Trivia: Easily confused station names

[Brooke]

Slaithwaite and Slough ( )

I’ve always explained it to people as Slough-It, so I’m with you!

 

[MikeWM]

Huyton and Hightown - both on Merseyside at least, so at least you won't end up at the wrong end of the country.

On trying to buy a ticket to Morecambe earlier this week I almost got issued a ticket to Moreton (on the Wirral) instead, though that was probably just me not speaking clearly enough

 

[Class800]

Whitley Bay is so named, because when it was Whitley, a funeral was delayed as the coffin was sent to Whitby - according to a notice at the station in Whitley Bay!

 

[Gloster]

Whitley Bay is so named, because when it was Whitley, a funeral was delayed as the coffin was sent to Whitby - according to a notice at the station in Whitley Bay!

Presumably this produced the rare occurrence of a coffin needing a return ticket.

 

[geoffk]

Conwy and Conway Park spring to mind. As do Nottingham, Mottingham and Cottingham!

A few years ago you could see, on adjacent platforms every hour at Wakefield Kirkgate, trains to Nottingham and Knottingley.

Walkden and Walsden, Accrington and Acklington, Althorpe and Althorne? Then there are two Adlingtons, both on Northern's network. Eccles and Eccles Road - hope no-one has made that mistake.

Years ago a friend told me he was travelling from the north-east to a wedding at Harvington, Worcestershire, not knowing there were two Harvingtons. He went by train to the one near Evesham, as it happened on the day before closure of the Redditch - Ashchurch line, but it was the wrong Harvington. He should have gone to the one near Kidderminster and missed the wedding, luckily not his own!

 

[O L Leigh]

I once was asked which platform the train for Long Eaton departed from and directed the lady towards a Nottingham service. I was walking with a colleague who said ”I think she said Nuneaton”.

”Did she…?” I replied.

 

[geoffk]

Rhoose (Cardiff International Airport) and Roose, the latter pronounced "Rooz", I believe.

Preston is always shown on screens as Preston (Lancs), presumably to avoid confusion with Long Preston, Preston Park and Prestonpans.

 

[Halish Railway]

A few years ago you could see, on adjacent platforms every hour at Wakefield Kirkgate, trains to Nottingham and Knottingley.

On platform 17 at Leeds there is the xx:58 to Knottingley & the xx:09 to Nottingham, with the two trains sharing the same platform for roughly 5 minutes.

 

[urbophile]

Huyton and Hightown - both on Merseyside at least, so at least you won't end up at the wrong end of the country.

On trying to buy a ticket to Morecambe earlier this week I almost got issued a ticket to Moreton (on the Wirral) instead, though that was probably just me not speaking clearly enough

Similarly Kirkby and West Kirby (opposite ends of Merseyside and the socio-economic spectrum).

 

[Gathursty]

Similarly Kirkby and West Kirby (opposite ends of Merseyside and the socio-economic spectrum).

West Kirby can be rough at times. (Sea emoji)

 

[MadMac]

Presumably this produced the rare occurrence of a coffin needing a return ticket.

I attended a cremation several years ago and couldn’t help but laugh at there being doors either side of the “conveyor belt“ marked “Fire Exit”!

 

[DorkingMain]

Classic ones from my time as an SW guard were:

Fareham and Farnham
Hampton / Hampton Wick and Hampton Court
Ashford (Surrey) and Ashford International

 

[xotGD]

A few years ago you could see, on adjacent platforms every hour at Wakefield Kirkgate, trains to Nottingham and Knottingley.

A couple of times I've almost been sold a ticket to the former when going to the latter. One reason I usually used the ticket machine.

Now I commute to Cottingley rather than Knottingley. So another potential cause of confusion. Plus of course there is another Cottingley in West Yorkshire, but I would have to catch a bus rather than a train to get there. Some people do look puzzled when I say I catch a train to Cottingley, mind.

 

[Djgr]

Meols and Meols Cop

 

[bassmike]

Ashford International and Ashford (Surrey) former used to be Ashford (Kent)

Ashford Surrey was origionally Ashford Middx; (still should be--)

 

[swt_passenger]

Classic ones from my time as an SW guard were:

Fareham and Farnham
Hampton / Hampton Wick and Hampton Court
Ashford (Surrey) and Ashford International

I’ve wondered about
Fareham and Wareham,
Barnham and Farnham,
should be possible to get well confused with all four involved…

 

[markbeech]

Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells [Central]

How about Clifton Down in Bristol and Clifton (Nottingham)?

 

[AY1975]

Bolton (Greater Manchester) and Bolton-upon-Dearne

Buxted and Buxton (or Buxton and Cuxton)

Cambridge, Cambridge North and Cambridge Heath

Chester, Chester-le-Street and Chesterfield

Crewe and Seaton Carew

Crowhurst and Crowle

Gillingham (Kent) (pronounced with a soft "g") and Gillingham (Dorset) (with a hard "g")

Goring-by-Sea and Goring & Streatley (I have a friend who occasionally travels to the former but has sometimes been issued with a ticket to the latter by mistake)

Hartford and Hertford North/Hertford East

Hexham, Wrexham Central and Wrexham General

Lancaster and Lancaster Gate (though the latter is a Tube station)

Leicester and Leicester Square (again the latter is a Tube station)

Loughborough and Loughborough Junction

Morden, Morden South, and Ashwell & Morden

New Cross and New Cross Gate

Oxford and Oxted

Purley and Putney (they don't sound similar but could still be confused when written by someone with poor handwriting)

Shoreham-by-Sea and Shoreham (Kent) (I suppose Shoreham-by-Sea and Goring-by-Sea, which are both on the West Coastway route, could also be confused with one another)

Stone and Stonegate

Streatham, Streatham Common and Streatham Hill

West Wickham and West Wycombe (though the latter station closed many years ago)

 

[Acfb]

Adlington (Lancs), Adlington (Cheshire)

 

[PeterC]

If it hasn’t already been mentioned, Sheffield and Shenfield.

I thought they were the same place when I was 11.

 

[snowball]

I have heard of people who live in Settle getting delayed letters that have been to Seattle!

During a foot and mouth disease epidemic, the Guardian had a headline "Sheepless in Settle".

 

[fat_boy_pete]

Clapton and Clacton are not good ones to get wrong, as one passenger found out as we were appraching Shenfield.

It's why the destination boards and announcements now state the latter as (the non-existent) Clacton-on-Sea.

 

[CarltonA]

On a train to Liverpool Street I heard a BR guard telling a tale of some US sailors travelling to Hawick instead of Harwich. Needless to say their ship was nowhere to be found.

 

[AY1975]

It's why the destination boards and announcements now state the latter as (the non-existent) Clacton-on-Sea.

And maybe it was at least part of the reason that the nearby Walton-on-Naze station was renamed Walton-on-the-Naze, to avoid confusion with Walton-on-Thames.

 

[RHolmes]

James Street and the proposed St James’ on the Merseyrail network

 

[calopez]

Walsall and Warsaw...

 

[Llandudno]

Hope and err…Hope!

Borderlands Line and Hope Valley Line

 

[LUYMun]

It's a good thing Walford East only exists in the EastEnders world, otherwise there would be many soap opera fans travelling on the Metropolitan line to Watford, or onto the other stations by Overground/LNWR!

 

[richard1976]

Pensarn with Abergele & Pensarn

 

[Springs Branch]

Ashford International and Ashford (Surrey) former used to be Ashford (Kent)

One weekend in the 1980s, a group of former university friends who had dispersed around the country were getting together for one of our group's wedding.

The venue was in the vicinity of Staines, and instructions for non-drivers had said travel to Ashford station.

A thrifty friend* coming from Oop North tried to save himself a few pounds by travelling into Victoria Coach Station on National Express, then a short walk to Victoria, change at Clapham Junction for the Windsor lines and Bob's your uncle.

Assembling in the designated pub and comparing journey notes, my friend commented not only on the high price of pints Down South, but also that the train fare from London had been a "dear do".

Of course, he'd bought a ticket to Ashford (Kent), rather than Ashford (Middx) - this being the days before Ashford International had been invented, and probably a much bigger seller at a ticket window at Victoria. And probably wiped out the ££ he saved with his inconvenient coach journey from Wakefield.

* - it really was a friend, not me!.