BOWENFELS - The Railway Station Before Lithgow

🚂 BOWENFELS — THE RAILWAY STATION BEFORE LITHGOW On the western edge of Lithgow stands an old sandstone railway station where trains still thunder past… but no longer stop. This is Bowenfels Railway Station, opened on 18 October 1869 as the western terminus of the railway across the Blue Mountains. For the first five years of railway travel into the Lithgow Valley, Bowenfels was its only station. But the arrival of the railway would help transform everything around it. ⛏️ Coal mining expanded. 🏭 Industry followed. 🚂 Lithgow grew. And eventually, the growing industrial town would overshadow the little railway terminus that had helped make that growth possible. In this episode of Shadowed Secrets, we explore the surviving Bowenfels railway precinct and uncover more than 150 years of history — from the construction of the Main Western Railway and the Great Zig Zag to Lithgow’s industrial expansion, electrification, the station’s final passenger service in 1974, and the remarkable day in 1954 when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived at Bowenfels by Royal Train. 👑🚂 Today, the original 1869 sandstone station, Station Master’s residence and platform still survive beside the active Main Western railway. The trains are still here. The railway is still here. But they don’t stop at Bowenfels anymore. 🎥 Join me as we explore another overlooked piece of New South Wales history and uncover the stories still hiding in the landscape. 👍 If you enjoy forgotten Australian history, lost railway stations, abandoned places and stories from the past, consider liking the video and subscribing to Shadowed Secrets for more. #Bowenfels #Lithgow #RailwayHistory #AustralianHistory #BlueMountains #NSWRailways #BowenfelsRailwayStation #LithgowHistory #GreatWesternRailway #MainWesternLine #GreatZigZag #HistoricRailways #ForgottenHistory #NSWHistory #ShadowedSecrets