Item 9000

Originally the pit lid was brought to the Museum’s (Templin Pioneer Museum) attention that during refurbishing of the pavement in the main street, the old cover had been removed and taken.
off.
Two reasons.
1. The original cover, was extremely heavy with the technicians complaining regularly.
2. The red brick pit lid frame was not the same size as the modern pit lids so with the installation of the nbn the pit was remediated with a modern platic pit and lid.

The cover was to be scrapped. The museum realized that it was significant so advocated that it should go to a museum.
It was in the care of Alan Cant our local Tech. He chose the Telstra Museum. Safe now, not scrapped.

The interior of the pit was bricked.

This is significant. Templin asked the leader of Scenic Rim Heritage, Mark Paddick, for advice.
Mark checked out the available information and put in a request to have a plexiglass cover for the pit. A story board will be created. But, like you have found, there is not a great deal of information.

As it was an original pit, the cover and all the tools that were required to open it (Templin has these) confirms this.
We believe it was put in to service the rail line that was opened on the 12th September, 1887.
In rail records it states that morse messages were sent along the line reporting any accidents or flooding etc.

The picture shows where the pit was.

I. Skinner.
11/11/2021