Waverton railway station is a

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

located on the North Shore line, serving the

North Sydney Council North Sydney Council is a local government area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, established on 29 July 1890 through the amalgamation of three boroughs. The area is bounded by Willoughby to the north and north-w ...

suburb of Waverton in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It is served by

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of Railways in Sydney, suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban r ...

T1 North Shore line services. The station is located on Bay Road, Waverton, in the

local government area of

, Australia. It was designed and built by New South Wales Department of Railways. It is also known as Waverton Railway Station group. The station was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

Waverton railway station is located on the North Shore line, between Wollstonecraft and

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

railway stations. The North Shore of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

can be defined as a relatively narrow strip of land extending from Milsons Point to Waitara, a distance of approximately . In 1887, tenders were called for construction of a branch line extending south from Hornsby to the North Shore. The 16.8 km section between Hornsby and St Leonards was opened on 1 January 1890. Stations provided at the opening of the line included Chatswood and St Leonards. A single line was constructed at the time. The line between St Leonards and Milsons Point (the terminus at the edge of the harbour) was completed 1 May 1893. Waverton Railway Station was opened on 1 May 1895. At the time, the station was named Bay Road but on 20 May 1929, Bay Road was renamed Waverton - the name it carries today. The area was scarcely settled in 1893, but a committee of inquiry found that the route for the line recommended was the best to give a good grade for the railway to the harbourside, hence the route opening up new areas for settlement. The line between St Leonards and Milsons Point (the terminus) was built as double track and both Wollstonecraft and Waverton stations were built to suit the duplicated track from the outset. At the time of opening, Waverton railway station consisted of two side platforms (for Up and Down North Shore lines), with a small timber station building on each of the platforms. Bay Road tunnel (and

Lavender Bay Lavender Bay is a harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore (Sydney), North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Lavender Bay is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Austral ...

tunnel) were both built during construction of the line between St Leonards and

Milsons Point Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney. Milsons Point is also the geo ...

and opened for service as double track tunnels in 1893. After leaving the previous station (Wollstonecraft), the North Shore line passes through a series of curves before passing through the relatively short Bay Road tunnel ('S' curve within the tunnel), then a rock cutting before entering Waverton station. The rock cutting is spanned by a bridge carrying a local road (Bay Road). The Booking Office for Waverton Railway Station was built on the overhead bridge with steps leading down to each of the platforms at the time of opening. After Waverton, the line then proceeded to the original Milsons Point station at

. Electrification of the North Shore line was opened in 1927, with full electric services in 1928. Automatic signalling followed and most signal boxes on the line were closed. The signalling in the vicinity of Waverton was then controlled by North Sydney signal box. With the opening of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

in 1932 and construction of new stations at North Sydney and Milsons Point on a much higher level (to suit the bridge arrangements), the trackwork at Waverton was substantially altered. The original line which was laid down the grade, through the Lavender Bay tunnel to the original Milsons Point station at Lavender Bay became a branch line. The original terminus sidings at Milsons Point was then re-used as off peak storage sidings for the suburban electric cars, and is still in use today. To suit this new arrangement and allow electric car sets to either re-enter service after storage at the sidings, or for car sets to proceed to the sidings, a new dead-end siding was laid in behind the existing Down main platform at Waverton, but at a slightly higher level. Trains from the storage sidings would proceed into the dead-end, reverse and proceed through points toward North Sydney, whereas trains coming out of service would enter the dead-end siding from North Sydney, reverse and proceed down to Lavender Bay. This arrangement is still in use today. The 1895-built overhead Booking Office was replaced in 1993, with the design of the original structure and original features such as steps being repeated in the new building. The station received an accessibility upgrade which included lifts on each platform at some point between January 1992 and September 1998. It was one of the first low patronage stations in Sydney to receive an easy access upgrade, along with Pennant Hills. The station received unusual attention in January 2007, when part of the Platform 2 face was seen to have an apparition of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

on it. Church leaders are unconvinced but remaining open-minded about the apparition, which has been explained as a combination of worn away paint and moss. People visited the station to see the apparition, requiring station staff to ensure that no observer is hit by a passing train.

Description

Buildings

Overhead Booking Office - 1993 replica of 1893 building

Context

Waverton Railway Station consists of two platforms, platform shelters, new

stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical direction, vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps wh ...

and lifts, and an overhead booking office.

Overhead booking office (1993)

The present building was rebuilt in 1993 substantially in the form and design of the original 1893 structure. The building fronts Bay Rd and spans across both railway tracks and is a single storey

weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...

building with corrugated-iron gabled roof with timber

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

s and gablets. The streetside verandah is supported on timber posts with decorative cast iron valance.

Condition

As at 10 September 2008, the station building was good.

Modifications and dates

Waverton Booking Office remains on the bridge much as it was built in 1893. Apart from a number of shelters on the platforms, there are no other railway buildings at Waverton station. Lifts have been added to the station arrangements in recent years.

Services

Platforms

Transport links

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia. History The origins of Busw ...

operates one bus route via Waverton station, under

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is a Government of New South Wales, New South Wales Government transport services and roads List of New South Wales government agencies, agency established on 1 November 2011. The agency is a different entity to the NSW ...

: Bay Rd: *265: Lane Cove to

Waverton station is served by two NightRide routes: *N90: Hornsby station to Town Hall station *N91: to

Trackplan

Gallery

File:Waverton railway station.jpg, Station platforms and concourse building in September 2006 File:Waverton Railway Station 1.JPG, Waverton railway station's booking office File:Disused railway siding at Waverton railway station December 2020.jpg, A siding adjacent to the northbound platform in 2020

Heritage listing

As at 8 May 2013, Waverton Railway Station Building has significance for its aesthetic contribution to the historic character of the North Shore Line as a whole. The current overhead booking office was rebuilt in 1993, substantially in the form and detail of the original 1893 structure and makes an important contribution to the streetscape and surrounding setting. Waverton railway station was listed on the

on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The place has historical significance for its associations with the opening of the Short North Line (connecting the North Shore to the harbour) and the resulting phase of increased development in the surrounding area in the late 19th century. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Waverton Railway Station has significance for its aesthetic contribution to the historic character of the North Shore Line as a whole. The current overhead booking office was rebuilt in 1993, substantially in the form and detail of the original 1893 structure and makes an important contribution to the streetscape and surrounding setting. The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The place has the potential to contribute to the local community's sense of place and can provide a connection to the local community's history.

References

Attribution

External links

*
Waverton station details
Transport for New South Wales {{Transport for New South Wales railway stations, North Shore & Northern=y, Northern=y, Western=y, state=collapsed Easy Access railway stations in Sydney Railway stations in Australia opened in 1893 New South Wales State Heritage Register Waverton, New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register North Shore railway line North Shore (Sydney)