Oldest railway stations

[theageofthetra]

I can currently see remains of Blackpill station, perhaps 30ft long and 10 wide, now used as a cafe next to the lido. "The Slip" is sort of still there too..



It had a sad demise too. I recommend the interesting but also tiny and somewhat depressing museum of it in Swansea Marina.

Is that the one which is only open very limited hours and has a cab from the last electric tram cars?

How such an important railway can have been allowed to have been forgotten and so little about it saved really is a heritage disgrace. That it had a provision in its act of parliament for mechanical haulage before the steam locomotive had even been invented Is reason enough.

 

[aar0]

It is indeed that one, although it seems to be open most times I walk past.

It is a genuine shame in every respect - it celebrated 150 years of operation before most railways had reached 100! Additionally Swansea's transport is poor, with half hearted bus lanes and endless traffic as everyone takes their cars instead... trams would be a huge help.

 

[backontrack]

That's not comprehensive - I'm sure there must be other claimants??

The Crab & Winkle Line, better-known as the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. It opened on 3 May 1830, along with two stations: at Canterbury North Lane, and at Whitstable Harbour.

Later on, these stations were re-sited (North Lane was closed and the services amalgamated into the SER's Canterbury West station), and three intermediate Halts, at Tankerton, South Street and Blean & Tyler Hill, were opened. The line closed completely in 1952, and you can now walk the Crab & Winkle Way where the line once was.

 

[infobleep]

You also need to define what you mean by a “railway” - does Euston count as a railway station in 1836 given that trains had to be cabled hauled up the hill for the first 5 years?

Wow I didn't know that!

 

[edwin_m]

The Surrey Iron Railway “station” at Mitcham is still there, though not used by the London Tramlink which runs over much of the route of the old line. I seem to recall somewhere that this building is from 1801.

As far as I recall Surrey Iron Railway didn't carry passengers, so I don't think it could have been described as a station in 1801 - perhaps some sort of goods office? Was it used later as a station?

 

[cuccir]

As mentioned above, Edge Hill was moved to new buildings in 1836. These are in current use.

Thanks for that correction; I'd noted it was sited there in 1836 but didn't realize that the original buildings were still in use. Yes, that makes a strong claim then to be the oldest station building still used as a station.

 

[Bevan Price]

Rainhill / Edge Hill / Huyton / Eccles - 1830 Liverpool to Manchester railway.

I understand that Rainhill station was originally a little east of the current site, near the location of the disused signal box (and initially called Kendricks Cross) - and relocated to present site about 20 - 30 years later.

 

[Wirewiper]

The oldest station served by London Underground trains is Harrow & Wealdstone (I am not counting locations such as London Bridge where the Underground has a separate station). This opened as "Harrow" in 1837 and at the time was the first stop out of London Euston on the London & Birmingham Railway.

Of course the station buildings do not date back that far. Harrow & Wealdstone was rebuilt in 1875. It was rebuilt again in 1912 in preparation for the new DC Lines, with a new exit on the "Wealdstone" side, but the 1875 building was retained on the "Harrow" side.

 

[Ploughman]

Pickering was one of the Horse drawn stations from 1836 but rebuilt in 1845 along with the rest of the line to Whitby.

 

[johnmoly]

I remember going through Edge Hill station in the mid 1970's when British Rail were doing it up - I should say altering it as they took all the full platform canopies down for the four platforms - and a sign there from BR stated " The Worlds oldest still working railway station ".

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Re Mitcham Wikipedia has it as a merchant’s building later used as a passenger station, so I think an older building was in fact reused for the Railway.

 

[SemaphoreSam]

How about this?

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/stockton_st_johns/index.shtml

 

[DarloRich]

There are two very simple facts to grasp here:

• The Stockton and Darlington railway was the first proper railway.
• The first station on the first proper railway I can identify is Heighington.

The rest came after.

 

[Dr Hoo]

There are two even more fundamental points:

The OP asked about locomotive hauled passenger services.

The Stockton and Darlington allowed others to operate the passenger services and the light, single vehicle ‘dogbox’ carriages were hauled by horses.

 

[theageofthetra]

There are two very simple facts to grasp here:

• The Stockton and Darlington railway was the first proper railway.
• The first station on the first proper railway I can identify is Heighington.

The rest came after.

The Swansea and Mumbles was first passenger railway. First to have published timetable too.

 

[backontrack]

There are two very simple facts to grasp here:

• The Stockton and Darlington railway was the first proper railway.
• The first station on the first proper railway I can identify is Heighington.

The rest came after.

The S&D may well be the first passenger railway in the UK, but I don't think that it was the first to use steam traction.

 

[DarloRich]

The S&D may well be the first passenger railway in the UK, but I don't think that it was the first to use steam traction.

That doesn't matter. It was still the first proper railway so must have had the first station

The Swansea and Mumbles was first passenger railway. First to have published timetable too.

horse drawn - not a proper railway. Plus it wasn't on the back of a £5 note

 

[backontrack]

That doesn't matter. It was still the first proper railway so must have had the first station

True, true. I've attempted to sum it up below:

• The Middleton Railway in Hunslet, Leeds, was the first railway in the UK to use steam locomotives. It did not, however, carry any passengers. Opened in 1758, the wooden tracks were replaced by iron rails in 1799. In 1812, steam engines were first used on the UK rail network on this line. James Bruce, a 13 year-old boy, was killed by a locomotive in February 1813, becoming the UK's first railway fatality.
  
• The Surrey Iron Railway opened its tracks in 1802 and 1803. It did not operate its own trains; instead, a toll was paid by an individual for the ability to use the line to transport their goods. All services were horse-drawn, and no passengers were carried.
• The Swansea and Mumbles railway opened in 1806. It had tracks, and its services were entirely horse-drawn.
• The Stockton and Darlington Railway was the first passenger railway to open proper, in 1825, and had tracks and stations. Passenger services were horse-drawn until 1833, but did have its own carriages. Coal trains were pulled by steam engines from opening.
• The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, opened in May 1830, was the first railway to use steam engines in any capacity; they hauled the trains on the levels while cables were used on slopes.
• The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in September 1830, was the first railway to solely use steam engines as motive power.

 

[aar0]

Did the Swansea & Mumbles even have stations, or just 'stopping points'? (genuine question)

Further to this, I've done a bit of research; he's the original Blackpill station:

And as it is now, except now it doesn't have any tracks to it and the lido is about 1/8th the size

 

[Lucan]

Re Mitcham Wikipedia has it as a merchant’s building later used as a passenger station, so I think an older building was in fact reused for the Railway.

I was going to mention Mitcham Station (I grew up 400 yards from it) of the Surrey Iron Railway but OP had excluded horse-drawn. Anyway the SIR (opened 1803) was only ever horse-drawn and freight, but was the first railway anywhere to offer open access. It had many private sidings, but Mitcham was a public one sited where the present down (West-bound) Tramlink platform is.

The LBSC bought the SIR trackbed through the Mitcham area and used it for their West Croydon-Wimbledon branch opened in 1855. About that time the fine house (with a central arch) on London Road (which crosses at this point) was bought to become the station offices, and the two platforms were built a little west of the SIR siding site, almost up to the road overbridge. The house (now Station Court apartments) is probably older than the SIR and is I believe listed.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

really? would have been an interesting sight

Might improve ATW's punctuality...

 

[gilbert123]

London Bridge . opened 1836

 

[gilbert123]

The oldest station served by London Underground trains is Harrow & Wealdstone (I am not counting locations such as London Bridge where the Underground has a separate station). This opened as "Harrow" in 1837 and at the time was the first stop out of London Euston on the London & Birmingham Railway.

Of course the station buildings do not date back that far. Harrow & Wealdstone was rebuilt in 1875. It was rebuilt again in 1912 in preparation for the new DC Lines, with a new exit on the "Wealdstone" side, but the 1875 building was retained on the "Harrow" side.

the original building was added to ,not rebuilt .it still exists .the central part has many similarities to the old Euston ,including the use of limestone columns and carved stone arch windows

 

[Camden]

It might lose that status to Curzon St (Birmingham) depending on if/how the surviving 1838 portico is incorporated into the HS2 station. However it will have suffered a long hiatus if passenger use is the criterion (or rather shorter for goods / parcels usage).

Liverpool Lime Street is the World's oldest major terminal in current operation, and was opened in 1836.

 

[gilbert123]

Liverpool Lime Street is the World's oldest major terminal in current operation, and was opened in 1836.

as was London Bridge -also 1836 . Lime St in August , London Bridge .December

 

[Spartacus]

True, true. I've attempted to sum it up below:

• The Middleton Railway in Hunslet, Leeds, was the first railway in the UK to use steam locomotives. It did not, however, carry any passengers. Opened in 1758, the wooden tracks were replaced by iron rails in 1799. In 1812, steam engines were first used on the UK rail network on this line. James Bruce, a 13 year-old boy, was killed by a locomotive in February 1813, becoming the UK's first railway fatality.

I was hoping someone would throw in the Middleton, though it never had any passenger facilities until the 1960s, regular services starting in 1969: that must be a record really considering the railway opened in 1758!

Anyway, that's another topic altogether, let's get back on this one

 

[J-Rod]

Is that the one which is only open very limited hours and has a cab from the last electric tram cars?

How such an important railway can have been allowed to have been forgotten and so little about it saved really is a heritage disgrace. That it had a provision in its act of parliament for mechanical haulage before the steam locomotive had even been invented Is reason enough.

You've clearly not met the people who run Swansea City Council

 

[DarloRich]

still Heighington.........................

 

[Nick180]

Thanks

 

[PeterC]

* I'm going to cross out North Road and add Greenwich instead; its building dates from 1840 and is still in full use. It's the oldest in use station building that I can identify and beats North Road by 2 years.

That's not comprehensive - I'm sure there must be other claimants??

I was going to look up the dates for Greenwich as soon as I had finished reading this thread.

Greenwich's handsome station building was designed by George Smith and opened in 1840, making it one of the oldest station buildings in the world.
Wikipedia

and it is a very handsome building worthy of being on any tourist trail.