Many thanks for this excellent photograph.  We will certainly make enquiries about the identities of others and get back as soon as possible. Thanks you also for your interest and comments on other pages. David

I know I am late offering an opinion as to the 'era' or date of this lovely group photograph but having seen many dated photographs like this one I would say it was taken between 1898 and 1910. I am looking carefully at the style of the uniforms, the different neckwear - some staff wear ties and some a formal scarf indicating their job title. Notice too the american style 'cheesecutter' hats, the moustaches and the beards. There's a distinctly late Victorian and Edwardian look and feel about these people. Another indication of the date is the track ballast. Until about 1910 the Great Northern Railway Company used coal ash as track ballast and this covered the sleepers as you can see in this picture. This is the work of an early, and very competent, professional studio photographer. It is not a snapshot but a very carefully planned occasion using the very latest photographic equipment. In those days a photograph such as this would be taken using a heavy camera made from hardwood, with leather bellows and large glass lenses held in precision engineered brass tubes and the whole thing would run on an adjustable traverse. The instrument would be mounted on a heavy collapsible tripod. The scene or image would be captured on a large glass plate coated in light sensitive chemicals and processed or 'developed' afterwards in a darkroom back at the studio. Group photographs of railway employees were very popular in the early years of the 20th century. The photographer may have asked the Station Master if he and his staff would like to purchase prints from the plate. On the other hand the Line Superintendant at Grantham or Nottingham may have organised a photo 'shoot' at each station along the line. It is not impossible to imagine that no one in Bottesford would have a camera. Taking part in a group photograph would be a big deal. You can begin to appreciate the anticipation of a special event building up amongst the station staff in the days before the photographer arrived - probably by train. - laden with very heavy equipment and including a special light-proof case in which the glass plates would be carried. The staff would be gathered, after the camera had been set-up, and politely asked not to cough or move their heads or hands for perhaps 5 long seconds. The correctly exposed 'plate' here shows the detail in those black uniforms and throws the staff into relief against a deliberately over exposed signal box and platform shelter. The darkroom magic has worked!

Thank you very much for these helpful observations on the dating of this photograph.