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

[LickeyIncliner]

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.

I suspect that there quite a number of the stations that have been mentioned in this thread have better services now - at least in terms of numbers of departures - than when they were at their largest, mainly as a result of the trend towards regular interval services throughout the day. That might be true of Exmouth? I was thinking of March, which as mentioned at post #24 has gone from 7 platforms down to 2, but currently has about 48 departures a day; I feel that is probably more than it had in the 1900s or 1930s, when it had lines to Wisbech, Spalding and St Ives as well as the surviving ones to Peterborough and Ely. Though it's a guess, I may be quite wrong in that case! Difficult to prove without a lot of digging into old timetables.

 

[Topological]

Operations are much more efficient too. There is a lot less occasional traffic as well. Platform occupancy is a lot lower.

The DMU turning round in Exmouth now can do so without much fuss and there are no parcels to unload.

A second platform at Exmouth might help resilience, but 4 would not be necessary for any service needs that are likely to arise in the foreseeable.

 

[Pnerick81]

Lostock hall. Now I know it was a mass of lines , signalbox and huge engine shed . Now just 2 tracks through the station with Farington chord junction just east of the station which joins from the wcml . Was lostock hall always a 2 platform station . I’m unsure .

 

[Pinus contorta]

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.

Mum said that Euston road was easier for the shops and closer to town. The bus station ( as was) was in the town as well. The station by the Midland Hotel was alright in the ☀️ summer but a right faff in the rain.

 

[MadMac]

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

There has been talk on and off about re-routing to the old Stranraer Town station, but it’s debatable if it’s any more convenient.

 

[MichaelTrains]

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

It certainly needs an extra platform for the Hull terminators. The amount of times that service gets curtailed to Bradford and then causes issues at the Interchange by blocking platforms and trains (usually the 36 past to Huddersfield) is crazy.

You could argue Bradford Interchange also needs an additional platform, especially with the Grand Central services so close together.

 

[steamybrian]

Feniton was in its previous life Sidmouth Junction- a three platform junction station with goods yard and sidings. Closed and reopened as a single platform station with no sidings.

 

[uglymonkey]

Lostock hall. Now I know it was a mass of lines , signalbox and huge engine shed . Now just 2 tracks through the station with Farington chord junction just east of the station which joins from the wcml . Was lostock hall always a 2 platform station . I’m unsure .

It only needed 4 platforms for the Exmouth and Tipton St John branches when they were both open, 2 platforms for arrivals, for steam trains ( with run round loops) and 2 for departures. Once the DMU's arrived in 1964? It only needed 2, and once Tipon shut it only needed 1. Don't think there is space Topsham- Exmouth for double track ( could be mistaken) but Topsham-Exeter used to be double track before about 1973?

 

[JBuchananGB]

Southport. Only 6 platforms now, from at least 12 in the past. Station buildings demolished in 1960s and replaced with a hideous shopping centre.

 

[Pnerick81]

It only needed 4 platforms for the Exmouth and Tipton St John branches when they were both open, 2 platforms for arrivals, for steam trains ( with run round loops) and 2 for departures. Once the DMU's arrived in 1964? It only needed 2, and once Tipon shut it only needed 1. Don't think there is space Topsham- Exmouth for double track ( could be mistaken) but Topsham-Exeter used to be double track before about 1973?

Lostock hall is between Preston and Bamber bridge in Lancashire . I think you might have replied to the wrong comment

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

It only needed 4 platforms for the Exmouth and Tipton St John branches when they were both open, 2 platforms for arrivals, for steam trains ( with run round loops) and 2 for departures. Once the DMU's arrived in 1964? It only needed 2, and once Tipon shut it only needed 1. Don't think there is space Topsham- Exmouth for double track ( could be mistaken) but Topsham-Exeter used to be double track before about 1973?

Exmouth Jcn to Topsham was double-track but Topsham to Exmouth always single-track. One problem with redoubling the former is that the later bridges over the A379 Link Road and M5 were built as single-track.

To be fair, the old station did also have to handle through coaches to Waterloo and complete trains on Summer Saturdays. There was even an exotic Summer Saturday Exmouth to Cleethorpes and v.v. service in the late '50s / early '60s.

 

[Mikey C]

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.

There already is a zebra crossing anyway, so the current choice of the subway or a surface crossing seems perfectly ok to me.

 

[yorksrob]

Operations are much more efficient too. There is a lot less occasional traffic as well. Platform occupancy is a lot lower.

The DMU turning round in Exmouth now can do so without much fuss and there are no parcels to unload.

A second platform at Exmouth might help resilience, but 4 would not be necessary for any service needs that are likely to arise in the foreseeable.

Exmouth also had the line east via Budleigh Salterton then as well.

 

[a_c_skinner]

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.

That is fair, I only ever go to the Midland Hotel and Morrisons! I realised I didn't know that much about the setup but a look on old maps (from National Library of Scotland an excellent resource on www) shows an interesting disposition of the two former stations and on the whole a good rationalisation of the two lines to Morecambe, even to the point of reusing the old bridge over the Lune in Lancaster. But it does hurt me whenever I walk past the old Morecambe Promenade station. Lets hope the Eden Project keeps Morecambe on its slow economic recovery.

 

[FtoE]

I visited Morecambe last year and was surprised at how … modest the station was. For a fair-sized town and a popular day trip place I thought the platform felt like a bus stop.

 

[Pinus contorta]

I visited Morecambe last year and was surprised at how … modest the station was. For a fair-sized town and a popular day trip place I thought the platform felt like a bus stop.

For many years it was served by 'nodding donkeys' 142 trains so it was a bus stop

 

[TheHovisKid]

There were plans at one time to have 24 platforms, a fish dock, an overall roof, and to double balloon sidings around Broadway Bridge.

 

[HOOVER29]

Crewe?

Ok it’s foot print is still the same size as it was back in the late 70’s/80’s but less usable platforms.

Everytime I use the train from the midlands we sit by the carriage sidings for a couple of minutes while awaiting a platform

The station is a dump compared to how it used to be.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There were plans at one time to have 24 platforms, a fish dock, an overall roof, and to double balloon sidings around Broadway Bridge.

For clarification, where is that location, exactly? Thanks!

 

[trainmania100]

Preston park had 4 platforms but now only has 3.
Newhaven harbour also had a third platform, it's used as a nature area now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Preston park had 4 platforms but now only has 3.

Did the removal of this one platform at Preston Park station on the Brighton Main Line in the 1980s really make this particular station a shell of its former self?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Crewe?

Ok it’s foot print is still the same size as it was back in the late 70’s/80’s but less usable platforms.

Everytime I use the train from the midlands we sit by the carriage sidings for a couple of minutes while awaiting a platform

The station is a dump compared to how it used to be.

Has Crewe really lost platforms? Even if it has, that description doesn't seem to me to qualify as 'shell of its former self'. Waiting a couple of minutes awaiting a platform most likely reflects that Crewe is served by significantly more trains per hour than would have been the case in the 1970s. And whenever I've been there recently, it's been quite a bustling, busy station full of life.

I also seem to recall back in the 1970s non-stopping trains had to crawl through the station because of super-low speed limits, which is certainly not the case now - so some things have definitely improved.

 

[Topological]

Has Crewe really lost platforms? Even if it has, that description doesn't seem to me to qualify as 'shell of its former self'. Waiting a couple of minutes awaiting a platform most likely reflects that Crewe is served by significantly more trains per hour than would have been the case in the 1970s. And whenever I've been there recently, it's been quite a bustling, busy station full of life.

I also seem to recall back in the 1970s non-stopping trains had to crawl through the station because of super-low speed limits, which is certainly not the case now - so some things have definitely improved.

Crewe was one of my suggestions a few pages back. There is a whole island of bays which is now just platform 12. The photo below from Wikipedia shows the unused island in 2005. The in use section can be made out from the newer looking white roof that covers the footbridge at the south end. Platform 12 can be seen with a red brick building similar to that on the platform 1/5 island and the 6/11 island. I am certain the roof no longer reaches platform 12.

 

[Pinus contorta]

For clarification, where is that location, exactly? Thanks!

Half way between Bare Lane and Morecambe stations

 

[Huntergreed]

Dumfries - used to be a terminus for many local services on the port road and had quite a number of direct services to various intercity destinations, including London Euston trains (and a sleeper).

Now, an hourly sprinter to Carlisle and an approximately 2-hourly service north, at best. Sundays are abysmal.

Admittedly, not a physical ‘downsize’ (although 2 bay platforms are now a car park) but service has been completely slashed.

 

[drb61]

Surprised Newton (Lanarkshire) hasn't been mentioned yet. Used to have four platforms but long since reduced to two on the Hamilton road. Although an access link to the WCML remains at the east end of the platforms, it is rarely used (essentially only for Cathcart Circle diversions). It would be good to see the main line platforms restored so that Lanark and Shotts services could more easily call (without having to switch to / from the existing platforms) and provide better interchange with the Kirkhill line services. The current timetable provides poor connectivity with Argyle line and Kirkhill services (that used to connect before the last timetable recast) now often pulling into the platforms simultaneously.

 

[Killingworth]

Chinley, once an important main line junction with five platforms. Now just an unstaffed island platform, essentially a wayside local station.

Chinley about 70 years ago - today a single bleak island platform

 

[Discuss223]

What stations are there in the uk which are shadows of what they used to be? I mean it in the sense of, did the station have more platforms which are now abandoned or if the station was once busy but now not. March in Cambridgeshire springs to mind for me as it had 7 platforms and now only has 2 operational ones with the rest rotting away. Any other such examples?

Skegness station used to be bustling before the days of the package holiday abroad. There are several platforms that sit unused for most of the day.

I believe Hartlepool station also used to be two platforms with more services, these days, the only "facilities" you can guarantee will be available there are the ticket gates. I was told by staff to use the pub across the road if I needed the toilet.

Penistone station in Yorkshire also used to have another platform and was on the route up to Manchester, with more services than today. The booking office building is still in place but no longer used as such.

 

[Killingworth]

Dore & Totley, once a 4 platform junction station with waiting rooms and toilets on all of them and a W H Smiths kiosk. By 1985 reduced to a single platform with a basic open shelter and no toilets. Second platform restored in 2024.

 

[QBall21]

Craigendoran, in eastern Helensburgh.

It used to have five platforms, two at the pier, two going to Helensburgh/Glasgow, and one on the West Highland Line.
The whole piers gone now, absolutely no sign it was ever there. Highland platform gone too; you can still see the steps going up (although they are blocked off) and only one of the two mainline platforms has survived, when the line was singled.

Look up some old photos from the 50s and 60s - its completely unrecognisable, and it actually seems unbelievable that everything was there since there's no trace of it anymore.