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Most historic station

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Charlie2555

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12 Jun 2012
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Near Gillingham (Dorset)
Hello everyone,

I would love to know anyone's ideas as to some of the countries most "Historic" and unspoilt stations. I am thinking back to those old photos we have all seen of the 50s and 60s, stations with old Victorian or Edwardian station buildings, gas or early electric lamps, maybe an old footbridge or hand-operated crossing. A place where you could imagine a steam train puffing in, even if it is probably served by a DMU nowadays. I don't know if any still retain wooden platforms?

I understand the more unspoilt stations are likely to be on heritage railways, however does anyone know of any still part of the national rail network? I am being nostalgic for a time I never lived in, thinking about those lonely rural halts and small station buildings, filled with dark wood and history. In a time where much of our railway heritage is lost, it would be nice to visit those last refuges of a bygone era (if they still exist).

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
 
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bramling

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5 Mar 2012
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17,685
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Hertfordshire / Teesdale
Hello everyone,

I would love to know anyone's ideas as to some of the countries most "Historic" and unspoilt stations. I am thinking back to those old photos we have all seen of the 50s and 60s, stations with old Victorian or Edwardian station buildings, gas or early electric lamps, maybe an old footbridge or hand-operated crossing. A place where you could imagine a steam train puffing in, even if it is probably served by a DMU nowadays. I don't know if any still retain wooden platforms?

I understand the more unspoilt stations are likely to be on heritage railways, however does anyone know of any still part of the national rail network? I am being nostalgic for a time I never lived in, thinking about those lonely rural halts and small station buildings, filled with dark wood and history. In a time where much of our railway heritage is lost, it would be nice to visit those last refuges of a bygone era (if they still exist).

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

Hebden Bridge and Edge Hill spring to mind, plus of course most of the stations between Skipton and Carlisle.

Grange-over-Sands and Ulverston are pretty nice too, and St Erth was pretty unspoiled but has presumably changed a bit as part of the Park & Ride scheme. Par, Truro, Redruth and Penzance still feel like “proper” stations too.
 

PartyOperator

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26 May 2019
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166
Great Malvern is nice. Also some working gas lamps in the town if that’s your thing. Nearby Worcester Shrub Hill has some historic features too (including a listed waiting room and semaphore signals).
 

Cherry_Picker

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Birmingham
Birmingham Moor Street and Leamington Spa have an olde world GWR feeling about them. Both intentionally restored to their former glory.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Another planet...
There are loads of stations with wooden platforms, but most of them only date back to the 1980s and 1990s. An exception to this is Berrylands, which has had wooden platforms since opening in 1933.

At this point they may be the Platforms of Theseus, of course!
 

kentuckytony

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23 Aug 2010
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Edgewood KY USA
I know it's not there anymore in its original form, but the station and yards at Tunbridge Wells West was a magnificent, towering structure.
 

yorksrob

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Yorks
Not a wooden platform, but the wooden station building at Pluckley (between Ashford and Tonbridge) is remeniscent of the steam era - one can imagine the steam hauled Golden Arrow thundering past.

There are loads of beautiful old stations sat around the network.

Foxfield on the Cumbrian coast seems timeless as well.
 

Western Sunset

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Wimborne, Dorset
I don't think there are any left which are truly redolent of the decaying 50s/60s piles of a building that were the majority of our railway stations. There are many examples of gentrification/refurbishment, as mentioned above, but none remain that retain that down-at-heel feel from steam days.
 

Anonymous10

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wales
Cardiff central it's got a modern side but also has a 19th century side and old style signs
 

alistairlees

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Many of the stations on the Esk Valley line to Whitby feel as if next to nothing has changed.

Between York and Harrogate there are Cattal and Hammerton both of which have token exchange, manual level crossings and pretty buildings. It certainly does not feel as if the 21st century has got there. No doubt many rural stations in wales too.
 

Aictos

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Hertford North still has it's LNER shelter as well as the original fireplaces although boarded up, I'm sure you could get a fire going in them - would make the waiting room very toasty in winter!
 

Esker-pades

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Beds, Bucks, or somewhere else
A lot of Highland halts have new shelters and the like. Altnabreac does, but it has solar powered lighting and quite an obnoxious departure board. Lochluichart, Stromeferry and Duirinish come pretty close. The fact that they're so rural though means that things like plastic information boards and the like are a lot more noticeable than they would be in other stations.
 

Gathursty

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Wigan
Bere Ferrers + the period features just outside
Okehampton
Dunrobin Castle
 

sheff1

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Filey has some modern accoutrements but, after dark especially, it is is not difficult to envisage a long gone type of train pulling in under the overall roof.
 

bramling

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Filey has some modern accoutrements but, after dark especially, it is is not difficult to envisage a long gone type of train pulling in under the overall roof.

Same goes for Beverley, and also Scarborough. Thinking about it, Bridlington is quite unspoiled too - especially the concourse, and with a fine signal box nearby too. And for a country station, Hutton Cranswick looks nice especially in the summer.
 

Anonymous10

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Same goes for Beverley, and also Scarborough. Thinking about it, Bridlington is quite unspoiled too - especially the concourse, and with a fine signal box nearby too. And for a country station, Hutton Cranswick looks nice especially in the summer.
Pembroke Dock Tenby and Whitland in Pembrokeshire all have original buildings and most set around 19th and early 20th terraces with the old cast iron pillars and roof still standing unfortunately they are getting into disrepair as there's a lack of funding for unmanned branch stops
 

bramling

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Pembroke Dock Tenby and Whitland in Pembrokeshire all have original buildings and most set around 19th and early 20th terraces with the old cast iron pillars and roof still standing unfortunately they are getting into disrepair as there's a lack of funding for unmanned branch stops

Not so sure about Whitland as to me that’s rather plain these days, however nearby Llanelli is pretty complete. Narbeth is a rather quaint station too.

Staying with a west theme, Bridgwater, Teignmouth, Torquay and Newton Abbot are another few to add to the list, although Newton Abbot is not quite what is was in the 1980s when it still had a fine selection of semaphore signals.

Slightly different setting with electrification, however Pulborough has changed little since the 1930s, although sadly its semaphores have now gone. Some of the Uckfield line stations also retained a run-down faded-grandeur feel, but have probably been spoiled by platform extensions. Box Hill & Westhumble is also rather fine.
 

Anonymous10

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wales
Not so sure about Whitland as to me that’s rather plain these days, however nearby Llanelli is pretty complete. Narbeth is a rather quaint station too.

Staying with a west theme, Bridgwater, Teignmouth, Torquay and Newton Abbot are another few to add to the list, although Newton Abbot is not quite what is was in the 1980s when it still had a fine selection of semaphore signals.

Slightly different setting with electrification, however Pulborough has changed little since the 1930s, although sadly its semaphores have now gone. Some of the Uckfield line stations also retained a run-down faded-grandeur feel, but have probably been spoiled by platform extensions. Box Hill & Westhumble is also rather fine.
Whitland is with its box and the tokens for the Pembroke Dock branch but it's definitely a oddity narbeth I forgot definitely is tho penally if had the building would be lamphey is cute but no building same with manorbier and Pembroke Is just a platform and some shelters
 

bunnahabhain

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Sleaford is a nice station to spend time at, relatively untouched apart from losing its semaphores. The staff messroom there has the old booking office leather and wooden bench seat inside.
 

TheSel

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10 Oct 2017
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Southport, Merseyside
Birkdale, Knaresborough, Knutsford, Ribblehead, Saltburn - all have their plus points.

Birkdale.jpg Knaresborough.jpg Knutsford in torrential rain.jpg Ribblehead.jpg Saltburn.jpg
 

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ohgoditsjames

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16 Jun 2019
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Sheffield & Shipley
Knaresborough station, a lovely station in a lovely town, there's a small volunteer group named the friends of Knaresborough station that look after it such as the paintings and flowers etc, the old ticket office cafe on the platform is lovely too. Let's not forget the viaduct that crosses over the river Nidd and the Marigolds boating cafe underneath.

The viaduct has some history in that the original made from lime stone collapsed which resulted in all the fish in the river Nidd being poisoned due to the lime disolving in the river. There's a pub 200 meters or so away called "The Worlds End" which gets it's name from the prophecy that the world would end if the viaduct collapsed again!

Maybe I'm ever so slightly biased having dated a lass from there so I spent much of my time there :wub: :lol:
 
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