Architecture
Wedderburn is the only remaining original example of a Vogel class 5 station. It is little changed from when built, the only addition being a ladies’ toilet (date unknown). It is a lean-to structure with a moderately pitched roof - the toilet roof is at a slightly steeper pitch. The walls are clad with rusticated weatherboards and the roof is corrugated iron. As built, the station had, viewed from the platform, a central lobby, an office to the left and a ladies' waiting room to the right. The principal feature of this elevation is the valancing above the lobby entrance. The separate sections of the building are defined by pilasters and the building is capped by a bargeboard. The lobby, lined by exterior weatherboards, is flanked by a pair of double-hung sash windows. The toilet block has two windows to the right of a ventilation aperture with a timber lattice cover. The interior rooms match the simplicity of the exterior. The walls are horizontally match-lined. There was a stove, not a fireplace.
History
The Ranfurly-Wedderburn section of the Otago Central Railway opened on 1 June 1900. The station building was completed earlier that year. Wedderburn was a flag station and the main traffic carried from the station was livestock. Like a lot of former mining and coaching centres, Wedderburn was rejuvenated by the arrival of the railway. From 1940 it was staffed at times of busy freight traffic. In 1980 it was proposed to close Wedderburn to less-than-wagon-load freight. The district's residents were stirred into action and after a short campaign Associate Minister of Railways Aussie Malcolm reinstated this service, but from 1986 Wedderburn was open to full wagonload traffic only. The Otago Central Branch line closed in 1990 and the building has since been relocated 300 metres west of its original site, to a local curling club.
Architectural Significance
As the only extant unmodified Vogel class 5 station and one of the last built, Wedderburn is of considerable importance. It reveals the practical simplicity required for the smallest staffed stations. Little touches, such as the pilasters and valancing, embellish the platform elevation and impart some dignity to what is essentially a lean-to structure.
Historical Significance
Wedderburn has no great historical claims but its local importance is undeniable. The building served the local community for nearly 90 years from its erection. Now relocated nearby, it continues to serve a useful, if slightly unusual, local purpose as clubrooms for the local curling club.
Town / Landscape Value
Virtually hidden from public view, it has little impact on the landscape.
