Line names that are no longer used.

[Ianigsy]

Spa Line for Manchester-Buxton, which did go as far as being applied to some of the BX allocated Class 108s.

One which is just about clinging on us the City Line for local services into Liverpool Lime Street - it doesn’t fit quite as well as the Wirral Line and Northern Line because the services are provided by a combination of Northern, TPE, London Northwestern, TfW and East Midlands, but it’s still used on Merseytravel publicity.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Marston Vale Line (Bedford - Bletchley) which of course is still used offically

Abbey Line (St Albans Abbey Branch)

'Cambridge Cruiser' was a tag line attatched to the Kings Lynn - Kings X Trains which were (and still are) non stop to/from KX. this was around the turn of this century under West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) auspices

 

[Taunton]

I suppose a recent extinction is the Goblin Line, Sufficiently formal to have its own supporters group, and I'm sure some publications so-named at its electrification. It's now one of the names I have no idea of recollection.

 

[Rescars]

Is "Bedpan" still applied to the route between Bedford and St Pancras?

 

[D1537]

Reading to Taunton avoiding Bristol is "The Desert". .Oddly I don't think that's ever been used officially

 

[Mr. SW]

I think the "Bittern Line" was previously called the "Broads Line".
and this video on the Piccadilly Line...

by Jago Hazzard.

 

[Taunton]

Reading to Taunton avoiding Bristol is "The Desert". .Oddly I don't think that's ever been used officially.

Must be a recent usage, I never heard it. And when applied to the Somerset Levels section, that must be the wettest desert around . But it has long been known, more officially, as the "Berks & Hants", which is quite inaccurate as it never enters Hampshire.

 

[12LDA28C]

Is "Bedpan" still applied to the route between Bedford and St Pancras?

Probably not since that name referred to the commuter services that ran between those two points but nowadays Thameslink run from Bedford to Three Bridges or Brighton and the commuter trains now run as far north as Corby.

At the same time as the 'Bed-Pan' was in use, the 'Wat-Eus' moniker was rather unkindly used by some to describe its Watford-Euston counterpart.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Mar 2025 ==

Must be a recent usage, I never heard it. And when applied to the Somerset Levels section, that must be the wettest desert around . But it has long been known, more officially, as the "Berks & Hants", which is quite inaccurate as it never enters Hampshire.

I've heard 'the Desert' used since the 1980s, does that count as recent? I believe it refers to the line being rather boring and featureless rather than dry.

 

[Springs Branch]

The GWR was known as the Great Way Round by Brighton men.

And Green Wet & Rusty by LMS men.


Not sure whether the OP was looking for examples from ancient history (in railway timeframes), but there was the Sprat and Winkle Line in Hampshire.

And, after its 1930s 1500 V DC electrification, the workaday, suburban Manchester, South Junction & Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR) line had "Many Short Journeys & Absolute Reliability". This was more a clunky advertising tagline dreamed up by some marketing bod than a common name ever adopted by the public - so a bit like Harlequin Line decades later.

 

[daodao]

I've heard 'the Desert' used since the 1980s, does that count as recent? I believe it refers to the line being rather boring and featureless rather than dry.

Does "the Desert" refer to the relative lack of population served by this GWR cut-off line, built to provide a more direct and faster route to SW England, instead of the great way round via the large city of Bristol? This population desert, particularly from Frome to Taunton, may explain why the current Go-op proposal appears to be running into the sands.

 

[Class15]

Several unofficial names for surviving lines have been replaced by new ones, e.g. the North and West line by the Marches line, and the Central Wales line by the Heart of Wales line.

I’m curious about the second one - why was that changed? I think ‘Central Wales’ sounds better than ‘Heart of Wales’, for me at least.

I am not sure if "The Wall of Death" is still used for the Sutton-Wimbledon line

Definitely still called that unofficially, no idea what that refers to though.

Reading to Taunton avoiding Bristol is "The Desert". .Oddly I don't think that's ever been used officially

Having travelled along that line many times - I can see why

 

[Harpo]

Must be a recent usage, I never heard it.
And when applied to the Somerset Levels section, that must be the wettest desert around . But it has long been known, more officially, as the "Berks & Hants", which is quite inaccurate as it never enters Hampshire.

I first heard the term ‘Desert’ about 45 years ago amongst 50 bashers as well as ‘The Mule’ for Salisbury to Exeter. Never heard either in official circles.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Mar 2025 ==

I’m curious about the second one - why was that changed? I think ‘Central Wales’ sounds better than ‘Heart of Wales’, for me at least.

Officially it still is the Central Wales Line in its engineering line reference code ‘CWL’.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Mar 2025 ==

The Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton, the Old Worse & Worse.

Ditto with the ‘OWW’ line reference.

There are also loads of common railwaymans’ line nicknames such as the Alps, Himalayas (Bury St E), Three Hills, Rhubarb, Tilbury Angle, etc..

 

[telstarbox]

Is the London to Dartford line via Sidcup still called the Dartford Loop?

I would always think of the parallel Woolwich, Bexleyheath and Sidcup routes as "the Dartford Lines" even though some services are rounders which turn back after Slade Green or Crawford.

 

[Davester50]

Open Street Map shows the Dundee to Perth line as the Tay Coast Line. I've never see that name used officially.

 

[GatwickDepress]

The Hastings line was occasionally referred to as the 1066 Line around the time of electrification in the mid-80s, echoing the 1066 Electrics branding on the newly liveried Jaffa Cake 4CEPs.

The Arun Valley Line was originally just the mid-Sussex Line. I think the name change came with the diversion of fast London services to serve Gatwick, so the rename probably better reflected the promotion of the local market.

1986, I believe. Network SouthEast ran a publicity campaign to try and attract more passengers at the same time, which coincided with county and district council own efforts to attract visitors.

 

[Rescars]

Definitely still called that unofficially, no idea what that refers to though.

AIUI, "Wall of Death" refers to the very steep concrete faced cutting walls on the curve between Sutton and West Sutton. These look a bit like the motordrome used by motorcyclists in the "Wall of Death" carnival sideshow, which was becoming very popular at the time the Wimbledon Loop was built.

 

[43096]

There are also loads of common railwaymans’ line nicknames such as the Alps, Himalayas (Bury St E), Three Hills, Rhubarb, Tilbury Angle, etc..

Rhubarb being the North Somerset Jct to Dr Day’s Jct line. Named after the local pub, I think?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

One still used currently is "The Joint Line" for the loop off the ECML between Peterborough and Doncaster, through Spalding and Lincoln. In the last year I have seen, written up on a public whiteboard notice at Kings Cross "trains diverted via the Joint Line". Now you really have to know your history for that one, the name became irrelevant over 100 years ago.

And there are many other "joint lines" which never had the title, eg Shrewsbury-Hereford.

Another oddity is that the Liverpool-Warrington Central-Manchester line is referred to as the CLC route, but the CLC also reached Chester via Northwich but has become the Mid Cheshire line.
In the NR Sectional Appendix, the Northwich route is simply Up/Down Main.
But at the extremities, it's the Up/Down Manchester at Mickle Trafford (despite the main route to Manchester being via Helsby), and at the Edgeley Jn end is the even more unlikely Up/Down Liverpool, dating back to the through route via Warrington BQLL which closed 40 years ago.

 

[Ken H]

Is the Glasgow subway still the 'Clockwork Orange'

Do they still talk of Loop and Link for Merseyrail? (Link and Loop? )

Is Windsor Link still in use as a railway term?

Is 'Copy Pit' still used as a term. Why not Portsmouth'!?

 

[telstarbox]

The most misleading is 'Mid Kent' for the Hayes Line.

 

[John Webb]

......Abbey Line (St Albans Abbey Branch)......

Name still very much in use by those who live in the area it serves.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Is the Glasgow subway still the 'Clockwork Orange'

Do they still talk of Loop and Link for Merseyrail? (Link and Loop? )

Is Windsor Link still in use as a railway term?

Is 'Copy Pit' still used as a term. Why not Portsmouth'!?

Can't really vouch for the first two, although I might well use them myself - well, probably not 'Link' on Merseyrail any more.

I wouldn't think to use Windsor Link any more either - it's become such an embedded part of the network it barely registers now.

However, Copy Pit is definitely still my usual name for the line I can see from my kitchen - I'm not sure Portsmouth would be entirely helpful as an alternative . Incidentally, when Holme tunnel was rebuilt about a decade ago, Northern's publicity did seem to make the assumption any intending passengers would know where this was, which really proved not to be the case!

 

[Western Gaffer]

It is a shame that Scotrail did not call it the "Waverley Line" or the "Waverley Route" as it does sound like a better and more interesting name.

Apparently considered but deemed inappropriate in the absence of full route reopening:

The use of Waverley Line or Waverley Route for the line was considered historically inaccurate by the Council and the Campaign for Borders Rail since these names were only ever used for the whole of the original line as far as Carlisle

Borders Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I seem to remember that there is still a very small Heritage Railway in the borders region using that name.

Indeed:

Waverley Route Heritage Association

PRESERVING & PROTECTING THE BORDERS' RAILWAYS

wrha.org.uk

 

[Rutland23]

Is the Glasgow subway still the 'Clockwork Orange'

Provost of Glasgow, Michael Kelly gave it the Clockwork Orange moniker, but according to the Glasgow Herald at the time, most referred to it as the Electric Worm

Regards

Ian

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

I am not sure if "The Wall of Death" is still used for the Sutton-Wimbledon line

It is still according to the latest Trackmaps (ex-Quail), published last year.
Pat

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Mar 2025 ==

The stations on Kingston loop had signs next to the BR logo which said Overground network (in orange with stylised o n where n ended in arrow point) for a few years back about 20 years ago. They were also on some other SouthLondon suburban stations with service at least every 15 minutes

They got removed to avoid confusion when TfL started using overground as a name

EDIT found a picture of logo and route map at Woolwich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overg...ound_Network_at_Woolwich_Arsenal_Aug_2021.jpg

When did the term 'Kingston Roundabout' get replaced by 'Kingston Loop'?
Pat

 

[D1537]

Must be a recent usage, I never heard it. And when applied to the Somerset Levels section, that must be the wettest desert around . But it has long been known, more officially, as the "Berks & Hants", which is quite inaccurate as it never enters Hampshire.

It was in regular use amongst enthusiasts, especially bashers, in the 70s and 80s and refers to the fact it's a long stretch of ... well, not much at all.

 

[devon_belle]

AIUI the SWML was long known as the "West of England Mainline", with the "South Western Mainline" branching off at Worting Junction. Now it is reversed, and the title of Mainline is probably questionable beyond Salisbury. Incidentally, I've also heard people refer to the Berks & Hants as the West of England Mainline.

Not sure if the Arun Valley is ever referred to as the Mid-Sussex any more?

 

[Skipness]

The Ashover Light Railway (Ashover to Clay Cross) was known locally as the Peggy Line, the name coming from one of its Baldwin locomotives.

 

[DelW]

I’m curious about the second one - why was that changed? I think ‘Central Wales’ sounds better than ‘Heart of Wales’, for me at least.

Officially it still is the Central Wales Line in its engineering line reference code ‘CWL’.

Strictly speaking, the Central Wales Line is (was) the LNWR line from Craven Arms as far as Llandovery only. South of Llandovery was the Vale of Towy Joint Line (LNWR/GWR) as far as a junction just south of Llandeilo, whence the LNWR continued westward towards Carmarthen (long since closed). The line southward from Llandeilo to Llanelli was part of the Llanelly (sic) Railway and Dock Company.

Post Grouping, the LNWR lines were LMS, the Llanelly line was GWR, and the Joint Line stayed joint.

I suspect the change to Heart of Wales line was more driven by marketing and PR considerations rather than a desire for historical accuracy though.

 

[Helvellyn]

What do people mean saying I can’t use Midland Main Line (North) for the Settle-Carlisle line?