Goulburn Engine Drivers' Barracks  c1891
-now home of  Gallery on Track

Rest houses - also known as barracks - were introduced throughout the NSW railway network from the late 19th century to provide temporary accommodation for train drivers, firemen and guards between shifts and when they could not return to their 'home' on the same day.

One of the earlier caretakers at the Railway Barracks was Hilda McIntyre, who lived in Railway Cottage next door.  She washed the linen and did housekeeping but the men cooked for themselves. Hilda was responsible for keeping the wood- burning stove going.

For most of the life of this building - until the late 20th century - railway personnel staying in each of the 12 small bedrooms would have looked up at a false ceiling, not the elegant cathedral ceiling now exposed during the renovations.

Partitions (bedroom walls) and the false ceiling were removed in 2008 and other alterations were made in 2011 in preparation for the opening of Gallery on Track.

The Barracks before renovation.

3813 Riverina Express during a stay at Goulburn, with train driver Normal Walter Jeffrey (known as Scottie) 1916-1994. Photo NSW State Records Office

While the bedrooms no longer remain, you can still see the timber support brackets that marked the location of the internal walls and their former alignment is also visible on the wooden floors. 

Although modified, this building still reveals much of its original character and former use, making it possible to imagine what it was like to stay in a typical 19th century railway rest house.

The original plans for the Goulburn Engine Drivers Barracks

Below are photos taken in 2007 of the dilapidated barracks before the renovation and its metamorphosis into Gallery on Track.