Trivia: Downsized stations that are shells of their former selves?

[gingerheid]

Ardrossan Town once had two through platforms and a bay, as well as ample carraige sidings and goods facilities. Now just the one track and platform, however it is open after being closed from 1968 to 1987

Gosh - I should absolutely have realised that it would have been one of the original umpteen Ardrossan stations and that it would have been grand, but somehow it's past existence and importence completely passed me by!

Of course in percentage terms probably more of the station remains than does of the past commercial centre of Adrossan

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Mirfield hasn't lost as many platforms as some of the others mentioned (arguably it gained one in the late 1980s, then temporarily lost one side of the original island this year), but it has lost all buildings apart from bus shelters, and the overall roof it once had.

 

[infobleep]

North Camp originally had 4 (checking the Vic Mitchell book) - an Up island platform and a south-facing bay on the Down side (Down is towards Reading), with a diamond crossing over the Down line and trailing into the Up. In later times there was an oil terminal on the Up side replacing the platform loop.

Not exactly a 'shell of its former self' but Aberdeen is very considerably downsized.

The number of platform faces is 50% less though.

 

[cle]

Lots of desolate ports and seaside towns. And the racetracks.

St Pancras once had seven platforms to serve the Midland mainline. Now it only has four...

I think St Pancras is nearly rightsized for the stock used (vs HSTs with buffets) and the TPH, it was a grim smoky empty place in the 80s. Broad Street vibes.

 

[70014IronDuke]

St Pancras once had seven platforms to serve the Midland mainline. Now it only has four...

Hmmm.. This needs better defining. The trainshed indeed once had seven platforms, but it did not 'just' serve what is today generally referred to as the Midland mainline.

The 'classical' Midland mainline, up to the 1960s, for starters once included destinations like Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

But the main terminus also served the suburban service to St Albans, Luton and Bedford. Admitedly after 1960 this only consisted of 2 TPH out of the peaks.
It has since morphed (or exploded) into Thameslink, of course.

Whatever, I suspect today's St Pancras was not exactly what the OP was originally thinking of when posting.

 

[Ianigsy]

Rock Ferry, Bebington, Spital and Bromborough had platforms on both the main and local lines, but those serving the fast lines became redundant following the closure of Birkenhead Woodside.

 

[Bob55G]

Mirfield hasn't lost as many platforms as some of the others mentioned (arguably it gained one in the late 1980s, then temporarily lost one side of the original island this year), but it has lost all buildings apart from bus shelters, and the overall roof it once had.

Mirfield station had 4 bay platforms (2 at the West end, 2 East) which were lost just prior to the overall roof and island platform buildings demolition in the late '60's/early 70's.

 

[delt1c]

Barnstaple has indeed lost it; from four stations all round it is now down to one platform only at the least convenient of them all. In fact any local will tell you this remaining station is not in Barnstaple at all; it's in Sticklepath.

Similar could be said for Bathgate , has had 5 stations with 9 Platforms in total( ok not all open at same time ), now has one with 2 platforms and probably best its ever had

 

[Class800]

Originally three platforms. There was a short bay at the end of the present platform 1.

It would also make sense in the near future to downscale Stranraer even more and truncate the line as without the ferries it's stuck at the end of a pier for no reason

Picking up on what someone said earlier about Cincinnati Union, its departures are at 01.31 to Chicago and 03.17 to New York. I'm not sure of any other stations in the world whose only departures are between 01.00 and 04.00!

 

[steamybrian]

Aberystwyth is much slimmed down, even though it has acquired the Vale of Rheidol traffic.

Mentioned in item 4
Also mentioned Barmouth Junction/Morfa Mawwdach

 

[Mr. SW]

Gunnersbury. 5 platforms to 2, and entered through a very grim passage under a tower block.

 

[Rikki Lamb]

Bradford Forster Square has got to be one of the bigger downsized stations?

Yes and no - in terms of platforms it only lost two but it was a big downsize from the original building to what is there now.

 

[vic-rijrode]

North Berwick perhaps. It used to have two long platforms with associated buildings, a goods yard and shed, a line past it to the local gas works, a nearby hotel.

Now a single line and platform with all old buildings gone (but a new small block to replace them) along with gas works and hotel.

Incidentally as Andrew Hajducki states in his excellent Oakwood Press book, the North Berwick branch is possibly unique in the UK as having its passenger services provided by Horse, Steam, Diesel and Electric over its existence.

 

[robert thomas]

North Berwick perhaps. It used to have two long platforms with associated buildings, a goods yard and shed, a line past it to the local gas works, a nearby hotel.

Now a single line and platform with all old buildings gone (but a new small block to replace them) along with gas works and hotel.

Incidentally as Andrew Hajducki states in his excellent Oakwood Press book, the North Berwick branch is possibly unique in the UK as having its passenger services provided by Horse, Steam, Diesel and Electric over its existence.

Try Swansea & Mumbles though I think it may have been petrol as opposed to diesel

 

[steamybrian]

Try Swansea & Mumbles though I think it may have been petrol as opposed to diesel

Ryde Pier rail passenger services were served by horse, steam, petrol and electric trains.
I have had steam, petrol and electric haulage in the past.

 

[yorksrob]

Agreed, it's hardly a shell of what it had been. It retains a lovely concourse and you barely notice the missing platform. Similar situation at Lewes, where yes it's been slimmed down - having lost the Down London and Down Brighton loops (which you can still see where they would have been) and the junction for Uckfield/East Grinstead, it's still a pretty nicely looked after station.

Having mentioned them, East Grinstead and Uckfield are far more 'shells' of their former selves than any of the coastway stations.

Polegate is a bit of a shell compared to the old junction station, but then one might say that it doesn't qualify having been moved west slightly.

 

[vic-rijrode]

Ryde Pier rail passenger services were served by horse, steam, petrol and electric trains.
I have had steam, petrol and electric haulage in the past.

Thank you! Presumably served by Shanks' Pony currently...

 

[WarrenTManager]

Christs Hospital reduced from 7 platforms in the 1960s to the present 2 platforms
Epsom Downs was once a 7 platform terminus now replaced with a new one platform station.
Exmouth was reduced from 4 platforms to the now one platform in use.
East Grinstead had 6 platforms until 1967 when the High level platforms were closed leaving the present low level 2 platforms
Blackpool North had a large number (?) of platforms reduced to present 6
Aberystwyth reduced from 5 to the present 1 platform
Barmouth Junction /Morfa Mawwdach was 4 platforms until 1965 and now 1 platform

Epsom Downs had 9 platforms in 1896.

 

[steamybrian]

Epsom Downs had 9 platforms in 1896.

Noted with thanks

 

[Rescars]

The two stations for Epsom racecourse (Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner) were both pretty massive in terms of the number of platforms, but rather less grand when it came to facilities, because traffic was generally pretty light apart from race days. So no roofing for most of the platforms, no stop blocks at the end of loco headshunts - just mounds of earth, etc, etc. Both branches had intermediate block posts which were set up and opened on race days only.

When first opened, Tattenham Corner station was only opened on race days and holidays. The rest of the time trains terminated short at Tadworth. There was a lot of little used storage capacity at Tattenham Corner though. Around 100 repatriated ex ROD 2-8-0s were stored there at the end of WW1, awaiting new owners.

 

[Greetlander]

Didn't Halifax have seven, now reduced to two?

Yes, with arguably the better of the surviving islands mouldering away. Ironically I don’t think it’s ever had a better service level. I live in hope for at least a third platform reinstatement

 

[DynamicSpirit]

There was also a time where a single platform would have just about been sufficient for the meagre service provision.

Perhaps St Pancras should be the first entry in an alternative thread: Stations that have grown out of all recognition from what they were in the past.

St Pancras may have grown out of all recognition but I'd say it's still lost the sense of grandeur it had before the rebuild into St Pancras international. Also, although it's branded as a single station, I'd argue in reality it's become more like at least 3, maybe 4, completely separate railway stations with different entrances and gatelines that happen to be attached to the same shopping centre and share the same name. From that perspective, is it really one station that's grown?

 

[d9009alycidon]

Coatbridge Central at its peak had three through platforms, a North facing bay and a parcels Dock. There was also a large goods shed. The station had a large two storey station building at street level with Subway access to both platforms, both platforms had waiting rooms, toilets and other offices. Now the station has two platforms with the usual bus shelters, with the street level building sold off and detached from the rest of the station. Disabled access to the southbound platform is impossible as the station is now accessed via the former access road to the goods station which goes to the Northbound platform with access to the southbound platform being stairs up and down to a horrible Subway

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Morecambe. Someone else will have to detail it, with the line cut back from the seafront to a much less useful location. Presumably to make room for the road to Morrisons.

Morecambe is certainly right up there in being only a shell of it's former self: From a decent sized station with a roof and lots of facilities to one island platform without any shelter at all when the ticket office is closed. I'm not sure exactly what motivated the move to the present location, but my guess was that BR probably wanted the cash from selling the old site.

I'd question whether the new location is actually less useful though. The old station on the seafront was fine if you were a tourist looking for the beach, but was also quite a walk from the town centre. The new station is halfway between the seafront and the town centre so a bit meh for either place but still better than the old one if the town centre is where you are heading.

 

[Egg Centric]

Bishop Auckland had three or four platforms at one point; now down to the Darlington branch and the Weardale Railway on the same platform edge in the same way as Ormskirk.

Technically not quite the same as Ormskirk as the platforms are distinct - and untill recently you had to walk a bit of a detour from one to the other (there's now a path)

 

[uglymonkey]

Exmouth 4 platforms, massive building, goods shed, yard and engine shed. Now 1 platform and a 1970's chic small building.

 

[duffield]

Exmouth 4 platforms, massive building, goods shed, yard and engine shed. Now 1 platform and a 1970's chic small building.

Somewhere, I've got a photo I took when I was a child showing the new station just built in a corner of the old station, before it was demolished. As I remember it, at that stage of the works you had to exit from the new station via the concourse of the old station. I think the new station was initially a *very* minimal bus stop affair, but had been expanded when I returned many years later to add more facilities, however my memory may be faulty.

 

[leytongabriel]

Harwich Town down from three platforms to one?

 

[steamybrian]

Exmouth 4 platforms, massive building, goods shed, yard and engine shed. Now 1 platform and a 1970's chic small building.

Mentioned it in item 4

I will add Weymouth- In its prime it had 5 platforms and on busy Summer Saturdays trains used the adjacent disused Melcombe Regis station as a sixth platform. Add in large goods yard, Loco shed and carriage sidings. Also trains to/from Weymouth Quay line.
Now three platforms and a few sidings.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Somewhere, I've got a photo I took when I was a child showing the new station just built in a corner of the old station, before it was demolished. As I remember it, at that stage of the works you had to exit from the new station via the concourse of the old station. I think the new station was initially a *very* minimal bus stop affair, but had been expanded when I returned many years later to add more facilities, however my memory may be faulty.

Ironically, it now has the most frequent service to Exeter in its history - sadly no trains to Budleigh and Sidmouth Jcn though. The old station was demolished for a hideous 'distributor' road that cuts it off from the town centre. The motoring lobby are still at it - the council proposed to fill in the subway and make a pedestrian-friendly at-grade crossing - only to receive a storm of protest and have now backtracked.