Trivia: Less obvious stations on a through route where passenger services terminate/start

[swt_passenger]

Haslemere on the Waterloo-Portsmouth line.

Why is that “less obvious”? Trains have been timetabled to terminate at Haslemere for donkeys years, it’s basically why there’s three platforms there, and an overtaking loop...

 

[CHAPS2034]

Alderley Edge

Hourly service from /to Southport most days

 

[Saperstein]

Ore in East Sussex?

Saperstein.

 

[class ep-09]

Saturday late evening only Great Malvern to Evesham ( “vomit comet”) .
Goes back from Evesham to Worcester S Hill as ECS .

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Haslemere on the Waterloo-Portsmouth line.

Already said upthread, Haslemere starters/terminators have been going for many, many years

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Ore in East Sussex?

Nope. Has seen terminating trains from London Victoria and Brighton for donkeys years...

 

[valenta100]

2Y37 0803 Prestonpans to Edinburgh fits the criteria. Arrives ECS from Waverley. No corresponding PM working. Has run for many years and used to get Class 90's back in 2004/05.

 

[AY1975]

Shortlands was another similar oddity, now replaced by Bromley South. And I'm fairly sure there was one train that terminated at St Mary Cray in the 60s.
Lots of other seemingly random termini in pre-rationalisation days could be explained by the presence of crossovers or berthing sidings.

I also seem to recall that in BR days there was the odd working that started or terminated at Streatham Hill (which also had berthing sidings) and then ran via Tulse Hill.

 

[satters]

Whitlocks End since the turn back for short services was moved from Shirley with the resignalling of the north Warwick line

 

[PTR 444]

Fratton during the SWR strike timetable

 

[AY1975]

Attenborough and Market Rasen during the coronavirus outbreak according to the timetable on the EMR website at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/reduced-timetable

(See also the thread on reduced coronavirus services at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/drop-in-passenger-numbers-sees-train-services-cut.202145/)

 

[Kite159]

Whitlocks End since the turn back for short services was moved from Shirley with the resignalling of the north Warwick line

Whitlocks End makes sense as there is a park & ride site next to the station.

Attenborough and Market Rasen during the coronavirus outbreak according to the timetable on the EMR website at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/reduced-timetable

(See also the thread on reduced coronavirus services at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/drop-in-passenger-numbers-sees-train-services-cut.202145/)

Market Rasen isn't a new destination for trains to terminate as I believe there is a Lincoln - Market Rasen service late night.

 

[alangla]

Fratton during the SWR strike timetable

During the Portsmouth signalling fiasco I think all the Southern services finished there rather than Portsmouth & Southsea or Harbour

 

[mailbyrail]

Attenborough doesn't get any terminating trains in the reduced timetable.
What look like Newark-Attenborough services on the Leicester-Nottingham-Newark-Lincoln service timetable are actually the Newark Matlock through trains which are shown in full on the Newark-Matlock timetable

 

[Parham Wood]

I've always thought that Bedwyn was an odd place to terminate the outer suburban service from Paddington.

A Reading driver told me in the late 70's that it was historical, and said that in the 60's it had been intended to end the service at the town of Hungerford rather than the village of (Great) Bedwyn. The smaller stations west of Hungerford on the Berks & Hants line would close (e.g. Savernake, Wootton Rivers, Woodborough etc.) as indeed duly happened in most cases, but because the crossover at Hungerford had been damaged, trains terminated and crossed over at Bedwyn instead, and the station at Bedwyn survived. I've no idea if this version of events is correct, but it certainly sounds plausible to me.

Bedwyn used to be the last station in the London Division of BR Western Region. This may also have some bearing on it perhaps.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

West Ealing and Greenford are quite random places to have a shuttle between, whatever the history of the route.

OK, I appreciate there will now be comment about “Greenford not being on a through route”...

The daily Chiltern service to West Ealing starts at South Ruislip. Neighbouring West Ruislip has some services starting/ terminating to / from Marylebone

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

I claim the 06.10 XC service starting at Bath Spa & arriving at Glasgow Central at 14.12, as the longest journey time of a service that starts at a less obvious station - 8 hours 2 minutes.
Can anyone beat that?

 

[route101]

2Y37 0803 Prestonpans to Edinburgh fits the criteria. Arrives ECS from Waverley. No corresponding PM working. Has run for many years and used to get Class 90's back in 2004/05.

Never knew that existed!

 

[route101]

I claim the 06.10 XC service starting at Bath Spa & arriving at Glasgow Central at 14.12, as the longest journey time of a service that starts at a less obvious station - 8 hours 2 minutes.
Can anyone beat that?

What is the reason for the service starting at Bath?

XC were using Worcestershire Parkway as a terminus last weekend. Would of loved to hear the PIS at Glasgow or Edinburgh for that !

 

[30907]

What is the reason for the service starting at Bath?

Clearly because of an otherwise unmet demand for travel to Bristol, Birmingham etc at that time
Or search "ORCATS raid."
Either way, it operates in marginal time, so does little harm.

 

[111-111-1]

Clearly because of an otherwise unmet demand for travel to Bristol, Birmingham etc at that time
Or search "ORCATS raid."
Either way, it operates in marginal time, so does little harm.

Rumour at the time it started was a senior manager lived at Bath and worked in Brum.

 

[swt_passenger]

The track access application was available at the time it started, and (without looking it up) I think it was said to be down to the timetabling of ECS moves off the depot. Basically it got an empty unit out of the way for a time.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Whitlocks End since the turn back for short services was moved from Shirley with the resignalling of the north Warwick line

This was done deliberately to take some of the pressure off of Shirley which was used as a railhead for a lot of the nearby villages as well as the people of Shirley. There's a new settlement nearby called Dickens Heath too, the entire village is probably no more than twenty years old. I was somewhat surprised they didn't rename the station when the North Warwick resignialling was done and Whitlocks End went from an hourly to a twenty minute frequency.

 

[frodshamfella]

Nope. Has seen terminating trains from London Victoria and Brighton for donkeys years...

I don't know if they still do but when there was a dmu from Charing X to Hastings, some went on to Ore.

 

[leytongabriel]

Upper Holloway on the GOBLIN line.
Meridian Water for the moment - trains terminate in an area which is basically a building site with half a dozen passengers perhaps and the gates always left open.

 

[MikeT]

In the early 1960's the Bedford to Bletchley line had a Saturday only service only as far as Woburn Sands. I know as we were kicked off there after a days spotting at Bletchley. At just over 4 miles was this one of the shortest non branch line journeys?

 

[SteveM70]

There's a new settlement nearby called Dickens Heath too, the entire village is probably no more than twenty years old.

I drove through there last summer. Like someone made a big village out of showhomes.

 

[30907]

In the early 1960's the Bedford to Bletchley line had a Saturday only service only as far as Woburn Sands. I know as we were kicked off there after a days spotting at Bletchley. At just over 4 miles was this one of the shortest non branch line journeys?

If we're going back in time, then in the 50s there was at least one Gillingham-Rainham short working which would have been shorter; on the ex SR Fawkham (now Longfield), Kings Nympton, Brentor, Idmiston Halt, Broad Clyst, Semley and Wool would also qualify as unlikely termini, plus Binegar on the ex SDJR.

 

[PTR 444]

If we're going back in time, then in the 50s there was at least one Gillingham-Rainham short working which would have been shorter; on the ex SR Fawkham (now Longfield), Kings Nympton, Brentor, Idmiston Halt, Broad Clyst, Semley and Wool would also qualify as unlikely termini, plus Binegar on the ex SDJR.

Gillingham Kent or Gillingham Dorset?

 

[Kite159]

Gillingham Kent or Gillingham Dorset?

I would assume they mean the Gillingham in Kent. Also the Rainham in Kent (rather than the one in London/Essex