The heritage-listed Junee railway station, located on the Main South line in New South Wales,serves the town of Junee in the Junee Shire. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. Junee is served by two daily NSW TrainLink XPT services in each direction operating between Sydney and Melbourne, and a twice weekly NSW TrainLink Xplorer between Griffith and Sydney split from Canberrra services at Goulburn.
Steam locomotives were the principal form of railway motive power in New South Wales for approximately 110 years (1855-1965). As such, steam locomotive servicing facilities incorporating engine sheds or roundhouse were established at approximately 150 sites in the state. It is also estimated that 120 straight engine sheds and 25 roundhouses were also built, all there buildings being part of statewide locomotive servicing arrangements.
Junee railway station was one of the principal locomotive servicing and maintenance depots for steam locomotives (later diesel-electric locomotives and diesel rail cars) in use in the far southern region of the state, including those locomotives in use on the mainline and branchlines in the area. Those branchlines included the Junee-Narrandera area and all branches radiating from there, and the numerous branches which junction with the main southern line between Wagga Wagga and Albury. The 42-road roundhouse was completed in the late 1940s period. Junee roundhouse was the largest complete roundhouse building in the state, and the locomotive depot serviced, repaired and maintained the largest steam motive power in use in the state for more than 25 years. The depot remained in government service for approximately 46 years.
In the 1940s, through to the 1950s period (arguably the pinnacle of steam locomotive operations in the state), the railway precinct at Junee consisted of a large railway station, a relatively large and important shunting yard, a Train Control Centre, two large signal boxes, junction arrangements for the Junee-Narrandera-Hay-Griffith branchline and a relatively modern locomotive depot. The depot comprised a roundhouse, large elevated coal bunker (for fuelling steam locomotives), boiler wash-out plant, ash handling arrangements, large and modern machine shop and a substantial amount of equipment essential for the rapid and efficient servicing and repair of the steam locomotives working in the district
Junee station opened on 6 July 1878 when the Main South line was extended from Bethungra. It served as the terminus until the line was extended to Bomen on 3 September 1878. It was renamed Junee Junction on 28 February 1881 when the Hay line opened as far as Narrandera, before resuming its original name in April 1940.
A timber station building was constructed, and in 1881 the branch line to Narrandera from Junee Junction was opened. Over the next few years, many new branchlines were opened in the south west areas, and Junee henceforth became a major rail centre of the region and of New South Wales, with railway workshops having been moved to the town from Wagga. Junee developed rapidly during the 1880s as a result of its status as an important rail town. The arrival of the railway in Junee took place during the first main phase of railway building (1854–88) in the colony.
The original station building burned down in January 1882. Plans for a new building (the present station) were approved on 21 February 1883 and the station was opened by MLA Joseph Palmer Abbott on 5 March 1885; the station (including refreshment rooms) cost £3,434. The station building was constructed under the direction of John Whitton, Chief Engineer of the New South Wales Government Railways.
In January 1947 a 42 road, fully covered roundhouse was completed. The Junee Locomotive Depot was the last steam locomotive It is currently leased to rolling stock repairer Junee Railway Workshop as well as housing the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum.
The Junee station building is an interesting building architecturally for its Victorian Free Classical style incorporates French Second Empire characteristics in the form of mansard roofs. It was built in 1883 under the direction of John Whitton, Chief Engineer of the N.S.W.G.R. Symmetrically designed, the single storey building is constructed of face brick, with stucco decoration. The Station complex (in a 1944 photograph) included a garden room developed in the spaces between railway structures and buildings. Junee's was formally structured, with a central fountain and pond, circular path around it, perimeter paths, lawn and formal arrangement of flower beds cut into the lawn.
As built, the roundhouse and turntable arrangement at Junee consisted of a forty-two road roundhouse laid out in a radial pattern, from a central turntable. (This is a typical arrangement for roads laid out in a roundhouse). In addition, two roads allowed for arrival and departure of locomotives from the roundhouse roads.
The extant roundhouse building at Junee is circular in form, providing cover over 42 roads (1-42), with the remaining two roads, (the access/egress roads) being uncovered. It is of interest to note that each "half" of the roundhouse (i.e. the sector on either side of the arrival and departure roads) are of slightly different dimensions, to suit differing sizes in motive power. The inspection pits within each "half" are of different lengths to suit the different motive power.
Following the closure of the Junee Roundhouse in 1993, a small group of Junee residents interested in tourism looked at the possibility of starting a museum at the Roundhouse. A museum was develpped and was opened to the public in April 1994 and a private rail operator, Austrac, was formed and came to the Roundhouse in November 1994.
Junee Roundhouse is now home to steam locomotive 3609, representing a class of passenger locomotives which were often serviced in the Roundhouse through to the 1960s. 3609 was transferred by road from the Thirlmere Heritage Railway to Junee in January 2019. 3609 is part of the State-owned Movable Heritage Collection.
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