• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Station name suffix

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mark24

Member
Joined
18 Sep 2018
Messages
68
I've been looking into Suffix's on Station names and their meanings. Some of them are fairly obvious distinctions between two stations in the same town. Also the Great Central Railway used a Central Suffix on many of its stations.
Does anyone know if the Victoria Suffix has a special meaning? It just seems to have been used so many times to be a coincidence, also tends to be reserved for larger stations
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

randyrippley

Established Member
Joined
21 Feb 2016
Messages
5,081
I've been looking into Suffix's on Station names and their meanings. Some of them are fairly obvious distinctions between two stations in the same town. Also the Great Central Railway used a Central Suffix on many of its stations.
Does anyone know if the Victoria Suffix has a special meaning? It just seems to have been used so many times to be a coincidence, also tends to be reserved for larger stations


who was Queen when they were built?
 

etr221

Member
Joined
10 Mar 2018
Messages
1,037
I've been looking into Suffix's on Station names and their meanings. Some of them are fairly obvious distinctions between two stations in the same town. Also the Great Central Railway used a Central Suffix on many of its stations.
I don't think the GCR itself used the 'Central' suffix that much: it became applied to many ex-GCR stations post-grouping or nationalization, when it became necessary for the (now one) railway to give its now multiple stations different names. So, e.g., in Rugby both the LNWR/LMSR and GCR/LNER stations were just 'Rugby' until 1948, when the new BR gave them identifying suffixes of 'Midland' and 'Central'. Similarly in many other towns, suffixes based (more or less) on the former railway name were applied.
 

Bedpan

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
1,286
Location
Harpenden
Is there any explanation as toi why the GWR chose "General" rather than "Central" other than that they liked to be different?
 

edwin_m

Veteran Member
Joined
21 Apr 2013
Messages
24,793
Location
Nottingham
Is there any explanation as toi why the GWR chose "General" rather than "Central" other than that they liked to be different?
"Central" implies (though it's not always true) the station closest to the centre. I think General is a little different - it's the principal station for the city but may not be the closest. So for example Wrexham General has the best choice of services but Central is closer to the centre of Wrexham.
 

randyrippley

Established Member
Joined
21 Feb 2016
Messages
5,081
Is there any explanation as toi why the GWR chose "General" rather than "Central" other than that they liked to be different?
Didn't it signify a station that was a major parcels/goods hub as well as passenger?
 
Joined
25 Sep 2018
Messages
253
I have always liked the suffix 'Road', a reliable euphemism for "This station is at least two miles from the place it is named after" :smile:
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,063
As suffixes go, it is hard to beat Carlisle Citadel.
 
Joined
21 Oct 2012
Messages
929
Location
Wilmslow
The Southern Railway and its constituents were quite keen on 'Central' - Bournemouth, Southampton, Folkestone, Bexhill spring to mind. Exeter Queen Street was renamed Central after rebuilding by the SR in 1933 - and very appropriate too, being right in the heart of the city. Belfast Central used to grate with me - it is anything but 'central' - but has now been renamed as Lanyon Place. Hopefully the redevelopment of the Great Victoria Street transport hub will get the go ahead and the 'Enterprise' can be accomodated there instead.
 

Mutant Lemming

Established Member
Joined
8 Aug 2011
Messages
3,194
Location
London
"Central" implies (though it's not always true) the station closest to the centre. I think General is a little different - it's the principal station for the city but may not be the closest. So for example Wrexham General has the best choice of services but Central is closer to the centre of Wrexham.

Has me wondering what Wrexham Exchange was named after. I had imagined Liverpool, Manchester and Bradford Exchange stations were so called due to their proximity to business exchanges but can't think that would be the case with Wrexham.
 

Greenback

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
9 Aug 2009
Messages
15,268
Location
Llanelli
I always thought that the Exchange suffix referred o he ability to change between routes, as in I'm exchanging one train for another! It seems appropriate for Wrexham, at least, but I'm not sure about the others :)
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,048
Location
St Albans
At St Albans there were the LNWR, GN and finally the MR stations. The LMS on grouping referred to the LNWR station as the Abbey station but called the MR station 'City' rather than 'Midland', despite the fact it's as far from the city centre as the Abbey station is! The GN station became 'London Road' on nationalisation, but closed to passengers only 3 years later.

The City station had that suffix dropped by a previous TOC, but it was reinstated by another TOC (the one prior to the present one) after one of their senior management staff visited the St Albans South box and saw our BR running-in board on display.
 

Mutant Lemming

Established Member
Joined
8 Aug 2011
Messages
3,194
Location
London
I always thought that the Exchange suffix referred o he ability to change between routes, as in I'm exchanging one train for another! It seems appropriate for Wrexham, at least, but I'm not sure about the others :)
It does seem the case for Wrexham though Bradford was named after the nearby wool exchange, Liverpool after the nearby Stock Exchange buildings and Manchester after the Royal Exchange building.
 

Bedpan

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
1,286
Location
Harpenden
At St Albans there were the LNWR, GN and finally the MR stations. The LMS on grouping referred to the LNWR station as the Abbey station but called the MR station 'City' rather than 'Midland', despite the fact it's as far from the city centre as the Abbey station is! The GN station became 'London Road' on nationalisation, but closed to passengers only 3 years later.

The City station had that suffix dropped by a previous TOC, but it was reinstated by another TOC (the one prior to the present one) after one of their senior management staff visited the St Albans South box and saw our BR running-in board on display.
I always regarded London Road as simply an intermediate station between St Albans Abbey and Hill End, with Abbey and City being the main stations.

Harpenden used to be called Harpenden Central when the GN's Harpenden East was open.

I was surprised to see that only four exchange stations have been mentioned. I would have thought that there would have been more, but I can't think of any others besides the four mentioned.
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,048
Location
St Albans
I always regarded London Road as simply an intermediate station between St Albans Abbey and Hill End, with Abbey and City being the main stations........
Not all GN trains went through to the Abbey station, although I think they did in the short period of BR passenger operation until 1951. The walk to St Albans City from London Road was significantly shorter than from the Abbey station, which may have influenced things?
 

LUYMun

Member
Joined
15 Jul 2018
Messages
776
Location
Somewhere
In the London Underground, suffixes are not rare. In fact, many had at least one suffix before they were renamed at some point.

Plenty of stations include:
- South Woodford, which dropped its "(George Lane)" suffix in the 1950s.

- Kensington (Olympia), which still retains it.

- Finchley Central, once called "Finchley (Church End)"

- Archway, which was called "Archway (Highgate)", then "Highgate (Archway)"
 
Last edited:

Rob F

Member
Joined
17 Dec 2015
Messages
375
Location
Notts
I don't think the GCR itself used the 'Central' suffix that much: it became applied to many ex-GCR stations post-grouping or nationalization, when it became necessary for the (now one) railway to give its now multiple stations different names. So, e.g., in Rugby both the LNWR/LMSR and GCR/LNER stations were just 'Rugby' until 1948, when the new BR gave them identifying suffixes of 'Midland' and 'Central'. Similarly in many other towns, suffixes based (more or less) on the former railway name were applied.
Rugby Midland always seems wrong, although I can see why it was chosen, being the Midland region of BR station. My OCD would much rather it had been named Rugby North Western!! (And I do know that the Midland railway ran trains to Rugby)
 

didcotdean

Member
Joined
25 Jun 2013
Messages
150
Notable maybe that no road sign within Didcot mentions 'Parkway'. On the outskirts 'Town Centre' and 'Station' (or just double arrows) are on direction signs and closer in those placed either side of the station itself with the various access details are headed 'Didcot Station'.
 

edwin_m

Veteran Member
Joined
21 Apr 2013
Messages
24,793
Location
Nottingham
Also Port Talbot Parkway is practically at what passes for the centre of Port Talbot. In more recent parlance it appears to mean "station with reasonable road access and car park, in the opinion of whoever so named it". I don't know Didcot but looking at the OS map the road access to the station doesn't look especially brilliant.
 

oldman

Member
Joined
26 Nov 2013
Messages
1,014
I was surprised to see that only four exchange stations have been mentioned. I would have thought that there would have been more, but I can't think of any others besides the four mentioned.

Barnsley was once Barnsley Exchange. There was also Hope Exchange not far from Wrexham. From Wikipedia:
Hope Exchange railway station was located to the west of Penyffordd, Flintshire. The station was in fields with no road access, being an interchange between two lines. The high level section of the station opened on 18 November 1867 on the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway,and the low level section opened on the same day, on the London and North Western Railway.The high level platforms served what is now the Borderlands Line, and the low level platforms served the Mold Railway.
398px-Name-board_at_Hope_Exchange_High_Level%2C_1948_%28geograph_5159337%29.jpg
 

Bedpan

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
1,286
Location
Harpenden
I have always liked the suffix 'Road', a reliable euphemism for "This station is at least two miles from the place it is named after" :smile:

I stand to be corrected bur wasn’t it only the GWR who used road in that context... Bodmin Road, Grampound Road, Gwinear Road, Wantage Road, Cemmaes Road etc."? Other railways named roads to signify the location of a station within a town, ie London Road in Brighton, Nottingham Road in Derby, Mauldeth Road in Manchester (is there such a place as Mauldeth?) and Wandsworth Road, Edgware Road etc in London, although admittedly these roads had generally previously been named after the places that they ultimately led to.
 

Helvellyn

Established Member
Joined
28 Aug 2009
Messages
1,995
I stand to be corrected bur wasn’t it only the GWR who used road in that context... Bodmin Road, Grampound Road, Gwinear Road, Wantage Road, Cemmaes Road etc."? Other railways named roads to signify the location of a station within a town, ie London Road in Brighton, Nottingham Road in Derby, Mauldeth Road in Manchester (is there such a place as Mauldeth?) and Wandsworth Road, Edgware Road etc in London, although admittedly these roads had generally previously been named after the places that they ultimately led to.
Micheldever was origonally called Andover Road by the LSWR to signify its location on the Winchester to Andover road. Once the route through Andover was opened it was renamed. However, it's not actually in the village of Micheldever itself and the hamlet that grew up around the station is called Micheldever Station!

You also have Beaulieu Road although it wasn't originally built to serve Beaulieu village and was actually closed for 35 years before the LSWR reopened it in 1895!
 

Mutant Lemming

Established Member
Joined
8 Aug 2011
Messages
3,194
Location
London
Also Pontypool Road now Pontypool and New Inn to reflect it is closer to the latter then the former. How many streets are there ? Sole Street, Lime Street, James Street, Wood Street, New Street, Liverpool Street, Moor Street, Old Street.. are those that come to mind am sure there are more
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top