Disused Stations: Shipston on Stour Station

Shipston-on-Stour Station: Gallery 5
October 1961 - September 1974

Another view from the 29th of October 1961, this time looking north-east from the road side of the goods shed. The body of the Full Brake is obviously still present but the grounded Iron Mink van has disappeared, it's place taken by a mound of coal which appears to have also engulfed the goods loading gauge which stood over an adjacent track. It didn't matter of course as the last train had long since departed.
Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

The goods shed shortly before closure with 50% of the staff visible along with 'that' bicycle. Internally the shed was fairly standard with a platform, 1½ ton crane and checker's desk near the road vehicle bay. The top floor of the annex contained a store room accessed by steps. The bottom floor contained a clerks office which also doubled as the Stationmasters office. Dumped in the right foreground are what appear to be steel sleepers complete with rail chairs which look to be for narrow gauge track, though the camera angle makes judging difficult. Steel sleepers have existed for much longer than may be thought; the London & North Western Railway dabbled with them in the late 19th century for example, but how these came to be at Shipston-on-Stour is a mystery. They may have come from Mayo's timber yard, out of view to the right, which reputedly had an internal narrow gauge system of which no firm evidence has been found.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

The somewhat forlorn engine shed seen on the 29th of October 1961. As noted elsewhere, the shed closed on the 20th of November 1916 due to problems with the water supply and the track was removed during 1917. During both World Wars the shed was given over to war work. What is not known is if the pit was infilled but if it was not, the shed would have been suitable for the repair and maintenance of War Department road motor vehicles. In 1923 the GWR noted the shed was standing unused and it subsequently became a garage for a GWR motor lorry, perhaps also the GWR motor omnibus which took over when the passenger train service was withdrawn. Later, the motor lorry was parked instead beneath the awning on the road side of the goods shed. At various times the engine shed was let to various civilian businesses but in this view and despite what looks like some sort of stone or coal crushing machinery seemingly dumped outside, the shed appears to be derelict.
Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

Elsewhere in these Shipston-on-Stour branch pages it was mentioned that Pittrail may have been the contractor involved with the track lifting. Subsequently this photograph came to light confirming it was indeed Pittrail. Pittrail Limited were based at Aldridge, Walsall and had in 1950 leased land from British Railways near Aldridge station. LIke many such firms of the time, Pittrail were dealers in railway equipment, scrap dealers and hirers of locomotives to industrial concerns. Locomotives which came into their hands were, if still serviceable, often used on track lifting contracts and for shunting there own yards. The locomotive seen here was one of two diesel-mechanical shunters supplied new in 1932 to the Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co. on the North Wales coast, a firm which is better known for its former internal narrow gauge (3ft) system which was abandoned circa 1965. The pair of standard gauge diesels shunted the exchange sidings and were Avonside Engine Co. works numbers 2062/3 of 1932. At Penmaenmawr the pair were named 'Kimberley' and 'Attic' respectively, the origin of the latter rather odd name being unknown. What is known is that Penmaenmawr management allowed drivers to name locomotives as they so wished, the names being painted directly onto the bonnet sides. On 30 October 1960 No. 2062 was photographed at Newick & Chailey station, Sussex, set aside on an isolated length of track, with front end damage and its name still just about visible The so-called 'Bluebell LIne' south of Sheffield Park being one of Pittrail's numerous track lifting contracts. In the 1977 Bradford Barton book 'A pictorial survey of standard Gauge industrial diesels around Britain' author A. J. Booth gives some detail of the two Avonside locomotives; "The locomotives had 6-cylinder Gardner engines developing 74bhp at 1300rpm. Avonside 3-speed gearboxes were fitted along with a separate reversing gearbox. Maximum road speed was 9½mph and maximum tractive effort was 6,640lbs at 2½mph". Assuming the engines were indeed 6-cylinder, it is difficult to work out from Gardner data which engine was actually fitted. The closest contender would be the 6L2 unit followed by a seriously derated 6LW. Gardner had introduced its LW range in 1931. Given the limited space between radiator and cab on these Avonside locomotives a 6-cylinder Gardner unit, with gearbox, would have projected well back into the cab which may explain the rather commodious cab. Not known is whether Gardner engines were fitted from new or were later replacements, nor is it known if the two locomotives were built from scratch or used ex steam locomotive frames. Which of the pair was caught by the camera at Shipston-on-Stour, probably during the autumn of 1961, is another unknown. With the locomotive are three flat wagons, one of which is quite battered, possibly cut down from open mineral wagons. Track was cut up as work progressed along the line and taken to Stretton-on-Fosse where Pittrail had set a up base, from where recovered material was removed by road. A Crawler crane hired-in from Charles Jones of Aldridge was also used. So it was that this is believed to be the only time a diesel locomotive visited the Shipston-on-Stour branch and it was of course also the very last train to depart from the terminus. On the left a workman can be seen but what he is doing is unclear, unscrewing coach bolts from the track perhaps. Avonside No. 2063 was recorded at Pittrail's Aldridge yard on 6 March 1965 and both were scrapped at around that time. Pittrail, it should be mentioned, had quite a fleet of small diesels at various times including Ruston, Hibberd and Simplex examples. In North Wales Penmaenmawr Quarry remains active as of 2024 and having abandoned rail traffic some years previously returned to rail for the despatch of its products in 2022. Shipston-on-Stour, on the other hand, is extremely unlikely to ever see a return of rail traffic.
Photo received from Ray Meadows

A close-up view of Darlingscote Road crossing keeper's cottage showing the disused track becoming overgrown with trees which are starting to overhang the line. The photograph iwas taken in September 1962. Mentioned elsewhere is that the GWR dispensed with crossing keepers when the passenger service was withdrawn but what became of the keepers is not known. Very often though, the man of the house had a job on the railway such as platelayer while his wife attended to the crossing gates, but such information with regard to the Shipston-on-Stour branch is lacking. All of these cottages along the length of the branch survive to this day in one form or another
Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

September 1962
Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

This sign is visible in one of the November 1961 views and is here seen on the 20th of September 1962. The sign needs no explanation and the message it conveys was typical of any railway company pointing to the provisions of the Companys [sic] Acts. The small script at bottom right of the sign dates it to no earlier than 1939. By the time of this photograph the station area was trackless and it had become difficult, at least from this angle, to determine where the trackbed met the horse landing. The precarious sag of the platform canopy had by this time been corrected and some flaking paint notwithstanding the fencing in the foreground is well maintained.

Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

The station building seen here after the sagging canopy was repaired and apparently after the track was lifted. Probably taken in 1965.
Photo by William Jolly

The station site after cessation of rail traffic and after the track was lifted. Once again the platform holds industrial clutter and a large heap of coal attempts to hide the goods shed. In the foreground is what appears to be a stack of coal sacks.
Photo by William Jolly

The goods weigh house after closure of the railway as Hutchings coal office has disappeared. To the left, part of the gasworks is visible as are piles of coal. The gasworks ceased operation on 15 December 1963 and after the 1960 closure of the railway coal was delivered by road so we could be glimpsing into the 1960 - 1963 period.
Photo by William Jolly

By 1965 when this photograph was taken the track had long been lifted. The canopy sag had been corrected and a couple of missing valance pieces reveals some detail of the quite ornate spandrel. The building would have been in use a store or perhaps a mess room at this time. Industrial clutter has accumulated on the far end of the platform as was so often the case with disused railway stations which had been put to other uses.

The slightly derelict station after closure and before the track was lifted. As can be seen, the canopy sag is due to the spandrel at the near end detaching itself from the building framework and likely due to rot. As other photographs show, this was to be corrected.
Photo from John Mann collection

The remainder of the railway at Shipston-on-Stour on the 22nd of September 1974. The camera is facing north and the former passenger station stood to the right but out of shot behind the prefabricated building. Behind and to the left of the creamish coloured building in the background, can be seen a corner of the engine shed. The black building is the Shipston goods shed. At bottom centre, the weighbridge is still in situ and probably still in use by a coal merchant, while the weigh office has had an extension built on its rear. Compare this view to that showing the present day scene from a similar vantage point.
Photo by Bryan Hicks copyright Anthony Hicks

Click here for Shipston-on-Stour Station: Gallery 6
September 1974 - 2023

[Source: Darren Kitson]

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Station Name: SHIPSTON ON STOUR