Historical information

The Braybrook Junction railway station was opened on 7th September 1885 at the junction of the railway lines to Ballarat and to Bendigo. In 1904 H. V. McKay purchased the Braybrook Implement Works nearby, and in 1906 he moved his Sunshine Harvester Works agricultural machinery business from Ballarat to Braybrook Junction. In 1907 the station and township were renamed Sunshine after the Sunshine Harvester Works.

On 20 April 1908 (Easter Monday), Sunshine station was the scene of the biggest train disaster in Victoria, when 44 people were killed and 400 injured from the 1100 people that were aboard the two trains. A Melbourne bound train from Bendigo collided with the rear of a train from Ballarat. There is a memorial plaque on platform 1 at the present Sunshine station.

Sunshine station has recently been undergoing a complete rebuild. On 20 January 2014 the station, although not yet completed, was opened for train use, after being closed for several weeks.

Significance

This photograph is significant because it is a reminder that the present Sunshine station and the nearby area were once named Braybrook Junction. It also shows what the Station, the Signal Box, and the station personnel looked like in circa 1905.

Physical description

Monochrome photograph showing Braybrook Junction Station and the Signal Box, plus station personnel. One of the personnel is holding a 'Staff' which was actually the authority for the train to proceed to the next Station or Signal Box. Photograph has substantial crazing in the upper left corner, a long diagonal crease, and dog eared corners.

Inscriptions & markings

BRAYBROOK JUNCTN