Drumsite Industrial Area

The Drumsite Industrial Area comprises the remnants of the former incline railway between Drumsite and the power house in Flying Fish Cove, the Spray Painting Shop at the top of the railway and the Sample Shed, now located near the Laboratory. The area has played an important role in the history of phosphate mining on Christmas Island; however, most of the site is now a modern industrial site.^[1]

The main area of heritage interest is the remains of the incline railway, constructed in 1914 and the 1930s ore chute system, although other elements have value to segments of the current island community. The railway was the main means of transport between the cove settlement and the upper terrace until construction of the modern road to Poon Saan from 1958. The incline railway began at Drumsite and terminated near the old power station in the main settlement precinct. The average gradient of the line was 1 in 6.5. The permanent way comprises two standard gauge tracks, with a concrete strip between. One track was for rail traffic going up, the other for rail cars going down. Motor vehicles could use the strip in between. At Drumsite, loaded rail wagons were attached to a cable while empty wagons at the bottom of the incline were similarly attached. The empty wagons provided some counterbalance to the full wagons, but the essential power and control was supplied by winding gear which wound the cables over drums at Drumsite. Goods and people were also raised and lowered on the incline. The incline railway system was fundamental to the success and expansion of the mining operation permitting large volumes of ore to be moved from the mining site to the lower terrace for export. It was also a considerable technical achievement. The industrial area also includes the sample shed and paint shed which both apparently housed part of the incline winding gear. The roof of the sample shed includes an unusual arrangement of curving steel struts and is of architectural and technical interest.^[1]