Trivia - Largest town to have NEVER had a railway service?

[southern442]

This might need moving, since I suppose it's not technically to do with any railway that has existed.

Thanks to Beeching there are several decent-sized towns (Gosport, Cirencester, Ripon etc.) that no longer have a connection to the network. But I have been wondering what towns are there that are large enough in size to be served (or at least to have once been served) by a reasonably good rail service?

Immediate ones that spring to mind are the towns on Scottish Islands such as Stornoway and Kirkwall (although there were some non-passenger railways that existed around the former). Another noticeable example would be Shaftesbury, home to over 7,000 people but never having been served by the railway. In this case, the town being atop a large hill has made railway construction difficult, but I would be interested to see any other examples.

 

[yorkie]

This might need moving, since I suppose it's not technically to do with any railway that has existed.

I suppose General Discussion however the existence of old forgotten railway lines is bound to crop up, so the history and nostalgia section may be best. We can always move it later if appropriate.

 

[sk688]

Waterloovile ?

Kingswood might count too

 

[DelW]

Would you count Dartmouth, which (I think uniquely) had a station but never a railway?

[edit: Wikipedia only credits it with a population of 5064 in 2011, so well short of Shaftesbury]

 

[Calthrop]

Waterloovile ?

At one time electric-tram-served -- the Portsdown & Horndean Light Railway (1903 -- 35) running via Waterlooville. Thus, something of a "grey area" with this one?

 

[Calthrop]

Shaftesbury, Dorset, seems often to get mentioned in the "never on a railway" connection; but I learn that its population is only 7,314 -- I'd imagine that there are places with bigger populations, contending for the "title".

 

[Dr Hoo]

For many practical intents and purposes the 'new town' of Skelmersdale, which was designated in 1961 but whose predecessor settlement had lost its passenger service in the 1950s, has never had a station.

Population (from Wikipedia) around 38,800.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

For many practical intents and purposes the 'new town' of Skelmersdale, which was designated in 1961 but whose predecessor settlement had lost its passenger service in the 1950s, has never had a station.

Population (from Wikipedia) around 38,800.

Technically it doesn't count

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Cambourne, Cambs - bit of a cheat as a new settlement (pop c 8,000).

 

[delt1c]

Interesting , many towns had stations outside the Town , carrying the name of the town but in reality not in the town. An Example Whitburn in West Lothian Scotland, there was a Station called Whitburn which was actually in East Whitburn ( a seperate village) . Ok not a large town but i am sure there are many more examples of Towns without a station in their boundaries.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Would West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire (population = c 47,000) count?

 

[randyrippley]

Interesting , many towns had stations outside the Town , carrying the name of the town but in reality not in the town. An Example Whitburn in West Lothian Scotland, there was a Station called Whitburn which was actually in East Whitburn ( a seperate village) . Ok not a large town but i am sure there are many more examples of Towns without a station in their boundaries.

Crewkerne, Somerset with a population of around 7000 is like that. The station is actually in Misterton

 

[6Gman]

Interesting , many towns had stations outside the Town , carrying the name of the town but in reality not in the town. An Example Whitburn in West Lothian Scotland, there was a Station called Whitburn which was actually in East Whitburn ( a seperate village) . Ok not a large town but i am sure there are many more examples of Towns without a station in their boundaries.

Menai Bridge station was in a different county (and on a different landmass) to the town of that name !

 

[Bald Rick]

Would West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire (population = c 47,000) count?

Easy walking distance to Nottingham station, so I’m not sure that counts.

 

[Trainfan2019]

Interesting , many towns had stations outside the Town , carrying the name of the town but in reality not in the town. An Example Whitburn in West Lothian Scotland, there was a Station called Whitburn which was actually in East Whitburn ( a seperate village) . Ok not a large town but i am sure there are many more examples of Towns without a station in their boundaries.

Eckington in Derbyshire has never had a station within the town itself considering the 2001 population was over 11,000 according to Wikipedia. However, it makes up part of the name of the old Eckington and Renishaw station. This station closed in the 1950s but was actually situated around the boundary between Eckington and Renishaw, a long way out of Eckington itself. I can't find out where the official boundary is though between the town of Eckington and Renishaw village, locals knew it as '1st station' due to Renishaw Central station being known as '2nd station'. The Eckington and Renishaw station was situated on the road bridge over the 'old road' line still in occasional use today.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Easy walking distance to Nottingham station, so I’m not sure that counts.

Nottingham station is a good couple of miles away, and on the other side of the Trent, so West Bridgford (being a separate town) is reasonable shout, I would have thought.

 

[Bald Rick]

Nottingham station is a good couple of miles away, and on the other side of the Trent, so West Bridgford (being a separate town) is reasonable shout, I would have thought.

It’s 1.5 miles from the centre of WB to the station, which is rather less than I walk to the station in my (much smaller) city every day. I know a few people who live / have lived there, and most fo them walk to the station if they need to catch a train. But I take the point that it’s a seperate town.

 

[martinsh]

Well the Nottingham - Melton Mowbray line ran straight through the middle of West Bridgeford, but it doesn't appear to have ever had a station. Weird !

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Torpoint, Cornwall (pop c 8,000) - served by chain-ferry from Devonport. There was a military railway several miles to the west of the town for the Tregantle ranges, but for army personnel only.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

It’s 1.5 miles from the centre of WB to the station

That sounds spot on!

Incidentally, is it West Bridgford or West Bridgeford?

 

[edwin_m]

Well the Nottingham - Melton Mowbray line ran straight through the middle of West Bridgeford, but it doesn't appear to have ever had a station. Weird !

The boundary of West Bridgford has changed several times, and going by the 1950 six-inch map Edwalton station was still open when Edwalton became part of West Bridgford. So WB probably doesn't count.

The Midland line via Melton passed close to West Bridgford and the Great Central passed nearby (and was also within the boundary for a period - after Wilford and Clifton were parceled off it became the western boundary). Neither had a station, probably because they were latecomers to the rail network and by then the companies had realized that they couldn't compete with trams and buses for short journeys into Nottingham (which most of them would have been). West Bridgford never had trams either, as they finished on the Nottingham side of Trent Bridge.

 

[martinsh]

What about Canvey Island - population 38,000 ?

 

[Bald Rick]

That sounds spot on!

Incidentally, is it West Bridgford or West Bridgeford?

Definitely no e

 

[topydre]

Canvey Island looks like a winner.

I don’t believe the large village of Hoo St Werburgh has ever had a station - the Hundred of Hoo line manages to avoid the largest settlement on the peninsula. Population 8945 at 2011 census but I think it’s expanded by about a third since then.

 

[edwin_m]

Definitely no e

Something that one of the largest local building firms got wrong on their vans for quite a while.

To my previous post I should add that there are now three tram stops (just) within the boundary of West Bridgford.

 

[D365]

Cambourne, Cambs - bit of a cheat as a new settlement (pop c 8,000).

That will change soon, thank goodness!

 

[S&CLER]

At the peak of the railway system the largest towns without a station were said to be Ambleside, Clun (Shropshire) and Painswick (Gloucestershire). I'm not sure if the steamer pier at Ambleside was considered a station in the same sense as Dartmouth, but I think not; I suppose the test would be, could you buy a ticket to it?

 

[Taunton]

Definitely no e

Bridgwater suffers from the same problem!

 

[30907]

Canvey Island looks like a winner.

I don’t believe the large village of Hoo St Werburgh has ever had a station - the Hundred of Hoo line manages to avoid the largest settlement on the peninsula. Population 8945 at 2011 census but I think it’s expanded by about a third since then.

What was its population when the line was built? A quick inspection via Googlemaps shows hardly any housing older than WW2 even in the heart of the village

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Bridgwater suffers from the same problem!

Although the Dukedom, as in "Duke of Bridgewater", was spelt with the middle 'e', hence the Bridgewater Canal, commissioned by the 3rd Duke, Francis Egerton, and located in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire area.