Maiden Newton railway station

Maiden Newton railway station is a railway station serving the village of Maiden Newton in Dorset, England. The station is located on the Heart of Wessex Line, 154.12 mi from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Swindon and Westbury.

History
Opened on 20 January 1857 by the Great Western Railway with the section of their route from Yeovil Pen Mill to Weymouth. This completed the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line from Chippenham, the first part of which had opened in 1848.

The station consisted of two platforms with a flint station building and goods shed at the south end. A signal box was added later - it was closed in the summer of 1988, when the "no signalman token system" was introduced between Maiden Newton and Yeovil. From 1857 to 1975 the station was the junction for the Bridport Railway and an extra bay platform was added at the north end of the station for these trains. This can still be seen at the west end of the station and this end of the trackbed is a footpath and cycleway.

The station is Grade II listed. The main station building was built for the opening of the station and although in the style of Isambard Kingdom Brunel is most likely to designs by his assistant Robert Pearson Brereton. It is constructed of flint with Hamstone dressings and an artificial slate roof. The other buildings within the listing include a smaller shelter with Welsh slate roof, and the footbridge of reinforced concrete installed in the 1950s by the Western Region of British Railways.

The station building survives but is no longer used by the railway.

Stationmasters

 * Frederick Harvey Aldrich 1857 (suspended in September 1857 for dispatching a train contrary to the regulations)
 * William Matthew Mitcham 1860 - 1863 (afterwards station master at Bruton)
 * John George Girling 1863 - 1866 (afterwards station master at Devizes)
 * William Edward Bock 1866 - 1869 (formerly station master at Bruton)
 * Henry Yeo ca. 1871 - 1876 (afterwards station master at Dorchester)
 * William Lambourne Thompson Gray 1876 - 1881 (afterwards station master at West Drayton)
 * Arthur Percy Dagg 1881 - 1882 (afterwards station master at Bruton)
 * Alfred Reeves 1882 - ca. 1888
 * Frederick William Cooper 1897 (afterwards station master at Melksham)
 * Edward Charles Beard 1897 - 1899 (afterwards station master at Melksham)
 * Frank George Dunford 1901 - ca. 1906 (formerly station master at Keynsham)
 * Walter George Stickland ca. 1914 (formerly station master at Clutton)
 * Sidney Evans 1919 - 1925 (formerly station master at Dulverton, afterwards station master at Devizes)
 * J. Ralph from 1926
 * Walter Edward Ernest Pidding from 1933
 * Mr. Powell ca. 1936 ca. 1937
 * L.E. Hole 1941 - 1944 (afterwards station master at Yeovil Pen Mill)
 * J.H. MacMahon 1944 - 1957

Description
The station retains two platforms as it is a passing place on the single line between Dorchester West and Yeovil Pen Mill. The entrance is on the northbound platform, the side closest to the village. Access to the southbound platform is normally by the footbridge but there is a level crossing at the south end of the station for passengers who are unable to use the bridge.

Services
Great Western Railway operate services from Great Malvern, Worcester Shrub Hill, Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth. South Western Railway used to run additional services between Weymouth and Yeovil Junction on Summer Saturdays.

Signalling
The electric key token instrument for the block section to Yeovil are now operated by the train crew under the supervision of the signal operator based at Yeovil Pen Mill. The block section to Dorchester West is operated under the "tokenless single line" principle with track circuiting.