Haha Blackpool North. I remember my first and last visit there. I was 15 at the time, taking a trip to Manchester on the Northern Rail. Being a young enthusiast at the time, I was quite interested in the different rolling stock. I used the online signalling diagrams to see what platform my train was on, and being curious to see what type of stock was operating my service, I decided to try and get a quick peek down the platform.
BIG Mistake
A member of staff came up immediately, calling me a security risk and asking why I needed to see down the platform. I explained I wanted to see the type of rolling stock I would be spending 1.5 hours on, to which I was told this was “confidential” and to “mind my own business”. I completely maintain my innocence, but this was enough to almost put me off the railway hobby (and it did for a month or two), before I realised that this was only one station, which I vouched to never rreturn to, even if this meant 20-30 minutes added on to my journey to travel to Blackpool South. The level of staff authoritarianism and mistrust in the travelling public is quite frankly atrocious and it’s shameful that a town known for bringing joy and happiness to many families who visit it has this poor standard of service.