TRIVIA: Relics of the past still visible today at railway stations

[transmanche]

There used to be some benches on the Eastern End of the central Line with GER on them , also I believe station canopies.

There are some GWR benches at Hammersmith (H&C) station on the Underground.

28. The GWR logos at Hammersmith

Another unexpected find. These benches must be at least almost a century old, for they bear the emblem of a company that helped to build and run this stretch of track long before anyone thought or …

150greatthingsabouttheunderground.com

 

[Merle Haggard]

Not at a railway station, but at a former railway hotel.
The Great Central Railway's London hotel was across from Marylebone and was once the BRB HQ offices in London and has some interesting stained glass windows on the staircases - the coats of arms of towns and cities formerly served by the main line.
I recently asked the concierge if I could have a look inside on the basis I used to work there, and I was made welcome - even had the doors opened for me. The windows are all still there, including the one with the Great central Railway's own crest. This can be seen from outside, if you know where to look.

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

Quite a few stations still have maps of the original company's railway network - Victoria (L&Y) and plenty of ex-NER stations; York, Scarborough etc..
All the later have to have notices explaining the map does not show the current network !

In the case of the York one, at least, the notice itself probably qualifies as a relic of the past by now: "Details of present-day services on British Rail Inter-City, Paytrain and Suburban routes may be obtained from the Information office." - see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Eastern_Railway_map_circa_1900.JPG for instance.

 

[Dr_Paul]

There's a LSWR cast metal sign instructing passengers not to cross the line on the side of the disused up fast platform at New Malden. It's visible from the up slow platform, and from trains using the up slow line. Presumably there would have been a staff crossing there at one time.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Totnes (and I suspect others) also retains its GWR double-sided wooden waiting room bench (now on the platform

Those wooden double sided waiting room seats came from the platform 1 waiting room at Exeter SD. They were redundant when it was converted into the Duty Managers office.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I don't think it is still there, if that's the one on platform 1, where there was a movable bridge from the main station building across the line to platform 1.

That was the location. (Actually on a railway building directly opposite platform 1). Spotted whilst waiting for a Southbound service from Doncaster a few years ago.

 

[Strathclyder]

Alexandria (West Dunbartonshire) still had Strathclyde Transport signage/branding in certain places up until the back half of 2017, most notably on the north (Balloch)-bound bridge. This was removed during a series of repair/renewal works. Link here: https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article11033601.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Untitled.jpg

 

[High Dyke]

Are there any stations in the former Network SouthEast area that still have the logo?

Romsey had a car-stop marker sign with the NSE stripes on. Got a picture at home somewhere.

 

[ashkeba]

Are there any stations in the former Network SouthEast area that still have the logo?

Probably Downham Market but probably replaced when the station was painted back into NSE a few years ago as a heritage project.

 

[Flange Squeal]

There's a LSWR cast metal sign instructing passengers not to cross the line on the side of the disused up fast platform at New Malden. It's visible from the up slow platform, and from trains using the up slow line. Presumably there would have been a staff crossing there at one time.

There is also one at track level attached to the down platform at Farnham, facing the station building.

The below-ground stations on the Northern City line were the last to retain them, but I think they've gone now

I believe Essex Road still has NSE signage on the track side, but yes most of the other station signage has been replaced, but only within the last couple of years I think! Was only a few years ago I travelled along there admiring route maps and all sorts thinking I was in some kind of time warp!

 

[fairysdad]

Quite a few stations still have maps of the original company's railway network - Victoria (L&Y) and plenty of ex-NER stations; York, Scarborough etc..
All the later have to have notices explaining the map does not show the current network !

Much more recent, but still historical, the in-carriage maps on SWR's 455s still advertise that Waterloo is where you catch Eurostar trains from.

Also on the NSE front, Waterloo (and I think Bank) still have the NSE 'flashes' on the platform edges.

 

[Logan Carroll]

Alexandria (West Dunbartonshire) still had Strathclyde Transport signage/branding in certain places up until the back half of 2017, most notably on the north (Balloch)-bound bridge. This was removed during a series of repair/renewal works. Link here: https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article11033601.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Untitled.jpg

Williamwood still has one of the Strathclyde Transport bridge signs.

37 Years since the introduction of Orange & Black
24 Years since Strathclyde Transport became SPT
12 Years since Saltire ousted SPT (and 15 years since SPT had anything to do with the railways)

 

[Watershed]

Several WCML stations still have original Blue, Gold and Orange Zone signs from the InterCity era. Some of these remain "in use" nowadays by the manual announcers, to refer to where first and standard class can be found.

 

[M7R]

Are there any stations in the former Network SouthEast area that still have the logo?

Last time I was at Littlehampton maybe just over a year ago that still had the NSE logo outside,

 

[Scotrail314209]

Williamwood still has one of the Strathclyde Transport bridge signs.

37 Years since the introduction of Orange & Black
24 Years since Strathclyde Transport became SPT
12 Years since Saltire ousted SPT (and 15 years since SPT had anything to do with the railways)

No way has it been 12 years since the Saltire brand came into use?!

 

[Royston Vasey]

Are there any stations in the former Network SouthEast area that still have the logo?

Foxton Station has been rebranded several times but the 1878 signal box controlling the crossing has resolutely kept its NSE signage, albeit rather faded!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...on_Signal_Box_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1140796.jpg

 

[Devonian]

One of the more unusual reminders of the past must surely be the Paddington band: I presume it's the only one to survive from days of yore.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

There's still a kiosk at the front of Victoria platform 11 still proudly showing its Connex yellow branding.

 

[theageofthetra]

There's a Networker (sorry can't remember the unit number) which has a bleached out NSE logo on the front.

 

[Logan Carroll]

No way has it been 12 years since the Saltire brand came into use?!

Late 2008 but SPT held onto stations and trains until 2014.

(and unbranded carmine didn’t get ousted until 2019!)

 

[pdeaves]

Slough has this waiting room door label https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/29066786704/ (NSE colours).
Chippenham has this running in sign https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/26051810288/ (InterCity swallow present)
Bristol Temple Meads has this bridge branding https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/39020087614/ (InterCity colours/name)
Didcot has this customer help desk sign https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/29506948930/ (Great Western Trains, pre-First)

 

[gordonthemoron]

More on topic, doesn't the water tank at Newcastle have an 'NER' sign on it?

It's opposite the Crowne Plaza which I've stayed in many times and I'm 99% sure that it's still there

 

[365 Networker]

There is an NSE sign on platform 3 at Huntingdon, it only became visible a few years ago when the FCC era sign fell of, although the NSE flashes have been covered with some white tape.

 

[greyman42]

York still has one of those machines that you put a coin in to weigh yourself. I don't know how common these are.

 

[Logan Carroll]

There is an NSE sign on platform 3 at Huntingdon, it only became visible a few years ago when the FCC era sign fell of, although the NSE flashes have been covered with some white tape.

This is quite common

At Argyle Street theres still some saftey notices from the First Scotrail era with the First logo lazily taped over.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

There is an NSE sign on platform 3 at Huntingdon, it only became visible a few years ago when the FCC era sign fell of, although the NSE flashes have been covered with some white tape.

Merton Park tram stop still has NSE lamposts and BR style concrete fence posts.

The end of the carriage sidings at Clapham Junction leading towards Wandsworth Town still has trackside signs comprising of an upside down triangle with 'TMST' on top. Another sign further along simply says TMST.

 

[bill1953]

On Lime Street Station concourse Liverpool and roughly under the clock is (or was ) a stone carving of Britannia. I first saw it in 1975 when we were searching for possible terrorist bombs behind the advertising hoardings which were in place then. It had probably been sealed up for decades even then. I thought it may have been found and brought back to life in the revamp of the concourse but sadly not.

 

[theageofthetra]

New Beckenham Station has pre grouping drain access covers. I suspect quite a few stations have these if you look down!

 

[BigB]

Late 2008 but SPT held onto stations and trains until 2014.

(and unbranded carmine didn’t get ousted until 2019!)

170434 was the first unit in the new Spot-Rail livery in September 2008 - hard to believe even though I live next to the E&G!
Far better than changing with new franchises, though the odd First Group signs still appear every so often, though I'm struggling to remember the last one I saw...

 

[Scotrail314209]

170434 was the first unit in the new Spot-Rail livery in September 2008 - hard to believe even though I live next to the E&G!
Far better than changing with new franchises, though the odd First Group signs still appear every so often, though I'm struggling to remember the last one I saw...

434 looked a terrible state once they actually started refurbishing the 170s into the full Saltire scheme. In this case, what would have been the first station to get Saltire? I believe Queen's Park and Mount Florida both got the scheme very early on. Same with Partick.

One thing I do remember was in about 2010, when 334006 was running around in a very strange colour scheme. One end had the saltire basecoat and new numbering on the cab end, with a debranded and and nearly fully stripped SPT side. When one end had the complete SPT side with an SPT end.

I think 334012 also got the same treatment, it looked pretty shabby.