Hatton railway station

Hatton railway station takes the name of the village of Hatton in Warwickshire, England, although it is about 1mi from the village. The nearest settlement is Little Shrewley. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways.Hatton is the junction station at which the lines from Leamington Spa to Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham diverge. The station is unstaffed; ticketing is restricted to a 'Permit-to-Travel' machine located at the single entrance to the station on the London-bound (southbound) platform. There is a small shelter on the southbound platform 1 and also one on the island platform (platform 2 for Birmingham-bound services and platform 3 for stations to Stratford upon Avon which bear to the west immediately north of the station. A footbridge links platform 1 with island platform 2/3).Each platform at the station is equipped with a real-time electronic information departure screen.HistoryThe station dates from 1852, with the branch to Stratford via Bearley Junction opening in 1860. It sits part way along a 5-mile long rising section of line with a ruling gradient of 1 in 110 for northbound trains known as Hatton Bank - this section was often difficult to negotiate for heavy freights and the use of banking engines was commonplace. The station had its platforms extended in 1892 and further remodelling of the track in the area would follow over the next two decades. By 1939 the branch had been doubled, but the western end to Alcester was closed in 1951 and it reverted to single track in 1969, when signalling control was transferred to the newly commissioned panel box at Saltley.