Foreshortened Termini

[Richard P]

I believe that Mallaig also falls in to this criteria, the line certainly used to run in to the harbour but not sure if the station was there or in it's current position on the opposite side of the road?

 

[Altfish]

One could argue that Altrincham falls into this category, it used to be called Altrincham & Bowdon.
Bowdon station and Altrincham were originally separate stations; Bowdon station was turned into the carriage sheds, a new station A&B built in the present location, the original Altrincham station closing.

 

[randyrippley]

I didn't realise until recently that Morecambe station was another one of those where BR abandoned the original station and built a new one further up the line, so I wonder which other ones are there?

The ones that I know of are...

Bradford Exchange to Bradford Interchange 1971
Fort William 1975
Morecambe Promenade 1994

Also is it only a recent phenomena or was it ever done in the olden days?

You've made a fundamentally wrong asssumption over Morecambe. Promenade was not the original terminus. The current station is more or less on the same site as the North Western Railway station on Northumberland St. That acted as the original terminus, except for boat trains which ran onto the Stone Jetty.
This gives some detail, though is primarily about the nearby Euston Rd terminus of the LNWR

Disused Stations: Morecambe Euston Road Station

www.disused-stations.org.uk

 

[Bald Rick]

A slight point of order, however both Sheringham and Uckfield weren’t foreshortened as such, as both were through stations where the line was closed in one direction and the station completely re-sited to dispense with a level crossing.

This differentiates from places like St Ives or Marlow where the station was cut back to allow alternative use of the land.

Point of order, Uckfield was moved a long time after it had become the terminus of the line. It was done on resignalling to save the (considerable) cost of a new LX and the signals to protect it.

 

[dubscottie]

Sudbury (Suffolk) slightly short of the previous station.

I am sure I read in a mag at the time that the "new" (current) station was built on the site of the original 1800s temporary station.

I suppose you could say it moved back to its original site!

 

[pdeaves]

Going the other way, the honourable mention is Glasgow Queen St which has taken concourse space to allow for 8 car trains. There's another thread needed there I think!

London Euston being another example of a 'negative shortening'

 

[john prytherch]

Exmouth - what's left stops short of where the line originally stopped.
Bradford - both Forster Square and Exchange.

 

[Cowley]

Exmouth - what's left stops short of where the line originally stopped.
Bradford - both Forster Square and Exchange.

There’s been quite a few repeats on here. Probably worth looking back through the thread to see what’s been mentioned already before posting (sorry John but all of those have been mentioned in posts #1,9 and 10).
I myself actually mentioned Looe in post #21 even though @steamybrian had already said it in #6 so it’s easily done...

 

[daodao]

Rosslare Harbour and Portrush. The platform in use at the re-opened Derry Waterside station may be slightly shorter than the original at this site.

 

[edwin_m]

The platform in use at the re-opened Derry Waterside station may be slightly shorter than the original at this site.

Wasn't the Derry station truncated in the 1970s and later restored to close to is original position? The name of the place is also truncated...

 

[oldchap]

not sure it counts as it remains a through station, but Aberdeen lost its whole North end.

 

[30907]

Falmouth (Docks) was foreshortened for passengers in 1970 to a new station at Falmouth Town (aka as The Dell). But because of the gradient at Falmouth Town the DMUs still had to travel down to Docks to change ends, so the old line and station reopened to passengers in 1975.

Docks station itself was foreshortened before closure.

 

[montyburns56]

You've made a fundamentally wrong asssumption over Morecambe. Promenade was not the original terminus. The current station is more or less on the same site as the North Western Railway station on Northumberland St. That acted as the original terminus, except for boat trains which ran onto the Stone Jetty.
This gives some detail, though is primarily about the nearby Euston Rd terminus of the LNWR

Disused Stations: Morecambe Euston Road Station

www.disused-stations.org.uk

Well I was referring to the recent history of Morecambe Promenade irrespective of whether or not it was originally the main terminus in Morecambe.

 

[montyburns56]

A couple which spring to mind are:

• Blackpool North - current station was rebuilt in the 1970s at what were previously the excursion platforms and located slightly further away from the seafront than the original North station.
• Balloch - current station is further from Loch Lomond and was relocated there to avoid the level crossing when Balloch Central and Balloch Pier stations closed in mid-1980s.
• Sheringham - BR station was relocated east of the level crossing to allow elimination of the crossing in the 1960s. Original Sheringham station was to the west where North Norfolk Railway is now.

[Edit] I think Windermere, Southport and Windsor & Eton Central can be added in a "somewhat truncated to allow shops to be built in front" category.

I never realised that the current Blackpool station used the old excursion platforms. It's weird that when most seaside stations have lost their excursion platforms that Blackpool has actually "recycled" them.

Also I should have remembered Balloch as I went there about twenty years ago and I even walked along the trackbed to the old Pier station!

 

[montyburns56]

St. Ives, Cornwall - new platform further from town (subsequently extended), to create car park on old site.
Gunnislake, Cornwall - other side of A390 road to eliminate low-bridge.

Looking at maps of St Ives it looks as it the current station actually reused the line to the old goods shed.

And was Gunnislake station a late addition to the line as looking at very old maps of the site of the older station seems to be plain track?

 

[montyburns56]

Ardrossan Harbour
Windsor & Eton Central is just hanging on at the extremity of one original platform (a bit like Felixstowe)
Paddington saw the concourse enlarged by shortening some of the platforms in front of 'the lawn'
Victoria (Central side) has seen platforms shortened to create a larger concourse
Exmouth
New Holland was moved from a triangular/reversing 'terminus' to the 'avoiding line when the Pier closed

On preserved lines Wallingford has 'retreated'

On metros South Shields has been truncated twice

New Holland is possibly pretty unique in that it has lost a terminal station and gained a through one! I've always been fascinated by it though as I think it would make for a nice little model with the small station and the way that the old line to the pier was used as sidings, plus the old Pier station had a really weird track layout.

New Holland Pier railway station, Lincolnshire, 26/03/1977 [slide 7746]

An interesting station on the south side of the River Humber was New Holland Pier, which provided a link to Hull Corporation Quay via a ferry. In this view, apart from the typical Class 114 DMU, there is a wagon in the centre siding containing coal for the paddle steamers. The platform on the...

flic.kr

 

[pdeaves]

Looking at maps of St Ives it looks as it the current station actually reused the line to the old goods shed.

Correct

And was Gunnislake station a late addition to the line as looking at very old maps of the site of the older station seems to be plain track?

Not sure what you mean. Gunnislake wasn't originally the terminus; the line carried on to Callington. It was truncated at Gunnislake on a single track. Rather like the resitings to avoid level crossings, Gunnislake was resited (June 1994) to avoid a bridge over the road.

 

[montyburns56]

Port Victoria station on the isle of Grain branch used to be on a wooden pier, but was moved onto dry land when the pier was declared unsafe in 1931.

It looks like it doesn't have any station at all now although the line still has a freight service. Interestingly you can still see the of the pilings of the pier on Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%C2%B025'55.2%22N+0%C2%B042'09.7%22E/@51.4332391,0.7032123,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.432!4d0.7027?hl=en

 

[TheSel]

Point of order, Uckfield was moved a long time after it had become the terminus of the line. It was done on resignalling to save the (considerable) cost of a new LX and the signals to protect it.

Indeed. And a great shame it was too! A lovely station prior to the closure of the level crossing.

 

[yorksrob]

It looks like it doesn't have any station at all now although the line still has a freight service. Interestingly you can still see the of the pilings of the pier on Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%C2%B025'55.2%22N+0%C2%B042'09.7%22E/@51.4332391,0.7032123,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.432!4d0.7027?hl=en

It was superceded by Grain station in the 1950's which was built to serve the oil refinery, then closed to passengers with the line in 1961.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Looking at maps of St Ives it looks as it the current station actually reused the line to the old goods shed.

And was Gunnislake station a late addition to the line as looking at very old maps of the site of the older station seems to be plain track?

The Bere Alston and Callington standard-gauge branch did not open until 1908, largely using the earlier East Cornwall Mineral Rly's 3ft 6in route, but with a new section from Bere Alston to near Gunnislake, including the famous Calstock viaduct. The ECMR 'depot' at Gunnislake (called Drakewalls) was actually where the current station is, and became a rail served coal yard after conversion to standard gauge until the erly 1960s. The 'old' station was built new in 1908, serving until 1994.

 

[montyburns56]

The Bere Alston and Callington standard-gauge branch did not open until 1908, largely using the earlier East Cornwall Mineral Rly's 3ft 6in route, but with a new section from Bere Alston to near Gunnislake, including the famous Calstock viaduct. The ECMR 'depot' at Gunnislake (called Drakewalls) was actually where the current station is, and became a rail served coal yard after conversion to standard gauge until the erly 1960s. The 'old' station was built new in 1908, serving until 1994.

Ah right thanks, I did wonder if it was just a freight only line at first.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

Saltburn

A common factor in many of these is that the station ended up in a less convenient position and with less pleasant facilities, often just a bleak windswept platform with a bus shelter at best.

 

[Elecman]

Is the one remaining platform at Blackpool South part of the original station?

Yes it is/was

 

[Revilo]

New Holland is possibly pretty unique in that it has lost a terminal station and gained a through one! I've always been fascinated by it though as I think it would make for a nice little model with the small station and the way that the old line to the pier was used as sidings, plus the old Pier station had a really weird track layout.

New Holland Pier railway station, Lincolnshire, 26/03/1977 [slide 7746]

An interesting station on the south side of the River Humber was New Holland Pier, which provided a link to Hull Corporation Quay via a ferry. In this view, apart from the typical Class 114 DMU, there is a wagon in the centre siding containing coal for the paddle steamers. The platform on the...

flic.kr

Bedford St Johns became a terminus for a time (when the line beyond was truncated) and was then replaced with a new through station on a chord to Bedford main.

 

[Cletus]

Ebbw Vale Town, and its predecessor.

 

[181]

I believe that Mallaig also falls in to this criteria, the line certainly used to run in to the harbour but not sure if the station was there or in it's current position on the opposite side of the road?

I'm fairly certain that the current Mallaig station is the original one, with just a freight line having extended to the pier. Wikipedia supports this.

 

[181]

Henley on Thames is quite a bit short of where it once was.

I think it still uses part of one of the original platforms, but yes, the buffer stops and station building are further south than the former location.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Merthyr Tydfil. Cut back about 50-100 yards circa 1974.

It was reduced in size in 1974 but it was 1996 when it was moved nearer to Cardiff and rebuilt in its present form.

 

[delt1c]

Has Newquay been mentioned? Apologies if it has