• 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!

Most exhilarating station approach

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Joined
4 Apr 2019
Messages
130
OK, so bear with me here...but Oulton Broad North from the Norwich direction.

I grew up in Oulton Broad and I still see Lowestoft as my hometown. After miles of flat marshland, seeing little St Michaels's Church on the hill in the distance (the first building you see as you approach town) means I'm home.
 

NorthOxonian

Established Member
Associate Staff
Buses & Coaches
Joined
5 Jul 2018
Messages
1,483
Location
Oxford/Newcastle
I'm a fan of the stations where you approach on a viaduct and get a great panorama of the city, looking down on a metropolis teeming with life - so through the Castlefield Corridor into Manchester, coming into Leeds from the east.

You can get a good perspective of Glasgow as you approach over the Clyde into Central (high level, obviously), same with coming into Dundee from Fife, the view over the Tay etc (damn, @stut has beaten me to the punch!)



We have a winner!

If you like that sort of thing you can get two for the price of one travelling between Chippenham and Bath - look on your left when leaving Chippenham then on your right as you enter Bath. Neither is a metropolis, but in both cases a viaduct gives a good view down to their centres, and the latter always looks busy with the bus station being just under the station.
 

Skie

Member
Joined
22 Dec 2008
Messages
1,070
Am I missing something with this one. It's just a brick cutting with some tunnels?

Just over a mile of deep tunnel through Sandstone dug entirely by hand in 1836, then converted to a wide cutting in the 1880s when capacity needed increasing. It's certainly an awe inspiring view from the front!

The Chat Moss approach takes you through the Olive Mount cutting too, which again was dug by hand
 

LNW-GW Joint

Veteran Member
Joined
22 Feb 2011
Messages
19,555
Location
Mold, Clwyd
Am I missing something with this one. It's just a brick cutting with some tunnels?

It's a mile of 4-track cutting/tunnel through magnificent pristine deep red sandstone.
The signalling electrics now go up the walls to equipment sited at the top.
It used to be dank, drippy and almost decrepit, but now looks clean and modern, as does the station.
It's just a pity the line speeds weren't increased from 30/40mph after the upgrade.

There's plenty of other red sandstone cuttings/tunnels in the area, at Olive Mount, near Eccleston Park on the St Helens line, on the CLC exit from Liverpool Central, and across the river at Birkenhead Central, Chester (under Northgate and through the walls), and around Frodsham.
All cut by hand and black powder, some of it as early as 1830.
 

fishquinn

Established Member
Associate Staff
Quizmaster
Joined
4 Oct 2013
Messages
6,643
Location
Warwickshire
Some of my favourites in Scotland are Perth from the Dundee line, Dundee from both north and south, Inverness from the HML, Stirling from the north (no idea why) and Montrose from the south. From England there's countless examples but Berwick from the south and Newcastle from the south definitely deserve mentions.
 

johnnychips

Established Member
Joined
19 Nov 2011
Messages
3,676
Location
Sheffield
The most exhilarating ‘Station Approach’ for me was the cul-de-sac that led, between high walls, to Stockport station. It meant you were travelling somewhere, or going to use the dank subway to get to Edgeley to watch Stockport County. Either way, it filled me with excitement. It’s a lot more open now.
 
Joined
20 Nov 2019
Messages
693
Location
Merthyr Tydfil
If you like that sort of thing you can get two for the price of one travelling between Chippenham and Bath - look on your left when leaving Chippenham then on your right as you enter Bath. Neither is a metropolis, but in both cases a viaduct gives a good view down to their centres, and the latter always looks busy with the bus station being just under the station.

I'm glad someone mentioned those two. Fantastic views of both places.
 

greyman42

Established Member
Joined
14 Aug 2017
Messages
4,894
It's a mile of 4-track cutting/tunnel through magnificent pristine deep red sandstone.
The signalling electrics now go up the walls to equipment sited at the top.
It used to be dank, drippy and almost decrepit, but now looks clean and modern, as does the station.
It's just a pity the line speeds weren't increased from 30/40mph after the upgrade.
Having watched the cab ride into Lime Street I can see your point now that it has been cleaned up. My vision of it was the dank, drippy and decrepit one that it used to be. I did not realise that it was sandstone as it used to be so dirty.
 

pt_mad

Established Member
Joined
26 Sep 2011
Messages
2,960
Crianlarich from the West (Oban)! Especially when you can see the other unit coming down from Fort William to your left ready for you to couple up.
 

Mogster

Member
Joined
25 Sep 2018
Messages
902
Castlefield without a doubt. Always interesting, and as I don't do it every day always something different to see.

The wait for platform space always gives you a good few minutes to admire the view...

Being high on the viaduct at sunrise is particularly nice I feel. Even Beetham Tower can look good.
 

py_megapixel

Established Member
Joined
5 Nov 2018
Messages
6,645
Location
Northern England
I guess Stockport from the North might be a contender.
You essentially shoot out of a cutting onto one of the world's largest viaducts. Pretty disappointing that the view is some concrete buildings, the knackered bus station and a stretch of motorway.

Exhilarating? Yes, if you've not done it before.
Railway interest? Yes.
Scenic? Not by any stretch of the imagination.
 

pt_mad

Established Member
Joined
26 Sep 2011
Messages
2,960
Doesn't Dundee have a reputation for being exiliterating to and from the North? Narrow streets with houses really close by on each side and a decent speed limit?
 

krus_aragon

Established Member
Joined
10 Jun 2009
Messages
6,042
Location
North Wales
On the Welsh Highland Railway, the run into Beddgelert heading south is quite exhilarating. The railway around Cwm Cloch Isaf farm follows sweeping curves as it loses altitude, doubling back on itself, going over three level crossings in the process, then all of a sudden you pull up in the station!

(Beddgelert is a "major" station for the WHR, isn't it? :))
 

bunnahabhain

Established Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
2,070
I've always quite liked Sheffield from the South, you struggle uphill to Bradway Tunnel, round the curve at Dore then plunge down into Sheffield at 90mph through a few sweeping curves. :)
 

Polarbear

Established Member
Joined
24 May 2008
Messages
1,705
Location
Birkenhead
Are we allowed non UK stations? If so, dropping into Andermatt from the east is pretty spectacular.
 

gazzaa2

Member
Joined
2 May 2018
Messages
829
I like the Deansgate approach from Trafford, but i've been stuck there for circa 15 minutes too many times and it's kind of spoiled it.

Newcastle is great over the Tyne.
 

Tobbes

Established Member
Joined
12 Aug 2012
Messages
1,242
In the mornings (especially at this time of year) the approach to Manningtree from the north across the Cattawade Viaduct is gorgeous if it is clear and the sun is rising over the Haven Ports.....
 

NorthOxonian

Established Member
Associate Staff
Buses & Coaches
Joined
5 Jul 2018
Messages
1,483
Location
Oxford/Newcastle
I like the Deansgate approach from Trafford, but i've been stuck there for circa 15 minutes too many times and it's kind of spoiled it.

Newcastle is great over the Tyne.

The bit before you hit the Tyne in Gateshead is better, but I have to admit I'm very biased since I can see my childhood home from the train!
 

ChiefPlanner

Established Member
Joined
6 Sep 2011
Messages
7,768
Location
Herts
In the mornings (especially at this time of year) the approach to Manningtree from the north across the Cattawade Viaduct is gorgeous if it is clear and the sun is rising over the Haven Ports.....

I agree - lovely location.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
I’ve thought approaching Reading from the west is pretty cool, as you trundle over the flyover and glide into the platform. Not as good now a days mind since you can’t feel the rush of air through the open window.
 
Joined
20 Nov 2019
Messages
693
Location
Merthyr Tydfil
I’ve thought approaching Reading from the west is pretty cool, as you trundle over the flyover and glide into the platform. Not as good now a days mind since you can’t feel the rush of air through the open window.

I completely forgot about that one. You get a great view and it's always interesting to see what's in the depot.
 

Rick1984

Member
Joined
23 Aug 2012
Messages
1,030
I like the way you weave in between the high-rise building on approach to Waterloo and just before you get a good view of Battersea plus the various flyerovers and underpasses for Victoria
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top