AGY-3552 | Archives Branch [State Rail]

Full description

The Archives was established by September 1955. The background to its establishment was as follows: Mr R. Wylie, Research officer in the Railways Secretariat had amassed a collection of records including plans, drawings, photographs and written records from various parts of the Department of Railways to be displayed in an exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Railways in New South Wales. Mr Wylie negotiated with the Secretary for the provision of a central storage facility to ensure the permanent preservation of the records.

Between 1956 and 1959 part-time clerical assistance was made available for listing the collection to which records were added from various locations within the Department. In 1959 Mr John Forsyth was transferred to the Secretariat to assist with the archives and to replace Mr Wylie after his retirement in 1961.

The Archives Officer was without assistance from 1961 until 1968 during which time records continued to be added to the collection; inquires were received from within the Department and from the public; technical histories of the various lines were prepared; and vintage steam train tours were organised. A junior clerk was added to the establishment in 1968 followed by an Assistant Archives Officer in 1972. (1)

The Archives developed to employ professionally trained archivists and to collect a significant collection of records of the State Rail Authority and its predecessors working collaboratively with the Archives Authority of New South Wales (later State Records), to arrange and describe its collection according to archival principles and to make it available for reference.

By October 1972 the Archives appeared to comprise a section of the Central Records Bureau whose role was described as follows: "Proper storage in the basement of Menzies' Building of files and Record Registers relating thereto handles by Past Records sub-section. These embrace all papers registered prior to 1970 with those destroyed (redundant or unimportant) from time to time in accordance with approval of the Archives Authority. (2)

By 1980 the Archives formed part of the business unit 'Records, Couriers and Archives' which reported through the Manager Buildings and Office Services to the Administrative Branch. (3) It remained in this section reporting to the Administration Manger, Secretariat until at least 31 August 1987. The staff then consisted of 1 Senior Archivist, 2 Archives Officers, 1 Assistant Archives Officer and a clerk, 1st grade. (4)

The Archives closed in 2000 and the records were transferred to State Records Authority of New South Wales. (5)

Endnotes
(1) 'Working in the Railways', by Tam Best, Archives and Manuscripts, (Volume 15 No. 1) May 1987 pp. 48-50.
(2) SRNSW: NRS15741, 1/2/48. Functions of Sections and Duties and Responsibilities of Sectional Heads - Secretariat, Officer-in-Charge, Central Records Bureau 25 October 1972.
(3) SRNSW: NRS15741, 1/3/62 Administrative Branch - Organisation n.d (1980?).
(4) SRNSW: NRS15741, 1/4/105 SRA Organisation Charts - Administration Section Chart A&P2-2 p. 181 and Records, Couriers and Archives Chart A&P2-6 Page 185.
(5) State Records Authority of New South Wales, Annual Report, 1999-2000, p.53; ibid., 2000-2001, p.60.