106644: East Perth Locomotive Depot Dd 594 Dm 581 V 1203
Whilst researching what I'd always thought had been partially used as a coal storage area on the west side of the East Perth Perth Station precinct with a number of government industries sharing the site, I read a journal article that sent me off the rails!
How did I not know the East Perth Locomotive Depot was actually on the
East Perth Power Station side of the railway line??
Turns out that was bullshit so pfff... after all the research I did to unfrog my head, I may as well include it on this site, especially as it plays a part in the de-industrialisation of East Perth which began post -1955.
The Running Sheds
A railway locomotive depot was established by the Western Australian Government Railways on the west side of the East Perth Power Station precinct on May 17, 1919. The previous locomotive depot (also known as the Engine Sheds and Running Sheds) had been located west of the Perth Railway Station, on the far side of the Goods Station Yard.
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These rail facilities were used to maintain, service and house locomotives. At the end of the shift, locomotives would return to the running sheds to refuel (coal and water), be cleaned, inspected, any repairs or maintenance required would be carried out and they would remain in the sheds until they were next in operation.
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With the increasing amount of industries in the locality of East Perth and the subsequent pollution emanating from them, housing was affordable in the area. Along with good employment opportunities, it attracted a substantial workforce (Boylen, 1994).
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The Shifting Landscape
​A significant change in the industrial estate began with the closing down of the Railway Locomotive Depot in October 1968. A new establishment was constructed next to Claisebrook train station, where it remains today. It was far quieter and cleaner with its emissions and waste than its previous facility.​
Locomotive Depot
1) Blue: The West Perth Running Sheds were constructed sometime around 1880
2) Red: The East Perth Locomotive Depot was established from 1919 until 1968
3) Yellow: The Claisebrook Railcar Depot was established from 1968 and still operates today.
The Stephenson and Hepburn Report
Titled "Plan for the Metropolitan Region, Perth and Fremantle", was an important document released in 1955, detailing the history of Perth's urban development and the way forward. The report led to the establishment of the Metropolitan Region Planning Authority in 1960 and the Metropolitan Scheme in 1963. A key emphasis of the report lay in its recommendations for a comprehensive road network, low-density metropolitan sprawl and encouraging industries to venture out into the urban fringes.
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For inner-city industrial areas like Claisebrook and East Perth with its limited space for expansion, as well as its older infrastructure, the city was no longer ideal. Modern industrial operations now required bigger space for factories, warehouses and logistics. The degradation of the environment in the city's industrial areas was also suddenly taken more serious in order to make the city more liveable.
109236: East Perth Locomotive Depot Demolition of bays next to main tracks
End of an Era
The East Perth Locomotive Depot was demolished in January 1969, as construction of the East Perth Terminal was progressing well further up the site, which Roderick Smith captured.
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Weston Langford's photo of the depot being demolished is dated 10 March 1968, which appears improbable against many other sources who state demolition took place in 1969. Nevertheless, his priceless snapshot captures a part of history that future generations like myself never got to see.
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By the 1970s, much of the big industries of the area had closed: the gasworks, Brown Street refractory and clay works, Brisbane and Wunderlich factory, Stoneware Pottery Company, Boronia Flour Mill, Australian Glass Manufacturers factory, Boans furniture factory, F. H. Faulding pharmaceutical factory and finally in 1981... East Perth Power Station ceased operating (O’Neill, 2001).
Over time as the city's population grew, heavy industrial areas were now being re-zoned to mix-use or residential, pushing out facilities that were still around. All that remains in East Perth today are two concrete batching plants, which have been given their marching orders. Both Hanson Construction Materials Pty Ltd and Holcim Australia Pty Ltd have been ordered to close by December 2027, with a year given to remediate their sites for redevelopment.
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​References
Boylen, L. Power for the People (Perth: 1994), p.45
O’Neill, G.R. ‘Claisebrook, East Perth’ Early Days vol.12 pt. 1 (2001), pp.60-72​
