Stations that don't contain the name of a settlement, particularly termini

[bramling]

And then there are ambiguous settlement names, how would someone in Manchester without rail knowledge know that Newcastle meant "Newcastle on tyne" 150 miles away rather than "Newcastle under lyme"

The latter makes me smile, as I’ve been in the car with people when I’m driving around Staffordshire and road signs have appeared which state “Newcastle”, and on more than one occasion have I heard words to the effect of “gosh are we really only a few miles from Newcastle?”.

In practice this one I don’t think is a major problem as I’d say it’s likely 90+% of the population aren’t aware of Newcastle-under-Lyme’s existence. It might get trickier if the latter ever gets a station again, though the chances of that are fairly remote.

 

[Tunnel Bore]

Without the brackets, High Street (Glasgow) would be a ‘mare.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Audley End has been de facto Saffron Walden Parkway since before Parkways were a thing.

It has a very large car park, including spaces on the trackbed of the old Saffron Walden branch line.

I suppose to be fair it comes under that old adage of just being called "the station", the actual name of it is irrelevant as the Saffron Waldonians (or whatever you call them) just know it's where you drive to get the train and pay little attention to what it's actually called.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Is C2C all commuters and locals or do they announce the Shoeburyness services as 'via Southend'?

As a former c2c commuter and local, no, they don't make such an announcement, and, yes, it probably is principally commuters and locals on board.

 

[SargeNpton]

The name boards say "James Cook"

Unfortunately, the fragmented nature of the railway has resulted in several stations having station signs that differ from those in retail and operating systems.

 

[Peterthegreat]

isnt the junction Wincobank junction? or did they rename it when they built the station?

The junction was formerly known as Wincobank Station Junction.

 

[xotGD]

The Hawthorns.

 

[TBY-Paul]

There isn’t a settlement called Allens West. Strangely, when I used the station regularly in the mid 70’s to visit friends I thought, it was called Allen’s West, but maybe I’m just mis-remembering.

That did cross my mind but then I wondered what the old MOD place was called and just can't remember off-hand.

A quick Google suggests the name is indeed from that.

Yet, curiously, this map from 1855 indicates that the same location was called Yarm Station?

View map: Ordnance Survey, Durham LVI (includes: Aislaby; Egglescliffe; Long Newton; Preston on Tees.) - Ordnance Survey Six-inch England and Wales, 1842-1952

maps.nls.uk

 

[Cricketer8for9]

There isn’t a settlement called Purley Oaks. Purley exists; Purley Oaks is in South Croydon, which has its own station. That said Sanderstead station is also in South Croydon, as was the now closed Selsdon station. The former is just off the Sanderstead Road (ie the road to Sanderstead); the latter was approached from the Selsdon Road (ie the road to Selsdon).

 

[WizCastro197]

I mean, Gatwick Airport isn’t a settlement. You either live in Horley or Crawley.

All apart from St Pancras, which is announced as ‘St Pancras International’.

Not at Leicester it isn’t. It is said simply as: ‘London St Pancras’. I assume the same for the rest of the MML, as I think Derby does the same.

 

[timnjmorris@gm]

Dingle Road? A small street in the outskirts of Penarth. Probably better to be called Dingle Penarth to avoid confusion with other Dingles.

 

[43066]

Lots and lots. Off the top of my head, Charing Cross, Clock House, Denham Golf Club, Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport Parkway, East Midlands Parkway…

 

[bramling]

But the full station name is James Cook University Hospital.

Another station no one seems to know the actual name of is the penultimate station on the Maesteg branch, which is known variously as

Ewenny Road
Maesteg Ewenny Road
Maesteg (Ewenny Road)

From memory I think the signs on the station bear the first of those.

The name is rather nondescript as the station is in the middle of a mainly residential area, though of course pretty much all users will be local so not really an issue.

 

[William3000]

Derby Road in Ipswich
Eccles Road
Harling Road

 

[Mojo]

Wasn’t it always that the only London station with London officially in its name is London Bridge.

London Fields station is in Greater London. Although it depends on your definition of “London,” because for railway ticketing or routeing, it is not London.

 

[THC]

London Fields station is in Greater London. Although it depends on your definition of “London,” because for railway ticketing or routeing, it is not London.

One stop on from Cambridge Heath. Likewise not Cambridge.

THC

 

[Magdalia]

Eccles Road
Harling Road

Both of these now appear on the Ordnance Survey as place names, not just station names. Same applies to nearby Spooner Row.

But all three I think fall into the places named after stations category.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Kent House
Crewkerne station is in the neighbouring village of Misterton.

 

[Falcon1200]

Without the brackets, High Street (Glasgow) would be a ‘mare.

Other 'Street' stations in Glasgow too! Argyle Street and Duke Street for example.

Exhibition Centre, also Glasgow.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Denham Golf Club

Is in Higher Denham. (The other bit, containing Denham station, is called Denham Green).

Gatwick Airport

I suppose it's not a settlement, but it's in the place it's named after! Perhaps settlement was too specific.

Luton Airport Parkway

Is in Luton.

East Midlands Parkway…

Is in the East Midlands (though I guess it is an odd one!)

 

[Ashley Hill]

Portsmouth Arms,nothing there but a pub!

 

[zwk500]

I suppose it's not a settlement, but it's in the place it's named after! Perhaps settlement was too specific.

To be fair, there was a hamlet/farmstead called Gatwick, which lent it's name to Gatwick Racecourse before the airport swallowed it up.

One stop on from Cambridge Heath. Likewise not Cambridge.

Crewkerne station is in the neighbouring village of Misterton.

Stations named after a settlement other than the one they're in is a separate discussion, and possibly one we've already had.

Although it's questionable which settlement the two London Roads are named after.

 

[roadierway77]

Falls of Cruachan is named after the nearby waterfall, and indirectly after Ben Cruachan mountain.

Loch Eil Outward Bound is named after the Outward Bound Trust outdoor centre just down the road from the station.

Neither station serves a settlement of the same name.

 

[Bletchleyite]

So I think we identified there are loads of these. (Feel free to keep identifying more!)

I don't think we have yet identified a terminus though, i.e. a place where some or all trains regularly terminate...or have we? I'm not thinking of somewhere like Tring which is outside the named place a bit, nor X Parkway (Tring would be Tring Parkway if you opened it now), but rather Headbolt Lane-a-likes that do nothing to identify where it is to an outsider and as such might cause a bit of confusion.

Notably there's another Headbolt Lane in the area covered by the Merseyrail map, but well away from a station, near Halsall, so it's even semi-ambiguous locally. It's quite an odd name - I guess named after some sort of motor garage? I'm not aware of any other context of headbolts other than on an internal combustion engine? Perhaps, given the seafaring tradition of Merseyside, somewhere they manufactured them for ship engines?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[43066]

Is in Higher Denham. (The other bit, containing Denham station, is called Denham Green).



I suppose it's not a settlement, but it's in the place it's named after! Perhaps settlement was too specific.



Is in Luton.



Is in the East Midlands (though I guess it is an odd one!)

Fair point, I’d sort of read your OP as asking for stations that aren’t named after a settlement, rather than including the name of one. That excludes far more!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Fair point, I’d sort of read your OP as asking for stations that aren’t named after a settlement, rather than including the name of one. That excludes far more!

I was probably not clear enough in the OP, but what I'm really looking for is stations like Headbolt Lane that have no indication of where they are (and thus have potential for confusion) rather than ones that contain the name of a settlement but also some other information.

Thus I'd see Headbolt Lane as an option, but if it was Kirkby Headbolt Lane or Kirkby East not? (It was spun out of a subconversation on the Headbolt Lane thread about whether seeing just "Headbolt Lane" on the PIS at Victoria would confuse people as to where it was).

Or University as one, but if it was Birmingham University not?

Obviously feel free to post whatever you think fits, there can be a discussion as well

 

[DanNCL]

Not at Leicester it isn’t. It is said simply as: ‘London St Pancras’. I assume the same for the rest of the MML, as I think Derby does the same.

Must vary by TOC then. Southeastern show it as ‘St Pancras International’, and I think GTR do too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Must vary by TOC then. Southeastern show it as ‘St Pancras International’, and I think GTR do too.

Merseyrail is one thing but I've long criticised Virgin and Avanti for just putting "Euston" on the front of Voyagers. It'd be logical to have that on a London Overground train where London is implicit, but the thing you need on an InterCity train is "London", whether you suffix or not.

 

[43066]

I don't think we have yet identified a terminus though,

I think (London) Charing Cross could still be counted as its name historically didn’t include London (as with all the other London terminals apart from London Bridge, which I think is what @Tetchytyke was getting at above), and Charing Cross itself is actually a road junction?

I agree the waters are muddied as RTT etc. all refer to London Charing Cross these days.

If you live in London, it’s certainly just “Charing Cross”!

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Ty Glas on the Coryton line is named after the business park it serves rather than the Cardiff suburb of Llanishen in which it's located presumably because Llanishen is the name of a Rhumney line station a shortish distance away.