NRS-16625 | Contract Registers for Siding Accommodation

Sidings were short branches from a railway track, often connected to the main line at both ends, that were used for the shunting, loading, unloading and storage of goods. These registers record the details of contracts for siding accommodation of the State Railway Northern Division. These contracts were made between the Railway Commissioners for New South Wales and local councils or companies. There is variation in the setting out of the two volumes that comprise the series but the following information is recorded: The location and lessee of the siding, agreement number and date, summary of the agreement sometimes divided into ‘Maintenance’; and ‘Other particulars’; reference numbers to correspondence with the District Engineer or Engineer for Existing Line; order number; cost of repairs to the permanent way.The first volume includes loose interleaved copies of some of the agreements and correspondence and an occasional diagram. Copies of correspondence and extracts from agreements are pasted into the second volume. There is an alphabetical index of locations and contractors at the front of the volumes.This series was originally part of State Rail Archives Series R244. This series included Contract Registers for Maintenance and Construction of Rolling Stock and rolling stock contract registers. These have been separated from this series and now constitute NRS 16450 Contract Registers for Maintenance and Construction of Rolling Stock, 1896 – 1967 and NRS 16626 Rolling Stock Contract Registers, 1943- 1967Custody History From 1955 until 2000 the State Rail Authority of New South Wales maintained an ‘in house archives’ consisting of the archival records of the Authority, its predecessor agencies and the private railway companies taken over by the government. The date ranges of the records were from 1849 until 2000. When the decision was made to close the ‘State Rail Archives’ the parts of the collection that were required as State archives were transferred to the State Records Authority of NSW. Those record series were incorporated into the State Records series system of archives control and were re-numbered.This series was formerly part of the State Rail Archives collection where it was identified as part of series R244. It may have been viewed in the State Rail Archives as series R244 and could have been previously cited as such in notes by researchers at State Rail Archives or in publications or unpublished works.