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. There had been two stations built at this location to serve this rural community, the first which had opened on 9th April 1838 and a second station which opened on 29th October 1879. According to Powell-Hendry and Preston-Hendry in the book 'An Illustrated Survey of Selected LMS Stations Layouts and Illustrations Volume One' the second station was erected on an adjacent site to the original station and renamed as Brandon & Wolston Station. It was 89 miles 72 yards from Euston station, a fact lately recorded by Network Rail on their information board sited at the old station's entrance. 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.

Access to the station was via Brandon Lane which joined Main Street, itself joining the two villages of Brandon and Wolston which gave the station its name. 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. The Handbook of Railway Stations records that the station was accessible to both LNWR and MR clients, with the former having the full range of services available. These are recorded as: Goods traffic; Passenger and Parcels traffic; Furniture Vans, Carriages, Portable Engines, and Machines on Wheels; Live Stock; Horse boxes and Prize Cattle Vans; Carriages by Passenger Trains. A 3 ton crane was available at the goods yard.

Views of Brandon & Wolston station

Ref: lnwrbw3095 HB Priestley Roadside view of Brandon & Wolston station with the access to the goods shed and yard on the right

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

Ref: lnwrbw3293 Postcard Looking towards Coventry in the 1930s along the station's down platform with the goods yard and shed on the right

Ref: lnwrbw3293a Postcard Close up showing the signal cabin, goods shed and yard located at the Coventry end of the station

Ref: lnwrbw3293b Postcard Close up of the station's up platform building which contained the booking office and waiting rooms

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

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

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

Ref: lnwrbw3094a G Coltas Close up showing the station's simple timber built LNWR waiting room on the down platform

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

Ref: lnwrbw3096 HB Priestley An unknown ex-LNWR 0-8-0 'Super D' locomotive runs tender first on a down empty mineral train

Ref: lnwrbw3292 Postcard Looking east towards Rugby with the up platform much demolished but with the station building still in situ

Ref: lnwrbw3292a Postcard Close up showing the part brick part timber construction of the station building's external wall

Ref: lnwrbw3623 G Tyler Looking along the up line towards Brandon & Wolston station with the Royal Oak public house on the right

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

Ref: lnwrbw3097 HB Priestley Brandon & Wolston station name board as displayed by British Railway's use of the Totem sign

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

Ref: lnwrbw536 HJ Stratton-Ward A LMS 7P 4-6-0 Rebuilt Jubilee class locomotive is passing opposite Brandon & Wolston signal cabin

Ref: lnwrbw537 HJ Stratton-Ward LMS 7P Royal Scot class No 6136 'The Border Regiment' on an up express passes through the station

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

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

Ref: lnwrbw3094 HJ Stratton-Ward An unidentified LMS 4-6-0 'Stanier Black Five' passes through the station on an up express service

Ordnance Survey Maps, Schematic Plans and signaling diagrams

Ref: lnwrbw3294 National Library of Scotland An 1886 Ordnance Survey Map showing Brandon & Wolston Station, goods yard and shed down refuge siding

Ref: lnwrbw3295 National Library of Scotland A 1903 Ordnance Survey Map showing Brandon & Wolston Station, goods yard and shed down refuge siding

Ref: lnwrbw3296 National Library of Scotland A 1938 Ordnance Survey outline map showing Brandon & Wolston Station, goods yard and shed down refuge siding

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