Rushden Transport Museum has a catalogue of approximately 1200 items housed in the four original rooms of Rushden Station. Wherever you look there is something to see, so come along and take a look.
Enter the museum into the ‘Parcels Office’, the door to the left is the ‘Station Master’s Office’. Access to the ‘Ticket Office’ is through the door to the right and ahead through the doorway which was originally a second ticket window is the ‘Main Waiting Room’. Take your time to explore.
The Parcels Office
The sloping floor in the parcels office is a cunning device to equalise the difference between the road level and the platform level, so that when the drays were brought to the doors the goods could easily be placed on a portable conveyor belt and transported to the train. Mind your footing as you look at the many wall signs!
The Station Master’s Office
As a travelling relief Station Master Walter Malloney moved around the Midlands and in 1940 he settled down to become the Station Master and goods agent at Rushden and Higham Ferrers Stations. During the war years this friendly man oversaw the arrival and departure of many special trains conveying American troops. Other trains brought military stores and equipment and all the material used for building of Chelveston aerodrome passed along the branch line where he worked until retiring in1950 after 46 years on the railways. He was said to be ‘firm but fair’ – what would he have thought about a bicycle in his office!
The Ticket Office
The Marchant Deci-Magic comptometer was used in accounts offices well into the 1970’s before desk calculators and computers became common place. Our example no longer works, so please don’t try to use it, but there is a copy of the operating instructions for you to look at and marvel at the skill needed to operate such a machine. Professional comptometer operators could do calculations so much faster and more accurately than by calculator at that time.
The Main Waiting Room
The main waiting room at Rushden Station was opened in 1894, prior to this Rushden residents who wanted to travel by railway had no option but to walk to Irchester station, a distance of 2 miles! Within a few years there were complaints that it was inadequate and not fit for purpose and the Station building was enlarged to accomodate the growing poulation. It is now full of many and varied artefacts and photos.
Along the platform you will find the award winning RHTS bar that was originally a separate waiting room for ladies, it still has atmospheric gas lighting and is home to the Station Cat, Thomas. Thomas enjoys exploring the museum, hopefully you will too.
