[1] One of the principal forces shaping the government's construction of the line from Toowoomba to Warwick was the minimising the cost involved, and hence, the cheapest possible route was chosen.

This explains why the location of the first terminus at Warwick was chosen to the north of the town and thereby not requiring a bridge over the Condamine River.

This redevelopment was spurred by the planned extension of the line to the New South Wales border at Wallangarra, agreed to by the Queensland Parliament in August 1884.

[1] A report in the Warwick Examiner and Times published on October 12, 1887, describes the progress on the redevelopment plan of the site.

This perceived lack of support was thought to reflect the Queensland Government's uncaring disposition toward Warwick at the time.

"[1] Whilst thus dismissed the passenger station constructed was a substantial single storeyed stone building, with rendered brick portico of classical derivation.

An early description of the passenger station describes verandah awnings attached to the eastern side of the building which provide shelter over the platforms.

Local contractors, Campbell and Thompson were awarded the contract for the station master's residence on 31 July 1888, and this was constructed at the southern end of the railway site.

This was planned to minimise the risk of people living on the eastern side of the railway complex, crossing the tracks.

Further extensions of the 1910s included the May 1912 replacement of a 40-foot (12 m) turntable on the northern end of the site with a 58-foot (18 m) model, to accommodate larger locomotives.

[1] A legendary event of 1917 at the station catapulted the site to national significance when an egg was thrown at Prime Minister Billy Hughes knocking off his hat whilst he was visiting Warwick during the conscription referendum.

[1][2] In 1920, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) visited Warwick by train, where he inspected the local Boy Scouts at the railway station before travelling by car to the rotunda in Leslie Park.

[3] A c. 1940s photograph of the site shows extensive gardens on the west side of the passenger station, adjacent to the entrance, extending from Grafton Street.

[1] From the 1960s the importance of the Warwick station diminished, with increased road competition and the consequent reduction of railway traffic.

[1] A fire spread through the passenger station in September 1963, destroying much of the interior of the building and damaging some external areas.

The gabled roof is of corrugated iron, with translucent skylight panels and a deep overhang on the western side protecting the loading bays.

Added to the south of the building is a small timber office, and to the west is a recent steel canopy structure.

The north and south ends have large battened gates giving entry to the internal siding, and lunette windows centred within the gable.

Connected to the south end of the building is a timber office, with a posted verandah to its north and west sides, and a gabled corrugated iron roof.

Enclosing this part of the complex is a perimeter fence of timber posts with a piece of upturned railway track as the rail.

To the loading bay openings are substantial boarded and cross-braced sliding doors, and above are robust exposed timber roof trusses.

Also within the building is the warehouse crane (by Dorman and Long) at Door 4, and the scales (by Henry Pooley and Sons) with checkers desk and cupboard.

The platform awning is of a common railway design with a butterfly roof reducing to a simple cantilever at the station, on a framing of narrow steel lattice girders.

At the eastern end of the footbridge is the Railways Institute Building which has corrugated iron walls and gabled roof, and a small timber lean-to addition.

The first is the Single Men's Quarters, a timber building with a hipped corrugated iron roof, and a posted verandah to all four sides, onto which open several doorways.

Similar to other parts of the complex, it has a perimeter fence of timber posts and a piece of upturned railway track as the rail.

[1] Next is the Inspectors quarters, a high-set timber house with front verandah returning to the southern side, which is apparently a standard elevated pyramidal gatekeepers cottage.

[1] To the north and south of the site, on Fitzroy and Percy Streets, concrete subways have been constructed for the road traffic, with bridges for the railways, to replace the level crossings.

The Passenger Station and Goods Shed are unusual among Queensland railway building, as they were constructed from stone, reflecting the abundant supply of local sandstone.

The site with extant passenger station, goods' shed, footbridge, turntable pit, various residences, camping quarters, railway workers' institute and other communal buildings, sale yards and various other smaller buildings and structures, including the extant sidings is an important document of Queensland railway history.