Brandon & Wolston Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton

Brandon Station was the only station on the London & Birmingham Railway's 11½ mile stretch of line between Rugby and Coventry and was opened on 9th April 1838. The second station built to serve this rural community was opened adjacent to the original station, on 29th October 1879 and was renamed Brandon & Wolston. The station was equipped on the up line with a small goods yard and shed serviced by one siding whilst on the down line a single siding was installed. Up to 1903 the two sidings were connected by two wagon turntables and a section of track running at 90º to the main line. The signal cabin is thought to date from 1879 when the second station opened and was retained when the turntables were removed. It was finally closed during the weekend of 12th to 14th September 1964 when stage one of Rugby Power Box was commissioned. Until the up siding was finally removed, the signal cabin was replaced by a ground frame. Although located on a very busy main line the service provided for Brandon & Wolston was little more than that serving branch lines. In 1895 there were five stopping trains provided each day whereas there were three times as many for the stations west of Coventry. Even by the end of the Edwardian period there were only some eight or nine trains per day. This situation improved during ownership under the LMS and by 1938 there approximately a dozen trains calling at the station. The station lost traffic very quickly after the Second World War not being able compete with the competition from buses which were more frequent and convenient. Brandon & Wolston eventually closed to passengers on 12th September 1960.

Views of Brandon & Wolston station

Ref: lnwrbw2823 B Brooksbank Looking towards Coventry from the passenger footbridge with the goods yard on the right in the distance

Ref: lnwrbw541 G Coltas An unidentified LMS 4-6-0 rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotive is seen passing through the station at speed

Ref: lnwrbw540 Anon View of Brandon and Wolston's signal box which was located at the Coventry end of the down platform

Ref: lnwrbw2827 R Bell View of a LNWR train crossing the London & Birmingham Railway's River Avon viaduct at Wolston

Ref: lnwrbw537a G Coltas Close up of the small open passenger's waiting room located on Brandon & Wolston station's down platform

Ref: lnwrbw537b G Coltas Close up of the main station building which was erected in brickwork and located on the up platform

Ref: lnwrbw536a G Coltas Close up of the Coventry end of Brandon & Wolston station's up platform showing the row of fire buckets

Locomotives and trains seen at Brandon & Wolston in LMS days (1st January 1923 to 31st December 1947

Ref: lnwrbw536 G Coltas A LMS 7P 4-6-0 Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotive is seen passing opposite Brandon and Wolston signal box

Ref: lnwrbw537 G Coltas LMS 7P Royal Scot class No 6136 'The Border Regiment' on an up express passes through the station

Ref: lnwrbw538 G Coltas LMS 6P 4-6-0 Rebuilt Patriot class No 5529 'Sir Herbert Walker KCB' on a down express enters the station

Ref: lnwrbw539 G Coltas LMS 4P 4-4-0 Compound No 1169 enters the confines of the station on a Rugby to Birmingham local train

Schematic plans and signaling diagrams of Brandon & Wolston station

Ref: lnwrbw2826 Powell Hendry Schematic plan dated 8th September 1902 showing the goods yard and sidings at Brandon & Wolston station

Ref: lnwrbw2825 Powell Hendry Schematic signal diagram for Brandon & Wolston Signal Cabin prior to the removal of the wagon turntables

Ref: lnwrbw2824 Powell Hendry Schematic signal diagram for Brandon & Wolston Signal Cabin after the wagon turntables had been removed