Signalling love

Amongst the epic and groundbreaking stories of the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops are countless personal tales of friendship, camaraderie and love.
One such story can be spotted by those paying close attention to the brick walls of the Workshops. On the exterior wall of Bay 14, on the railway line side, a faint outline of a heart is painted onto the brickwork. This simple symbol of adoration was etched almost 70 years ago by a worker to signal to his new love as she passed by on the train.
SLNSW_FL19110715

Image: Eveleigh Workshops, 28 May 1939 (source: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales)

One such story can be spotted by those paying close attention to the brick walls of the Workshops. On the exterior wall of Bay 14, on the railway line side, a faint outline of a heart is painted onto the brickwork. This simple symbol of adoration was etched almost 70 years ago by a worker to signal to his new love as she passed by on the train.

IMG_4391

Locomotive Workshops, Bay 14 (Source: Curio Projects, 2023)

‘When I first met my wife, to let her know where I worked, what part of the workshops, I’d put one of these little heart signs on the brickwork ….. it must have been good marking paint the Railway used because I believe it’s probably still there…’

Keith Johnson, 1996, Eveleigh Social History Project

Curio Projects has been working with Mirvac and their extended team of in-house and consulting experts in construction, design and production to plan, design and implement this extraordinary award-winning project since 2016.

We are excited to share more stories of this industrial wonder and the workers who gave it life as we continue to develop the heritage interpretation and cultural tourism experience at the South Eveleigh precinct.

Click here to find out more about Curio’s work at South Eveleigh.