Abandoned Oz - Sydney’s 1930’s Wooden Escalators - Wynyard Railway Station

Wynyard Railway Station - York Street 1930’s Wooden Escalators.
3 of the 4 Wooden escalators were installed in 1932 with the 4th installed 20 years later in 1952.
In 2017 the wooden steps were removed and the escalators were overhauled.
New metal steps were installed also.
A number of the wooden steps were saved and were used to make a sculpture created by Sculptor Chris Fox.
The project took approx 6 months to complete.
The sculpture is located at the base of the current escalators.
#urbanexploration #urbex #travel

[@ecopennylife]

Great idea preserving the old escalator steps as a sculpture 🥰

[@aussiejohn5835]

I can't imagine how many times I rode the wooden escalators over the years and looking at them now on the ceiling, just about turns my world upside down. I must say that the bumps between the escalators have certainly made it painful to slide down, and I remember landing at the bottom at quite a hefty pace before those bumps were even thought of. Grabbing the rubber hand grip was a painful but effective brake.

[@diracflux]

Same. And now we can look at the sculpture and think that we have likely stepped on many of its pieces.

[@aussiejohn5835]

@@diracflux Yes, it's quite a strange feeling.

[@KanyeKetchup]

Something different I like it

[@murraykitson1436]

Another famous Sydney institution known for its wooden escalators was David Jones Elizabeth Street Store. The clunking noise they made added atmosphere to the place along with the original lifts with their drivers.

[@aliciarobertson4979]

Well remembered by this great-gran; the lifts there too.

[@curleyduck]

Lol I use to work in the building above 13 yrs ago, all of that top bit was very different back then. Looks pretty bland there now. I am however glad they kept the wooden escalators

[@jonanna8516]

I think that’s very cool. Thanks for showing us

[@hankfacer7098]

Thank you, great video as usual. Have not been down that part of town for maybe 20 years. Great to see the sculpture.

[@aliciarobertson4979]

Thank you uploading this. 😊 I well remember them. Firstly when they were installed, when the fourth one was added (all during my childhood). When I started work my job meant that I alighted at Wynyard in the morning and used them, the reverse coming home. The sculpture is indeed a unique way of remembering the old escalators. The photo above as you descend on the replacements is dated 1948 and brought back memories for me too!

[@jet121]

I need to get out more....I'm now watching a video about an escalator, THANKYOU this has inspired me to change my life...We are all too comfortable and that is a waste.

[@belindaf8821]

I was thrilled to see these go. My mum's guide dog had two toes ripped off by those York street escalators. We had to go up them to get a bus, due to trackwork, and when we got to the top, her toes got stuck between the grooves and went into the mechanism. It was one of the worst moments of my life, and I'm still scared of escalators because of it. My brother and I were 8 and 4 at the time, and since we were in front of mum and the City Rail staff member who was helping us, we thankfully didn't see what happened. Hearing it was bad enough. The sudden screaming of our dog, mum and the staff member sent us racing out of the building and we basically sprinted down the road... then we hid behind a letterbox until someone came looking for us. They had to wait for a vet to anaesthetise the dog, and for someone to come and reverse the escalator so they could cut her out of it. My dog was okay afterwards and went back to work after a few months (minus two toes), but she only narrowly missed losing her whole leg. I'm a historian, I'm 100% all for saving historical things, but those kinds of escalators are downright dangerous. I've heard other horror stories about them getting people's toes and shoes, so it's not like this was an isolated incident. I think the way they've turned them into an art installation rather than scrapping them completely is pretty cool.

[@paulgerrard9227]

They were slow but worked a long life. My grandfather my father and I all used them. If they stopped nobody liked to walk up....there used to be just three plus stairs...on the right going up. Left going down

[@arokh72]

Wow, I didn't even know they were removed, but then again the last time I was at Wynyard was in 2009, when I was a CSA for the then Cityrail.

[@markpusko2480]

I escaped Wynyard in 2002 glad to get away from the SM who was there at the time. One bloke who never gained my respect.

[@arokh72]

@@markpusko2480 can't remember his name, but I wonder if it was the same bloke. Big fella who sat in his office all day, and was a real stickler aka areshole about the uniform.

[@markpusko2480]

@@arokh72 initials were L.H. tall white haired bloke not only obsessed about uniform but also about certain women covering for him when there was random drug & alcohol testing. Amongst other things

[@matthewbrown6163]

Many a lady were caught out with these in their stilettos as they arrived at the time. My then GF always wore flat shoes until she got off them going into & from work.

[@johno9507]

I remember my Dad taking me on the wooden escalator as a boy in the early 1980s while telling me that his father took him on them as a kid in the 1930s. 🇦🇺

[@michaelstrainandbasketball5669]

good job

[@landspide]

Wynyardian Mobius Knot

[@zingerboxdemolisher]

another cool spot: st peters brick pit (not abandoned but is sydneys history)

[@attipekkajames]

Wooden escalators at sculpture from 1950's. Repleced two times.

[@Johnny-dz4jc]

just imagine if there is earthquake and there are people under the wooden escalator when it happen.