandah at Orange. The design for the new station building/residence was finalised in 1876 and the building completed the following year, being officially opened on 19 April 1877. A Guards’ rest house was also provided in 1877, and in 1885 a branch line was opened from Orange East Fork to Molong (Cottee, 2004; SRA, 1993).
In the year of the railways arrival to Orange, 20,170 acres of land was under cultivation, wheat being the primary crop. It was the wheat farmer, therefore, that stood to benefit most from the opening of the line. Accordingly the initial planning of the precinct included a goods shed, which still stands today, for the loading of Orange grown grains onto rail trucks destined for Sydney markets. The original goods shed was much longer than it is today, extending northward almost to the end of the railway station platform, where the car park is now, and utilizing the jib crane (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
The original 1875 plans for the station arrangement for Orange show that the Orange precinct was intended to service more than just passenger trains. The precinct included a depot and carriage shed with a turntable opposite the railway station and goods shed. The depot was subsequently moved in 1937 to East Fork and the area was converted for use as a marshalling yard (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
The 1930s saw significant developments to the rail infrastructure at Orange. With the Railway Institute already established, it was announced in 1936 that the new headquarters for the District Superintendent of Railways was to be constructed next to the station on the north-western side. As the town of Orange grew, the rail activities at Orange were being divided between the station in town and the depot at East Fork and accordingly the coal shed (perhaps only a coal dump or an elevated loading facility) and engine shed were relocated from an area opposite the station to East Fork in 1937 (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
In 1938, a signal box was added to the precinct, south of the goods shed and in-between the bifurcated main line and the lines of the marshalling area. The construction of the signal box represented the modernization of the 19th century railway station and yard and a new mechanized system of signalling to better cope with the increased number of trains travelling through Orange (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
Over time, the arrangement of the rail precinct at Orange has changed as a result of the development of Orange as a major regional centre, and due to changes in railway technology and practices. Once the rail head moved on from Orange in 1880 and the railways continued into far western NSW, Orange turned to the production of fruit, finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the wheat production in the drier climate wheat districts. The production of grain in the Orange district in the 19th century was replaced to a large extent with fruit by the 1950s. A reflection of this change was the construction of the Orange Producers Rural Association (OPR) transhipment shed (c1959) within the Orange railway precinct (B Cubed Sustainability, 2007).
Other additions and alterations within the Orange railway station and yard included the installation of a gantry crane (1896), erection of a carriage shed (1897), extension of the awning over the station platform (1898), alterations to station buildings (1918), provision of a wheat stacking site in the triangle (1918), construction of institute building (1921), new stockyards (1935), and at least one new rest house for Loco staff (1939) (Cottee, 2004; SRA, 1993).
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NotesThe site is a very significant place with a range of buildings developed for Orange, marking the extension of the railway to Orange and completion in 1877. The Orange station group is a significant and large group which retains much of the early period of development including a rare combined residence/station building. The group with all the ancillary buildings such as the goods shed, residence and rest house gives the site added significance particularly with substantial buildings from the 1950's period. The wrought iron footbridge is a rare surviving structure reflecting a style of construction from Whitton's similar river bridges and pedestrian bridges of that period. Its flooring is now replaced with concrete and it has been extended in a slightly different style at the eastern end. In addition to the historic and social values, the Station group complements the streetscape and contributes to the main Orange Conservation Area.
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SubjectsRailwaysPlaceOrange Railway Station, Peisley Street, Orange, NSWOrganisationNSW Department of Railways
PlaceOrange Railway Station, Peisley Street, Orange, NSWOrganisationNSW Department of Railwaysloading google map....
Orange Railway Station, Peisley Street, Orange, NSW. Central West Libraries, accessed 27/03/2026, https://centralwest.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/3514
