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Oldest railway stations

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Skie

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Interestingly Waterloo and London Waterloo both opened in 1848 but the latter was originally called simply 'Central station'.

Many Merseyrail stations date from around that period too, and the network runs on embankments and cuttings dating from around then (though large chunks of the Northern line were put onto embankments 10 years after having been built on the level).
 

Trackbedjolly

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Just for the avoidance of doubt the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was a railway not a waggonway. perhaps another contributor is getting confused with the Kilmarnock and Troon? There are several contemporary descriptions of the opening and later operations-I suggest people read these. It was built to the then Scottish standard gauge for coal railways 4' 6"-remember that the British railway gauge 4' 8.5" (1435mm) was only standardised in 1845 but of course there was also the Broad Gauge of the GWR at that time.
The main feature from my point of view which distinguishes the Liverpool and Manchester Railway is that the directors were clearly aiming for the passenger market between the two cities. On the Stockton and Darlington Railway the main market was clearly goods (mainly coal) transport.
 

Trackbedjolly

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EDIT of post #94
Just for the avoidance of doubt the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was a railway not a waggonway. There are several contemporary descriptions of the opening and later operations which confirm this. The G&G was built to the then Scottish standard gauge for coal railways 4' 6"-remember that the British railway gauge 4' 8.5" (1435mm) was only standardised in 1845 but of course there was also the Broad Gauge of the GWR at that time. It had both horse-drawn and loco-hauled trains with some passeger coaches attached to the end of coal trains. An early 1831 station seems to have been at Gartgill later renamed Gartsherrie.
The Dundee and Newtyle had an early station building at Newtyle possibly from 1831 which is still extant. The problem for us in the 21st Century is that these railways did not see passengers as their primary market and they did not invest early in facilities for them but they did transport passengers from ground level or low platforms.
The main feature from my point of view which distinguishes the Liverpool and Manchester Railway is that the directors were clearly aiming for the passenger market between the two cities. On the Stockton and Darlington Railway the main market was clearly goods (mainly coal) transport.
 
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Yeah. Just so we can put that one to bed. A Wagonway is determined by the fact that horses are or were used as motive power.
It wasnt an all loco railway, it used horses or locos to move trains...
It doesnt count, if it does count then there are many other much older lines that existed in Wales that did the same as the G&G.
 
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Doesn't London lay claim to the earliest sub-surface (and deep level) stations?
I think Deptford is the oldest in-use station on a viaduct - the buildings aren't original but the site is. It wasn't the first on a viaduct, that was Manchester Liverpool Road (at least partly), but that isn't still in use.

I wonder what the oldest station still served by the rolling stock that served it on opening day is? In the London area that's presumably going to be Hatton Cross, but there must be older elsewhere. For this I'm excluding things like funicular railways and people mover systems.

It does indeed. Paddington at the one end of the line and Farringdon street station at the other. Its the grand daddy of all sub surface railways.
Liverpool James street is the oldest deep level station. and was only accessible by a lift too.

I wasnt aware that Hatton Cross still used the same stock it used in 1975! That is interesting, I know the Bakerloo has older stock, but of course its stations older too than Hatton cross.
 

Trackbedjolly

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So the Stockton and Darlington line was also a waggonway as they used horses to pull passenger coaches from 1825 to 1832? The problem is that people have different ideas of definitions and the early railways were neither designed or operated in such a way as to fit into our present day definitions as the directors were more interested in making money than opening the first 'proper railway'.........
 
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So the Stockton and Darlington line was also a waggonway as they used horses to pull passenger coaches from 1825 to 1832? The problem is that people have different ideas of definitions and the early railways were neither designed or operated in such a way as to fit into our present day definitions as the directors were more interested in making money than opening the first 'proper railway'.........

I would agree with you if it want for the fact that that is exactly how the Liverpool & Manchester Railway was designed to work. Without horses from the first day.
So no you are wrong. As it falls in the early time line and goes further because it fills all the requirements of only having steam powered services.
 

HUY2ROB

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The same can be said for Broad green station.
Its buildings are different now but the station platforms the same except that it no longer has the south facing goods platform and its older by 4 years.
Are the platforms at Broad Green in exactly the same place as the original station? When the lines were reduced from four to two in about 1970, it was the tracks on the north side of the station that remained.At Roby and Huyton the tracks on the south side remained. Which tracks were on the 1830 alingnment before they were doubled up in 1871?
 
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Doesn't London lay claim to the earliest sub-surface (and deep level) stations?
I think Deptford is the oldest in-use station on a viaduct - the buildings aren't original but the site is. It wasn't the first on a viaduct, that was Manchester Liverpool Road (at least partly), but that isn't still in use.

I wonder what the oldest station still served by the rolling stock that served it on opening day is? In the London area that's presumably going to be Hatton Cross, but there must be older elsewhere. For this I'm excluding things like funicular railways and people mover systems.

London claims the oldest Underground system, the first low level passenger station, however the oldest deep level station and the first deep level station only accessable via a lift is James Street station in Liverpool.

The oldest station still served by the original stock is on the London Underground, its rather an esoteric question as the rolling stock changes quickly compared to the stations they serve...
 
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Are the platforms at Broad Green in exactly the same place as the original station? When the lines were reduced from four to two in about 1970, it was the tracks on the north side of the station that remained.At Roby and Huyton the tracks on the south side remained. Which tracks were on the 1830 alingnment before they were doubled up in 1871?

No they are not.
The arrangement of the station changed considerably when it went from 4 tracks with a siding to two tracks.
The platform on the north side of the station is close to where it was, however what we think of platforms today and what they were back then is different, they were almost at ground level, which is why there were steps up to the coaches.
The southern platform was once an island platform between the fast and slow lines, there were 3 platforms, the middle of which was an island, now the north is still the north but in a slightly (only by meters) different place, while the southern most platform was where the road outside the station is now.

Its buildings were in typical L&M style, they gave way in the 80s to modern yellow coated plastic consituctions with mass produced red brick. It all looks throughly modern and presentable.
Liverpool has over the years been encouraged to delete all of its railway heritage, the only reason it can still boast the original Edge hill station as being what it is is because you cant really do anything to demolish or tart up a cutting with some holes cut into it that formed waiting rooms etc... The modernisers didnt recognise it for what it was.

When the L&M was doubled up to for a four track layout the tracks Broad green changed too. the tracks were slewed slightly north to accommodate the new track arrangement a triple platform layout built. It is not and can not lay claim to being the oldest station, it was rebuilt while the second Edge hill station has remained, when the track was doubled new platform faces were added but the station remained the same apart from its platforms became island platforms.
 

WatcherZero

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So the Stockton and Darlington line was also a waggonway as they used horses to pull passenger coaches from 1825 to 1832? The problem is that people have different ideas of definitions and the early railways were neither designed or operated in such a way as to fit into our present day definitions as the directors were more interested in making money than opening the first 'proper railway'.........

The original OP did specify in their question however "Not the horse drawn cart ones but passenger locomotive services."
 
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