About the SideTracked Series
SideTracked Caches are intended to provide quick park and grabs at or around train stations. SideTracked started at Evesham station on August 10th 2007, placed by schnarff & bikermel76. It took a while to get started, but is now spreading across the world! You can find out more at the SideTracked website.
Lakemba Station
Line: T3 - Bankstown Line
Opened: 14 April 1909
Lakemba Station was opened on 14 April 1909. The original station at Lakemba had an island platform with entrance steps from the Haldon Street overbridge. A small timber station building with a ticket and parcels office was at the Belmore end with a small signal frame on the Bankstown side of the building. On 24 December 1919, a new brick station building with cantilever awnings and a signal box was opened at the Bankstown end of the station. A haunched beam footbridge with overhead booking office was erected with electrification in 1926.
On 31 January 1921, terminal arrangements were introduced at the Bankstown end of the station, providing for a locomotive to shunt into the engine dead-end. The Down train would proceed into the Terminal Siding where the light engine would couple on to the train, the train engine uncoupled and the train hauled into the Up platform for the return journey. The uncoupled locomotive would then move into the engine dead-end ready for the next train from Sydney. These arrangements were no longer necessary after electrification.
Information sourced from NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
The Future
This station, and those along the Sydenham to Bankstown line, will be converted from heavy rail into a metro style service called The South West Metro project with work due to begin in 2018. I encourage you, along with your log, to take as many photos of the station and its surrounds and add them to the gallery to help keep a pictorial journal of the changes that will be happening in the not too distant future. Two reference points are listed as suggested photo taking spots, but feel free to document any interesting things you see.
Did you know that NSW has a geocaching association? Geocaching NSW aims to enhance and improve the activity of geocaching and holds regular events where geocachers meet to enjoy their common interests. Visit the association website here.