The station master (or stationmaster) was the person in charge of railway stations, in the United Kingdom and many other countries, before the modern age. He would manage the other station employees and would have responsibility for safety and the efficient running of the station. The term is still sometimes used in large stations, although it has generally been replaced by station manager.
Invariably, he would be provided with a substantial house and, in rural communities, would have significant social standing.
Notably in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s many small stations were closed and the station master's house, along with other railway property, sold off. Typically, these buildings retained their original name and in many communities the Station Master's House can still be found as a private dwelling or converted into a restaurant.
Read more about Station Master: In Culture
Famous quotes containing the words station and/or master:
“...I believe it is now the duty of the slaves of the South to rebuke their masters for their robbery, oppression and crime.... No station or character can destroy individual responsibility, in the matter of reproving sin.”
—Angelina Grimké (1805–1879)
“Nothing can be done about it: every master has but a single pupil—and he will not stay loyal to him—for he is also destined to become a master.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)