Coughton Station
Coughton station was just over 2 miles down the line from
Studley and Aston station and opened on 4th May 1868. The station has the same
standard single platform configuration, the same as most other intermediate
stations on the line. The station facilities were basic comprising just a
single storey structure housing the booking office and passenger facilities.
The goods yard was also a simple affair being a single siding connected at both
ends.
Bob Essery records that unusually the station had signal box
in the earlier part of its life, opening some time before 16th August 1877 but
it was short lived closing on 11th October 1891, when the home and distant
signals were dispensed with. After the signal box was closed entry to the
siding was gained via the two ground stages by using the single-line token. The
siding could accommodate twenty-six wagons with some loads requiring the use of
the end loading dock that was part of the station.
Bob Essery further describes that at the south end of the
siding a trap point was employed to safeguard the running line from run away
vehicles. Bob further notes that in the Railway Clearing House Official
Handbook of Railway Stations live stock could be handled by the station,
but with the lack of a fixed cattle dock this must have been either executed by
using the end dock or a mobile ramp as seen at Wixford. The station was
situated in a very rural location with little potential for generating business
and traffic was down to four down and five up workings per day as early as
1901. Surprisingly the station lasted for another fifty years before closing to
all traffic on 30th June 1952.
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