Trivia: Bleakest Terminal Stations

[XCTurbostar]

Given the way this thread is going, it might have been easier to ask which isn't bleak!

 

[BeijingDave]

In this case, pretty much everywhere with a turnback (that has been used to turn a passenger service) is a terminus then.

Including Selby, Marsden, Warrington Central, countless places no-one would call a terminus station...

 

[MadMac]

Describes most of that area of Fife...Methil, Buckhaven. Shudder.

You’ll do well if you go to or through Fife without hearing banjos…..

 

[Scotrail84]

Describes most of that area of Fife...Methil, Buckhaven. Shudder.

Aye, its certainly seen better days, suffers badly from lack of investment and job opportunities for the locals.

 

[JKF]

Severn Beach is a bit desolate, though I think a bit better that it used to be. Not much to see or do in the town either, not since the Blue Lagoon closed...

 

[duffield]

Severn Beach is a bit desolate, though I think a bit better that it used to be. Not much to see or do in the town either, not since the Blue Lagoon closed...

A top grade new attraction is coming very soon though!

Quote:

About Our Railway​

Opening in 2025, the Severn Beach Miniature Railway is set to bring back a slice of history while creating an exciting new attraction for families, railway enthusiasts, and visitors of all ages. Decades ago, Severn Beach was home to a beloved miniature railway that delighted generations of locals and visitors alike. While that railway is no longer in operation, we are thrilled to rekindle its spirit and create a modern experience that honors its legacy.
Nestled in the picturesque coastal village of Severn Beach, this new railway will offer scenic train rides, family-friendly play areas, and plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Our mission is to create a unique destination that combines nostalgia, education, and fun while celebrating the charm of miniature railways.
Whether you’re a local eager to reconnect with a cherished past or a traveler excited to explore something new, the Severn Beach Miniature Railway promises to be a must-visit destination. Stay tuned for updates as we bring this dream to life and let the magic of miniature railways live on!

Link:

Severn Beach Miniature Railway

(January 2025) (February 2025) (Summer 2025) (January 2025) (February 2025) (Summer 2025) About Our Railway Opening in 2025, the Severn Beach Miniature Railway is set to bring back a slice of

www.severnbeachminiaturerailway.co.uk

 

[GoneSouth]

I went to Colne once, that wasn't too inviting either. Strood is grim, its the Terminus for the Medway Valley line.

Good thing you caught it whilst it’s still a terminus station before it’s imminently reconnected to Skipton. Won’t be able to include it in this thread then

I was wondering why I'd never heard of the National Motorways Museum!

I'd go to it.

The spectacular cone contraflow exhibit would be worth a day out and the £35 admission fee.

 

[John Luxton]

The National Motorways Museum...think you've found a new niche product there....catering would be pricey and nothing special...
I have been to the National Waterways museum at Ellesmere Port however!

Must have been some auto correct glich just don't know how motorways replaced waterways. Odd!

 

[Lytham Local]

In so much as that there aren't any? Or is there a hidden booking office Portakabin I've not noticed before?

Aye, there aren't any - other than the odd pigeon or screechy gull (who would probably be at home on platform 14 at Manchester Pic).

 

[cjw714]

Newquay is utterly grim. But to be fair that sentence could be as easily applied to the town as the station, which is entirely in keeping with the town. Basically it's Blackpool but with surfers.

Big trains a couple of times a day on a branch line is a lovely quirk though. A bit like the Berchtesgaden branch in Bavaria.

Newquay has a bad reputation and can be grim in the evenings when it's awash with drunken surfers. However, when we visited last summer we were surprised by how pleasant it was and how much of it seemed to be thriving, especially compared with many of Cornwall's inland towns which really are bleak. Newquay station, on the other hand, is as horrendous as everyone says.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Has anyone mentioned Harwich yet, the whole line after the ferry station is potentially notable for its desolation in general.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Has anyone mentioned Harwich yet, the whole line after the ferry station is potentially notable for its desolation in general.

Harwich Town? Post #3

 

[Cricketer8for9]

To me bleakness requires a place to be bleak on a warm summer day. Anywhere can be bleak on a cold winter evening - even the most hospitable places. It takes a special charm to be bleak on a warm sunny day.

 

[Sun Chariot]

To me bleakness requires a place to be bleak on a warm summer day.

I do agree. A terminal station with the same bleak desolation that Berney Arms "offers".
Or -for a non mainline choice - Snowdon Mountain Railway's summit station (especially when the cafe's closed).

 

[Welly]

To me bleakness requires a place to be bleak on a warm summer day.

In July 2014, I went on the Hamburg - Copenhagen train which took the ferry between Puttgarden, Germany and Rodby, Denmark. As my train got off the boat it paused at Rodby terminal surrounded by miles of disused sidings and empty customs sheds. Even on a boiling hot summer day it was bleak and depressing. Easy to imagine it with Baltic rain in winter!

 

[GoneSouth]

To me bleakness requires a place to be bleak on a warm summer day. Anywhere can be bleak on a cold winter evening - even the most hospitable places. It takes a special charm to be bleak on a warm sunny day.

And here we are back at Blackpool South

 

[Bletchleyite]

In July 2014, I went on the Hamburg - Copenhagen train which took the ferry between Puttgarden, Germany and Rodby, Denmark. As my train got off the boat it paused at Rodby terminal surrounded by miles of disused sidings and empty customs sheds. Even on a boiling hot summer day it was bleak and depressing. Easy to imagine it with Baltic rain in winter!

I've got off at Puttgarden once (didn't have my passport and the Danish border guards were very much paying attention that I did despite that always being my intention) - that was bleak and basically nothing there, not even a shop, just a small village of a few houses. I doubt it will reopen, it'll just have a bus service.

 

[ian1944]

To me bleakness requires a place to be bleak on a warm summer day. Anywhere can be bleak on a cold winter evening - even the most hospitable places. It takes a special charm to be bleak on a warm sunny day.

In that case, the undisputed winner must be Ardrossan Harbour, but only because Renfrew Wharf is long-closed.

 

[Russel]

In that case, the undisputed winner must be Ardrossan Harbour, but only because Renfrew Wharf is long-closed.

Not just the station, everything about Ardrossan Harbour is bleak, it's hard to believe it's the gateway to such a lovely island.

 

[paul1609]

In so much as that there aren't any? Or is there a hidden booking office Portakabin I've not noticed before?

Ive only been there once just to do the line. At 10 am I was offered 2 different drug deals within 10 minutes thats a better service than you even get on the South London Line.

 

[mrd269697]

Very true. Apologies....it's getting late and past my bedtime. Think I'll switch off my computer now!

Besides, whilst it has next to nothing in the way of passenger facilities - it’s in a beautiful part of the world with glorious countryside for miles around. I can think of bleaker places.

 

[Bristol LHS]

Whereas we get a different type of ned here on Rail Forums!

On topic: Sunderland. Grim. And when you exit the station, you are in Sunderland.

Agree the station is grim, but the city is on the up more generally.

...and, your point being?

I'm sorry but your comment on Sunderland Station is so wide of the mark. Yes the platforms may be subterranean but they are brightly lit and scarcely bleak or grim. The new surface building is spaceous (albeit not yet filled with the seemingly obligatory coffee shops and expensive bookstalls).

I write this as someone who loves the city and grew up there, but every ‘improvement‘ to Sunderland station has left it worse.

- The early 2000s extension of the shops above removed daylight from the platforms and led to the ejection of WHSmith, half their unit was used for a ticket office and bakers but the other half had a succession of fairly rubbish shops which made the whole station look a mess. The loss of Smiths (which was also the main branch in the city) also reduced footfall and passive supervision. The northern entrance by what used to be Littlewoods is a disgrace, unstaffed and unfinished.

- The 2009ish improvements underground were initially a big improvement, but the white ceiling fins were soon removed and left it just as dark, the illluminated light show on the opposite unused platform has complicated efforts to bring that back into use and hasn’t been working anyway the last few times I’ve been down. Nothing was dome upstairs at that time, to my memory.

- the new southern entrance building is okay as it goes on paper, but was obviously designed by someone who wasn’t aware how many seagulls and pigeons there are in Sunderland. It’s also been done on the minimum possible budget, value engineered to death (emulsioned plasterboard walls that have visible damp and mould already), there no public art and hardly any seating. It is basically a greenhouse plonked in the city centre, a big empty souless space. Not a great weclcome to the city if you step off the last couple of terminating Grand Centrals from London or York.

 

[matchmaker]

In that case, the undisputed winner must be Ardrossan Harbour, but only because Renfrew Wharf is long-closed.

Ah yes, Renfrew Wharf, with its attractive view of the many chimneys of Yoker Power Station reeking away...

 

[simonw]

Severn Beach is a bit desolate, though I think a bit better that it used to be. Not much to see or do in the town either, not since the Blue Lagoon closed...

Mentioned by my goodself near the start of this thread.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Millom is back in then if we are following this criteria

Millom since the mid 90s isn't that bad especially now the cafe bar and ticket office/ museum are there, up until then it was an unstaffed rotting vandalised pit.

 

[Gathursty]

Have I already mentioned Southminster? Especially on a warm Summer's day, you'd be astonished to think you're not too far from London.

 

[THC]

Have I already mentioned Southminster? Especially on a warm Summer's day, you'd be astonished to think you're not too far from London.

There's nothing particularly bleak about it though. Remote, perhaps, but not bleak. You have to head further out the Dengie peninsula for that.

THC

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Have I already mentioned Southminster?

Yes you have. Back at post #151 in December.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

There's nothing particularly bleak about it though. Remote, perhaps, but not bleak. You have to head further out the Dengie peninsula for that.

THC

I've only ever been there 3 times (and one of those was in the middle of the night on a Railtour!), but I can say I've been to many worse places.
Granted there's not a huge amount there ( said with all due respect to the locals!) but....

 

[D6130]

I've only ever been there 3 times (and one of those was in the middle of the night on a Railtour!), but I can say I've been to many worse places.
Granted there's not a huge amount there ( said with all due respect to the locals!) but....

There's a decent pub a few minutes walk from the station.