Residents of a regional town on the cusp of change want state and federal governments to buy an old railway yard which has reportedly sat vacant for five years to provide more jobs.

Lithgow is an industrial town at its heart. Located on the western slope of the Blue Mountains, nearly 50 per cent of its current economic activity is generated through the coal-mining and coal-fired power industry, according to the council.

But as the country works to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, many in the town are worried about the future of local jobs. That’s where the Lithgow Locomotive Workshop – known by residents as “the loco” – comes in.

The 11.6-hectare site was recently put up for sale by owners Pacific National, who purchased the workshop in 2002 as part of the acquisition of FreightCorp,

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