Cemetery Station No. 4 was a railway station on Sydney's Rookwood Cemetery railway line. It served the Rookwood Cemetery.
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The station opened on 15 June 1908 and closed on 29 December 1948.[1] This station ran to through the 'new' Jewish Section of past the Rookwood Crematorium (shielded from the trains by the still existent tall and decorative columbarium wall west of the building) and terminating with a siding at the 'new' Anglican & General Office that opened in the 1930s.[2] The station had a single platform (530' feet or 160 metres long) with a small building that presented a waiting room, Ladies and Gents toilet and a small room (accessed via the said waiting room) that contained the Electric Train Staff instrument.[3] There are several photographs of this station held in the N.S.W Transport Archives.
Working Of Trains At No. 4 Mortuary Station, 1934.
Loop Sidings, to enable engines to run around trains, were provided on the Branch near Lidcombe and at No. 4 Mortuary Station opposite the Platform.
The Branch line terminated in a Dead-end beyond No. 4 Mortuary Station, and a Dead-end Siding was provided on the Down side of and connected to the Branch line inside the points at the terminal end of the Loop Siding.
The Standing room in the clear at No. 4 Mortuary Station is as follows:—
Loop Siding: 654 feet, Terminal Dead-end: 595 feet, Dead-end Siding: 645 feet.
All points at No. 4 Mortuary Station were worked by Ball Lever; and, except when actually required for use, were secured by Standard Clip and S.L. Lock.
A down Home signal was provided at No. 4 Mortuary Station, worked from a Lever fixed at the foot of the ramp at the Lidcombe end of the platform.
The Lever working the Down Home signal, when not in use, was secured in the pulled-over position by means of the special device and S.L. Lock.
System of Working.—Electric Train Staff Working, with Miniature type Instruments, was in operation between Lidcombe and No. 4 Mortuary Station.
One Staff Instrument was located in the Signal-box at Lidcombe and one in the Cabin inside the Waiting Room on the Platform at No. 4 Mortuary Station. The instrument at No. 4 Mortuary Station was equipped for both Ordinary and Automatic working.
The doors of both the Waiting Room and the Cabin at No. 4 Mortuary Station were secured by S.L. Locks.
The Key of the Locks on these doors and of the Lock securing the Down Home signal Lever, when not in use, was kept in the safe custody by the Station-master, Lidcombe.
When it was necessary for a train or trains to be run on the Branch, the Station-master, Lidcombe, delivered to the Guard of the first train the Key to operate the locks, and the Guard had to ensure that he received that Key, except when an employee was deputed by the Station-master, Lidcombe, to take charge at No. 4 Mortuary Station, when that employee obtained the Key from, and returned it to the Station-master, Lidcombe.
Trains proceeding to and from Branch.— Not more than four (4) trains were allowed on the Branch between Lidcombe and No. 4 Mortuary Station at one and the same time, and the method of dealing with the trains was to be strictly in accordance with the following arrangements:—
(i) When one train only is to run, the Guard, on arrival at No. 4 Mortuary Station, must promptly place the Down Home signal at Stop, obtain the Electric Train Staff from the Driver and place it in the Instrument (inside the cabin, accessed through the Waiting Room). When the passengers have detrained, the engine must be run around the train via the Loop, and be attached to the train in readiness to depart on the Up journey.
The Electric Train Staff Instrument had to remain switched-in for Automatic Working. When the train was ready to depart, the Guard had to obtain a Train Staff from the Instrument and hand it to the Driver. Immediately prior to giving the All Right signal, the Guard had to clear the Down Home signal and secure the Lever.
(ii) When two trains were to run, the Guard of the first train had to proceed as prescribed in clause (i), except that he must not obtain the Train Staff from the Driver and place it in the Instrument or Clear the Down Home signal until the engine had run round the train and then propelled it into the Dead-end Siding.
When the second train had arrived, the Guard of that train attended to the working of the Down Home signal, and dealt with the Electric Train Staff in the similar manner to that prescribed in clause (i). The engine then run round the train via the Loop and propel the train to the Terminal Dead-end [Siding].
The first train had then to be drawn to the platform in readiness to proceed on the Up journey. The Guard of each train had to attend to the working of the Down Home signal, and deal with the Electric Train Staff. Immediately prior to giving the All Right signal, the Guard of the last train had to Clear the Down Home signal and secure the Lever.
(iii) When three trains ran on the Branch, the employee deputed by the Station-master, Lidcombe, was in charge of the arrangements at No. 4 Mortuary Station, and he had to switch-in for Ordinary working [of] the Electric Train Staff Instrument at that Station. Upon arrival of the first train and second trains, the engine must be run round those trains via the Loop. The first train being propelled to the Dead-end Siding, and the second train propelled to the Terminal Dead-end.
When the third train arrived, the engine must be run round via the Loop, and be attached to the Lidcombe end of the train in readiness to depart on the Up journey.
(iv) When four trains were run on the Branch, the employee in charge at No. 4 Mortuary Station had to adopt the following method of working:—
When the first train arrives, the engine must be detached, run round via the Loop, then be attached to the train at the Lidcombe end and propel it to the Terminal Dead-end, and draw it forward into the Loop where it will remain.
Upon arrival of the second train and third trains, they must be drawn forward into the Dead-end Siding and Terminal Dead-end respectively.
The fourth train, on arrival, is to remain at the Platform.
The engine of the first train (which is standing in the Loop) must be detached and attached to the Lidcombe end of the train standing at the Platform, and the engine which arrived with that train is then to be detached.
When the train standing at the Platform had been dispatched on the Up journey—worked by the engine of the first train to arrive, the engine which arrived by the fourth train is to be attached to the Train in the Terminal Dead-end, and the engine which arrived by that train detached.
This train was then drawn to the platform in readiness to depart.
The engine detached from the third train was to be attached to the second train in the Dead-end Siding, and when the engine which arrived with that train has been detached, the train must be drawn to the Platform in readiness to depart.
Upon the departure of the third train, the remaining engine was to proceed via the Branch line, attach to the Lidcombe end of the train in the Loop, propel it to the Terminal Dead-end, than draw it forward to the Platform in readiness to depart.
In all cases when the train was standing in the Terminal Dead-end, the employee in charge at No. 4 Mortuary Station had to maintain the Down Home signal at Stop, and from there pilot the train to the platform.
Prior to the departure of the last train from No. 4 Mortuary Station, the employee in charge had to switch-in for Automatic Working the Electric Train Staff Instrument at that Station.
Facing Points at No. 4 Mortuary Station.
The Loop Facing points in the Branch at the Lidcombe end of No. 4 Mortuary Station were set in the ‘normal position’ for the Branch (or straight line) and secured in that position by Standard Clip and S.L. Lock.
When there was only one train on the Branch, the Guard would attend to the working of these points, securing them in the normal position immediately upon the completion of each operation.
When two trains ran on the Branch, the Guards of the respective trains were responsible for the working of the points, and securing them as aforementioned.
When three or four trains ran on the Branch, the employee in charge of No. 4 Mortuary Station attended to the working of the points for each train, and securing them in the normal position immediately upon completion of each operation.
Electric Train Staff Working introduced Nov. 11th, 1918—replacing the Staff and Ticket system (May 26, 1897) thereby allowing three trains to operate upon the branch. In Aug. 1924, No. 4 Mortuary Stations capacity increased. An additional refuge siding (the Dead-end Siding, 645 feet) allowed four trains to run on the Branch.
The Electric Staffs, small metal rods held in Staff Instruments. The Branch was a single section (designated ‘A’), Lidcombe Signal-box (5 Staffs) and No. 4 Mortuary Station (5 Staffs). Only one Staff could be released from the Instrument at any one time. Once the Staff for the section was placed back in the Instrument at the opposite end of the section, the line was, Clear. Only then could another be withdrawn. The Staffs were numbered 1 to 10 (Lidcombe / No. 4 Mortuary Station).
| Preceding station | Closed Lines | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Rookwood Cemetery Line |
towards Regents Street railway station
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