Who 'lived-in'?

[Chubber]

I'm drawing up some station buildings along the lines of the Bodmin and Wenford set up [an 'L' shaped range of buildings around the ends of two parallel terminus lines] but I wish to break the skyline a bit by having a two-storey dwelling in the angle.

 

The Scalescene modular medium station is built in this fashion.

 

I understand from hours spent surfing the net that principally it was the station master who 'lived-in', but did he have a separate office amongst the other buildings somewhere?

 

I can think of the following separate spaces that I must provide for in a 1930-40s station, not including 'gents' and lamp room.

 

 

Entrance lobby incorporating ticket sales .........Deffo

 

Ticket office ............................................... "

 

General waiting room..................................... "

 

Ladies Room................................................. "

 

Parcels office.............................................. "

 

Porters/mess room...........................................?

 

Stationmaster's office.......................................?

 

What am I missing? Did the S'master have an office 'at home'?

 

I do remember a parcels room at Reading General, separate from the goods area.........

 

Refreshments? Would a small West of England town station have a full-time reffers or is a tea-kiosk more likely? Arlesford for instance on the SR Watercress Line has always had a reffers, currently fitted out a la 1950s if my memory serves, with a price list featuring 'Buns....6d' and so on.

 

Has anyone researched this previously or have any pertinent observations?

 

 

Quizzically yours,

 

Doug

[The Stationmaster]

The Stationmaster would normally have an office of his own as the only realistic alternative - work wise - would have been the Booking Office and that would have meant confidential stuff not being sufficiently secure plus it would pose some possible 'closeness' that auditors wouldn't like. However I wouldn't think it impossible that at very small stations the Station Master might also be the Booking Clerk and thus have a common office for both jobs although normally even small stations had separate offices.

 

Of course you might be in a situation where there wasn't a Stationmaster based at the station and it was covered by one based just along the line - a very common occurrence at smaller places. The accommodation would then be rented to someone else such as possibly a Signalman or a local PerWay man.

[Chubber]

Thanks for that, Mike. I've decided I'd like a S'Master at Bear's End, as he's already in the story line, a Mr Zebone Washgate, also an elder of the local Knipperdoling Chapel. Without him one level of local intrigue would be missing, as only he knows for sure where Inspector Luke Ought goes when he visits......[to nearby Bottom End Farm, on market days, where he and Desirae Dungmore, the farmer;s wife are having an illicit relationship]. Mr Washgate knows what is happening because his neice, Goldie Topp, is a dairy maid there and sends him messages scratched into pats of farm-house butter.

 

I better give him his own office, then, especially as Porter Pete has it in for Mr Washgate, all over a misunderstanding at the Pigeon Fanciers Club Annual Dance at Choosey Barsted...........

 

I hope that makes sense, so far?

[woodenhead]

Thanks for that, Mike. I've decided I'd like a S'Master at Bear's End, as he's already in the story line, a Mr Zebone Washgate, also an elder of the local Knipperdoling Chapel. Without him one level of local intrigue would be missing, as only he knows for sure where Inspector Luke Ought goes when he visits......[to nearby Bottom End Farm, on market days, where he and Desirae Dungmore, the farmer;s wife are having an elicit relationship]. Mr Washgate knows what is happening because his neice, Goldie Topp, is a dairy maid there and sends him messages scratched into pats of farm-house butter.

 

I better give him his own office, then, especially as Porter Pete has it in for Mr Washgate, all over a misunderstanding at the Pigeon Fanciers Club Annual Dance at Choosey Barsted...........

 

I hope that makes sense, so far?

 

Are you also planning an asylum for Bears End?

[Peter Bedding]

Where there was a loco shed, the Shedmaster/Loco Superintendent may well have been of sufficient rank to merit domestic accommodation.

 

Yeovil Town is a particular example in the South West. That long symmetrical station building originally provided two integral houses, one for the LSW Station Master, and one for the Loco Superintendent. (Although the GWR had office and working facilities on this site, they were relatively less than the LSW, and perhaps Pen Mill controlled both sites for GW purposes.)

 

Templecombe, too, had extensive loco facilities, and a number of railwayman houses. Quite likely these were shared between Station and Shed personnel.

 

PB

[Chubber]

Thank you, Peter, for that. I imagine that status and position were more important factors in pre-BR days. In the same way that drivers aspired to the first link, some railwaymen on the staff side were aiming for 'Stationmaster, Paddington'.

 

Woodenhead..I'll get you, at play-time!

 

Doug

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for that, Mike. I've decided I'd like a S'Master at Bear's End, as he's already in the story line, a Mr Zebone Washgate, also an elder of the local Knipperdoling Chapel. Without him one level of local intrigue would be missing, as only he knows for sure where Inspector Luke Ought goes when he visits......[to nearby Bottom End Farm, on market days, where he and Desirae Dungmore, the farmer;s wife are having an elicit relationship]. Mr Washgate knows what is happening because his neice, Goldie Topp, is a dairy maid there and sends him messages scratched into pats of farm-house butter.

 

I better give him his own office, then, especially as Porter Pete has it in for Mr Washgate, all over a misunderstanding at the Pigeon Fanciers Club Annual Dance at Choosey Barsted...........

 

I hope that makes sense, so far?

 

That makes excellent sense to me. many years ago when I was an Assistant Area Manager my boss (i.e the Area Manager) was indeed a leading light in, and regular Sunday preacher at, one of the various chapel sects you came across in Wales although no local intrigue in his case but he did get through the best part of 60 Senior Service in a working day (and greatly led me astray in that respect).

 

Country station staff 'involvement in the local community' (or with them ) was common at small stations and some of the various tv comedy series over the years have hardly scratched the surface. Going back to your original question a past, and older, colleague of mine recounted the occasion of his visit to a small station in the Welsh Valleys where he arrived during the middle of the day to find the place apparently deserted; no one in the Parcels Office, no one in the Porters Room, no one in the Booking Office and finally he came to the Station Master's Office - only to open the door to find the, hmm, 'lady' Booking Clerk and the Stationmaster thoroughly 'wrapped up in each other' on the Stationmaster's desk. But the crowning words of this little tale were ' and do you know - he still had his Stationmaster's hat on!' Anyway good excuse for a small station to have all the above facilities - but not necessarily any similar action scenes.

[cary hill]

Tavistock South had the following rooms:

 

Porters

Gentlemens

Inspector

Ladies Room 3rd Class

General Waiting

Booking Hall

Ticket Office

Store for books ( railway company stationery not Wymans or Smiths)

Ladies Room Ist Class

Parcels

Refreshments

 

All the above are marked on a copy of the "original" floorplan which I have.. I suspect that Tavistock South has a rather bigger "footprint" than Bodmin General, but thought the information might be useful.

 

Edited for clarity

[Boris]

Goathland initially had a counter for ticket sales and a hatch through into the station masters office (which was attached to the house and reached through the kitchen) for when the counter wasn't manned, his attention being attracted via a bell (which we now use as our doorbell). This was turned round in 1908-1910 when the porters lost their own room, the station master gained a double sized front room at the expense of his office, him being expected to use the goods office or the ticket office.

 

The station master was also provided with his own dressing room, which was never used and served as a third bedroom instead.

 

As an aside apparently ex army NCOs were a popular choice initially for station masters and one survivor of the charge of the light brigade in fact left the army and went straight in as one.

[Chubber]

Cary/Boris,

 

Thank you both for your input, I shan't look at my model when it's built without thinking of the Station Master's desk or the Station Master, toast in hand selling a ticket....

 

I've had a 'coal store' for waiting room fires suggested, too.

 

Doug

[AngusDe]

This might amuse:-

 

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete2.php?id=33638

 

The Station Master's house was built into the viaduct arches, on a line with a intensive service, lol!

 

Angus

[Chubber]

I bet Mrs Station Master wasn't too happy with a posting to that billet!!

 

Doug