Plate 197 is a context view from the west,circa 1930, of Armathwaite station. The unusual scene illustrates many details to be found in the vicinity of stations, but not frequently photographed. The four cattle pens (/location-summaries/structure-298170) are larger than those found elsewhere, and the dock was scheduled to have a capacity for five wagons. The small brick building, adjacent to the cattle dock, behind the buffer stops, was designated as a “Saw Dust House”, (/location-summaries/structure-298180) a facility provided at other places but not pinpointed on the surveys. Small structures were erected near to many other cattle docks, and the saw dust found use in cattle wagons.
The large angled name board, which appears to be newly-painted, for some reason was not repeated on the “down”platform.
Note the heavy timber buffer stops, marking the end of the headhunts (/location-summaries/structure-298260). In the foreground is the weighbridge and weigh office (/location-summaries/structure-298190).
The main building and booking office (/location-summaries/structure-298110) on the down platform is on the right of the image.
Plate 198 shows Armathwaite station some 25 years after the opening of the line. The oil lamps are still on the tall standards, and each lamp carries the station name. Note the rustic seats with the name painted on the backrest and the angled name board again. The station closed to passengers from 4 May 1970 after being an unstaffed halt for a number of years.
Visible on the image is the the main building and booking office (/location-summaries/structure-298110), the passenger platform down, (and at the far northern end the goods shed (/location-summaries/structure-298230)) and the passenger platform up (/location-summaries/structure-298130) with the signal box (/location-summaries/structure-298220) at the far end.