Monday, March 18, 2019

WERE THESE BRIGG RAILWAY WORKERS?


We think this group of railway employees - probably from the 1950s - may include Brigg station master George Holden (second from left).
They are lined up outside their goods shed - location awaiting confirmation - at a time when such facilities were still doing decent business for British Railways but in steady decline.
Can anyone put names to faces, confirm our suggestion that Mr Holden is featured and pinpoint where the picture was taken?
The station master's house, adjoining Platform One, was the last structure to be removed from Brigg station, finally being demolished in the 1990s.
Brigg's goods shed was close to the station, occupying land that has been disused for many years.
It was not unusual in the 1950s and 1960s for station masters in small towns and villages to have control of several stations.
That was certainly the case at North Kelsey and Howsham, on the so-called Lincoln Branch, where both stations closed in the late 1960s.
Scawby & Hibaldstow - next down the line from Brigg - also shut during the same decade.
Doctor Beeching, the BR chairman, was then busy with the Reshaping of British Railways, as they called it at the time.
Brigg station escaped the Beeching Axe but the booking office was closed when pay-on-the-train was introduced to reduce costs, and all the freight sidings were later removed.
Today it's just a halt, with two platforms and a couple of metal shelters to keep the rain off passengers waiting to use the Saturdays-only passenger service.

1 comment:

CH said...

The period is 1950 to 1956. The Station Master's hat badge was issued from 1950, the other 'totem' badges were issued from 1949.
All the badge styles changed in 1956 but no-one in the photo has a post 1956 badge.
The tendency to wear the shirt collar outside of outer garments suggests to me early 1950s rather than mid.

Cheers