Favourite UK Stations?

[yorksrob]

Possibly the only bit of the network that wasn't, then, in no short measure due to Chris Green's efforts, I guess.

Lancaster, Loughborough and Euston stations looked pretty much the same in 1996 as they do now. St Pancreas has changed a bit though !

 

[Bletchleyite]

Lancaster, Loughborough and Euston stations looked pretty much the same in 1996 as they do now.

Fair point. Though Lancaster looks the same as pictures I've seen from the 1930s, to be fair! The city as a whole, other than student blocks, is largely preserved in aspic, gives it some of its charm, in some ways (also because it's so hilly and most of the buildings are stone-faced) it's a bit of a mini-Edinburgh. I really quite like it.

St Pancreas has changed a bit though !

That it has, the old one was the definition of dowdy.

 

[Mikey C]

Lancaster, Loughborough and Euston stations looked pretty much the same in 1996 as they do now. St Pancreas has changed a bit though !

Liverpool Street is fairly similar too, as it's massive rebuild was done in the late 80s

Indeed while the old station was characterful, the new one is a much better facility, while still keeping much of the heritage

 

[yorksrob]

Liverpool Street is fairly similar too, as it's massive rebuild was done in the late 80s

Indeed while the old station was characterful, the new one is a much better facility, while still keeping much of the heritage

Yes, it was a very tasteful rebuild.

My only gripe is that they should have kept the trainshed over the more southerly platforms, rather than rafting them over.

 

[faltskog36abba]

Yes I did look through the book (have liked Jenkins since his time on The Times) but didn't notice Lewes was missing. A definite gem - particularly when changing between CIG's !


Fair play, I would never have expected Cooden Beach to appear in such a list, but yes, it is a period piece - showing the Southern to good effect.


I love the new King's Cross, but I'm probably strange in being quite fond of the old BR era frontage. Yes, it wasn't grandiose, but it had to be low-rise so that we could see the trainshed frontage. I also liked the way that the green corrugated canopy curved around the front.


I love the Euston Concourse !


That is extremely unfair on Vic.

Yes, the covered platforms are barren, but the main frontage and building remains beautiful, and the concourse is a nice place to wait/buy a ticket etc. And as someone who was extolling the virtues of Man Vic ten years ago, it has some decent retail opportunities now. M&S and Greggs, to cover all bases !

Manchester Victoria for me, St Pancreas and Huddersfield too.

 

[yorksrob]

Manchester Victoria for me, St Pancreas and Huddersfield too.

Glad I'm not the only one who likes Man Vic !

 

[urbophile]

I keep remembering more stations. Keighley ticks the nostalgia boxes for me. The KWVR platforms might be rather better kept than the Network Rail ones, but the station still appears as an integrated unit. I love the broad ramps with their well-designed wall panels; there is a spacious ticket hall which might have seen better days but is still functional. Bingley too is another well-designed Midland Railway station which has needed little if any alteration over the years. Delamere on the Chester to Manchester line is a gem of a country station; unfortunately now unstaffed but there is (or was when I last visited pre-Covid) an excellent café in the station building. Helsby not that far away has a very nostalgic feel, with semaphore signals and (still-working?) signal box.

 

[matchmaker]

Lancaster, Loughborough and Euston stations looked pretty much the same in 1996 as they do now. St Pancreas has changed a bit though !

Does it still produce insulin?

 

[Iskra]

I keep remembering more stations. Keighley ticks the nostalgia boxes for me. The KWVR platforms might be rather better kept than the Network Rail ones, but the station still appears as an integrated unit. I love the broad ramps with their well-designed wall panels; there is a spacious ticket hall which might have seen better days but is still functional. Bingley too is another well-designed Midland Railway station which has needed little if any alteration over the years. Delamere on the Chester to Manchester line is a gem of a country station; unfortunately now unstaffed but there is (or was when I last visited pre-Covid) an excellent café in the station building. Helsby not that far away has a very nostalgic feel, with semaphore signals and (still-working?) signal box.

I agree about Keighley, it has fairly pleasant architecture and I like the sweeping curves. I think it gets additional points for hosting a preserved railway. What let it down, and stopped me mentioning it is the lack of facilities.

 

[DB]

I agree about Keighley, it has fairly pleasant architecture and I like the sweeping curves. I think it gets additional points for hosting a preserved railway. What let it down, and stopped me mentioning it is the lack of facilities.

The canopies having been removed from the NR side also gives it a rather lop sided look!

 

[xotGD]

Bingley too is another well-designed Midland Railway station which has needed little if any alteration over the years.

In need of some toilets, however.

 

[yorksrob]

Does it still produce insulin?

Yes, it's one of the specialist retail opportunities !

The canopies having been removed from the NR side also gives it a rather lop sided look!

There were some rumours that they're dismantled in a NR shed somewhere. If so, it would be worth re-assembling them since Keighley gets its fair share of rain.

 

[Amlag]

Large main line station = Carlisle
Medium sized (former) main line station = Okehampton
Minor main line station = Pewsey
Branch line station = Bradford on Avon; mainly because of it's well looked after gardens.

 

[Skipness]

With the added bonus of a decent pub on the platform!

I will second York for the same reasons, plenty going on and a great pub.

 

[Bigman]

I will vouch for York as well. Got into the pub on the platform for the first time back in early March. Loads of choice of real ales.

 

[waterlooroader]

The 2nd version of Birmingham New Street; an awful 1960s design, but I did meet my wife there.

For a more aesthetically pleasing choice, Shrewsbury; lovely architecture, decent selection of routes and traction and guarded by the largest operational mechanical signal box in the world. Delightful!

 

[Jan Mayen]

No actually. I just thought it would be nice to see what people would say. Maybe not just jump to conclusions?

If I really wanted people to help me with writing a journal article, I would have specifically said that, but that would come across as selfish and lazy.

We're all one community so I thought starting off my first post with a open Q/A style chat would be nice.


I'm just opening up a room for discussion, because that's one of many purposes of a forum, is it not?

A nice little thread, just right for a winter's evening. Thinking about rail journeys from the past while having a glass of something nice (Chenin Blanc in my case).

Anyway, I can't decide which is my favourite but here are two which I like for there quirkiness.

Rheidol Falls. Was British Rail when I visited over 30 years ago. Consisted of a signpost by the track. No platform or anything else, accessible by a footpath only.

Buckenham. The driver almost overshot the platform. Apparently it was the first time he'd had to stop there in years. I recommend going as close to dusk as possible, due to the large number of rooks at the RSPB reserve. Quite a site.

 

[camflyer]

Any station with a decent pub onsite or within 100m of the entrance so missing your train is just an excuse for another pint.

I used to spend a lot of time in the pub at Reading station while missing trains. "Oh well, I'll catch the next one".

 

[Toots]

Stalybridge....main reason , the buffet, they used to allow the beer festival to be held partially on the platform. Ashley, the guy that used to work on the station would helpfully tell everyone who was rat arsed that their train was arriving!. Still a great place to go and it still has, or had, not been for a good while, that old 'railway' smell walking up to the platforms. In truth there is very little character left in our railway stations anymore, or our trains come to that....

 

[urbophile]

that old 'railway' smell walking up to the platforms.

Beer and piss presumably.

 

[faltskog36abba]

Stalybridge....main reason , the buffet, they used to allow the beer festival to be held partially on the platform. Ashley, the guy that used to work on the station would helpfully tell everyone who was rat arsed that their train was arriving!. Still a great place to go and it still has, or had, not been for a good while, that old 'railway' smell walking up to the platforms. In truth there is very little character left in our railway stations anymore, or our trains come to that....

I remember Ashley, He would let you in his office for a warm and radio Control to see where your missing train was. There was a delay once years ago in winter for my Manchester bound train for about an hour, Then I went in the bar and had a pint and some black peas-He actually came in to the bar and said your train has just passed Greenfield Ten minutes away, A Diamond Fella.