The State Rail Authority is the manager of one of the largest collections of heritage assets of any State Government organisation. This reflects its central role in the history of NSW - its economy, transport and communications - linking city and bush and moving commuters, postal services and goods for industry and commerce. Heritage Officer, John Petersen, reports on an item once familiar to all commuters: the railway clock. The State Rail Authority's collection includes rolling stock, track vehicles, machinery and equipment, antique furniture, clocks, artworks, trophies, banners, honour boards. All tell stories about what it was like to work for one of the state's biggest employers and how people experienced rail travel.

The Seth Thomas clock was a familiar sight in a Stationmaster's office and was used by administrative staff. Photograph courtesy of State Rail Authority of NSW.

The Authority has hundreds of stationmaster and platform clocks on site and in storage, which are held in high regard by railway users and staff, past and present. The railways were a major timekeeper and set standards across Australia. Some people set their watches from railway clocks. Others marked their days with the passing, arrival and departure of trains.

The proliferation of clocks reflects more than just a need to keep trains on time. Clocks were essential for rostering staff, safe signalling and monitoring the movement of rolling stock. Clocks also reflect the preoccupations of an emerging class of time-efficient commuters in the 20th century.

Clocks were regarded as indicators of a town's prosperity. Contemporary newspapers show public calls for larger platform clocks when a neighbouring but smaller town had a larger clock or more ornate dial.

The standard NSW government railway clock was American in origin. The completion of the trans-continental railway across America in 1869 impressed visiting NSW railway officers who compared the British and American railway systems and railway practices. Advances in American engineering and mass production meant cheaper and more reliable clocks.

The State Rail Authority is identifying its movable heritage by preparing conservation management plans with advice from the Heritage Office. To assess the significance of the clocks it is preparing a history of railway clocks including how the significance of clocks relates to particular places, groups of workers and regional communities. There may be opportunities to reinstate some clocks back to platforms and interiors, putting them back into operation, using documentation such as old photographs as evidence of their former use and location.

NSW State Government organisations maintain registers of heritage items, including movable heritage, and are required to care for them with due diligence. Some items of State significance in government ownership are listed on the State Heritage Register.

The State Rail Authority has employed a heritage advisor, Sophie Read, to manage its movable heritage collection. For any further information, contact her on (02) 9224 2434.

In 1870 the gatekeeper, telegraph staff, police and station master pose on Goulburn Station, the indispensable platform clock behind them. Photograph courtesy of the State Rail Authority of NSW.