Free entry Open weekdays 8.30am to 4.30pm
Exhibition open 15 November 2010 to 24 June 2011

*** exhibition extended to 24 June 2011!
*** also open June long weekend, 11-13 June 8.30am to 4.30pm

The exhibition tells the story of Central Station, one of Sydney's major architectural landmarks. Inspired by architectural plans and historic photos, the exhibition includes a model of the station in 1958, many model trains and some interesting facts about this major transport hub.

Central Station is one of Sydney's major architectural landmarks. It, together with a complex of buildings that includes the Railway Institute, the former Parcels Post Office, the Mortuary Station and yards comprises the Sydney Railway Terminus precinct. This important southern gateway to the city reminds us of the grandeur and romance of rail travel in days gone by. More importantly, Central Station is a heritage icon that continues to be adapted to meet changing patterns of travel and customer needs.

The design of the main building was a collaboration between government architect, Walter Liberty Vernon, and railway engineer, Henry Deane. Their brief was to create a monumental work of stateliness and beauty which, when completed, would be the largest railway station in the Southern Hemisphere, and rival some of the grand stations in Great Britain. With its distinctive Pyrmont 'yellow block' sandstone, imposing clock tower and clever separation of train, tram, bus and foot passengers, it would become the most significant railway station in Australia.

When Central Station opened in 1906, it was designed to cater for 40,000 passengers a day. Today 85,000 people pass through this vibrant railway hub on their daily journeys. Over time, while respecting the significant fabric of its original structure, the Station has adapted to meet the changing demands of the state's vast urban and rural rail network. The challenge is to maintain this outstanding complex as a relevant and dynamic portal for future generations in an environment of evolving technology and ever-changing passenger trends.


Did you know?
Q: What are the 'catacombs'?
Underneath Central Station is a vast basement with tunnels and passages for moving parcels, food and freight.

Q: Where are the 'flying junctions?
The 'flying junctions' are at the Redfern approach to Central and allow trains to change tracks before they reach their designated platform.

Q: Where are the 'ghost' platforms?
There are two spare underground platforms (platforms 26 and 27) below Chalmers Street, above Platforms 24 and 25 which serve the Eastern Suburbs Railway (Illawarra line).

Q: What happened on Black Thursday in 1976?
This was the day before Good Friday which, up until the Sydney Olympics, had the greatest number of passengers leaving Sydney. Every available carriage was kept on standby to cope with demand.

Q: When was Sydney's railway terminus known as before it was officially named Central Station in 2000?
Central has variously been called Central Steam, Central Electric, Sydney Terminal and Sydney Central.

Q: How many pies were baked on the premises each year in the 1960s?
1.5 million

Q: Who was the first Royal visitor to catch a train at Central Station?
Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in June 1920

Q: Who was 'Baby Bertha'
Baby Bertha was a World War I war trophy. It was a large rail-mounted gun captured from the Germans near Amiens in 1918 and displayed at the corner of Eddy Avenue between 1920 and 1923

Q: How many people travelled by rail during the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games?
29.5 million

Q: What was the 'Pancake Express'?
In 1986 a pancake restaurant operated from carriages in the old Mortuary Station

Q: What is on top of the dome of the clock tower?
In addition to a lightning conductor, work is underway in 2010 to install a new flagpole to fly the Australian flag.

Q: What was “The Dive”
The goods line to Darling Harbour passed through a cutting and 'dived' into a tunnel under George Street.