Favourite Station

[whoshotjimmi]

Ok, the only rule here is that it has to be a current station in use on the public network NOT on a preserved line etc.

It can be for any reason whatsoever! Cleanliness, history, quality of staff(!), anything!

I will start the ball rolling with Leeds. The perfect example of how a modern station should be. Though I will admit that Manchester Piccadilly comes close.

 

[Pumbaa]

Probably Piccadilly. St Pancras a close second, but Piccadilly just seems a little more friendly and welcoming, St P is more imposing.

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

Funnily enough I would also vote Manchester Picadilly first too.

Northallerton is good for high speed passes also.

 

[me123]

Edinburgh Waverley; there's something I like about it. Seems to mix old and new quite well. Glasgow Central as well, although not the sewers low level station.

Down south, Carlisle and York. Both quite impressive stations in their own ways. Not been to St Pancras yet, though.

 

[90019]

Waverley for me.

I like the architecture of it, the layout and especially the walkway across the station.
Also, there's something about platforms 8 and 9 almost being like a separate station out to the side, how they look so different from the rest of the station, how they're separated and aren't in the main area of the station like all of the other platforms.

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

York is a belter as well (forgot that one.)

I lso like stations that serve heritage lines as well - such as Keighly for instance.

 

[Proud Salopian]

For a large station - Manchester Piccadilly. A functional, busy and compact station.

For the medium stations - Crewe and York, if only for their interesting position on the railway network and yards, museums, sheds, etc operating in the vicinity. From a personal point of view, my "home station" of Shrewsbury would come near the top under this category too. You can't beat having the largest mechanical signal box operating in the country (second largest in the world)!

For a small railway station - Machynlleth. This station and neighbouring DMU sheds and stabling/refuelling area retains a model railway essence. The setup at Machynlleth is larger than you first realise when you arrive at this otherwise quiet town in mid-Wales. The DMU yard is tucked between the cliffs and the Victorian station, there is a new DMU shed, the signal box is still going (controlling the whole line now) and the station is manned. Just a shame that there isn't usually much variety of train stock - we can however (like at Salop) look forward to the ERTMS 97s rumbling about there soon.

For a heritage line station - Bury Bolton Street. Classic setup which works really well with various trains arriving and departing at the same time.

 

[xc170]

Ide prpbobly go for Birmingham Moor Street or Manchester Picadilly. Personally i dont see why people get so excited over St Pancras, it dosnt feel like a station more a gloryfied shopping centre!

Adam

 

[me123]

Also, there's something about platforms 8 and 9 almost being like a separate station out to the side, how they look so different from the rest of the station, how they're separated and aren't in the main area of the station like all of the other platforms.

That's one of things I like about Waverley. When I first stepped off the train there (the first time I can distinctly remember, anyway), it was the Glasgow-Penzance voyager and it arrived on Platform 8. Just across on Platform 9 was the VSOE, and it felt like an old, untouched station, despite the fact there was a voyager behind me.

This was before refurbishment.

 

[Bayum]

New Street!!

I like the underground feel, and Phil Sawyers Voice!!!

Most of my favourite classes are there as well =)

 

[xc170]

New Street!!

I like the underground feel, and Phil Sawyers Voice!!!

Most of my favourite classes are there as well =)

I agree new street is one of my favourites to!

Adam

 

[mrcheek]

Im surprised anybody went for Birmingham New Street. But Im going to agree with them. Its dirty, smelly, overcrowded, and all the things that a good railway station should be!!

 

[Bayum]

Meh - what the public hate - I love =)

 

[P156KWJ]

BHM is a dump, except the first class lounge

Very large stations: Manchester Piccadilly, Waterloo (if there were less people especially!)

Large stations: Sheffield (though some warmer facilities and a first lounge would be nice!), Carlisle (pleasing trainshed)

Medium stations: Middlesbrough (might seem odd, but the booking hall is old (in a nice way) and the seated area is nice too), Wimbledon (rather convenient retail on the bridge!)

Smaller stations: Chathill (well kept), Whitby (interesting one, despite being a popular town, has only 1 platform and regular preserved services too!)

My least favourites have to be Derby (somewhere with cushioned seats and not metal or plastic ones would be nice - and get some automatic doors!), Netherfield (wierd feel to it, used as a chav festering spot, grimy), Sunderland (too dingy), and Clapham Junction (just too much hassle)

 

[Waverley125]

well, I have several, all for different reasons

Waverley: My favourite architecturally, wonderful place to spot. Facilities are first class and the trains that serve it are superb

Leeds: My spiritual home, it always feels good to shoot out over Elland Road, see the home of the mighty whites on the right hand side, and beyond that the ever-growing skyline of God's fair city. A truly modern station, always clean, broad platforms and clear announcements. Now with the most up-to-date ticket barriers Ive seen as well.

Grantham: my local station, one i prefer to use over peterborough whenever i can. It's a charmingly small station that still sees a good number of important services. Also has a very nice cafe. Only now they've built that monstrosity of a footbridge it doesn't look quite so nice.

Kings Cross: for me, the only london terminal with true character. It's still stained, there's netting on the roof and still the feel of the steam & diesel fumes blowing out of those mouth-like twin portals. And still the home of Britain's best long-distance, high-speed service and unrefurbished HSTs.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
oh, and I don't like NS as a station, but i wish that Phil Sayer's announcements were at every station-it's one of the pleasures of changing there.

 

[Guinness]

Manchester Piccadilly for reasons mentioned before. St. Pancras building especially the roof looks spectacular however I think it is wreaked slightly with the shopping centre feel. There's more emphasis on the 30ft (?) long champagne bar than trains services to the East Midlands etc.

I'm strangely attracted to New Street, more memories and experiences than buildings though.

 

[Gizmogle]

Hmmm...like Chaz, I also get attatched to strange things for sentimental reasons.

My favourite stations are Manchester Piccadilly, Derby, Doncaster, London Euston, Birmingham New Street, London Waterloo and Hastings. There's probably more that I can't think of offhand.

Manchester Piccadilly: Has a nice friendly atmosphere to it. Large station, but still very compact and easy to navigate. Good selection of shops in the station, but not in the way like St Pancras.

Derby: I used to change at Derby alot when I first got into trains a few years ago and always got excited about the RTC. I used to spend hours there at night waiting for my bus home, so I've grown to love it in a weird way.

Doncaster: Decent selection of freight passing through.

London Euston: Not particularly a nice station in the platform area, but the concourse has been recently improved with more seating. Good selection of places to eat aswell. Oh, and the best part about Euston, is waiting for the next Pendo platform to appear on the departure boards, and then as soon as it does, racing with the entire station to be first onto the train and get a seat.

Birmingham New Street: Easy to navigate, especially with the amount of platforms. Directly linked to several shopping centres.

London Waterloo: Again, really easy to navigate. Although the new ticket barriers are quite an annoyance for anyone unable to get through the automatic gates! Subway at rush hours provides a quick way to get onto the tube without having to push through people on the concourse. Also a link straight to Waterloo East for Southeast Trains services.

Hastings: Just a plain fantastic looking station from the outside. Looks absolutely stunning!

 

[Pumbaa]

London Euston: Not particularly a nice station in the platform area, but the concourse has been recently improved with more seating. Good selection of places to eat aswell. Oh, and the best part about Euston, is waiting for the next Pendo platform to appear on the departure boards, and then as soon as it does, racing with the entire station to be first onto the train and get a seat.

I hate Euston! So much!

I think it looks kinda like a car park when you enter by train, with all the grills and pillars etc, not nice at all. The concourse design is shocking, the suburban platforms are irritatingly designed with a huge crush to get through the barriers. It's dark (not as dark as BHM though) and generally unpleasant. Annoyingly though, I don't mind being there, as I know my way around it so well, being my second most used station on the UK rail network (after Hemel unsurprisingly - which by the way has just had a new PA system installed, with automatic information screens and announcements, with the woman who's also at most stations jabbering on repeatedly!)

 

[D306]

Terminus stations: Euston

Large stations: Birmingham NS, Crewe, Derby, Sheffield

Medium stations: Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Tamworth, East Mids Parkway, Nottingham (surprisingly), Bedford

Small stations: Wolverton, Woburn Sands, Ali Pali, Chesterfield

 

[A0wen]

Interesting so many are going for St Pancras although I agree it does look nice. I'd go for Kings Cross or Marylebone of the London termini.

Otherwise Wellingborough, Hitchin - both nicely presented with original buildings.

Of the more modern stations, MK Central is probably the best of a bad bunch.

Definate dislikes - Euston, Birmingham NS - dingy, dark, unpleasant.

 

[Ilove165's]

London Termini:
Kings Cross: last home of the Valenta on the ECML

Paddington: impressive structre

Marylebone: WSMR!

Best of the rest:
Stratford Intl.: shed loads of freight

Sheffield: spiritual home

West Ruislip: WSMR...only faster! Plus WCML diversions...

Doncaster: another good place for freight(and speeding 91s...)

Headstone Lane: nice little station on the WCML for photting

Sam

 

[P156KWJ]

having said that I hate New Street, as mentioned, I do like Phil Sayer's voice, especially as it is especially loud and clear there with that echo on the platforms

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I'm enjoying hearing about New Street. It seems to be a real marmite station. I'm also surprised that some people actually like Euston. To my mind, that is the worst station I have ever been to anywhere in the world.

Speaking of which, Monte Carlo station has got to be the best - by miles. Deep inside the mountain, it is connected to the top and bottom of the mountain by lifts. It is unimaginably huge and stylish and as soon as you walk outside, paradise. I just wish France had better trains.

As far as Keighley station is concerned, yes the preserved side is very nice, however, as soon as you cross the bridge to the NR platforms, deary deary me. Dirty, in need of paint, broken windows, grafiti (not the artistic type) and, the last time I did a West Yorkshire bash the Leeds bound platform waiting room was closed due to a collapsed roof. West Yorkshire has some of the best kept stations in the UK but, sorry, Keighley aint one of them!

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

I'm enjoying hearing about New Street. It seems to be a real marmite station. I'm also surprised that some people actually like Euston. To my mind, that is the worst station I have ever been to anywhere in the world.

Speaking of which, Monte Carlo station has got to be the best - by miles. Deep inside the mountain, it is connected to the top and bottom of the mountain by lifts. It is unimaginably huge and stylish and as soon as you walk outside, paradise. I just wish France had better trains.

As far as Keighley station is concerned, yes the preserved side is very nice, however, as soon as you cross the bridge to the NR platforms, deary deary me. Dirty, in need of paint, broken windows, grafiti (not the artistic type) and, the last time I did a West Yorkshire bash the Leeds bound platform waiting room was closed due to a collapsed roof. West Yorkshire has some of the best kept stations in the UK but, sorry, Keighley aint one of them!

I was only really using Keighley as an example. Perhaps the unique value of seeing a heritage railway and nr share stations.

Ravenglass (Cumrian coast line) is a similar example. They dont share stations as such, but the Ravenglass and Eskdale line runs adjacent to the main line for a short stretch. Imagine how it feels being on one of their little chuger when a 20 or a 37 passes by!!

 

[37401]

hmm hard choice that but im gonna say Doncaster you get loads of stuff there, nuneatons in the top 3 too as you get lots of freight down there

 

[me123]

London Euston: ... waiting for the next Pendo platform to appear on the departure boards, and then as soon as it does, racing with the entire station to be first onto the train and get a seat.

I do actually love that; the whole experience feels more like waiting for a plane than a train and there was a "thrill" about it that you don't get at Glasgow Central, or Edinburgh or any other station that I know of. Then descending down that ramp, through the doors...

Other than that, however, I think the place is an absolute dump. I would have hated to be stuck there when all the trains were cancelled.

 

[Trains06]

Hmmmm, *Puts thinking cap on*

Terminus Stations:
Manchester Piccadilly
London Euston - Suprisingly! Probably because its the main Virgin Terminus :P

Large Stations:
London Bridge
Crewe
Bristol Temple Meads

Medium Stations:
Carlisle - So cool!
Preston

Some of the choices I am suprised with myself, In particular Euston.

 

[GNERman]

Big Station - Leeds anyday
Good trains go there
Clean

Medium - Skipton
Good trains
Tonnes of freight and charters

Small - Appleby
Nice
Good trains

Preservation Station - Bolton Abbey
Quaint
Good trains

 

[Trains06]

Big Station - Leeds anyday
Good trains go there
Clean

Ooo Aye.... I like Leeds to!

 

[ChrisMcFall]

I've got a few I suppose.

Coventry mainly because its my "home" station
BHM: Easy to get around, close to a lot of shops, see a lot of trains.
Although its a bit dark and depressing sometimes..I kinda like it because of that.
And of course the announcements.

Darlington: I think it looks rather nice when I've passed through it.