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

[Ken H]

I would agree with all of these except Pwllheli. Famous for a rugby team, the birthplace of Plaid Cymru, and for being unpronouncable!

There used to be a through brum new st -pwllheli train at about 5pm when i was commuting from new st. Poor old brummie announcer!
But he did have the fun of announcing the train to Tenby from plat 10B!

 

[dciuk]

There used to be a through brum new st -pwllheli train at about 5pm when i was commuting from new st. Poor old brummie announcer!
But he did have the fun of announcing the train to Tenby from plat 10B!

I think through trains from Birmingham to Pwllheli now run throughout the day. I have a feeling that station names that sound the same as platform names could be a whole new trivia thread, not that I can think of any others

 

[pitdiver]

The station that served Butlins was Pen-y-chain. The camp is still open albeit under a different guise. It is now owned by Haven and called Hafan-y-Mor.

 

[BayPaul]

Thinking of a few in my area of Devon and surrounds

• Dawlish has been mentioned before, and disagreed with. I think I would include it - the town is quite regularly in the news, and always for railway-related matters.
• Bere Alston is a small village that few would have heard of other than in the context of "Filling the gap between Okehampton / Tavistock and Bere Alston"
• On the same line, Calstock village is so dominated by its viaduct, that I think that few would visit it without (although it is also the destination of river trips, and part of a World Heritage site, so perhaps I'm wrong)
• Churston could be a contender - as the setting for the C murder Agatha Christie's ABC murders, and a stop on the busy steam railway, but is a very small village, I suspect that more people know it in a railway context.
• Par has been mentioned, and I'd agree, even with its own beach and holiday camp, I suspect that it is much better known as 'change at Par for Newquay'
• I wonder about Torre. The number of people who have heard 'Newton Abbott, change here for Torre, Torquay and Paignton' and wondered 'well I know where Torquay and Paignton are but....'

 

[Western Lord]

That's an extremely London centric view, most people from other parts of the country will neither know nor care which areas of London are 'smarter' than others or have 'the best High Streets'.

Marylebone Station has a little extra fame over many other London stations on account of being one of the 4 listed on the Monopoly board, which for the majority of people will be the closest they've ever been to visiting either the station or the area.

Flying off at a tangent, I wonder if the LNER paid Waddington's to use its four London termini on the Monopoly board!

 

[urbophile]

I would agree with all of these except Pwllheli. Famous for a rugby team, the birthplace of Plaid Cymru, and for being unpronouncable!

Only unpronounceable by monoglot anglophones. The curse of Empire!

 

[TBY-Paul]

I would think Stockton is more known in railway circle’, having been over taken by Middlesbrough as a more well known town.

A typical conversation, when meeting southerners, on holiday etc.
”Where are you from”
Me “Thornaby-on-Tees
Them ”blank look”
Me. “ Near Stockton-on-Tees, you know Darlington & Stockton railway”
Them “blank look”
Me “ Near Middlesbrough “
Them. “aww, your a geordie”
ME “NO, that’s Newcastle………..”
Most people outside the north east think there’s nothing of importance between York & Newcastle, including the majority of this forum.

 

[mrcheek]

Have we had Ebbsfleet yet?

I havent been there for a while, have they actually got around to building the place yet?

 

[Ken H]

Flying off at a tangent, I wonder if the LNER paid Waddington's to use its four London termini on the Monopoly board!

Waddingtons were a Leeds company. So probably used an LNER timetable to pick the termini from.

 

[Western Sunset]

Fenchurch Street was largely LMS though.

 

[Mikey C]

Have we had Ebbsfleet yet?

I havent been there for a while, have they actually got around to building the place yet?

I had thought about that example. The local football club renamed itself to Ebbsfleet, so the name is starting to gain wider use

 

[Farang]

Llanfairpwll railway station.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Llanfairpwll railway station.

I'd say there's a bigger reason that place is well known. A REALLY big reason...

 

[John Luxton]

Personally I do not associate Pwllheli with Butlins. The camp closed years ago and Pwllheli was not the station that served the camp.

I thought the camp was still there. Have driven past a few times in recent tears - name has changed - its now Haven Hafan y Mor.

 

[thenorthern]

There are several stations named after villages/suburbs which also serve larger nearby settlements where the station is more known than the place it's named after.

Some examples include Seamer, Thornaby, Hordon, Hartford, Longport and Markinch.

 

[Irascible]

Thinking of a few in my area of Devon and surrounds

• Bere Alston is a small village that few would have heard of other than in the context of "Filling the gap between Okehampton / Tiverton and Bere Alston"
• On the same line, Calstock village is so dominated by its viaduct, that I think that few would visit it without (although it is also the destination of river trips, and part of a World Heritage site, so perhaps I'm wrong)

Tavistock rather than Tiverton, I think There was an idea to go from Tiverton town to Crediton back before there were any lines in the area but IIRC the next stop would have been Exeter. Would have been some engineering going that way.

The only place I know up the Calstock area is Morwellham Quay, which is on the heritage site but not actually rail connected...

Only unpronounceable by monoglot anglophones. The curse of Empire!

Something like Puth-eli, I think?

 

[BayPaul]

Tavistock rather than Tiverton, I think There was an idea to go from Tiverton town to Crediton back before there were any lines in the area but IIRC the next stop would have been Exeter. Would have been some engineering going that way.

The only place I know up the Calstock area is Morwellham Quay, which is on the heritage site but not actually rail connected...

Oops, corrected

Morwellham Quay has an underground mine railway, and various other pieces of rail infrastructure associated with delivering minerals from mines to ships, but isn't connected to the national network. It's on the other side of the River from Calstock, which means it is a surprisingly long journey between them.

 

[vlad]

Fenchurch Street was largely LMS though.

The pre-nationalisation Monopoly board used the LNER logo for all four stations.

 

[DelW]

There used to be a through brum new st -pwllheli train at about 5pm when i was commuting from new st. Poor old brummie announcer!
But he did have the fun of announcing the train to Tenby from plat 10B!

I think through trains from Birmingham to Pwllheli now run throughout the day. I have a feeling that station names that sound the same as platform names could be a whole new trivia thread, not that I can think of any others.

Well, the Midland and Great Northern served a station at a hamlet called Twenty, but I doubt if any of its services came from stations with twenty platforms. (I can only think of Waterloo and Waverley as current examples - are/were there others?)

 

[Gloster]

How many exits has Five Ways and how many bridges has Three Bridges? (And how many oaks are there: three or seven?)

 

[Class800]

Penzance as it is the destination of many long distance trains. Someone has already said Par, which I was also going to suggest as other than being a junction where you change for Newquay, I have very rarely come across any mention of the town. Pwllheli would be another one where it is probably most known as being a terminus railway station. I will also say Mallaig for the same reason

Okehampton would be a recent addition following its re-opening.

I think Par is best known for golf

Thinking of a few in my area of Devon and surrounds

• Dawlish has been mentioned before, and disagreed with. I think I would include it - the town is quite regularly in the news, and always for railway-related matters.
• Bere Alston is a small village that few would have heard of other than in the context of "Filling the gap between Okehampton / Tavistock and Bere Alston"
• On the same line, Calstock village is so dominated by its viaduct, that I think that few would visit it without (although it is also the destination of river trips, and part of a World Heritage site, so perhaps I'm wrong)
• Churston could be a contender - as the setting for the C murder Agatha Christie's ABC murders, and a stop on the busy steam railway, but is a very small village, I suspect that more people know it in a railway context.
• Par has been mentioned, and I'd agree, even with its own beach and holiday camp, I suspect that it is much better known as 'change at Par for Newquay'
• I wonder about Torre. The number of people who have heard 'Newton Abbott, change here for Torre, Torquay and Paignton' and wondered 'well I know where Torquay and Paignton are but....'

Torre isn't well known generally - but when it is known I would suggest it is more for Torre Abbey

 

[WesternBiker]

Hardly anyone would know of Evercreech beyond the immediate area, were it not for Evercreech Junction (albeit it was south of the village).

 

[D6130]

(And how many oaks are there: three or seven?)

Only one since the March 1987 hurricane! (That's the one in Kent).

 

[AlbertBeale]

I'm not sure many mainline stations are actually more well known than the town in question, though there are London Underground stations which probably have that status, e.g.

Cockfosters for the smutty sounding name that's at the other end of the "line to Heathrow", and is far more known than the minor place it's named after
Mornington Crescent, due to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue

Some underground stations named after specific roads have made the place well-known where the road itself isn't of much significance otherwise, even locally. For instance Rayners Lane - it's now seen as a kind of district in one corner of Harrow, though it only has that name and status because of the underground station on the road of that name. Similarly Goldhawk Road, Hanger Lane, and others.

As for main line stations in London - yes, Victoria station has given its name to the district, though the district is surely itself well-known now*; but Kings Cross isn't such a clear-cut case. And the St Pancras area doesn't get its name from the station - it's the other way round; the St P name, in that part of London at least, isn't seen as synonymous with the station.

*And hence perhaps doesn't fit the criteria, since the topic is what's known by the name, not which came first.

 

[BayPaul]

I think Par is best known for golf

Torre isn't well known generally - but when it is known I would suggest it is more for Torre Abbey

Haha

Torre Abbey isn't really in Torre... It's basically next door to Torquay Station.

Some underground stations named after specific roads have made the place well-known where the road itself isn't of much significance otherwise, even locally. For instance Rayners Lane - it's now seen as a kind of district in one corner of Harrow, though it only has that name and status because of the underground station on the road of that name. Similarly Goldhawk Road, Hanger Lane, and others.

As for main line stations in London - yes, Victoria station has given its name to the district, though the district is surely itself well-known now*; but Kings Cross isn't such a clear-cut case. And the St Pancras area doesn't get its name from the station - it's the other way round; the St P name, in that part of London at least, isn't seen as synonymous with the station.

*And hence perhaps doesn't fit the criteria, since the topic is what's known by the name, not which came first.

For underground terminus stations that are named after communities rather than roads, I would nominate Stanmore, High Barnet, Amersham, Upminster, Beckton and Morden alongside Cockfosters as places I only know in a railway context, and which are subject of numerous interminable announcements driving their names into the commuter consciousness!

 

[Class800]

Haha

Torre Abbey isn't really in Torre... It's basically next door to Torquay Station.

For underground terminus stations that are named after communities rather than roads, I would nominate Stanmore, High Barnet, Amersham, Upminster, Beckton and Morden alongside Cockfosters as places I only know in a railway context, and which are subject of numerous interminable announcements driving their names into the commuter consciousness!

Not really sure there is an area called Torre. The station we know as Torre was the original Torquay station. When the line was extended to serve the station we now call Torquay and Paignton, the old Torquay station had to be renamed and the name Torre was chosen after the Torre Abbey. So, the station was renamed after the abbey, even though the abbey is next to the new Torquay station

 

[Western Sunset]

Stenson is better known in railway circles for its junction, and in canal circles for its "bubble", than the nearby hamlet.

 

[The exile]

Fenchurch Street was largely LMS though.

But serves the City, so appropriate for the game!

 

[Western Sunset]

But serves the City, so appropriate for the game!

On reflecton, as Fenchurch St was owned by the GER (and thus LNER), even though the vast majority of its services were provided by the LMS, I can see why it appeared on Monopoly.

 

[SargeNpton]

On the West Coast Main Line: Hanslope Junction, Watford Gap and Kilsby Tunnel. All far better known than the villages they take their names from.