Workers' Accommodation

Station Master's residence (1889), Camden, NSW

Station Master’s House

As its name infers, the Station Master’s House provided accommodation for a manager of a railway station. The house, usually a standard three bedroom home, came with the job, and was generally located within walking distance of a town’s railway station. The provision of a home for a station master was gradually phased out during the mid 20th century.

Historically a male occupation, women were sometimes appointed to the position, and the gender variation station mistress was sometimes employed in such cases.

Station Master's accommodation (1880), Terowie, SA

The station master is responsible for the management of other station employees at stations large enough to have them, and holds responsibility for safety and the efficient running of the station. Station Masters were historically employed across stations of all sizes, leading to variation in the precise role. At smaller town and country stations, with limited or no additional staff, the station master would direct interaction with travelling passengers, and people depositing and collecting goods carried by rail. In very small, isolated communities, the Station Master’s duties could extend to include the operation of a signal box and to operate level crossing gates manually.

Station Master's residence (1869), Rydal, NSW

Uniforms worn by station masters, whilst varying widely between different railway companies, often incorporated gold braid embroidery, and peaked caps with gold banding, giving the office-holder a high profile in the community. With his uniform, official housing, and public prominence, the Station Master was respected and widely attributed with seniority in the local community.

Heritage listed fettlers cottage at Parachilna, SA. on the original Ghan railway line

Fettler's Cottages

A fettler (known in some countries as a platemaker) is a person employed to maintain railway lines. Their role includes inspecting and maintaining the track and all its component parts such as rails, sleepers, fishplates, bolts, etc. Their duties include greasing points, and generally watching for wear and tear. When sections of track require complete replacement, larger teams of fettlers work together, and today employ a range of labour-saving machinery for many of the tasks traditionally undertaken by hand by platelayers.

Historically, fettlers were assigned to sections of isolated track across Australia. Cottages were built at sidings which fettlers used as temporary homes from which they travelled up and down railway lines, checking their assigned section of track and performing whatever maintenance or track replacement was deemed neccessary.

Fettlers take a tea break near Parkes, NSW

Fettler's cottages were generally smaller that Station Master's houses, and often provided only basic single or double room accommodation, particularly in isolated locations where fettlers were often permenantly on the move and used the cottages for short stays.

Fettlers generally operated in gangs of up to 10 men. Over the years, the Fettler's Cottages were eventually abandoned when railway operators replaced roaming gangs and individuals with teams based in larger towns that used rail carriages for fettler accommodation.

Fettlers cottage, Clare, SA