| Eastbury
Halt was similar in size to the others stations on the line,
originally built with the 9 inch high platform, but without
the standard wooden office favoured by the LVR. Neither was
it provided with the usual pagoda shelter after the Great
Western took over in 1905. |
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| Shelter
for Eastbury passengers took the form of a simple wooden shed
the twin of which could be found at Stockcross and Bagnor
station during the line's early period. A local carpenter
had been commisioned by the LVR to construct various fixtures
and fittings for the company, seating and numerous other structures
being part of his brief. Both shelters may well have been
part of his original work requisite.In 1901, the population
of Eastbury stood at just 254, that fact, coupled with the
station's close proximity to Lambourn and East Garston, meant
that goods traffic handled here would be minimal. 'Barnards'
the Eastbury based coal merchants did actually receive their
coal deliveries by rail but it was in fact collected by them
from East Garston station, two miles up the line. |
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By far the largest proportion of what traffic there was
came from the Baylis Family. Milk from their sizable dairy
herd was transported in churns to the station and left on
the platform for collection. The guard of the Sunday milk
train regularly arriving to find anything up to two or three
dozen milk churns awaiting onward transmission. Being Sunday,
he was required to load these unaided, a task that must
have taken some considerable time to complete. Occasionally
the odd horse would be loaded from here but with purpose
built loading facilities at East Garston and Great Shefford,
most preffered to go the extra mile or two and do the job
safely. As a consequence, tail traffic was indeed very rare
at Eastbury.
(
pictured right )
A
closer look at the waiting shelter, taken in the 1950's
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The station was reached by way of
a narrow lane from the village which continued on over the
crossing and onto Eastbury Downs. As
the name suggests, this part of the line travelled through
some very exposed countryside. In the Summer it offered
the passenger superb views of the rolling Downs. But in
the Winter it was extremely vulnerable to drifting snow,
the worst of which was the infamous winter of 1947 when
services were badly disrupted.
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1959
and a solitary passenger waits in the sunshine for a Newbury
bound train. Passenger receipts from here remained small throughout
the working life of the line.
One little anecdote
suggests that locals prefered to tell the time by the trains
rather than travel on them.
Local folklore also
claims that Eastbury church congregation, would listen for
the Sunday evening train leaving the station, the sound of
the departing engine would leave them content in the knowledge
that the service they were attending was nearing completion. |
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At the outset, three
passenger trains per day operated in both directions on
Mondays,Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There were 4 on
Thursdays, 5 on Saturdays but none at all on Sundays. In
1912, under the GWR however, a Sunday passenger service
was finally introduced.
The Sunday milk train
was introduced at a later point in time. 2nd class fare
from Eastbury to Newbury was just One Shilling (5p)
and the five minute journey to Lambourn cost the princely
sum of tuppence, this being approx 1p in todays money.
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