Do Railway Lines Need Names?

[DJ_K666]

I would as noted above be very strongly in support of EWR being called that, though it might really have to wait until the Cambridge part opens, as he doesn't have a particular connection with Oxford, Winslow nor Bedford, so until the Cambridge part opens you'd be as well calling the south WCML stoppers** that. (He does have a connection with both Bletchley and Cambridge).

A good start would be to name one of the units after him - that would be easily achieved - anyone here work for Chiltern and fancy throwing it in as a suggestion? I long thought a Marston Vale unit* should be named after him but that fell by the wayside with the problems with the 230s.

* There being three of them I'd go for Turing, John Bunyan and one other - though to avoid bias you'd have to find someone connected with both Bedford and Bletchley - but who? Perhaps just in memory of a Bletchley driver/guard as you sometimes get, or something.
** Under Network SouthEast the south WCML AC services had the rather unimaginative name of "Northampton Line" - I did think they could have done a lot better! The symbol did contain reference to the Grand Union Canal, so maybe the Grand Union Line or the Canal Line would have worked better.

There's a guy in our model railway club who used to drive trains out of Bletchley depot back in the days of the 501s. He was a fireman on steam locos and then graduated to driving over the course of 30 years. I'll ask him about the naming of lines. I reckon it's been going on , the Bluebell line, the Primrose line, the Sprat & Winkle line so really it's nothing new.

 

[KNN]

There's a guy in our model railway club who used to drive trains out of Bletchley depot back in the days of the 501s. He was a fireman on steam locos and then graduated to driving over the course of 30 years. I'll ask him about the naming of lines. I reckon it's been going on , the Bluebell line, the Primrose line, the Sprat & Winkle line so really it's nothing new.

They call the one through to Stratford from Snow Hill and Moor Street the Shakespeare Line, doesn't seem worth worrying about.

 

[zwk500]

There's a guy in our model railway club who used to drive trains out of Bletchley depot back in the days of the 501s. He was a fireman on steam locos and then graduated to driving over the course of 30 years. I'll ask him about the naming of lines. I reckon it's been going on , the Bluebell line, the Primrose line, the Sprat & Winkle line so really it's nothing new.

The Bluebell is, I'm fairly sure, a purely preservation naming. Happy to be corrected!

 

[leytongabriel]

I still lament the loss of the Fleet Line….

yes!

 

[Uncle Buck]

There's a guy in our model railway club who used to drive trains out of Bletchley depot back in the days of the 501s. He was a fireman on steam locos and then graduated to driving over the course of 30 years. I'll ask him about the naming of lines. I reckon it's been going on , the Bluebell line, the Primrose line, the Sprat & Winkle line so really it's nothing new.

Don’t those names, however, have at least something to do with the line itself, rather than being named after someone?

 

[DJ_K666]

Im t

The Bluebell is, I'm fairly sure, a purely preservation naming. Happy to be corrected!

I'm told it was known as that unofficially before closure, but it could have been just been called the East Grinstead to Lewes line. I'll have to Google it once I finish work.

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Don’t those names, however, have at least something to do with the line itself, rather than being named after someone?

Possibly. Although I'd wonder who Mr Sprat abd Mr Winkle were

 

[Magdalia]

Brand names are a long established marketing tool for lines in tourist areas.

For example, Norwich-Sheringham is the Bittern Line and Norwich-Yarmouth/Lowestoft the Wherry Lines.

Both of these have been in common official use for many years, possibly going back to before privatisation?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'm told it was known as that unofficially before closure, but it could have been just been called the East Grinstead to Lewes line. I'll have to Google it once I finish work.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 May 2025 ==

There are a few mentions in the local Sussex newspapers to "Bluebell line" and "Bluebell railway" (and sometimes "Primrose and bluebell railway" or "Bluebell and primrose line") in the mid 1950s, so around the time that British Railways initially closed the line, before then being obliged to re-open it (for a brief period) following the efforts of the redoubtable Madge Bessemer.

There is however a mention in the Middlesex County Times in 1951 to the branch line from Princes Risborough to Watlington as being the "bluebell line", so maybe that one was the original!

 

[Zomboid]

Personally I'd like to see those kinds of names used on departure boards and announcements to tie in with the publicity.
"Platform 2 for the 1106 Bittern Line service to Sheringham", etc.

 

[William3000]

Much as I'm in favour of Alan Turing getting more recognition than he has received so far, I don't think naming this route after him is the right way of going about it. Mainline railways in the UK have historically been geographically named, so naming the Transpennine route after him would seem a little forced, especially if he had no connection to the area (which I'm not actually sure of I admit, open to being educated on that one).


To be honest, I considered Harlequin when thinking of my own personal renaming's of the London Overground lines, but I feel like cause of pop culture there's a chance that most people would think of Harley Quinn rather than see a portmanteau of Harlseden and Queen's Park. Maybe I overestimate pop culture's influence but you can never be too sure really.

I agree - Turing had a strong connection with Manchester - he was involved in the world’s first computer at the university there.

 

[Western Lord]

We do not have a strong tradition of naming infrastructure after people unless they are members of the Royal Family, although we have had John Lennon and George Best airports in more recent times. One problem, of course, is that a person that something is named after may turn out to have been an unsavoury type (from slave traders to Jimmy Sa***le).

 

[Zomboid]

We do not have a strong tradition of naming infrastructure after people unless they are members of the Royal Family, although we have had John Lennon and George Best airports in more recent times. One problem, of course, is that a person that something is named after may turn out to have been an unsavoury type (from slave traders to Jimmy Sa***le).

Changing views might afflict such names, too. In the case of slave traders these people were considered worthy of celebrating. In hindsight they were clearly not. Sa**le is a different matter because (whilst it seems obvious now that he was a bit dodgy) his crimes weren't widely known at the time of his being celebrated.

In 100 years time who knows what perfectly acceptable things that we do now will be considered unacceptable?

Naming stuff after people is always a risky business, because people are complicated.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Is all this talk about publicly naming lines for promotional or operational reasons? Using suggestions up thread about calling the E-W rail the Turing line,would that make it the up and down Turin lines or would they still be the up/down Bletchley lines?

 

[zwk500]

Is all this talk about publicly naming lines for promotional or operational reasons? Using suggestions up thread about calling the E-W rail the Turing line,would that make it the up and down Turin lines or would they still be the up/down Bletchley lines?

Those would almost certainly maintain their current names, given how much else in the Sectional Appendix hasn't changed!

 

[swt_passenger]

Is all this talk about publicly naming lines for promotional or operational reasons? Using suggestions up thread about calling the E-W rail the Turing line,would that make it the up and down Turin lines or would they still be the up/down Bletchley lines?

There are so many objections at the proposed Cambridge end they should just get on and call it the Adversity Line.

 

[Meerkat]

Brand names are a long established marketing tool for lines in tourist areas.

For example, Norwich-Sheringham is the Bittern Line and Norwich-Yarmouth/Lowestoft the Wherry Lines.

Both of these have been in common official use for many years, possibly going back to before privatisation?

I particularly don’t like line names like those. If line names don’t include a geographical reference they just add to the confusion.
Transpennine is just fine

 

[Ashley Hill]

I particularly don’t like line names like those. If line names don’t include a geographical reference they just add to the confusion.
Transpennine is just fine

Indeed, i don`t like the idea of naming lines after random people. People often go in and out of fashion, if someone later turns out to be a wrong`un does that mean going down the road of renaming that line again? Stick to geographical names, they make much more sense.

 

[DJ_K666]

Indeed, i don`t like the idea of naming lines after random people. People often go in and out of fashion, if someone later turns out to be a wrong`un does that mean going down the road of renaming that line again? Stick to geographical names, they make much more sense.

I agree. At least Varsity relates to matters 'Oxbridge' so that's a vaguely sensible name.
I used to live along the West Coastway Line, and I can see the reason behind it: it runs west along the coast from Brighton.

 

[Route115?]

When the TfL website says that one of the Overground lines is completely suspended I have to say that I am generally at a complete loss. Fortunately the National Rail website gives stations and all becomes clear. Actually most of us are ok with underground lines and not all of these are obvious to a visitor but ok for us locals. The Overground is difficult as it certainly needed splitting up. I refer to the North / East / South West London lines but Clapham to Stratford covers both the West & North London lines and other routes have a similar problem. How about the rather ungainly 'Clapham & Richmond - Stratford line'? Gospel Oak to Barking worked well.