Alex's trip reports (ft. Least Used in Scotland)

[Kite159]

There used to be a Burger Ching at Lime Street, it wasn't part of your imagination.

Sounded like a good day on Merseyside

 

[185143]

There used to be a Burger Ching at Lime Street, it wasn't part of your imagination.

Sounded like a good day on Merseyside

One can only presume the aforementioned Burger Ching was stolen.

 

[alexf380]

Yes that really must be the only logical reason

 

[Iskra]

Seemed a productive trip that. Must have been interesting rescuing another train.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Talking of Scottish roaming, I am planning two trips to Scotland - one to Glasgow which might well be a day trip (maybe one night's stay); the other much more adventurous, namely the Scottish Grand Tour 4-in-8 rover with one of the "blank" days being a Jacobite trip.

 

[alexf380]

Thank for all the kind words folks, it was a good day

Re: the Grand Tour ticket, I didn't know it existed until I stumbled across it in Inverness with the other half last month. It looks like a really ince idea, and if it's still in existance in years to come I might have to persuade myself to try it out.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I had got to the planning stage of a Spirit of Scotland for July, but fortunately not booked or paid for any of it as of course things are rather uncertain at present.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yes, that's another option, but perhaps too many options! The validity on the 04:50 Caledonian Sleeper from Edinburgh to FW is useful.

 

[alexf380]

Visiting Hillfoot - Least used station in East Dunbartonshire
Saturday 25th July 2020

Just a few days off 4 months since my last journey by train, it's time to get back on the rails again! Oficially, ScotRail are still discouraging non-essential journeys. Most people I saw on my travels today appeared to not be making an essential journey (coffee cups and shopping bags a key giveaway) so I didn't feel too bad about taking a spin over to Glasgow for my next least used station.

Hillfoot station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Hillfoot station lies on the Milngavie branch of the North Clyde line, the last stop before the terminus. Last year, it saw 331,928 entries and exits which breaks down to just over 909 passengers a year. I imagine the vaaaast majority of people using the station head into Glasgow for work.
It was opened in 1900 after the branch was doubled, and once upon a time it featured a station building similar to that found at Bearsden station. Eventually though, it was downgraded replaced by a modular concrete building, many of which can be found across the Strathclyde network. That, too, was soon downgraded and replaced by a standard uninspiring bus shelter. That is still there today, but it won't be long until it is downgraded and replaced by a solitary open air bench.

The station is also notable for appearing in the sketch show 'Burnistoun'. I'm not sure where in that show it appears, but I read it on Wikipedia so it must be true...

Getting to Hillfoot is easy, and here's how I got there. My first haulage since 3rd of March was in the hands of 385120+385103 on the 10:15 all stations stopper to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High, calling at all stations as the Covid timetable only has one Glasgow-Alloa service an hour. It's very empty on this 8 car set, and I notice the absence of a catering trolley. In fact, there wasn't anything open at Edinburgh either.

385103 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Arrival at Queen Street is on time, and I admire the new station frontage. It does look good, very close to completion it is too. I think the next time I come through here I'll stop for a moment and take a couple of photos. I then make a spontaneous decision and can't be bothered walking over to Central station, so I head down to the subway. Cars 110+207+112 carry me in relative solitude (see below) from Buchanan Street to Partick.

Subway car 110 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

I have a couple of minutes here before my onward train, so I watch the comings and goings before hopping aboard 334009, which takes me right up to Hillfoot. One other passenger alights with me. No-one boards. That 909 passengers a day definitely doesn't apply in 2020!
Some photos of the station:

334009 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr
Hillfoot station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr
Hillfoot station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

There really is not very much around. Some houses and a car park and that's about it in the immediate environs. I only had 12 minutes to wait for the next train so didn't stray far, but I'm not concerned that I missed much. A winner it was not to be, as 320307+318267 hissed in and I took up my regular spot in the panto car of the 318. The trip to Glasgow Central pushes both of these units into the 10 mile club, a club not greatly populated by Strathclyde Electrics units so they are a welcome addition.

320307 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

That's the end of the first part of my day so I'll leave it there, part 2 shall follow below.

 

[route101]

Never got off at Hillfoot , what is the ten mile club?

 

[alexf380]

The ten mile club is a unit that has been had for haulage for at least 10 miles. It's a wee thing us trip reporters mention from time to time.

 

[route101]

The ten mile club is a unit that has been had for haulage for at least 10 miles. It's a wee thing us trip reporters mention from time to time.

Im more of all the lines guy rather than units.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I'm really rather enjoying this least used stations with a Scottish twist. It will be awhile until Jeff gets up here to do some of these and odds on they could well have changed anyway due to the current climate.

ongoing lack of station retail at Waverley could very soon become annoying.
Thanks for sharing, surprised you have time I'm in the middle of all those podcasts

 

[alexf380]

Visiting Busby - The least used station in East Renfrewshire
Saturday 25th July 2020

Busby Station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

We rejoin the action after lunch had been purchased and consumed from Greggs on Argyle Street. I would have went to McDonald's but they'd only just started doing sit-in food and I wasn't too sure what the deal with that was, so I went elsewhere.
Many of the Strathclyde least used are doable within a day, and since I was through in Glasgow anyway I figured I could knock off two in one trip. Busby station is on the East Kilbride line, and the big number for this station is 174,702 entries and exits for the year up to March 2019. Doing our usual calculation, that breaks down to just over 478 passengers a day. Busby station was opened by the imaginatively named Busby Railway Company in 1866. It was a fairly basic two-platform station with a goods yard to the south-east (photo below) and period features, such as an ornate footbridge and station buildings. Yes, buildings, plural. Although only one still stands as the building on the Glasgow bound platform burnt down in the 1960s.

Busby Station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr
A photo of where the goods yard would have been. The green buildings would once have formed part of the shed.

Busby sees a standard pattern half-hourly service on all days of the week, with a couple of extras at peak time. This makes getting there incredibly easy.

I made my way to Central station to find that the next train to East Kilbride was to be a 6-car lash up. "You beauty" I think to myself, I still need a load of 156s for haulage and this should help me out. Well...no. Treble duds 156504+156430+156433 were on this service. In fact, of the nine units (three 6 car sets) on the EK branch today, only one would have been a winner. Someone's playing games with the random unit generator today! Half an hour or so later, I'm deposited at our celebrity station, and I am breifly joined by the three other people who alighted withe me, but they quickly disperse and I am once again alone.

156430 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

First impressions are nice. Like many ScotRail stations, it is well kept, and well informed. Unfortunately though, due to the pandemic, both of the aiting shelters are out of use, so I go for a wander instead. The immediate environs consist of a busy main road, some houses, some trees, and a bar and grill. The menu for which looks to be ok, so if you happen to be stuck in Busby with nothing to do, pop in.

Busby Station by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

The twenty minute fester for the same dud trio of 156s to return passes in no time, and I head back to central Glasgow. We arrive a couple of minutes early, so I have a tonne of time to make my way over to Queen Street for the 14:45 shuttle back to the Burgh. Much to my disappointment it's a dud pair of 385s on this service. Normally I'd grab a coffee and catch the one 15 minutes behind, but as the next train is half an hour away and the coffee places are either closed or you have to wait to get in, I just take what has been provided.
It's 385119+385104 on this one, and my short bashing day is over just as much as it started. All in all, as today was just to test the water for getting back into bashing properly, I think it was a success. I didn't mind wearing a face covering, even if it did get a bit hot at times. It didn't bother me, although we'll see what happens when I need to make a longer journey or a full day away.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more least used adventures in Scotland!

 

[alexf380]

I'm really rather enjoying this least used stations with a Scottish twist. It will be awhile until Jeff gets up here to do some of these and odds on they could well have changed anyway due to the current climate.

ongoing lack of station retail at Waverley could very soon become annoying.
Thanks for sharing, surprised you have time I'm in the middle of all those podcasts

Thanks Dan! Yeah I'm thinking that next year's statistics could look very different. I think Pret was open when I passed but I can't be certain.

 

[alexf380]

Visiting Camelon - the least used station in Falkirk
Saturday 22nd August 2020

Camelon by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

What a difference a month makes! A whole lot of rain and not one, but two, line closures later we reach the next instalment of my least used series. This time, Camelon in Falkirk. Camelon is a fairly basic modern station with all the amenities you would expect a 1990s masterpiece to have; a waiting shelter on each platform, ticket machine, PIS system (although that wasn’t working when I visited, probably due to the amended timetable). The modern Camelon station was opened in 1994, further west than the original station, which was an island platform located on the other side of the road bridge. You can still see the space the platform occupied when you look towards Falkirk.

Camelon by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Getting to Camelon is easy. Well, it is normally. There are 8 trains per hour scheduled between Edinburgh and the town of Falkirk, but the closure of the line at Polmont due to the canal bursting its banks means that 0 out of 8 are running, it's rail replacement buses from Edinburgh. I could have waited for the line to re-open before visiting, but I didn’t want to delay this trip any more as it would push all my other trips back (and I want to get to the bottom of the list when I still have a decent amount of daylight) so I bit the bullet and went out today.

The buses were running from Edinburgh Park to Falkirk Grahamston, so that’s where I went first. Of course, that meant some (limited) 334 thrash, and double duds 334016+334030 didn’t disappoint for the four or so miles to Edinburgh Park. Having read the horror stories of people not being able to board the buses, I was prepared to put up a fight but actually, at 13:00 on a Saturday, it was me and five other people. Quite a comfortable coach it was too! I think it was a Volvo B9 chassis but I didn’t catch the reg number so can’t check.

334030 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

The journey didn’t take long at all, only about 45 minutes or so, and I was deposited in the car park at Falkirk Grahamston in plenty of time to see the next Dunblane train leave. Fantastic. Thinking I was facing a 50 minute wait, I head to the platform to see a 14:07 to Glasgow exists, so I gladly wait for that. 385029+385014 are on this working that is apparently 20 minutes late. On RTT, it is a 13:45 Glasgow service. Odd. But I’m not complaining.

We are soon arriving into Camelon, and I’ not the only one alighting; two youths also decide to scratch Falkirk’s least used station. I have a quick wander around taking a few photos before heading to the nearby Tesco for something to eat. I have the choice of a Tesco, Aldi or Home Bargains in the immediate vicinity. I choose Tesco as the walk allows me a break from the face mask. I didn’t walk the other way down the street, but there were many wrappers for a peri peri chicken shop on the ground, so I assume one of those is close as well.

It’s stats time now! Camelon is definitely the poor cousin of the 5 stations in the Falkirk region. It had just 142,044 entries and exits last year. That’s just 389 people a day. The next least used station in the area is Grahamston at 720,008, so quite a big difference! Its location next to a sketchy looking leisure centre and associated empty car park probably doesn’t do it any favours.

Camelon by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

I take a few photos of passing trains, and generally enjoy sitting in the sun in (relative) solitude before electing winner 385040 as a suitable means of getting out of there. The journey to Grahamston is miniscule, and I am soon waiting for the bus back to Ed. It’s another B9 Caetano coach for me, but this one is not as comfy as the previous one. Clearly its primary function is a school bus, as it’s 3+2 seats in a horrible pitch. Just look at that lack of legroom!

Legroom by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Arrival at Edinburgh Park is a little under an hour later and, as I thought, there was a 25 minute wait for the train to Edinburgh. I also discover, thanks to RTT, that it would be the dud pair of 334s from earlier, having made it to Helensburgh and back. No thanks, I think, and I jump on a tram instead. It’s 266 for me on this journey and it’s Brucie bonus time as I do believe this scores me Edinburgh Park Station tram stop. Nice one. Railmiles also records Edinburgh Tram moves now? Ace, I’ll have to make an effort to scratch the rest of the tram stops then.

That’s all I have to say about Camelon really. I had a really great day being able to get out in the sun for once! It feels like forever since I wasn’t on a rail trip when I wasn’t cold. (Last month doesn’t count, it was on and off rain for the most part)

Stay tuned as we stay local for the next least used station. For now though, some more photos;
Thanks for reading!

385014 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr
385121 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr
385040 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

 

[Blindtraveler]

We missed each other at Waverley by about 5 minutes yesterday.

I can't help wondering if they wouldn't have done better simply rebuilding extending refurbishing and reopening the old island platform but I'm fully aware from talking to a friend who now considers herself a local because she lives about 5 minutes walk from the the station that location was everything to the Falkirk council brown envelope planning committee of the 90s and strongly suspect that boosting usage of that leisure Centre and a number of other factors had a part in it.

 

[alexf380]

We missed each other at Waverley by about 5 minutes yesterday.

I can't help wondering if they wouldn't have done better simply rebuilding extending refurbishing and reopening the old island platform but I'm fully aware from talking to a friend who now considers herself a local because she lives about 5 minutes walk from the the station that location was everything to the Falkirk council brown envelope planning committee of the 90s and strongly suspect that boosting usage of that leisure Centre and a number of other factors had a part in it.

No way! Going anywhere nice?
I suspect you could be right. 25 years later though and I suspect its made all the difference, as people aren't so keen on walking through rough car parks and behind bowling alleys (Yes, the official signposted route from the main road to the station car park is round the back, past the bins of a Tenpin bowling alley)!

 

[route101]

Nice to see my old local station , Busby. Never considered the station least used. There used to be a service that started on P2 and used the crossover heading to Glasgow. And a service at teatime terminating at Busby.

Surprised you didnt go one stop further and tick off Thorntonhall which i think is least used in South Lanarkshire.

 

[alexf380]

Thorntonhall certainly is the least used South Lanarkshire, and I'll be heading there shortly. I'm kind of trying to do them in order. No real reason, just for the fun of doing them in order!

 

[route101]

Thorntonhall certainly is the least used South Lanarkshire, and I'll be heading there shortly. I'm kind of trying to do them in order. No real reason, just for the fun of doing them in order!

I see, hourly service at Thortonhall.

 

[route101]

Thorntonhall certainly is the least used South Lanarkshire, and I'll be heading there shortly. I'm kind of trying to do them in order. No real reason, just for the fun of doing them in order!

I see, hourly service at Thortonhall. Only station ive not visited on EK line.

 

[The_Train]

Nice to have the Least Used in Scotland series back Enjoyed the read for those couple of outings

 

[route101]

Nice to have the Least Used in Scotland series back Enjoyed the read for those couple of outings

Hopefully Geoff Marshall will get up to Scotland and do his least used

 

[alexf380]

Visiting Drem - the Least used station in East Lothian
Saturday 22nd August 2020

Drem by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Let’s get on with the game, shall we?

I arrived back at Edinburgh after my jolly out to Falkirk and saw, thanks to RTT’s fab “Know your train” feature, that there was a winner booked onto the next North Berwick departure. Since I’d had such abysmal luck with winners earlier in the day I decided that I might as well go for it. There was of course only one destination in mind.

Coffee time first though, as Costa in the station has now opened! Not sure how you’re meant to drink it, though, as ScotRail’s official stance is that face coverings must be worn on trains and stations. I take a naughty sip as 385012+385026 arrive from Glasgow Central, and take a table seat in the winning unit.

385026 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

It’s only 25 minutes or so up to Drem, and I enjoy the journey over a line that I used to see every day back in my college days. It’s quite nice in places especially with the slowly setting sun keeping everything bright.

Short platform! by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Drem station is reached, and I forgot how deceptively short the platforms are. They look like they could comfortably hold a six coach train, but actually only 5 are able to be platformed. I watch the train go, and for the one or two stragglers to make their way to their cars before I nip out into the car park to finish my coffee. As I do so, I’ll run through the Drem statistics. The station was opened in 1846 by the North British at the same time as the line from Edinburgh to Berwick, with the North Berwick branch following three years later in 1849. Originally, most passengers would have had to change trains at Drem to get to North Berwick, making the station somewhat important, but by dieselisation in the 1950s most trains continued right through to North Berwick. Drem successfully survived a closure attempt by Dr. Beeching, but only by being reduced to a skeleton service in the 1970s. That was short lived, though, and by the mid 80’s a regular hourly service resumed. Interestingly, the waiting room on the Edinburgh bound platform is a replica of the original, as BR began to demolish the buildings during electrification works but were told to stop as the station is a listed structure. The North Berwick bound buildings are all originals.

Drem by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

115,844 is the magic number for Drem, breaking down to roughly 317 entries and exits a day. One other interesting fact about the East Lothian stations, is the order in which their usage figures line up, increasing as you get closer to Ed. Drem is least used, followed by Longniddry, then Prestonpans, Wallyford and Musselburgh in that order (NB and Dunbar are #1 and #2 respectively) I must admit to that making me happy.

Anyhow, the 18:01 service to Edinburgh comes and goes and I am left in solitude once more, so I head out for a gander at the sights of Drem. Spoiler, there isn’t much to see. Most of Drem is the station. There is a post box, a bus stop, a road junction and 11 houses. You’re not missing much by not coming here, so I head back to the station to whittle away the rest of my fester. The waiting rooms are both “closed” (but unlocked, nothing stopped me from going in) so I was very thankful that it was a nice evening and not raining.

Drem by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Soon enough it was time to go home, and it was 385024 that would be taking me there. I wasn’t alone in joining this train at Drem, in fact it was a decent loading for 7pm on a Saturday immediately following a global pandemic. I alight at Musselburgh, throw some music on and walk down to the chippy, and ultimately home. Another least used station ticked, another day done.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Nice write up and new thread title

it continues to surprise me that Dunbar's usage is so high given the rather rubbish frequency which they keep not improving for one reason or another. That being said the train journey time is certainly very competitive with the bus when when the highly disruptive and controversial rail service does arrive

 

[alexf380]

Visiting Stow - the Least Used station in the Scottish Borders
Monday 24th August 2020

Stow by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Welcome back to my thread, and we’re keeping on going with our Least Used series. Although we’re going to go out of order here and jump Least Used Moray (more to follow) and head south to Stow, the least used station in the Scottish Borders.

Much like many other unitary authorities in Scotland, the Borders only have a handful of stations. Tweedbank and Galashiels are the other two here, and they are both fairly big railheads for their communities, but with Stow there just isn’t the same surrounding population to bring in the same passenger numbers. Only 71,222 passengers used Stow station in the year to March 2019, about a quarter of the number that used Galashiels.

Nice views (2) by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

It was a very simple run out after work for this one, it didn’t warrant a full day out. 170415, very much a dud, was my unit for both legs of the journey down the Borders Railway. It was really nice, actually, in the evening sun, heading south on a surprisingly sparsely loaded "rush hour" service. Previously, you'd be lucky to board at Brunstane at 17:30 but there days that's no issue. I admire the scenery along the way, quite fitting too as this is the first of the "Great scenic rail journeys" in Scotland we'll be visiting. I was going to go for a wander around the village of Stow once I got there, but to be quite frank I wasn’t bothered. I just wanted to sit down for a bit (after a whole day of sitting down at work!)

Stow by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

It looks like they’re restoring the station building on the southbound platform, so it might be worth coming back in a wee while to see what that looks like. Other than that, there isn’t that much to see here. It’s a fairly basic new station. End of. I watched 170470 come and go on the next Tweedbank bound service (which will promptly turn around and head to Dundee. Yes that’s right, there’s a direct evening service from Tweedbank to Dundee, calling all stops mind you) As expected 170415 is on the return journey, and we head through the same countryside, but the sun has set further and is casting some brilliant shadows across the valleys. In no time though, we’re back at Brunstane and the fun is over for another day.
170470 by Alexander Fleming, on Flickr

Readers in Moray, don’t fret! I know I have missed out the Least Used station in Moray, but until a) the line reopens through Stonehaven and b) local lockdown restrictions lift in Aberdeen so I actually have somewhere to eat, I imagine I won’t be heading up there. Having said that, I am now off to see what options I have to get there via Inverness. Thoughts please…

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well you are ok on point
B

However point a is an unknown I suspect