The official responsible for managing the daily operations, staff, and commercial business of a railway station. In the era of widespread passenger rail, this role held significant local authority over train dispatching at the depot, baggage handling, and ticket sales. While the title survives at large terminals, centralized dispatching and automated ticketing have largely absorbed the historic duties of the position.
Heard on the job
The stationmaster held the westbound local for ten minutes so the mail bags could finish loading.
Insider tip
You will mostly hear this term in historical contexts or at major passenger hubs; everyday freight operations rely on trainmasters instead.