Long Marston Station

Long Marston station was located south of Stratford Upon Avon on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's branch line from Honeybourne and was opened with the line on 12th July 1859. The vagaries of the County's wandering border is typified by Long Marston. In 1915 it was outside the County, with the border just south of Milcote, whilst today its within the County. The line when first built by the OWWR was a single branch line with passing loops with Long Marston having a single platform. In their book 'Stratford Upon Avon to Cheltenham' Vic Mitchell and Kev Smith informs their readers that "two platforms were provided from 1872 when a passing loop was installed, but the new one (platform) was south of the original one. A new up platform was built in 1892 when the loop was lengthened". From this information it appears the original platform was located north of the crossing on what became the up line whilst the 1872 'second' platform which was on what became the down line was built south of the level crossing.

Therefore for a period of 20 years ending in 1892, the station had a staggered platform configuration, with the level crossing in the middle, as was common throughout the UK's railway system. Vic Mitchell and Kev Smith also provide an insight into the amount of traffic passing through the station. Passenger numbers were significantly higher than Milcote's although Long Marston's figures were more or less static across the three decades starting in 1903. These were 8759, 9998, 10060 and 9546 in 1933. The number of parcels forwarded did how ever show the same pattern of growth as Milcote being very strong up to 1923 and then a dramatic fall in 1933. These numbers were, commencing in 1903 and finishing in 1933, 3154, 10166, 13977 and 2546 in 1933. Coal and Coke received were much higher than Milcote's being 77, 224, 340 and 411 tons in 1933. The passenger service was withdrawn on 3rd January 1966 whilst the goods yard had closed nearly two years previous on 7th September 1964.

When the OWWR was planning the Stratford Branch the local landowners, the Sackvilles, stipulated that the station buildings at Long Marston and Milcote should be of superior design and the result was substantial stone buildings which incorporated the station master's house, station masters office, general waiting room, ladies waiting room and toilets. One very noticeable feature of these two station buildings was the steeply pitched roofs and elaborate barge boards. Other railwaymen's houses were constructed in Wyres Lane. In 1868 the building of cattle pens were authorised at a cost of £14 whilst four years later, in 1872, the construction of a passing place and staggered platform costing £212 was authorised although this did not impact upon the level crossing which remained single track. As part of this work the rearrangement of points and installation of locking gear at a cost of £975 10s (£975.50) was also authorised. Records show that that the work was inspected on 3rd April 1872 so the work must have been carried out quite quickly.

The new Great Western Railway Standard Type 5 Signal Box, which was squeezed in between the station building and the level crossing, was erected in 1892. Its dimensions were 18ft 6in long x 11ft wide x 9ft 6in height to operating floor and equipped with with 25 Levers (including 6 spares) and a 5 lever South Yard Ground Frame which was electrically interlocked to the signal box. The Standard Type 5 Signal Box had a brick built (usually in Flemish bond) locking room with a glazed wooden framed operating room above and a shallow pitched roof with large finials at each end. An external staircase gave access from the platform to the first floor operating floor via a porch. This porch and an adjacent water closet were supported on iron brackets. On the roof ridge were two 'rocket' vents and in each weather-boarded gable end was a four vent louvre. In addition a new 405 foot long ‘Up’ platform constructed directly opposite the existing 402 foot long 'Down' platform and the staggered platform arrangement removed to make space for a refuge siding. On the 3rd March 1907 the line was doubled to Milcote and on the 28th April 1907 the line was doubled to Honeybourne.

Statistics for Long Marston for the period 1903 to 1933 are as follows:

Year	1903	1913	1923	1933
Passengers Numbers	8,759	9,998	10,060	9,546
Parcels Numbers	3,154	10,166	13,977	2,546
Coal and Coke Tonnage	77	224	340	411

In 1923 Long Marston's signal box was categorised as a Class 3 duty for its staff. In 1926 the original 10 ton weighbridge in the yard had to be replaced with one of same capacity. The Railway Clearing House Handbooks of 1929 and 1956 indicate the following facilities were available at Long Marston: facilities to handle traffic for goods, passenger, livestock, horse boxes and prize cattle vans. The yard crane on the goods yard loading bank had a 12ft 6in radius and 1 ton 10 cwts (1.5 ton) capacity. In the 1930s, special railway rates existed for: agriculture, grain, hay and straw, packed manure and packets of soot. In September 1936 the station's signal box frame was replaced with a second hand 32 lever frame at a cost of £500 with a further £134 spent on replacement facing point connections. The signal box, now upgraded to a Class 4 duty, was manned continually from 1:45am on Monday to midnight on Saturday night and from 7:45am to 12:20pm and 5:40pm to 10:20pm on Sundays. In 1936 the weighbridge previously mentioned was replaced with one of 20 ton capacity.

In 1938, following the construction of the additional Halts on the line in 1937, the passenger service was expanded to nine down passenger services and ten up passenger services on weekdays. At weekends there were twelve passenger services each way on Saturday and three on Sundays. By 1939 the down refuge siding could hold fifty-three wagons in addition to the engine and brake van whilst the up refuge siding could hold fifty-two wagons in addition to the engine and brake van. In 1940, during World War Two, a 455 acre site adjacent to the station became No 1 Engineer's Supply Depot and Long Marston Airfield was also constructed. The site had its own forty-five mile rail system, locomotives and rolling stock operated by the 154 Railway Operating Company Royal Engineers. In June 1941 a new West ground frame with four levers together with an East ground frame was supplied for the War Department Sidings with both being released from Long Marston Signal Box.

In 1903 Long Marston had a staff of seven, this increased to eight staff in the 1920’s and in 1931 the staff at Milcote also became the responsibility of the Station Master at Long Marston and the combined establishment numbered twelve staff. This establishment stayed static during the war years despite the huge increase in traffic caused by the Engineer’s Supply Depot identified below, but had increased to twenty in the early 1950s. On 7th September 1964 the goods yard was closed to be followed on 3rd January 1966 by the station with the withdrawal of the line's passenger service. On 24th March 1980 the signal box was replaced by a ground frame although it wasn't until 16th November 1981 that the signal box was closed, being used in the intervening period to operate the level crossing, to be finally demolished in November 1989.

Statistics for Long Marston for the period 1939 to 1945 are as follows:

Year	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
Freight Tonnage	8,020	10,189	227,698	391,140	482,538	458,688	357,299
Coaching Receipts	n/a	n/a	£5,460	£7,087	£8,951	£8,302	£12,905
Staff Costs	£2,033	£2,477	£4,242	£6,690	£8,749	£10,097	£9,043
Staff numbers	12	12	12	12	12	12	12