Disused Stations: Brasted Halt

A general and train-less view of Brasted in 1958. A coal wagon is just visible in the right background. The halt, as Brasted station has, by this time, become, is starting to look neglected but that might just be because it is neglected. Nevertheless, a number of posters are on display to help brighten things up. Once Brasted became unstaffed in 1955 it is assumed that the station building was locked-up and thus inaccessible to the public. Many readers above a certain age will recall how inviting and cosy a railway station, with coal fires burning and gas lamps emitting a gentle hiss, could be on cold winter nights. Whilst economies such as converting stations to unstaffed halts were necessary, these actions cannot have done much to encourage business in an age when more and more people were buying cars.
Photo from John Mann collection