Windsor and Eton Central railway station

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Windsor and Eton Central

The end of the branch line from Slough: the truncated Platform 1, with the towers of Windsor Castle visible in the background.

Location

Place

Windsor

Local authority

Windsor and Maidenhead

Operations

Managed by

First Great Western

Platforms in use

Annual Passenger Usage

2004/05 **

1.352 million

History

1849
1897

Opened
Rebuilt

National Rail - UK railway stations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
U V W X Y Z

Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Windsor and Eton Central (source)

* 2002/03 Disclaimer
** 2004/05 Disclaimer

UK Rail Portal

Windsor and Eton Central station is one of two stations in Windsor, Berkshire. It is served by a shuttle service of trains from Slough operated by First Great Western and is the terminus of its Windsor Branch. It is situated on the High Street, almost immediately opposite Castle Hill, the main public entrance to Windsor Castle.

Although a vestigal railway station still exists to serve the shuttle service from Slough, the station structure has largely been converted into a tourist oriented shopping centre, known as Windsor Royal Shopping.

1 History
2 The station today
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

See also: the Windsor Branch line

It is thought that the branch was built for Queen Victoria's convenience travelling between Windsor Castle and London.

The Windsor Station opened in 1849, on the completion of the branch line from Slough, but only after considerable opposition from the powers at Eton College, who were convinced that the proximity of a railway would lead the Eton boys astray.

[edit] Services

Trains originally ran to Basingstoke and Paddington, and many other destinations besides.

When, in 1863, the Metropolitan Railway opened the world's first underground railway, between Paddington and Farringdon Street in the City of London, the Great Western Railway ran regular through services to Windsor from Farringdon. (Initially these were broad gauge trains, as the original Metropolitan was laid for mixed standard and broad gauge guages, and, for some months, the engines and coaches were hired from the GWR). By 1865, there were ten trains daily on this route.

Not to be out-done, the Metropolitan District Railway was expanding its services to the west of London as fast as it could. Hence, in 1883 they started a service to Windsor from Mansion House, using the GWR mainline. These trains were not popular - possibly because of the unsuitability of using four-wheel coaches for the non-stop section between Ealing Broadway and Slough, and possibly because Windsor was too affluent and too far from the City (at the time) to make commuting an attractive proposition. The service was discontinued within two years.

[edit] The structure

The station is approached by a 2035-yard brick viaduct and Brunel's oldest surviving railway bridge. The original building was little more than a glorified train shed. This was completely rebuilt by the GWR for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, with a much grander frontage and an interior reminiscent of Paddington. Two island platforms and a bay on the south side were provided.

[edit] The goods yard

To the north of the station, a large goods yard was laid out between the station and the River Thames at 'ground level'. Since the station was built on a viaduct at the same height as the Castle, the yard had to be reached by a steep incline, which limited the number of wagons that could be transferred to and from the sidings in one go. In addition to serving the populace of Windsor and surrounding area, the yard provided a connection to Windsor Gas Works; a siding was laid through one of the bridge arches in order to supply the works with loads of coal, and remove loads of coke and tar.

[edit] Decline

On 17 November 1968 platforms 3 and 4 were taken out of use, and on 5 September 1969 platform 2 was also decommissioned. Later on, the remaining platform was also truncated, twice - at each rebuild of the station.

[edit] The Tussauds years

The main entrance to the station, opposite Windsor Castle 2006

In 1982 British Rail and Madame Tussauds restored the station, creating an exhibition called Royalty and Railways. (It was later renamed Royalty and Empire). A full-size replica steam engine The Queen was built at Swindon Works, and this was combined with an ex-SECR tender (in later life, a sludge tanker at Guildford loco depot) and a couple of Pullman carriages, to form a replica of the Royal Train - a major feature of the attraction.

Unfortunately, the exhibition closed in the late 1990s, and almost all of the exhibits were taken away. Locomotive The Queen was too expensive to remove, and so, rather than being cut up, it was instead incorporated as a feature of a restaurant on the concourse. Tragically, the tender - the only original (and historic) part of the replica engine - was sold to a scrap dealer and cut up, although the springs and axleboxes were salvaged, and part of one side was rescued by the Slough & Windsor Railway Society, where it is now on display.

[edit] The station today

The station as a shopping mall

After the exhibition closed in the 1990s, the station was turned into a shopping complex called Windsor Royal Shopping. The single platform was truncated still further, and can now handle no more than a three-coach train.

When freight services were stopped in the 1960's, the goods yard and incline were removed. The yard is now a coach park, but on the side of the viaduct it is still possible to see where the incline was sited.