Trivia: Station nicknames

[Clansman]

Among staff and passengers alike, we have Doncaster known as Donny, Glasgow Queen Street known as Queen Street, Edinburgh Waverley known as Waverley.

Anywhere else that's known just as much by its nickname/shortname than its fullname?

Stonehaven is another one. Often called Stoney. Likewise most people in Scotland probably know Glasgow Central simply as Central.

 

[Lewlew]

Watford Junction is Watford
Berkhamsted is Berko
Hemel Hempstead is Hemel
I always call Cheddington - Cheddars but it hasn’t caught on

 

[bramling]

Among staff and passengers alike, we have Doncaster known as Donny, Glasgow Queen Street known as Queen Street, Edinburgh Waverley known as Waverley.

Anywhere else that's known just as much by its nickname/shortname than its fullname?

Stonehaven is another one. Often called Stoney. Likewise most people in Scotland probably know Glasgow Central simply as Central.

Loads. Just a few LU examples:
High Barnet = Barnet
Totteridge & Whetstone = Totteridge
Mill Hill East = Mill Hill
Golders Green = Golders
Belsize Park = Belsize
Camden Town = Camden
Tottenham Court Road = TCR
Battersea Power Station = Battersea
Oxford Circus = Oxo
Wembley Park = Wembley
North Greenwich = Nog
Arnos Grove = Arnos
Finsbury Park = Finsbury
Hammersmith = Hammer
Acton Town = Acton
Rayners Lane = Rayners

 

[Gloster]

Tiverton Junction was often called Tivy Junction: I am not sure about the Parkway. Yeovil Pen Mill was often referred to just as Pen Mill, Dilton Marsh as just Dilton, etc.

 

[6Gman]

Say "the Junction" to anyone between Chester and Holyhead and they'd know you meant Llandudno Junction.

Shrewsbury was Salop to many railway staff.

And in our office a certain station on the WCML was referred to as Starvingtown . . .

Among staff and passengers alike, we have Doncaster known as Donny, Glasgow Queen Street known as Queen Street, Edinburgh Waverley known as Waverley.

Anywhere else that's known just as much by its nickname/shortname than its fullname?

And the opposite effect - an irritating (to me) number of people seem to think there's a station named Crewe Junction.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The guy from the "Simply Railway" YouTube channel mistakenly referred to Doncaster as "Downcaster" in his Lumo video... he's obviously visited before!

 

[Recessio]

Clapham Junction is often just "Clapham"

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Clapham Junction is often just "Clapham"

Which is somewhat confusing, as it isn't in Clapham!

 

[Ashley Hill]

Basingstoke - Basing
Salisbury - Sarum
Chippenham - Chips & Ham
Gunnislake - Gunny
Plymouth - North Road
Bridgewater - Bridgey
Redruth - Druth
Dawlish Warren - The Warren
Camborne - Beirut

 

[Parallel]

Falmouth Town - The Dell

Though I believe the station was actually called that at one point!

Have often heard Barnstaple referred to as ‘Barney’ by both passengers and railway staff.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Wakefield Kirkgate has a few nicknames... all of which would fall foul of the forum rules!

 

[Clansman]

And the opposite effect - an irritating (to me) number of people seem to think there's a station named Crewe Junction.

I'm sure that still happens with Carstairs as well. The station is in Carstairs Junction, but the station is called just Carstairs.

Another one or two from Scotland;

Broughty Ferry > The Ferry (mostly used by Dundonians)
Inverness > Inversnecky

 

[Bald Rick]

Doncaster known as Donny

Berkhamsted is Berko
Hemel Hempstead is Hemel

But aren’t these the nicknames of the towns themselves? It follows that you would use the same for the station...

See Wolves, Cov, Toon, Boro’, etc.

For railway nicknames, The Cross and The Street are known by most operational people on the east side of the country.

 

[KeithP]

In Portsmouth people still talk about the 'Town Station' to differentiate it from the 'Harbour Station'.
Comes from the time before it was Portsmouth & Southsea Station and when there was a separate Southsea Station.
[And of course at that time Portsmouth wasn't a city]

 

[_toommm_]

To people who know or live in Manchester, I’ll just day Piccadilly or Picc, Oxford Road, Victoria or Vic.

There’s also Stalyvegas (Stalybridge).

 

[mirodo]

Thornton Heath - Fort Neef in the local lingo.

 

[D6975]

For railway nicknames, The Cross and The Street are known by most operational people on the east side of the country.

In London, Padd and Vic are in common usage.
Also there are plenty of places which have more than one station where the name of the place is frequently dropped. Manchester, Exeter, Wakefield, Liverpool (doesn't everyone just use Lime St?) plus more no doubt.

 

[CEN60]

Not a station - but on the West Coast just north of Carstairs there is an old coal terminal which is known as "Renstrie" - but is actually called Ravenstruther (even the Quayle maps pay homage to the nickname)

 

[185143]

In London, Padd and Vic are in common usage.
Also there are plenty of places which have more than one station where the name of the place is frequently dropped. Manchester, Exeter, Wakefield, Liverpool (doesn't everyone just use Lime St?) plus more no doubt.

Crime Street!

 

[Railcar]

Balham is of course The Gateway (to the South)

 

[Class800]

A lot of it is just town nicknames, like Darlo for Darlington, Brido for Bridlington, etc. Hull station actually uses the city nickname Hull rather than the formal name Kingston-upon-Hull, which is interesting. All examples I can find are just local names of the towns or older names of the station. Occasionally, an older person might call Exeter Central 'Queen Street' station, as that was its name until 1933 (and it seems people from the generation after the name change got it passed down by their parents). A lot of stations' local pronunciations are difficult to follow for non-locals, but it's just a heavy local accent on the town/city name. You get that with Newton Abbot, Exeter St Davids, Tiverton Parkway - just a very west country style of saying them, some guards say them like that too. Some people do give Penistone station the nickname of PENIS TOWN pronounced how it looks, well it's funnier!

 

[urbophile]

Which is somewhat confusing, as it isn't in Clapham!

Not in either of them – the London or Yorkshire versions. Though Clapham station in Yorkshire is miles from the village.

[Liverpool] Crime Street!

The sort of crime has varied through the years. Now it is mostly notorious for crimes against good architecture and conservation. And dodgy dealing resulting in long-delayed road improvements.

 

[WesternBiker]

To people who know or live in Manchester, I’ll just day Piccadilly or Picc, Oxford Road, Victoria or Vic.

There’s also Stalyvegas (Stalybridge).

I suspect this applies to most places where the station names have suffixes - people asking for “Central” or “Temple Meads” or whatever.

I’ve heard people at Barry asking for tickets to “The General” meaning Cardiff Central, referring to its old name of Cardiff General.

 

[gg1]

Related to name changes, when a town which formerly had multiple stations loses all but one of them resulting in the surviving station dropping it's suffix, it's not uncommon for the older generations to continue to solely use the now defunct suffix, eg High Level (Wolverhampton), Midland (Sheffield), London Road (Leicester).

 

[Class800]

Citadel station for Carlisle as well

 

[Ashley Hill]

Scary Cary - Castle Cary

 

[BoroAndy]

Loads. Just a few LU examples:
High Barnet = Barnet
Totteridge & Whetstone = Totteridge
Mill Hill East = Mill Hill
Golders Green = Golders
Belsize Park = Belsize
Camden Town = Camden
Tottenham Court Road = TCR
Battersea Power Station = Battersea
Oxford Circus = Oxo
Wembley Park = Wembley
North Greenwich = Nog
Arnos Grove = Arnos
Finsbury Park = Finsbury
Hammersmith = Hammer
Acton Town = Acton
Rayners Lane = Rayners

Golders???? Used to live there but never heard it shortened

 

[Class800]

Depends who you ask - sometimes informally heard Warren Street as Wazza - but only in certain groups

 

[pompeyfan]

Pompey as a collective for Portsmouth services, Southsea for Portsmouth & Southsea. High level and low level would likely be recognised as well.

Have also heard Basingstoke called Blazing Smoke, as well as Chi regularly referred to for Chichester. Similarly Winch for Winchester.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Newcastle is universally known as "Central Station" to locals - I would imagine this came about when there were multiple stations in the city centre and so it had to be distinguished from the others.