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Trivia: Stations close to each other that you can’t travel to/from easily

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MadMac

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Following on from the “non-obvious termination points”, something popped into my head about this. Rules of the game:
  • Stations must have had a regular service between them at some time
  • Stations must have a passenger-standard railway connecting them
I’ll nominate Uddingston and Newton: about three miles apart, currently absolutely no service between them unless you go all the way round the Hamilton Circle. Anything more nonsensical?
 
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dgl

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The two Dorchester stations, ~1-1.5mi apart by road, although a change at either Upwey or Weymouth is possible.
 

BigCj34

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Carnforth to Oxenholme. Have to go south via Lancaster then north again.

Dalton to Askam, there is the Park South junction but no regular passenger service uses it nowadays. Have to go via Barrow, and it is probably the only way to go between the two places by public transport.
 

Springs Branch

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Not sure what mileage limit the OP intended for "close together", but some adjacent stations on main lines similar to the Carnforth-Oxenholme example are:

  • Acton Bridge & Warrington BQ
  • Wigan NW & Patricroft
  • Carstairs to Lockerbie southbound
    (there is one northbound TPE train per day stopping at Lockerbie then Carstairs)
  • Chathill & Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Until the past year or two, there were some journeys impossible to do in one direction, but which recently have been given a very meagre train service:-
  • Stalybridge to Guide Bridge (plus all permutations of station pairs via Denton & Reddish South to Stockport)
  • Newton-le-Willows to Wigan NW
  • Eccles to Deansgate (now has trains all day in both directions)
 

Bovverboy

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Tyndrum Upper and Tyndrum Lower. Far easier just to walk between them. But that breaks all your rules!
The OP stipulated that there must have been a regular service between them at some time.
Tyndrum Upper has been known as Upper Tyndrum for many years now.
 

Bovverboy

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Not sure what mileage limit the OP intended for "close together", but some adjacent stations on main lines similar to the Carnforth-Oxenholme example are:

  • Acton Bridge & Warrington BQ
  • Wigan NW & Patricroft
  • Carstairs to Lockerbie southbound
    (there is one northbound TPE train per day stopping at Lockerbie then Carstairs)
  • Chathill & Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Until the past year or two, there were some journeys impossible to do in one direction, but which recently have been given a very meagre train service:-
  • Stalybridge to Guide Bridge (plus all permutations of station pairs via Denton & Reddish South to Stockport)
  • Newton-le-Willows to Wigan NW
  • Eccles to Deansgate (now has trains all day in both directions)
Carnforth and Oxenholme are not adjacent stations, but I think all your other examples are.
 

alangla

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I’ll nominate Uddingston and Newton: about three miles apart, currently absolutely no service between them unless you go all the way round the Hamilton Circle

Erm... that was before the Whifflet trains went to the low level. There’s now no direct service at all. In practice, you’d change at Cambuslang probably. In the same area, there’s scheduled ECS workings from Whifflet to Holytown but no passenger service. There used to be a Christmas Sunday only service between these two at one point. Also Holytown to Motherwell, there’s 1 a day going the other way but nothing in this direction, previously half the Lanark trains went this way.
 

Bovverboy

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Though to be fair the two stations in Wigan are not much further apart than the outermost platforms at Manchester Piccadilly.
Are you suggesting that there is a direct service between Newton-le-Willows and Wigan Wallgate?
 

MadMac

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Erm... that was before the Whifflet trains went to the low level. There’s now no direct service at all. In practice, you’d change at Cambuslang probably. In the same area, there’s scheduled ECS workings from Whifflet to Holytown but no passenger service. There used to be a Christmas Sunday only service between these two at one point. Also Holytown to Motherwell, there’s 1 a day going the other way but nothing in this direction, previously half the Lanark trains went this way.

Ah.....so, if someone wants to travel by train from Uddingston (or indeed, Bellshill) to, say, Hampden Park, there’s no reasonable way to do so?

On the Whifflet ECS: that’s been running to Wishaw of late. I understand the intent is for it to become a passenger service.
 

alangla

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Ah.....so, if someone wants to travel by train from Uddingston (or indeed, Bellshill) to, say, Hampden Park, there’s no reasonable way to do so?

On the Whifflet ECS: that’s been running to Wishaw of late. I understand the intent is for it to become a passenger service.
Fast train to GLC High Level then a Cathcart to Mount Florida. Probably a lot quicker than going via Burnside etc.

The ECS is meant to be going there but given how tight the timings are & given how often the current ones turn at either Mossend or Braidhurst, I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
 

yorksrob

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Polegate and Pevensey and Westham requires a detour via Eastbourne or a change at Hampden Park.
 

xotGD

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Deighton and Brighouse?

Was there a direct service in the past?
 

Crisps

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Yarm and Eaglescliffe.

TPE stop at Yarm but not Eaglescliffe, and Northern stop at Eaglescliffe but not Yarm, so you have to go to Thornaby and double back.

And has there ever been a regular service between Eaglescliffe and Stockton? I believe the only direct service now is the Sunday-only Hartlepool services, and I think there only two of them.
 

30907

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The two Dorchester stations, ~1-1.5mi apart by road, although a change at either Upwey or Weymouth is possible.
Buckshaw Parkway and Euxton Balshaw Lane
Neither has ever had a direct service (OK, there were trip freights between the Dorchester stations!).
Deighton and Brighouse?
Was there a direct service in the past?
I have a memory that there was one when the Bradford-Huddersfield service was reintroduced by BR, but happy to be corrected. Deighton is a PTE-era station so no "previous."
And has there ever been a regular service between Eaglescliffe and Stockton? I believe the only direct service now is the Sunday-only Hartlepool services, and I think there only two of them.
Said service ran daily in the BR diesel era, IIRC up to the economy cuts c 1990, and I imagine there have been trains Eaglescliffe-Stockton ever since both station were open.
 

dgl

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In defense of the Dorchester stations they do/did have the summer Corfe services which do enable a direct service with no change of trains, hardly regular though.
 

A0wen

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Finsbury Park to Dalston Junction ?

Prior to the GN electrification the GN services to Broad Street provided the link. Now you have to travel from Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington and change though the distance difference isn't significant.

I would have said Kentish Town to Upper Holloway, but the South > East curve from the MML to the T&H was taken out some years back.

Another one - Leicester to Burton on Trent ? Used to have direct trains, track still there but to do that journey means travelling via Derby or Nuneaton / Birmingham / Tamworth.
 

route101

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Erm... that was before the Whifflet trains went to the low level. There’s now no direct service at all. In practice, you’d change at Cambuslang probably. In the same area, there’s scheduled ECS workings from Whifflet to Holytown but no passenger service. There used to be a Christmas Sunday only service between these two at one point. Also Holytown to Motherwell, there’s 1 a day going the other way but nothing in this direction, previously half the Lanark trains went this way.

Was there ever services calling at Newton then Uddingston?
 

Mag_seven

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Was there ever services calling at Newton then Uddingston?

Yes - prior to the original Newton remodelling there were. I think there also were direct services after the remodelling as well but they were withdrawn after the 1991 accident and never restored.
 

urbophile

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Liverpool Lime Street to Moorfields. Probably only about 1 km apart (less than 10 minutes walk) but as the Wirral line loop is unidirectional you would need to change at either Central or James Street. Similarly with Central to Lime Street.
 

Bovverboy

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Hazel Grove and Chinley.

I was surprised to discover that there is a 0546 SuX (NT) which calls at both stations. I thought that EM had one or two which did, but apparently not. In the other direction, one EM does do, 0635SSuX ex Nottingham (0640SO).
 
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