GWR station identity sought

[dibber25]

Can anyone identify this location? GWR '1898' style station building. Probably taken in the 1970s, but where?

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Mainline - looks vaguely Berks & Hants to me

[hayfield]

Looks like a grown up version of the Airfix station building !!!

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Chris has set us quite a puzzle. Looked through many books, but to no avail thus far.

 

Obviously on a major through route with the well maintained / ballasted track.

[Rugd1022]

It's got me stumped... that unusual looking building behind it doesn't ring any bells!

[Joseph_Pestell]

I feel that building in the background should give us a clue.  Quite distinctive in its plainness, but I can't work out what it is.

 

My only real contribution is to say that the station (not just the building) was built post broad gauge.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Yes, that building behind is quite distinctive. Alao wonder why one of the station seats is at right-angles to the track?

[Joseph_Pestell]

Yes, that building behind is quite distinctive. Alao wonder why one of the station seats is at right-angles to the track?

Perhaps we are looking at a station on a directly north/south axis and that bench has been used by the station staff for sunbathing between dealing with trains???

[Ravenser]

I have no WR background , but... 

 

Station on a double track line, laid in FB on concrete sleepers, almost certainly in an urban area, photo probably taken 1965-80 at which point the station was still open and still manned , and retained some original GW signage

 

Somewhere in the Birmingham area would tick all those boxes and might account for an early 20th century GW building

[corneliuslundie]

It is one of the two standard GWR designs from around the turn of the 20th century. That doesn't mean the line was opened at that time though, as an older building might have been replaced.

It is obviously on a reasonably busy line - though all ballast used to be well looked after - but not one of the bigger examples so presumably either the "other" side building on a fairly important station or the main building of quite a minor station.

Would one of the cut-off lines fit the bill?

Jonathan

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I was thinking that, but track was quadrupled Lapworth - B'ham by the GWR and the canopies are different. That area was taken over by LMR and the

ballast in this shot has that pink-tinge redolent of WR trunk lines.

 

Still no idea though....................

[dibber25]

I had it in my mind that it was Warminster, but I can't find a pic of Warminster that shows the building well enough. The style of building was widely used across the GWR (Pembroke is the same but in stone, I took shots at Evesham which is similar but this is a different style of print, the Berks & Hants extension - Patney etc and the GW&GC joint Beaconsfield etc. I'm leaning towards it being on the High Wycombe-Banbury stretch but I could be wrong. (CJL)

[Nick Holliday]

I had it in my mind that it was Warminster, but I can't find a pic of Warminster that shows the building well enough. The style of building was widely used across the GWR (Pembroke is the same but in stone, I took shots at Evesham which is similar but this is a different style of print, the Berks & Hants extension - Patney etc and the GW&GC joint Beaconsfield etc. I'm leaning towards it being on the High Wycombe-Banbury stretch but I could be wrong. (CJL)

Google came up with lots of pictures, such as http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4787126 which suggests it has a timber building.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Definitely not the main building at Warminster (timber and much older). And I don't think the lie of the land is right for it to be the down platform building (track would be curving the other way).

 

Edit: Just checked with OS maps. Definitely not Warminster. No building behind the down side bldgs.

 

Somewhere in the West Midlands looks much more likely, but could also be W London suburbs.

 

Chris, can you make out the text of that enamel notice on the building behind?

Edited March 4, 2018 by Joseph_Pestell

[Peter Kazmierczak]

It's not Warminster - that seems to have wooden cladding.

[Liam]

The best I've been able to trace is Soho & Winson Green, but I can't find a photo from your view Chris:

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/sohoandwinsongreen/gwrswg2287.JPG

[eastwestdivide]

Enlarging, does it looks like it's been scanned from a printed publication? i.e. with a visible "screen"

Also the first two posters from the left (one with centred text, and the other with an angled block background) kind of look more 70s than anything earlier.

 

Does that building behind have a glazed section at 1st floor level above a driveway on the ground floor?

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I've got a long list of where it isn't!

 

Most of the wayside stations on the cut-offs via Badminton and Bicester had two through roads and the platforms on loops.

[rodent279]

Could it be taken from the centre island platform of a 3 platform station on a 4 track stretch? Maybe in the London or Birmingham area?

Wasn't the line to Leamington quadrupled in the early 1900's?

[Mikkel]

As Chris says it is the 1898 design, and thus a kinked canopy. So we should be able to rule out the full canopy types (1902 design) such as Soho & Winson Green. It is also of the wider variety, some of stations to this design were a bit narrower, as can be seen in some of the suggested locations. The Gents and skylight were at the opposite end in this case, which is also useful to look for when scanning pictures. 

 

I had a look through all my books with photos of the new constructions at the turn of the century, but nothing so far. Of course, the background may have been nice and green back then! Also had a search through the large collection for sale by "redgate8" on ebay (which includes hundreds of GWR stations), but gave up after the first 400 photos!

Edited March 4, 2018 by Mikkel

[tigerburnie]

 Is that an advert for "Bracing Skeggie" on the boarding?

[DCB]

1898 style. The Platform is level or very nearly with the street outside.

Looks West Midlands because of the Industrial building across the road and what looks like new build industrial building/ wall beyond right hand end of station building.   Looks closed as gate is open, probably unstaffed but line still open. Was (at least) double track, has been relaid in FB era, can't see if more than one track laid.  Location of building makes this a through station.

[dibber25]

Enlarging, does it looks like it's been scanned from a printed publication? i.e. with a visible "screen"

Also the first two posters from the left (one with centred text, and the other with an angled block background) kind of look more 70s than anything earlier.

 

Does that building behind have a glazed section at 1st floor level above a driveway on the ground floor?

 

No, it is scanned from an Enprint. It's a picture that I took. I used to use one of those free film services for processing and one of them did the prints on a stipple-finish paper, which is why it appears to have a screen. After much cranking of brain cells I think I may have remembered where it is. I think the standard GWR 'WAY OUT" sign under the canopy may be painted green - and that's why I was thinking Warminster.....Now to figure out a way to check. (CJL)

Edited March 4, 2018 by dibber25

[David Bigcheeseplant]

100 % Saunderton

Edited March 4, 2018 by David Bigcheeseplant

[dibber25]

Well, for a moment there I figured it was Bramley, on the Reading-Basingstoke line, as I recall that had an '1898' building painted in Southern Region colours. This is Bramley and it's not it. (CJL)