Station master

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The station master was the person in charge of railway stations, in the United Kingdom and some other countries, before the modern age.^[1] He would manage the other station employees and would have responsibility for safety, and the efficient running of the station.

Invariably, he would be provided with a substantial house^[2] and, in rural communities, would have significant social standing.^[3]

Notably in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s many of these small stations were closed and the station master's house, along with other railway property, sold off. Typically, these buildings retained their original name and in many communities the Station Master's House can still be found as a private dwelling^[3] or converted into a restaurant.^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Old Occupations in Scotland", Scot Roots
2. ^ "Woodford Station Master's house", The Transport Archive
3. ^ ^{a b} "The history of Scotby Station"
4. ^ "Meopham", Kent Rail