Stations not near their names

[ashkeba]

Cheltenham, Sandwell & Dudley, Norwich and Bristol all spring to mind!

Norwich is only the width of car park, rinc road and river bridge from the city centre. It depends which part ofthe city centre you want. I realise City and Victoria were slightly closer.

Bristol TM is about half a mile from the central bridge. The faraway station has "Parkway" in its name.

I always wonder why it wasn’t named Lakenheath Road. Many other stations that where some distance from the places they intended to serve had ‘Road’ after the name.

Including at least two on the same line.

 

[dk1]

Norwich is only the width of car park, rinc road and river bridge from the city centre. It depends which part ofthe city centre you want. I realise City and Victoria were slightly closer.

Bristol TM is about half a mile from the central bridge. The faraway station has "Parkway" in its name.


Including at least two on the same line.

Exactly, Harling & Eccles.

 

[Djgr]

Heswall (with the back story of why it was originally called Heswall Hills!)

 

[neilmc]

Seamer station isn't in Seamer, it's actually in a village called Crossgates but there was already a Cross Gates station in Leeds on the same line.

 

[johntea]

Cambridge is a mile walk from the centre, perhaps to cater for all the cyclists

 

[WesternBiker]

Micheldever originally opened as Andover Road (it is close to what is now the A303), before that town was rail-served. Once Andover had its own station, Andover Road was renamed after the nearest village. Interestingly, the line actually passes within half a mile of Micheldever village some way south of the station.

That's right - passengers alighting must have had a bit of a shock - I'm guessing it would have taken over an hour to get to Andover on turnpike roads by horse and cart! It would also have won this competition - it must be what, 15 miles?

 

[dk1]

Cambridge is a mile walk from the centre, perhaps to cater for all the cyclists

More to do with ladies of the night.

 

[scrapy]

Cark & Cartmel, (or Cark in Cartmel if Northerns PIS is to be believed), or just plain Cark (on the station nameboards), is actually just to the south of Cark in the village of Flookborough (pronounced flukeborough) and a few miles from Cartmel.

Flookborough is actually larger than both Cark and Cartmel, so even more surprising it doesn't feature in the station name. The only reason I can think that if pronounced how it's written it may sound offensive!

 

[Taunton]

Yeovil Junction/Town is another one (Yeovil Junction being basically in the middle of some fields, or at least it was in 1994 when I was last there), as well as Barnstaple Junction/Town (not sure how far out the Junction station is).

Yeovil Junction is not only way away from the town, but actually in the next county. Yeovil is in Somerset. The Junction station is in Dorset.

Barnstaple Junction (now just Barnstaple) has actually got significantly worse, it used to be a straightforward walk up the approach and over the river. Then an industrial estate was built, now forcing a dogleg around. Although Barnstaple Town, next stop on the Ilfracombe line, was at the back of the main street, most people used to get out at the Junction while longwinded shunting of the through Torrington coaches was happening, cross the bridge, and beat the train into town. Anyone from Barnstaple will tell you anyway that the station is in Sticklepath, not Barnstaple.

 

[randyrippley]

Yeovil Junction is not only way away from the town, but actually in the next county. Yeovil is in Somerset. The Junction station is in Dorset.

.

Not any more. The county boundary was changed a few years back to follow the River Yeo rather than the Bradford Abbas stream. Shifted the border half a mile east
Stopped that crazy situation where only one taxi was allowed to wait there

Cark & Cartmel, (or Cark in Cartmel if Northerns PIS is to be believed), or just plain Cark (on the station nameboards), is actually just to the south of Cark in the village of Flookborough (pronounced flukeborough) and a few miles from Cartmel.

Flookborough is actually larger than both Cark and Cartmel, so even more surprising it doesn't feature in the station name. The only reason I can think that if pronounced how it's written it may sound offensive!

Cark in Cartmel is the correct name for the village - which is in the Cartmel peninsula. Common practice for places in Lancashire-over-sands to be named "in Cartmel" or "in Furness".........further east you get "in Kendal" and "in Lonsdale"

Cark AND Cartmel was presumably used due to the local racecourse?

PS - its Flookburgh not Flookborough

 

[DorkingMain]

Apologies if any of these have been mentioned:

Micheldever is an obvious one. The settlement next to the station has now taken on the name "Micheldever Station" while the original settlement is some distance away.

Clapham Junction of course is a good mile or so from Clapham, and located in Battersea.

Knighton station is in England, while the town itself is in Powys, Wales - the border is the River Teme, a bridge over which connects the town to the station.

Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon is about two miles from Cobham.

Effingham Junction is closer to East Horsley than Effingham.

Upper Warlingham is in the Whyteleafe area, and about a mile from Warlingham

 

[MadMac]

When this was last discussed, I think I mentioned Redondo Beach station at the west end of the Green Line in the Los Angeles area - it takes its name from Redondo Beach Boulevard right outside the station. It isn’t in the City of Redondo Beach: it’s in neighbouring Hawthorne. As to the actual beach, it’s a mere five miles from the station…..

 

[ivorytoast28]

Wanborough is in Flexford
Alnmouth is is in Hipsburn
Worplesdon is in the middle of nowhere

 

[birchesgreen]

Chester Road is miles from Chester!

It is on the Chester Road however.

 

[bazzoh]

More strange merseyisms I seem to remember from living up there. Leasowe station (I think) sits in the north eastern tip of Moreton, whilst Moreton station is the closest to Leasowe Lighthouse

 

[Taunton]

The irony being Heswall Hills station was near no hills, with the surrounding topography rather flat. Having said that, Heswall town centre is the highest land on the Wirral, averaging about 90m above mean sea level.

However it was on hills as far as the railway was concerned. The line climbs steadily at about 1 in 100 from Bidston to Heswall Hills station, over the top it then drops down to the River Dee. The gradients are sufficient to have been an issue for the onetime iron ore trains from Bidston Dock to the steelworks at Shotton, which were a substantial weight in bogie hoppers, and unbraked. In steam days a 9F had plenty of coupled wheels to use for braking, though the guard was still to be seen applying the van brake fully as they passed the station. At dieselisation there were a couple of attempts before adequate braking capability was found - two Class 24s worked well. Full throttle to Heswall, then full brake onwards.

 

[nw1]

Not any more. The county boundary was changed a few years back to follow the River Yeo rather than the Bradford Abbas stream. Shifted the border half a mile east
Stopped that crazy situation where only one taxi was allowed to wait there

More than a few years by the looks of it, 1991 according to Wikipedia (source is official government document). I thought it was in Somerset when I was in the area in 1994, which it was - but only just.

 

[Calthrop]

Flookborough is actually larger than both Cark and Cartmel, so even more surprising it doesn't feature in the station name. The only reason I can think that if pronounced how it's written it may sound offensive!

PS - its Flookburgh not Flookborough

I always fancifully imagine Flookburgh to be the dwelling-place of the weird little prehistoric creature Flook: he and his juvenile human chum Rufus, being the joint heroes of the gently satirical comic strip which appeared daily in the press for for many years.

 

[nw1]

That's right - passengers alighting must have had a bit of a shock - I'm guessing it would have taken over an hour to get to Andover on turnpike roads by horse and cart! It would also have won this competition - it must be what, 15 miles?

I think it's about 10, but even still - a fair way!

Apologies if any of these have been mentioned:


Knighton station is in England, while the town itself is in Powys, Wales - the border is the River Teme, a bridge over which connects the town to the station.

You learn something new every day - I was aware of the River Teme from the section in Worcestershire, basically southeast of the Clee Hills, but never realised it went that far west. (Looking at the map and tracing the course, it does look like it is indeed the same Teme).

 

[A0wen]

Welwyn North is east of Welwyn. It is north of Welwyn Garden City, which is not the same place at all, as the residents of Welwyn village will tell you. Welwyn North really should be called Digswell.

I called that one in post #31 (though daftly managed to say it was south-west, not south-east of Welwyn village).

 

[mrd269697]

However it was on hills as far as the railway was concerned. The line climbs steadily at about 1 in 100 from Bidston to Heswall Hills station, over the top it then drops down to the River Dee. The gradients are sufficient to have been an issue for the onetime iron ore trains from Bidston Dock to the steelworks at Shotton, which were a substantial weight in bogie hoppers, and unbraked. In steam days a 9F had plenty of coupled wheels to use for braking, though the guard was still to be seen applying the van brake fully as they passed the station. At dieselisation there were a couple of attempts before adequate braking capability was found - two Class 24s worked well. Full throttle to Heswall, then full brake onwards.

Well I didn’t know that, very interesting and gives some insight, thanks for the information!

 

[D6130]

two Class 24s worked well. Full throttle to Heswall, then full brake onwards.

Pairs of specially modified class 24s were also used on the Tyne Dock-Consett iron ore hopper trains from the end of steam in 1966 until replacement by pairs of 37s in the mid-'seventies. Must have been something special about their Gresham & Craven EQ braking system. (Sorry - slightly OT!)

 

[LRV3004]

Liverpool Street is nowhere near Liverpool.
Nor were there many famous battles fought at Waterloo station.

In the same sort of way that Alton is nowhere near Alton Towers amusement park……..

 

[Djgr]

However it was on hills as far as the railway was concerned. The line climbs steadily at about 1 in 100 from Bidston to Heswall Hills station, over the top it then drops down to the River Dee. The gradients are sufficient to have been an issue for the onetime iron ore trains from Bidston Dock to the steelworks at Shotton, which were a substantial weight in bogie hoppers, and unbraked. In steam days a 9F had plenty of coupled wheels to use for braking, though the guard was still to be seen applying the van brake fully as they passed the station. At dieselisation there were a couple of attempts before adequate braking capability was found - two Class 24s worked well. Full throttle to Heswall, then full brake onwards.

Whilst true not the reason for the name.

The original Heswall village is now called the Lower Village and what is considered Heswall today was that which was above the village up the hill. Hence the name.

There is but one shop today by the station that still uses the title Heswall Hills but for those of us of a certain age this is what the station shall always be.

 

[HowardGWR]

Was Crewkerne mentioned? It is actually at Misterton, a good mile or more from the centre of Crewkerne. If the GWR had ever taken it over, they would have called it 'Crewkerne Road'.

 

[PR1Berske]

Cark & Cartmel, (or Cark in Cartmel if Northerns PIS is to be believed), or just plain Cark (on the station nameboards), is actually just to the south of Cark in the village of Flookborough (pronounced flukeborough) and a few miles from Cartmel.

Flookborough is actually larger than both Cark and Cartmel, so even more surprising it doesn't feature in the station name. The only reason I can think that if pronounced how it's written it may sound offensive!

I was in Arnside yesterday and was lazily studying the map of the area. Cark (& Cartmel) is very oddly named if you just look at a map, Flookburgh would surely be more accurate. Maybe it was branding for the nascent Lake District tourism industry

 

[Taunton]

Well I didn’t know that, very interesting and gives some insight, thanks for the information!

Notwithstanding my screen name here we moved from Somerset to The Wirral in the 1960s, and I just caught the last couple of years of 9F operation on the ore trains, which when a ship was in at Bidston ran surprisingly frequently. Heswall Hills was a good place to see them as they came over the top, schoolfriend lived nearby who I could bus to (route F40 if I remember correctly), plus the porter on duty (it was still staffed) didn't mind us being there.

 

[WesternBiker]

Was Crewkerne mentioned? It is actually at Misterton, a good mile or more from the centre of Crewkerne. If the GWR had ever taken it over, they would have called it 'Crewkerne Road'.

The GWR had other plans for Crewkerne initially, with the so-called Exeter Great Western, from Yeovil to Exeter via Crewkerne and Axminster, as part of the so-called gauge wars to keep west Dorset in 'broad gauge' territory. The proposal was rejected in the 1846 and 1847 sessions of parliament. Another of those 'what might have beens'...

 

[daodao]

Whitchurch (Cardiff) is actually sited in Rhiwbina and is nearer to the centre of Rhiwbina village (and even nearer to Rhiwbina station) than to the centre of Whitchurch village.

 

[HSP 2]

I was in Arnside yesterday and was lazily studying the map of the area. Cark (& Cartmel) is very oddly named if you just look at a map, Flookburgh would surely be more accurate. Maybe it was branding for the nascent Lake District tourism industry

Not quit I think that it would be due to the incumbents of Holker Hall (the Cavendish family) objecting to the railway station near to their house being named after a small fishing village (Flookburgh). I've also heard people pronounce Holker as Hooker Hall.
IIRC the term in Cartmel goes back to when the priory owned a lot of the land on that small peninsula.