• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Trivia: Station, junction, signalbox and level crossing names which could be personal names.

Status
Not open for further replies.

BingMan

Member
Joined
8 Feb 2019
Messages
137
Following on from the 'Stations with non-geographical names' thread, I thought it might be an amusing distraction from all the bad news on the forums to think of as many stations, depots and other infrastructure points as possible, the names of which could be personal names (e.g. Peter Borough). The places concerned could be on the mainline networks or tramways/light rail in the UK or Ireland and words/syllables may be adjusted (e.g. Craig Endoran). However names of saints are excluded as there are just too many of them. Over to you:
Hazel Grove
Rose Hill
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Tractor37

Member
Joined
23 May 2017
Messages
238
Lady Ann crossing at Batley and
Lady Dorothy crossing south of
Norman ton
Ben Rhydding
Mick lefield
Fitz William
 

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,652
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
Well done everyone. I'll now throw in a few more of my own:

Neville Hill....and his wife Daisy.

Peter S Field

Norman S Bay

Bishop Stone

Hayward S Heath

Lewis Ham

Wes Terton

Scot Stounhill

Ann Bank

May Bole

Stan Tongate

Tony Pandy

Taff Swell

Kirk B Stephen

Blair Atholl

Keith

Percy Main

Keep 'em coming guys!
 

Watershed

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
26 Sep 2020
Messages
11,950
Location
UK
How about this for "A"s:

Abbey Wood
Addie Well
Adela Ide
Al Derley Edge, Dermaston, Dershot, Drington, Freton, Loa, Ness, Resford, Sager, Thorne, Thorpe, Ton and Trincham
Amber Gate
Amber Ley
Amer Sham
An Caster, Derston, Dover and Erley,
Ang Mering
Ann An
Annie Sland
Ant Rim ;)
Arun Del
Ash Burys, Church, Field, Ford, Ley, Tead, Ton, Vale and Well
Audley End
 

steamybrian

Established Member
Joined
26 Nov 2010
Messages
1,744
Location
Kent
Martin Mill
Virginia Water
Michel Dever
Hazel Mere (Haslemere)
Peters Field
Ash Vale...?
Sid Cup
 

Western Sunset

Established Member
Joined
23 Dec 2014
Messages
2,495
Location
Wimborne, Dorset
Some dubious ones from around Derby:

Chad Desden
Norman Ton
Friar Gate
Den By
Bel Per
Os Maston (used to be a signalbox at Osmaston Road)
Sunny Hill

PS Derby Etches Park depot was named after a Mr Etches
 
Last edited:

Merthyr Imp

Member
Joined
24 May 2016
Messages
495
Location
Merthyr Tydfil
Who was, of course, a real person.

As was Maud Foster.

The humorous writer Paul Jennings wrote a story in which all the characters were named after places - not all railway connected though. I haven't read it for years, but from what I remember it concerned the theft of a valuable painting - a Polperro - from a country house. The crime was investigated by Inspector Harold Wood, and suspicion fell on the faithful family retainer Old Sodbury and his son Chipping Sodbury, the village carpenter.
 

snowball

Established Member
Joined
4 Mar 2013
Messages
7,674
Location
Leeds
The humorous writer Paul Jennings wrote a story in which all the characters were named after places - not all railway connected though. I haven't read it for years, but from what I remember it concerned the theft of a valuable painting - a Polperro - from a country house. The crime was investigated by Inspector Harold Wood, and suspicion fell on the faithful family retainer Old Sodbury and his son Chipping Sodbury, the village carpenter.
I never saw that one, but he also had an an essay in which place names became dictionary words, for example

dungeness = dullness, boringness (e.g. "a suburb of extraordinary dungeness")

rickmansworth = a former tax on haystacks. Usually occurs in the phrase "rickmansworth and stevenage", where stevenage was an ancient tax on stones.

glossop = idiot ("Put it down, you silly glossop")

thirsk = a desire for vodka
 

thenorthern

Established Member
Joined
27 May 2013
Messages
4,103
I always thought David Lane tram stop in Nottingham sounded like David Blaine who is of course the endurance man.

Of course on the Nottingham trams there is Noel Street, I once knew someone called Street so that is definitely a surname.

Blake Street is a possibility as well.

London Bridge could be a name as some people have London as a first name and Bridge is sometimes a surname.
 

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,652
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
Wally Ford
Peg S Wood
Collin G Ham
Jes Mond
Bes(s) Car-Lane
Hal Ifax
Glen Eagles
Glen Finnan
Glen Douglas
Connel Ferry (Brian's brother?)
Wemyss Bay
Barry Links
Barry Island

Apologies if some of the above have already been mentioned....I'm starting to loose track!
 

Strathclyder

Established Member
Joined
12 Jun 2013
Messages
3,180
Location
Clydebank
A few more from Glasgow/Strathclyde (a mixture of first and surnames first here), on top of the examples have already been mentioned. Have thrown in a few examples from the Glasgow Subway in their own section for good measure (barring the two Kelvin stations which have already been mentioned upthread)

Alexandra Parade
Clyde Bank
Kil Patrick
Bears Den
Ken Nishead
Pollok Shields East & West & Pollok Shaws East & West
Rob Roy Ston
Possilpark & Park House

Shields Road*
Buchanan Street

*: Shields Road could also apply to not only Shields Road TMD, but the long-since closed stations opened by the City of Glasgow Union Railway, the Glasgow & Paisley Joint Railway - Pollokshields - and the Glasgow & South Western Railway respectively, all of which were later merged into one large complex called Shields Road in April 1925. If closed stations are allowed, then the two Bellahouston stations, Kirklee and Kelvinside would all apply as far as Glasgow is concerned on top of the mainline Buchanan Street station. Ferguslie, Glenfield, Stanely & Potterhill would be four others, heading out beyond Paisley on the Paisley & Barrhead District Railway, the first three of which were never opened to passengers as was originally intended.
 
Last edited:

Strathclyder

Established Member
Joined
12 Jun 2013
Messages
3,180
Location
Clydebank
Sorry....no saints allowed - as per thread #1! ;)
:D
D'oh! Post now amended, cheers for alerting me to that (somehow completely missed it; force of habit when discussing closed Glasgow stations I suppose lol).
 
Last edited:

vic-rijrode

Member
Joined
31 Aug 2016
Messages
287
As I posted on the "non-geographic thread", Verney Junction and Calvert are both real names of the same person - Sir Harry Verney.
 

nw-sparks

Member
Joined
10 Oct 2013
Messages
242
Location
Liverpool
For some years I went by the name Tim Perley.

Only a tram stop nowadays, but it was a station back then.
 

Calthrop

Established Member
Joined
6 Dec 2015
Messages
3,297
As was Maud Foster.

The humorous writer Paul Jennings wrote a story in which all the characters were named after places - not all railway connected though. I haven't read it for years, but from what I remember it concerned the theft of a valuable painting - a Polperro - from a country house. The crime was investigated by Inspector Harold Wood, and suspicion fell on the faithful family retainer Old Sodbury and his son Chipping Sodbury, the village carpenter.
I never saw that one, but he also had an an essay in which place names became dictionary words, for example

dungeness = dullness, boringness (e.g. "a suburb of extraordinary dungeness")

rickmansworth = a former tax on haystacks. Usually occurs in the phrase "rickmansworth and stevenage", where stevenage was an ancient tax on stones.

glossop = idiot ("Put it down, you silly glossop")

thirsk = a desire for vodka

I love the majority of Jennings's stuff. "Place names becoming dictionary words" is a scene nowadays referred to as "Uxbridge English Dictionary" -- at which, for my money, Jennings had a beautifully delicate touch unequalled by any other exponent whom I've come across. Some other Jennings contributions in this line, treasured by me:

babbacombe = an idle or nonsensical rumour

bawtry = wind-and-weather-wise, cold / raw / blustery: "a bawtry day"

beccles = an ailment of sheep

bovey tracey = headstrong or wilful: "none of your bovey-tracey ways here, Miss !""

buckfastleigh = manfully: "Aye, and right buckfastleigh, lad !"

leek = very cold

lostwithiel = a ne'er-do-well, of a gentle and harmless kind

wembley = feeling-in-oneself, rather frail-and-wobbly


ETA -- just thought of another: kettering = flitting lightly and erratically around or along -- like a butterfly in flight
 
Last edited:

ANDREW_D_WEBB

Member
Joined
21 Aug 2013
Messages
865
Wrex Ham
Den Ham
Brent Ford
Ken Ton
Milton Keynes
Don Caster
Win Chester
Rich Mond
Angel Road
Mary Land
Col Chester
Grant Ham
Beth Nal-Green
Holy Head (say it)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top