Trivia: Settlements where rail infrastructure is more well known than its namesake

[Rescars]

Worting Junction (and Battledown flyover) is probably more widely known than Worting itself.

There are lots of well known railway locations which are named after something other than towns. Quintinshill and Dr Days Bridge Junction spring to mind. But may be this is drifting too far off thread.

 

[Donny_m]

Ivybridge
Totnes
Tiverton

And well known freight yards but little known towns / areas;

Toton
Hoo
Margam
St Blazey

 

[johnnychips]

Ivybridge
Totnes
Tiverton

And well known freight yards but little known towns / areas;

Toton
Hoo
Margam
St Blazey

As a reminder of the original title:

Infrastructure that is more well known than its namesake​

Ivybridge - erm, I think most people, if they know it at all is a Devon commuter town.
Totnes - hippies
I could go on but I fail to see what infrastructure in these places would lead people to associate them with something to do with the railway rather than the settlement itself.

I think you are pushing the limits!

 

[xotGD]

Georgemas

 

[Pigeon]

Probably all the bits of London that have important termini - if you say the name people will more likely think of the station before they think of anything else. Paddington, Marylebone, Charing Cross, St Pancreas and all that lot.

Shrub Hill in Worcester. Technically the station is named after its location but in practice it's like the location was named after the station now. "Shrub Hill industrial estate" means it's next to the station rather than that it's in a place called Shrub Hill.

 

[Rescars]

How about Woodford Halse?

There would have been nothing at all at Riccarton Junction before the railway came. Now no one lives there any more and hasn't done so since the railway closed. It also seems improbable that anyone will ever live there again either, even if the Waverley Route does reopen back to Carlisle.

 

[Bill57p9]

Corrour?
Probably a few London termini too: Kings Cross, Waterloo, Paddington

 

[Irascible]

Corrour?
Probably a few London termini too: Kings Cross, Waterloo, Paddington

Kings Cross is a little notorious in it's own right inside London, at least. I'd think Paddington is actually more well known for the bear these days... but I guess the station is better known than the district.

 

[ungreat]

Woodford Halse

 

[Class800]

Crewe definitely, Doncaster i would say no

York - is a difficult one to tell, it depends on people's interests but if you ask people to say that they associate with York they will likely say one of the railway museum, Yorvik centre or the minster.

 

[mrcheek]

Many people probably dont realise St Pancras is an actual place

Paddington could also be mentioned. More famous now because of the bear, again, people probably know nothing of the place itself.

If it wasnt for the cricket club, you could add Marylebone too.

Many seaside towns were unheard of until the railway reached them, although they are better known now. Apart from Severn Beach

Other names which are only well known in relation to rail unfortunately include Ladbroke Grove, Southall, Ufton Nervet, Grayrigg, and Great Heck

 

[Class800]

Many people probably dont realise St Pancras is an actual place

Paddington could also be mentioned. More famous now because of the bear, again, people probably know nothing of the place itself.

If it wasnt for the cricket club, you could add Marylebone too.

Many seaside towns were unheard of until the railway reached them, although they are better known now. Apart from Severn Beach

Other names which are only well known in relation to rail unfortunately include Ladbroke Grove, Southall, Ufton Nervet, Grayrigg, and Great Heck

Marylebone is best known for the railway surely. MCC isn't known to be Marylebone Cricket Club by many - just cricket fans. Elsewhere it is known as MCC without people knowing what it stands for

 

[james60059]

I'd have to go with Crewe and even Swindon

 

[mrcheek]

Marylebone is best known for the railway surely. MCC isn't known to be Marylebone Cricket Club by many - just cricket fans. Elsewhere it is known as MCC without people knowing what it stands for

a fair point. I was probably thinking from my own point of view, where railways come way behind cricket in terms of importance!

a lot of people have mentioned Crewe, Swindon, and Doncaster. But I disagree. Anywhere that has had a football league side is best known for that

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Earlestown - named after a director of the L&MR/GJR/LNWR. The station's original name was Newton Jn.
St Helens Jn - not now a junction, but the name has stuck for that part of St Helens otherwise called Sutton.

Marylebone is best known for the railway surely. MCC isn't known to be Marylebone Cricket Club by many - just cricket fans. Elsewhere it is known as MCC without people knowing what it stands for

Apart from Lord's, the parish of St Marylebone covers Regents Park (Zoo) and 221B Baker St (Sherlock Holmes), and many famous addresses down to Oxford St.
The railway station (MYB) is a blip on the side of all that, I would have thought.
The parish church is on Marylebone Road between Baker St and Gt Portland St stations.

 

[Rescars]

Does Charing Cross count as a place? It is certainly a point on the map and has been used traditionally as the centre point of London, but I imagine most people would know it best as a station. The Queen Eleanor Memorial Cross in the station forecourt isn't medieval, it's a Victorian reconstruction built to mark the opening of the station.

 

[Class800]

They are within the parish of St Marylebone - but do they general population associate the zoo and Sherlock Holmes with Marylebone? I would say they associate them with Regent's Park and Baker Street specifically

 

[Magdalia]

Since the pub closed, Berney Arms.

Also Shippea Hill. Both are probably now best known as stations with very few passengers.

Kings Cross is a little notorious in it's own right inside London, at least.

That's very 20th century. Kings Cross lost its notoriety with the arrival of Eurostar at St Pancras and the associated regeneration.

 

[Strathclyder]

Wemyss Bay?

 

[D365]

Probably a few London termini too: Kings Cross, Waterloo, Paddington

That’s a very good point. I certainly didn’t think of city stations.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Not even a settlement? Surely it has to be a settlement to count

There are a few houses so it qualifies as a hamlet.

I see someone beat me to it.

 

[geoffk]

Indeed. Unfortunately (I am a former resident) Croydon is well known across the country, not for transport, but for the riot, stabbings and the immigration office.

also the birthplace of the composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor (or perhaps not).

 

[Frodingham]

Barnetby?

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Marylebone is best known for the railway surely. MCC isn't known to be Marylebone Cricket Club by many - just cricket fans. Elsewhere it is known as MCC without people knowing what it stands for

Marylebone is a smart area of inner London and includes Marylebone High Street, one of the best High Streets in London. The idea that Marylebone is known only for its railway station is wrong.

 

[adrock1976]

How about Inverurie in the former Grampian Region?

They have a local football side going by the name of Inverurie Locos, named after the former loco workshop that was there at one time.

 

[Class800]

Marylebone is a smart area of inner London and includes Marylebone High Street, one of the best High Streets in London. The idea that Marylebone is known only for its railway station is wrong.

In your opinion. I think it is mainly known outside London for its station. Unless we have survey results, we can't find the exact truth.

 

[WAO]

St Pancras must come from the ecclesiastical parish, i.e St Pancras New Church (1822) on the Euston Road.
Marylebone is also an ecclesiastical name; Mary (la) bonne. (an alternative is Mary(s) bourne (or stream)

Named prosaically for its spelling is Earley (Reading) - NOT pronounced EAR LEE.

The area is quite expensive and prefers Erleigh, Maiden Erleigh, Erleigh Whiteknights or even Erlegh.

WAO

 

[Class800]

It is particularly ironic if a train is late at Earley - perhaps this station should attract a higher rate of late running penalty than all others given its name?

 

[contrex]

Box Hill, between Chippenham and Bath Spa on the Great Western Railway.

My ex-wife had two lovely aunties at Hawthorn, which is about a mile from Box village. We called them Hinge and Bracket, because they were just like them. The Rev W Audry lived at London Road, Box as a boy.

 

[Elecman]

Crewe and Swindon are the two many people will think of but if the railway had not chosen the location for large scale workshops which other places would probably be far smaller now?
My first thoughts are Darlington and Eastleigh.

Wolverton, Horwich