NSW State Emblem

A faded NSW Department of Railways emblem is mounted on the side of one of the historic carriages at Eveleigh Paint Shop. The emblem is the original three-coloured roundel of the department, featuring the state coat of arms inside a banded surround. The colours have faded; the gold and red of the original have softened to ochre and rust-pink. The metal of the emblem is dark, oxidised in patches. The carriage paint behind it is the standard chocolate-and-cream livery, also faded with age. The emblem has not been refurbished. The whole assembly is the original. It reads as one of the cleaner pieces of historical evidence the carriage carries.

The NSW Department of Railways was the operator of the state's railway network from the colonial era until 1972, when the department was reorganised under the Public Transport Commission. The emblem in this photograph dates from sometime in the department's working life, attached to whichever carriage carried it from the moment of installation. After 1972 the branding changed; later operators used different liveries. The original Department of Railways emblems were either painted over or left to fade in place. This one was left to fade. The 2016 photograph captures it before any restoration work touched the surface.