FOBS Monthly News - April 2010
I have before me an article from the East Anglian magazine of April 1973, written by Leslie Mutum. Does anyone know about him? He talks about his childhood days in Brandon between 1920 and 1934 'when the station was the pride of the town'. At that time the railway was at its zenith, and 'a walk to the station was a favourite of the Brandonians in the 1920s.' A trip to Thetford on Saturday afternoons was a treat and cost elevenpence ha'penny return 'for those who could afford it.'
The station boasted smartly dressed staff including the stationmaster who had a lily pond with a fountain in his garden. There was a W.H.Smith kiosk on the Cambridge platform. There was a goods shed where merchandise of all sorts came in and out, and packages and even animals could be carried in the guard's van on passenger trains. Geoff Kidd, who used to work in the booking office, remembers a goat being brought to the station to be put on the Yarmouth-York train. It was put in a shed to await the train's arrival, and forgotten - a pathetic bleating was heard from the shed long after the train had gone! How things have changed - try taking a goat on a train these days. There must be many people who have other stories like this - and we would like to hear them. Anyone who has reminiscences of the station - no matter how trivial they may seem - please get in touch.
The station, in short, had an importance in the life of the town that it is hard to imagine now. Or is that true? In the last issue I quoted a figure for passenger numbers; it was rather high, as I have found by looking at the official website (The Office of Rail Regulation), but the real figure (2008-09) is still impressive at 65,342, up from 50,232 the year before. Compare this with 22,167 in 2002-03 and this means that numbers have trebled in six years. People are rediscovering the train, as a look at the car park any weekday will show. With one train an hour to Cambridge and one to Norwich the service is as good as it has ever been in the 165 years of the station's history. The trains are comfortable and fast, and there is no parking problem at the end of your journey. For the many senior citizens in Brandon the Senior Railcard gives you a third off the price of the ticket, and there are cards for young people and families too.
Finally, since the appeal for funds in the last issue, to pay for a year's building insurance, we have had several generous donations. Thank you to those who helped, and anyone else who would like to help, please get in touch! You could also come to one of our events. We hope to have a Family Fun Day in either July or September, and there is a steam train to see on 28 May.
Article Written by Stephen Dean:
Tel:01842 815372 or Email:stephendean@decanimusic.co.uk