Disused Stations: Moreton-in-Marsh Station

Moreton-in-Marsh Station: Gallery 2:
7 August 1923 - May 1949

On the 7th of August 1923 De Glehn compound 4-4-2 No. 102 ‘La France’ of 1903 stands at Moreton-in-Marsh with a Down train. By this time the locomotive had a standard Swindon boiler and chimney. There were three of these French machines, the others being No. 103 ‘President’ and No. 104 ‘Alliance’. They had been obtained by George Jackson Churchward for comparison purposes and a fourth, Saint class prototype No. 171 ‘Albion’, was converted to 4-4-2 for comparison but was reconverted to 4-6-0 in 1907. Nameplates of the GWR De Glehns were mounted on the cab sides below the number plates. No. 102 was withdrawn in October 1926, quite a good innings for what was an experimental locomotive albeit somewhat 'Swindonised'. In the Sources section can be found a link to an article describing the De Glehns in more detail.

This pair of aerial views would have been taken within a couple of seconds of each other, making it difficult to ascertain if the goods train at The Down platform is moving or stationary although the drift direction of the steam from the safety valves suggests stationary. Another locomotive can be seen in the Up side sidings, which began life as exchange sidings for the horse tramway that was the Stratford & Moreton Railway. The Shipston-on-Stour branch train comprises the usual composite carriage, a single goods van and a 'Toad' brake van. The signal seen here on the branch just above the creamery was a shunt signal; this section of the branch actually being part of the goods yard with the branch proper not commencing until Todenham Road level crossing which is out of view to the left. The Limit of Shunt was immediately south of this level crossing. We are given a good view of the creamery and the layout of its pre 1937 buildings, as well as the precise location of the chimney which appears in so many photographs. It is clear why the east face of the island platform (this view is looking south-east) could not be used as a through road; the two vans at bottom left were sitting on a headshunt and there was no connection from the Up Main line without a reversal. The water tower adjacent to the footbridge is visible while towards top right can be seen the signal box, goods shed, cattle pens, yard crane and grounded carriage body. Moreton-in-Marsh gasworks is just out of view at top right. A number of road motor vehicles and bicycles can also be espied. Click here to see large version

Photo from Britain From Above reproduced with permission

The first of two aerial views, both of which were taken in May 1929 with wagons belonging to the LNER and the LMS present along with the Shipston-on-Stour mixed train; the branch towards Stretton-on-Fosse and Shipston-on-Stour can be seen curving away towards top left. The branch passenger service would be withdrawn two months later. Apart from the wagons already mentioned, GWR and private owner types predominate. At centre left is the former horse tramway wharf, by now occupied by two mileage sidings provided in 1907. At the buffer stop of the siding nearest the camera an open wagon lettered "J N" can be seen. What these letters stood for is something of a mystery but may have been James & Nathaniel Nadin, who were colliery owners and believed to have had premises, a coal depot, at Cheltenham. The locomotive of the goods train at the Down platform appears to be an ex ROD (Railway Operating Division) 2-8-0, GWR 3000 Class. The road running roughly left to right toward the bottom is the High Street and road turning off at far left leads to Batsford. The police station, now a private residence, is the building at the bottom, just right of centre and the first building set back when looking from left to right. Click here to see large version
Photo from Britain From Above reproduced with permission

Moreton-in-Marsh station facing towards Oxford. The running-in board on the left is now minus information about changing for the Shipston branch, which had lost its passenger service in July 1929 and it is likely the small notice fixed beneath the board advises of alternative arrangements by bus. The photograph therefore dates from July 1929 or soon afterwards. Moreton's goods shed can be seen on the right and there were also cattle pens, the latter hidden from view by the station building. Some GWR coaching stock is stabled on the left, some of it clerestory roofed. Clerestory stock was quite delightful, the roof allowing natural light to penetrate while also aiding ventilation without being, usually, too draughty. The coaching stock is in the GWR's brown and cream livery, often referred to as chocolate and cream. A form of this livery was to reappear in early British Railways days on the Western Region as a regional variation from the, then, standard carmine and cream livery. In the background, left of centre, part of Moreton's gasworks can be seen. The Moreton-in-Marsh Gas Company had been formed on 10 March 1846. Gas production began in 1848, precise date unclear but believed in May, with coal being brought in via the Stratford & Moreton Tramway. The gasworks was located on London Road and as far as can be determined there was never a direct rail connection, coal being taken the final short journey from the station by road. The decline of the gasworks began on the 19th of September 1929 when Moreton received a public electricity supply, eight years after Moreton's Playhouse Cinema received its own electricity supply. After a somewhat turbulent history, largely due to problems with coal supplies, gas production at Moreton ended in 1954. Gas was piped from Cheltenham and stored in Moreton's gasometer until 1958. The gasworks site was cleared in 1962-3.
Photo from John Mann collection

Facing north from the Up platform sometime after withdrawal of the Shipston-on-Stour passenger service, which shuffled away on its leisurely journey from the platform at far right. On the left the running-in board has now been reduced to announce only "MORETON-IN-MARSH" while behind it stands the corrugated iron hut which in due course would be replaced by the body of a Full Brake vehicle. On the Up platform can be seen the accoutrements of a bygone era, the milk churns and the loaded platform barrows. Compared to today, with about 30 seconds between irritating beeping noises as doors open and close, train travel could be a slow affair as items were loaded and unloaded and locomotives took on water. Nevertheless, experienced staff handled it all very efficiently. On the Up platform, passengers, some of whom appear to be military personnel, are awaiting a train and a number of suitcases and trunks are sitting on the platform. A staff member is carrying at least one more case, or bag, across the tracks.
Photo from John Mann collection

Looking at the vehicles present, this south-facing view from the road bridge was taken at a different time to the previous view but not too far apart and still 1937 or later but likely prior to the outbreak of war in 1939. The siding branching off on the right splits into the two mileage sidings on the site of the former tramway wharf while a third siding serves the north end dock. The roof of the original goods shed can be seen beyond the right hand side of the footbridge and along with the sidings on the Up side of the line an idea of the quite extensive goods facilities can be had. The mileage sidings had no connection with the goods yard proper at the south end of the station other than via the main line, the open area at right centre background being the station forecourt. Arguably, therefore, not the best use was made of the available land and this was a legacy of the OW&WR inheritance of the former horse tramway, its wharf and the need to divert the tramway into its station. Click here to see the same view today.
Photo from John Mann collection

Facing north from the station footbridge sometime after 1937 when the creamery, right, was taken over by United Dairies Ltd. The creamery's dock has an almost full length awning; compare this with the two aerial views from 1929 which show the original building with just a short awning over its single access doorway. The two-storey building seen here was erected by United Dairies and the architecture was very typical of the 1930s. The vans at the dock would have been shunted through the former Shipston-on-Stour platform, such a move still being possible at this time of course. Behind the platform on the left, two vans and what appear to be two open wagons sit in the north end dock and at far left some buildings of the former tramway wharf can be seen. Note the pit between the rails of the Down line. These pits were a common sight adjacent to platform ends and had several uses. They caught water overflow as locomotive crews used the adjacent water crane and were also used to dump ash as firemen took the opportunity to clean their fires. Firemen would also hose down the locomotive footplate to eliminate dust and much of this would also run off into the pits. Somebody then had to clean the pits out and steps down into the pit are just visible at the far end.

Photo from John Mann collection

The Brunel goods shed south of the station and on the Down side in GWR days and perhaps towards the end of that company's existence. Present is an unidentified 3201 Class 'Dean Goods' locomotive. The grounded carriage body on the right can be seen in one of the 1929 aerial views, in which it had a whiteish painted roof which is not evident in this scene. In the left background can be seen the 6 ton yard crane and the embankment taking London Road towards the bridge over the railway. The goods loading gauge can be seen just inside the arch and it is set in the GWR gauge position. This predominantly wooden shed was destroyed by fire during the 1950s and replaced by the smaller brick building a little further north which survives at the time of writing. The presence of the locomotive makes clear the shed was designed for the broad gauge, with the standard gauge track slewed to one side to align with the shed's internal platform. How often, if at all, the shed was used by broad gauge goods trains is not known.
Photo from Terry Bradley

In this view we can see the goods shed's internal platform and on the right the road vehicle bay which must have been very welcome during inclement weather. Away from the GWR it was more usual for the road vehicle bay to be external with a canopy for shelter, this being the arrangement provided with the 1950s replacement goods shed at Moreton-in-Marsh. In the road vehicle bay is what appears to be a post war Thornycroft 'Nippy' wearing either the early British Railways road fleet maroon and cream livery or the GWR road fleet livery which was chocolate brown and white. Which livery the Thornycroft carries is unfortunately impossible to determine. It will be seen from both goods shed photographs that it was served by a loop which itself diverged from and rejoined the Down Main line. The track seen alongside the open air platform, right, itself joined the Down Main immediately south of the Down platform, having first thrown out a short siding serving the cattle dock.
Photo from John Mann collection

His Majesty King George VI, left foreground, at Moreton-in-Marsh when he arrived to inspect troops of the 2nd Infantry Division at Burford-on-the-Water and Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire, on the 1st of April 1942. This is an Imperial War Museum photograph and the original description stated that the King had arrived with Army officers “at a railway station", this obscurity being typical of wartime security measures. While the exact spot at which the photograph was taken may seem a little unbecoming for His Majesty, care would have been taken to ensure the railway station was not instantly identifiable although of course local people would have recognised it. Photographs such as this were used for morale boosting but were not published until well after the event. The King had arrived by the Royal train which in railway internal notices was referred to as "Grove No. 1", this being the code for a train carrying the Monarch.
Photo from Imperial War Museum (H18399). Reproduced under creative commons licence

Facing south along the Down platform in May 1949. A locomotive is present in the Up side sidings and is just visible to the left of the signal box; perhaps it is the Shipston-on-Stour branch locomotive. The Up sidings were also used as holding sidings for the goods yard, the goods shed being visible at the far end of the platform directly ahead of the camera. Note the peculiar running-in board on the left which was probably a surviving remnant of the large board which until 1929 informed passengers that they should change here for Shipston-on-Stour.
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection

Looking north from the northern end of the Down platform in May 1949. At the creamery platform, right, are, a six-wheel milk tank wagon and what appears to be a GWR 'Siphon' six-wheel milk van. The latter were semi open sided and used to convey milk churns or other perishables which required good ventilation. Behind the fence on the left a horse box sits in the north end dock.
Photo from DK Jones collection

Click here for Moreton-in-Marsh Station: Gallery 3
October 1951 - c1950s

[Source: Darren Kitson]

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