Railway locations that are now only a shadow of themselves

[Mcr Warrior]

Bradford

Bradford Interchange (as successor to the old Exchange station) always seems reasonably busy, even if somewhat smaller than it must have been in its heyday, but Bradford Forster Square station just seems to be the City Centre equivalent of Blackpool South.

 

[RPI]

Exmouth
Barnstaple
Newton Abbot
Newquay
Feniton (Sidmouth Junction)
Templecombe
Redditch
Bere Alston
Highbridge & Burnham

 

[Whisky Papa]

Correct me if I'm wrong....but from my interpretation of the thread's title, the OP is referring to places which are still railway locations - albeit in a very much reduced form. Wath Yard is - sadly - no longer a railway location.

A lot of breeding and wintering birds are not at all sad about it!

 

[Iskra]

A more obscure one: Garsdale (Hawes Junction)

Lost its 3rd platform, Junction status and turntable.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Whilst Cairnryan has the ferries, but no trains any more! Joined up transport!

Because most of the traffic on the ferries is freight not passenger traffic.

 

[D6130]

Normanton.

Already cited....my post #6!

 

[Western 52]

Burry Port. Just plain line now, but once with extensive sidings and harbour lines. There was a wagon works, power station and of course the BPGV line with its separate station.

 

[Stathern Jc]

Grantham:
I can remember there being a lot more sidings across from Platform 4, and on what is now the car park.
Last time I was there, little more than a run round loop in an area that was becoming very overgrown.
And what I can remember was only a shadow of what there used to be when there was a shed for engines for the express and local passenger services and freight such as the High Dyke ironstone workings etc.

Colwick:
Again a while since I went past there, but even 40 years ago when I was a student, what had been a sizeable yard with a big shed had gone and all that remained was the fuel unloading sidings (just 2 I think?).
One thing I do remember there, with no railway connection, was a maggot factory fairly close to Rectory Junction Signal Box. This was a source for angling supplies shops and the maggots were grown on well hung animal carcasses. On a hot summers day when unsuspecting travellers (or some other culprit ) had opened the windows this would really make people's eyes water!

 

[Lloyds siding]

Liverpool Central
The substantial high level station built in 1874 (actually ground level) had six platforms, but was demolished in the 1970s.
The original low level island platform (1892) exists, but heavily modified to form the Northern line platform of Merseyrail.
Below that is a 1970s single platform on the Liverpool loop line, part of the Merseyrail Wirral line.

 

[swt_passenger]

Or Riccarton Junction, where not only have almost all the remnants of railway infrastructure gone, but so have all the houses as well. Just forest now.

AIUI the only houses were for railway employees so that’s hardly surprising.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Moat Lane Junction

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Craigendoran, once 5 platforms plus some sidings in the station area - one of which extended onto the pier to provide fuel directly onto the steamers, and extensive sidings on the approach now a single platform. It had terminating/originating trains for the steamers and for the Arrochar local.

Connel Ferry from three through platforms plus a bay and sidings to just a single platform and a (disused) oil siding. No branch trains running round any more.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Burscough Junction, which isn't any more. Just one platform and one track.

 

[TheSel]

Chinley. Some excellent information and period / contemporary pics on the 'Disused Stations' (slight misnomer, as the staton isn't currently disused!) website here.

 

[341o2]

Swindon, railway works closed, much of the site redeveloped, only a railway museum to remind one of the past.

Mention of Barnstaple and Bere Alston, surely the entire branches are a shadow of themselves.
It used to be double track from Cowley Bridge to Crediton. Originally, the Barnstaple branch was planned to be double track, but the LSWR agreed to single it for a deal with the GWR. All intermediate stations had passing loops,
Bere Alston - again, the entire section St Budeux - Bere Alston was double track with through expresses, the Tavy viaduct seems empty with only one track

 

[32475]

Dover Western Docks. Now just the double track from Dover Priory to Folkestone which completely bypasses the docks and there’s not even a siding left to show for it.

 

[Rescars]

Epsom racecourse has a double claim to fame. Epsom Downs station, originally double track with nine platforms plus copious sidings. Now just a single (truncated) line and a single platform. On the other side of the racecourse is Tattenham Corner, originally seven platforms, now just three. At the end of WW1, there was space here to dump/store approx 150 surplus ROD 2-8-0 locos.

 

[ian1944]

Many ex-junctions with extensive yards, goods sheds, etc. Examples: Forres, Honeybourne, Kingham, Leominster. Still a junction: Carnforth.

 

[30907]

Mention of Barnstaple and Bere Alston, surely the entire branches are a shadow of themselves.
It used to be double track from Cowley Bridge to Copplestone.

OTOH Barnstaple has an hourly train service, which is double the frequency of SR days. It's a moot point how you define the shadow

 

[Strathclyder]

Craigendoran, once 5 platforms plus some sidings in the station area - one of which extended onto the pier to provide fuel directly onto the steamers, and extensive sidings on the approach now a single platform. It had terminating/originating trains for the steamers and for the Arrochar local.

Connel Ferry from three through platforms plus a bay and sidings to just a single platform and a (disused) oil siding. No branch trains running round any more.

Craigendoran is what I immediately thought of when I saw the thread.

Sticking with West Scotland, Singer. Still an intensively used station on the Argyle & North Clyde Lines (the busiest in Clydebank barring Dalmuir I think), but no trace remains of the works platforms that served the massive Singer Sewing Machine Factory, the Clydebank Shopping Centre having been built on top of where they once sat.

Coatbridge Central is another Strathclyde example that fits this thread's remit.

Bellgrove-Carntyne: Long stretches of four tracks, goods loops, numerous private sidings serving iron & steel works and other major industries....now two tracks and unstaffed stations.

The entire Bellgrove - Airdrie stretch is easily the most depressing part of the Helensburgh - Edinburgh line. Yes, even more so than Dalmuir - Hyndland via Yoker!

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Aberystwyth. 5 platforms, extensive yards, loco shed, coaling stage etc. down to 1 platform

Merthyr Tydfil pretty much the same as that.

Grantham:
I can remember there being a lot more sidings across from Platform 4, and on what is now the car park.
Last time I was there, little more than a run round loop in an area that was becoming very overgrown.
And what I can remember was only a shadow of what there used to be when there was a shed for engines for the express and local passenger services and freight such as the High Dyke ironstone workings etc.

All true, but it does at least still have four out of its original five platforms still in use.

 

[Bevan Price]

Even stations like Manchester Victoria and Preston are much reduced from what they used to be. Man Vic. reduced from 17 to 6 platforms (+ Metrolink).
Preston lost 2 platforms converted for use by mail (now ceased), and the entire former East Lancashire platforms.

 

[topydre]

Moat Lane Junction

Afon Wen as well then; and Morfa Mawddach of course

 

[Irascible]

OTOH Barnstaple has an hourly train service, which is double the frequency of SR days. It's a moot point how you define the shadow

Although it did have trains from Taunton too.

While we're in the area, Tiverton Jct. Two branches, a sizeable yard and at one point an oil depot. ( Also the box that visiting sparked a fascination with signalling/networks ). Techically still there rather than completely wiped away.

 

[Matey]

Okehampton. Only one out of three platforms in use for traffic. No signals (box remains), double reduced to single track working, all pointwork lifted, goods yard lifted and shed repurposed, loading gauge in situ. Original 1875 platform footbridge remains in use. Military sidings lifted. Engine shed, water tower and turntable gone, now a car park. No through trains S/W Regions. No splitting or joining stock for branch connections. No through quarry traffic. Unstaffed apart from volunteers. (Worst of all, no Atlantic Coast Express!) Once a busy hub 24/7 mainline station reduced to an, albeit good, daytime reversing shuttle service.

 

[nanstallon]

OTOH Barnstaple has an hourly train service, which is double the frequency of SR days. It's a moot point how you define the shadow

Until 1971, the Barnstaple line also had double track from Umberleigh to Barnstaple (then with the junction suffix still, although the extension to Ilfracombe had closed in October 1970).

 

[satisnek]

Didn't Aberdeen used to have a whole load of north-facing terminal platforms?

Redditch is an interesting one. From what I can see from old maps it was section of presumably absolute block worked double track line between two signal boxes on an otherwise single track route, with numerous sidings and loops off it and the passenger station at the southern end. But nowadays the single platform sees a far more frequent service than at any time in the line's history!

 

[Speed43125]

Alloa, there are 3 arches the size of the ones at Stilring you go under on a single track into the one platform next to an Asda that used to be the extensive sidings.

 

[Ken H]

@Irascible didnt Tiverton Jct stn move to be near a bust road junction.

Barrow in Furness, Workington and Whitehaven. Much of the heavy industry gone, and with it the freight trains. And many branches on W Cumbria

Colne branch. Was on a through route to Skipton. Now single track with one train working from Gannow Jct.

Harrogate. Lost its line through ripon to the East Coast line and branches to Wetherby & Pateley Bridge. Station seems to have been a 2 platform affair even back in the 1930's. Goods Station to the north of the passenger stn.

Micklefield. Peckfield colliery gone.

Crossgates. Centre roads gone, junction to Wetherby gone, Royal Ordnance Factory Barnbow gone. Did Charles Roe bus builder use the railway at all?

 

[Andy873]

Another one to add - Colne.

Originally Colne was an extension and a terminus station which ran from Skipton to Colne and was built by the Midland Railway Co. It opened 2 Oct 1848.

The East Lancs Railway Co continued extending the East Lancs line eastwards from Burnley and also arrived in Colne early 1849 and from then on the station was run jointly between the two companies.

For many years, if you wanted to say travel from Burnley to Skipton (or vice versa) you had to change trains there.

Both companies wanted facilities there and the station area had two engine sheds (one for each company), two carriage sheds, two turntables, large coal sidings, a goods shed and goods station plus a travelling crane.

After the closure of the Skipton - Colne section in 1970 Colne once again became a terminus, this time from the East Lancs side, later the line to Gannow junction was singled and the station now has only one platform plus the usual bus shelter.

All the facilities, carriage sheds, sidings etc have long since gone, most buried under housing.

I hope one day the Skipton to Colne section will finally be re-opened.

Again, like so many other places mentioned, if you looked around now you would never know what it was really like, and would probably be left wondering why the tracks simply stopped there and didn't carry on to Skipton.