The Newport Substation is a large red brick
and cement render neo-Classical building designed by the Way and
Works Branch of the Victorian Railways in conjunction with the engineering
firm Werz and MacLellan.
The facades are divided into three sections: a cement rendered basement
with square perforated metal ventilation openings; a face brick
lower floor with rectangular window openings having cement rendered
voussoirs; and a 'piano noble' with tall rounded arched window openings
having rendered drip moulds and keystones. A rendered moulding separates
the lower floor from the main level, and another encircles the building
at the arch opening line. A deep rendered cornice and a brick parapet
top the building.
The two halves of the building are distinguished
by the machine hall projecting forward at each end as separate pavilion,
topped by a semi-circular pediment. The switch cell section has
brick panels dividing the upper window openings, and has an insert
balcony along the side of the building at the mid-level; wrought
iron balustrading spans between the brick piers.
The whole side of one side of the building is taken
up by the machine hall, which is a full height space broken up at
the lower level by dividing walls, forming separate bays, which
housed the rotary converters. At one end is a loading bay originally
served by a siding from the adjacent track, and a bay for signaling
equipment is adjacent to the bay in larger substations. At the basement
level on this side of the building are separate walls designed to
support the heavy equipment; these form a series of catacomb-like
rooms.
On the other side of the building is the switchgear
housed on three levels in separate cells with interlocked doors;
each cell is continuous through all levels. Various types of switching
apparatus are located on the first two levels, the second level
opening to the balcony. At the top level is the bus bar chamber,
which provides power to all the cells. Stairwells at each end of
this section provide access to all levels; steel ladders reach the
bus bar chamber.
The main operating floor is the middle level, which
has a gallery and balcony overlooking the rotary bays. An office
and bathroom are provided at one end of the this level, below which
are battery rooms and other ancillary spaces including the building
entry. Below the operating gallery is a row of DC switch cells.
There are five surviving examples of this type,
located at Newmarket, Newport, Glenroy, North Fitzroy and Albion.
The largest is Newmarket while the smallest is Glenroy. At Newport
and North Fitzroy, the basic plan is varied by the switchgear section
being one window bay shorter than the machine hall at one end of
the building.
The use of the neo-Classical style for these substations
are comparable with other buildings designed by the Way and Works
Branch during the same period. These include Flinders Street Station,
additions to the Spencer Street Administrative Offices, and the
Jolimont Car Repair Sheds and several other station buildings. |
