Construction Windsor Station opened on 8 October 1849 on the completion of the branch line from
Slough but only after considerable opposition from the leadership at
Eton College, which was convinced that the proximity of a railway would lead the Eton boys astray. An extension of the branch was planned in 1871–72 to connect to the south via Dedworth and Ascot. It was planned to diverge west from the viaduct, just to the south of the river bridge. Despite reaching an advanced stage of design and with some property purchased plus the construction of a possible station building, the plans were never completed and were abandoned completely by 1914.
The Metropolitan and District railways When, in 1863, the
Metropolitan Railway opened the world's first underground railway, between
London Paddington and
Farringdon Street in the
City of London, the
Great Western Railway ran regular through services to Windsor from Farringdon. Initially these were
broad gauge trains, as the original Metropolitan was laid for mixed
standard and broad gauges and, for some months, the engines and coaches were hired from the GWR. By 1865, there were ten trains daily on the route.
The structure The station is approached by a brick viaduct and
Windsor Railway Bridge, the last surviving wrought iron bridge designed by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The original building was little more than a glorified train shed. This was completely rebuilt by the
Great Western Railway for
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, with a much grander frontage and an interior reminiscent of Paddington. Two island platforms and a bay on the south side were provided. A royal waiting room existed on platform 4. Having last been used during the funeral of
George V in January 1936, in 1950 it was converted for use by the
British Transport Police.
The goods yard To the north of the station, a large goods yard was laid out between the station and the
River Thames at ground level. Since the station was built somewhat higher up, the yard had to be reached by a steep incline built against the side of the viaduct. It sloped down towards a short
headshunt, near the river bridge, which allowed switchback access to the yard sidings. This arrangement limited the number of wagons that could be transferred to and from the sidings in one go. In addition to serving the populace of Windsor and surrounding area, the yard provided a depot for Windsor
gas works, receiving loads of coal and removing
coke and
tar. When freight services ceased in the 1960s, the goods yard and incline were removed. The yard became a coach park but, on the side of the viaduct, it is possible to see where the incline was.
Decline On 17 November 1968, platforms 3 and 4 were taken out of use, followed on 5 September 1969 by platform 2. Later, the remaining platform was also truncated, twice, at each rebuild of the station.
Royalty & Empire In 1982
British Railways and
Madame Tussauds restored the station, creating an exhibition called
Royalty & Empire (initially
Royalty & Railways). The exhibition recalled the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, using displays of wax models and an audio-visual show featuring early
Audio-Animatronic figures. After entering the exhibition via the ticket office, visitors would be greeted by a scene on the platform depicting the arrival of the Royal Train, complete with figures of station staff and a full size replica train. A full-size replica steam locomotive,
GWR 3031 Class The Queen, was built at
Steamtown, Carnforth, and this was combined with an ex
South Eastern & Chatham Railway tender and fittings from a GWR tender. The locomotive's
bogie and rear wheels are also from another GWR tender, but the large driving wheels are only half complete (the lower half) and they do not sit directly on the rails. This allowed the locomotive to be rolled into position when the exhibition was built. The replica was completed in December 1982 and delivered by road in January 1983. Two mobile cranes hoisted it onto the viaduct, then it was rolled into position on temporary track. Tussaud's fitted smoke and steam generators so that steam was emitted from the cab, whistles and safety valves, and smoke from the chimney. A sound unit was also fitted. Two carriages were used to form a replica of the
Royal Train. Directly behind the loco was No. 229, a replica coach mounted on an ex-British Railways
BG Full Brake underframe and containing waxwork figures of various members of the Royal Family. The second coach was the original Royal Day Saloon No. 9002 that was rescued for the exhibition from a cliff top in
Aberporth, Wales. After leaving the platform, visitors could see the restored royal waiting room with figures of
Queen Victoria and the
Prince and
Princess of Wales, before entering 'The Royal Parade' area. A walkway was constructed up and around the canopy, allowing visitors to view figures of the royal party exiting the waiting room and the queen boarding her Ascot
landau. More than seventy wax figures of soldiers of 2nd Battalion
Coldstream Guards formed part of this scene. The last part of the exhibit was the 'Sixty Glorious Years' audio-visual show. The show outlined the growth of Great Britain using slides and projections, before the screen sank to reveal moving animatronic figures of some of the great personalities of the Victorian age, including Queen Victoria herself. The exhibition closed in the late 1990s and almost all of the exhibits were taken away. The locomotive
The Queen was too expensive to remove, so, rather than being cut up, it was incorporated as a feature of a restaurant on the concourse where it remains today. The tender – the only original (and historic) part of the replica engine – was sold to a scrap dealer and cut up, although the springs and axleboxes were salvaged for use in the replica
London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Atlantic project at the
Bluebell Railway, and part of one side was rescued by the Slough and Windsor Railway Society, where it is now on display. The original Royal Saloon No. 9002 is preserved at the
Museum of the Great Western Railway. It is not known what happened to the replica coach. The Royal Waiting Room is part of a restaurant on the concourse.
Present day In 1997,
Axa bought the station buildings and enlarged and remodelled them as a shopping complex called
Windsor Royal Shopping. The single platform was truncated still further, and can now handle no more than a four coach train. ==Windsor Link Railway==