Ascot Railway Station

As a quaintly suitable accessory for the nearby historical race grounds, Racecourse (later Ascot) Railway Station was purpose built to bring in the crowds to the popular horse races.

The oldest timber building dates from 1882 when a hallelujah moment was had by the Queensland Turf Club with the railway line extended here from Eagle Junction. Hence punters who until then had arrived by horse and buggy or cross river on a small steamer dubbed the ‘shuttlecock boat’ began pouring through the station and continued doing so in increasing numbers until the depression of the 1890’s.

In 1897 the name was changed to Ascot Station and by 1911 the overhead pedestrian bridge had been built. To follow shortly after was a second slightly larger building, made of pre cast concrete and this opened around the start of Wolrld War I in 1914. A planned pedestrian subway was postponed due to the start of the war but nevertheless was completed by 1916 and, like the overhead pass is sill in use.

Little else has changed at Ascot Station since then, including its semaphore signalling and interlocked cabin - the only station left in Brisbane to have retained these antiquated systems and one of only a handful in Queensland.