Eveleigh Works (was Re: [NSW] C36 Class Boilers at Eveleigh)

[robson <robson@cia.com.au>]

Neil O'Connor wrote:
> 
> I went to Everleigh today too... amazing building. The structure 
> and heritage of the building has been exploited with all the old 
> overhead cranes still in place, and the carpet even includes lines 
> representing the railway track that once went through the centre. 
> The blacksmith workshops have been retained as they were with dirt 
> floor, all machinery intact and most of it still working. The Davy 
> press is huge! .....



It would make a great railway workshop, eh! 

There used to be some classic graffitti nearby (around the time that
Eveleigh was being gutted) that said .... "who will play in the
Technology Park."

Did you notice the Bay numbers woven into the carpet? They left out Bay
4A. They (at least one of the badged guides who was wearing a paper hat)
reckoned it would have confused the builders that were "refurbishing"
the place! Sums the whole Technology Park concept up for me some how. 

On one side of No.2 bay is the Blacksmiths area, but on the other is
about three times as much machinery as there was in its working days.
Nothing has been done to all that machinery since it was put there over
10 years ago. 

The blacksmith has also had complaints from the Technology Park about
the smoke and noise he occasionally makes. Therefore I doubt whether you
will ever see the Davy Press operating again. It used to vibrate the
whole building. How could you possibly split an atom in Bay 6 while that
bloody press is making connecting rods in Bay 1!!

Perhaps one savior is a comment made by the new director of the Power
House Museum at the launch of the Eveleigh Workshop video on Saturday. 

The PH Museum has (in partnership with the Sydney Cove Authority) become
more involved in heritage aspects of the Eveleigh precint. The new
director said he coined the phrase "Eveleigh Works", because he wants to
see a working rather than static Museum on both the Loco and Carriage
Workshop sites.