April 17, 1871
A railway station in the town of Scone in the colony (and present-day state) of New South Wales (NSW) was opened. Scone railway station was constructed as part of the NSW-based Great Northern Railway, which is also known today as the Main North Line. The inaugural duties for this station were carried out by Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry (1835-1913), 4th Earl Belmore, who served as NSW’s governor from 1868 to 1872.
Three days after the debut of Scone railway station, the Maitland Mercury highlighted what this new development would mean for that town’s residents. This newspaper asserted, “Another length of nine miles [14.5 kilometers] has at last been opened for traffic on the Great Northern Railway, and the inhabitants of Scone are now placed in communication with the sea coast and with the towns below them; the comfortless coach, dragging its dusty way over bad roads, up steep ranges, and along doubtful-looking sidings, will give place — for this much of the Great Northern Road at any rate — to the easy gliding motion of the railway carriage, with its large accommodation and its multitude of convenience.”
John Whitton (1820-1898), who was the engineer-in-charge for New South Wales Government Railways between 1856 and 1890, designed the still-intact brick building for Scone railway station. An internationally renowned engineer, Whitton has been nicknamed the Father of New South Wales Railways. Scone railway station was added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 1999.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on Scone railway station, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone_railway_station
Transportation History 
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