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 The term is still sometimes used in large stations, although it has generally been replaced by station manager.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.
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Famous quotes containing the words station and/or master:
“To act the part of a true friend requires more conscientious feeling than to fill with credit and complacency any other station or capacity in social life.”
—Sarah Ellis (1812–1872)
“If the master is easy, the servant will be slack.”
—Chinese proverb.