Bidford on Avon
Bidford was the first station out of Stratford on the
7½ mile extension built in 1879 to the Midland Railway's Broom Junction
under the auspices of the Evesham, Redditch & Stratford upon Avon Junction
Railway. The single-line route was operated on the 'staff and ticket' principle
which limited the line to one train in occupation. In the early years however,
Bidford and Binton both had ground frames and signals allowing trains to be
held pending acceptance by the signalman at either Stratford upon Avon or Broom
Junction.
Prior to the development of rural bus services both Binton
and Bidford on Avon stations handled daily commuters to Stratford upon Avon,
Evesham and Redditch, whilst on Stratford's Annual Mop Fair day as many as
three hundred extra passengers would be carried on the 6.15pm special train at
a fare of 6½d (3p) return.
During the plum season the station was very busy as was its
neighbour Binton with as many as twenty wagons a day being used to carry the
produce. Bidford even had a thriving business despatching large quantities of
Hay to 'The Railway Provendor Co' at Manchester with each wagon taking one
hundred trusses each. A single siding, later duplicated, had to serve the coal
yard before running on into the 'Brick & Tile Company's' works.
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