Trivia: Stations still known by old names

[Gloster]

Is there an Allens East?

 

[NSE]

And as they have now relocated, it should be renamed back
However there was a bit of a hoohaw recently on the possible renaming of White Hart Lane, as the ground is no longer named that.

But i still refer to Alexandra Park as Wood Green and Edmonton Green as Lower Edmonton

I don’t see the point. Arsenal is still the closest useable station on match day. Holloway Road and Drayton Park are closed for crowd control. Also, we haven’t moved far, it’s about 500 meters further away and probably closer to the entrances on that side of the stadium than the Holloway Road is. It’s unique set up is perfect for match day usage so I don’t see the need to rename.

 

[WizCastro197]

When in London, surely everyone uses the tradition names of tge stations without prefixing London. So London Euston is just Euston and London Victoria is just Victoria. But are parts of these stations still known by old names. For instance, at Victoria, do railway folk refer to the Brighton side and Continental side? Black cab drivers seem to understand the difference.

Not Sure if anyone still refers to the Southeastern side as continental, I think that one has been left in the past. But I sometimes do say Victoria East or Victoria Central to distinguish between Se and Southern. I am 100% sure it is just me but I do refer to the Fast Southern Platforms as Victoria West Platform 12-8/9 as Victoria Central and Platforms 8/7-1 as Victoria East. Very Strange

 

[Box]

As far as I'm concerned, Dorking will always be Dorkng North, especially as it makes it clear it's not Dorking Deepdene or Dorking West.

Lawrie

Surely you mean Dorking Deepdene or Dorking Town

 

[MaidaVale]

Hillingdon tube station is sometimes still reffered to as "Swakeleys", Including by some platform signage, Although I'm not sure if locals refer to it as such. It would make sense to, Considering there are 15 tube stations in the London Borough of Hillingdon, so it could be a confusion if someone with less local knowledge is told to go to "Hillingdon Station". (The issue isn't really prominent with boroughs like Enfield and Westminster which also share the name with a specific town or area within them, as in the case of Enfield it's identified by "Chase" and "Town", and Westminster is fairly well known. Hillingdon is a bit of an outlier, as there isn't particularly a "Hillingdon Town Centre"). The Hillingdon anomoly also isn't likely to be an issue for anyone with basic tube knowledge or a more advanced understanding of London's geography.

Wellington Salop is another one, Which can be seen on some tickets and some PIS systems, Despite not technically being in the county of Salop (or as it's more commonly known, Shropshire) since 1998 (in most official capacities, it still stands as a 'ceremonial/historic' thing), instead being in the seperate Telford & Wrekin. From my knowledge, It's not really known as "Wellington Salop" much locally, Although I beleive there may be one or two of the older generations still using the name.

 

[Rescars]

Hillingdon tube station is sometimes still reffered to as "Swakeleys", Including by some platform signage, Although I'm not sure if locals refer to it as such. It would make sense to, Considering there are 15 tube stations in the London Borough of Hillingdon, so it could be a confusion if someone with less local knowledge is told to go to "Hillingdon Station". (The issue isn't really prominent with boroughs like Enfield and Westminster which also share the name with a specific town or area within them, as in the case of Enfield it's identified by "Chase" and "Town", and Westminster is fairly well known. Hillingdon is a bit of an outlier, as there isn't particularly a "Hillingdon Town Centre"). The Hillingdon anomoly also isn't likely to be an issue for anyone with basic tube knowledge or a more advanced understanding of London's geography.

Wellington Salop is another one, Which can be seen on some tickets and some PIS systems, Despite not technically being in the county of Salop (or as it's more commonly known, Shropshire) since 1998 (in most official capacities, it still stands as a 'ceremonial/historic' thing), instead being in the seperate Telford & Wrekin. From my knowledge, It's not really known as "Wellington Salop" much locally, Although I beleive there may be one or two of the older generations still using the name.

Back in the 1970s, a number of staff based in and around Wolverhampton routinely referred to Shrewsbury as Salop.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Back in the 1970s, a number of staff based in and around Wolverhampton routinely referred to Shrewsbury as Salop.

'Salop' is an abbreviated Old English name for the County of Shropshire, rather than the County Town of Shrewsbury, isn't it?

 

[snowball]

Possibly both. Pupils of Shrewsbury School are known as Salopians.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

'Salop' is an abbreviated Old English name for the County of Shropshire, rather than the County Town of Shrewsbury, isn't it?

Technically I believe so, but I have also heard "Salop" used as shorthand for Shrewsbury (perhaps as a way to avoid the Shrew/Shrow pronunciation conundrum ).

 

[Gloster]

Back in the 1970s, a number of staff based in and around Wolverhampton routinely referred to Shrewsbury as Salop.

Salop was also the old GWR shed code.

 

[Mikey C]

Technically I believe so, but I have also heard "Salop" used as shorthand for Shrewsbury (perhaps as a way to avoid the Shrew/Shrow pronunciation conundrum ).

The Shrewsbury Town football team are known as Salop too

 

[Ken H]

Hillingdon tube station is sometimes still reffered to as "Swakeleys", Including by some platform signage, Although I'm not sure if locals refer to it as such. It would make sense to, Considering there are 15 tube stations in the London Borough of Hillingdon, so it could be a confusion if someone with less local knowledge is told to go to "Hillingdon Station". (The issue isn't really prominent with boroughs like Enfield and Westminster which also share the name with a specific town or area within them, as in the case of Enfield it's identified by "Chase" and "Town", and Westminster is fairly well known. Hillingdon is a bit of an outlier, as there isn't particularly a "Hillingdon Town Centre"). The Hillingdon anomoly also isn't likely to be an issue for anyone with basic tube knowledge or a more advanced understanding of London's geography.

Wellington Salop is another one, Which can be seen on some tickets and some PIS systems, Despite not technically being in the county of Salop (or as it's more commonly known, Shropshire) since 1998 (in most official capacities, it still stands as a 'ceremonial/historic' thing), instead being in the seperate Telford & Wrekin. From my knowledge, It's not really known as "Wellington Salop" much locally, Although I beleive there may be one or two of the older generations still using the name.

If you dont call it Wellington Salop, how do you differentiate it from the one in Somerset?

 

[Rescars]

Salop was also the old GWR shed code.

That seems like the most likely reason. As is frequently the case, railway code words lie behind unusual vocabulary.

 

[zwk500]

'Floreat Salopia' is the motto of both the Town and County, each translate it as Let Shrewsbury/Shropshire flourish as appropriate.

 

[Smitham]

Does anyone still refer to Coulsdon Town as Smitham? It was renamed in 2011.

Ahem!

 

[Rescars]

Ahem!

Ooops! Apologies to all at or near Stoat's Nest!

 

[stuu]

If you dont call it Wellington Salop, how do you differentiate it from the one in Somerset?

No one has sold a ticket to Wellington, Somerset since 1964. Mr Beeching solved that one

 

[SargeNpton]

No one has sold a ticket to Wellington, Somerset since 1964. Mr Beeching solved that one

That doesn't necessarily mean that nobody is going to ask for a ticket to the Somerset version in the naivety that it may have a station. Having that suffix on the Shropshire version help to avoid any mistake.

 

[Hb06_]

Tunbridge Wells station is still known locally as Tunbridge Wells Central.
Do consider that the Spa Valley Railway runs from Tunbridge Wells West station.

I would be interested to know if any locals in Ashford (Kent) call their station Ashford International..?

Most of my family live in the Canterbury/Dover/Ramsgate triangle, and I've never heard them actually refer to AFK as Ashford International, unless I referred to it as Ashford International first.

A small number of locals in Northampton, including local authority members, still call Northampton main station Northampton Castle. Although this might have something to do with it.

 

[Taunton]

Edinburgh is still uncertain about what to call its station. More than 50 years after Princes Street closed the main station is still pretty universally known as "Waverley" rather than "Edinburgh station". Certainly back in BR days the large sign at the top of the ramps displayed boldly just "Waverley Station", and nowadays all the signage outside is Edinburgh Waverley. But the timetable, and the platform boards, just say Edinburgh.

Incidentally, Waverley does have another mainstream entrance, directly on Princes Street. Which is more than Princes Street station ever had!

 

[Hb06_]

I came with both of these and realised that I'm actually not sure what the "official" designation is? I think just "Leeds" and "Edinburgh" (with Edinburgh's other main station being simply "Haymarket" but I'm also pretty sure that both of those stations carry signage with "Leeds City" and "Edinburgh Waverley".

Similar situation with nearby Barnsley. Officially, the station is known as Barnsley, although Northern signage suggests it's known as Barnsley Interchange.

 

[Mikey C]

Most of my family live in the Canterbury/Dover/Ramsgate triangle, and I've never heard them actually refer to AFK as Ashford International, unless I referred to it as Ashford International first.

I can't imagine anyone calling it that, the only reason why someone would use that would be if it was a separate station, e.g. as with Stratford International which is a separate station from the other Stratford station.

 

[Chris 76]

And the classic 'North Station' for Colchester, called that locally since Victorian times (see NLS historic maps), but never officially ever named that by the Railway.

Colchester Corporation buses displayed 'North Station' on their route blinds, so the name probably had some kind of local status and recognition. I hope there are people who still refer to Bodmin Road. Bodmin Parkway never sounds appropriate.

 

[lawried123]

Surely you mean Dorking Deepdene or Dorking Town

As I really only ever used During North, I never realised Dorking West used to be Dorking Town.

 

[pne]

Incidentally are there any place where a compass point only exists in contrast to a station with no compass direction? Most xx East seem to be in contrast to xx West etc.

Warrington West goes with Warrington Central and Warrington Bank Quay but no Warrington East (or North or South).

Not sure whether "Central" counts as a compass direction here.

 

[kieron]

It would be difficult (albeit of course not impossible) to make the journey avoiding Ashford (via Bat & Ball, anyone?), but if the intention is to disallow via Robertsbridge/Headcorn the wording hasn't achieved it! What else could it be?

The intention was just to remove "jargon" such as "any permitted" from tickets. There was a press release about it in 2016.

 

[Tester]

The intention was just to remove "jargon" such as "any permitted" from tickets. There was a press release about it in 2016.

That's fair enough, and sounds like progress, but doesn't actually achieve progress. How does the passenger know which routes via Ashford are permitted and which aren't? It makes clear that any routes not via Ashford are not permitted, but that will hardly be a surprise!

 

[tspaul26]

Isn't it just "Edinburgh" now?

Edinburgh is still uncertain about what to call its station. More than 50 years after Princes Street closed the main station is still pretty universally known as "Waverley" rather than "Edinburgh station". Certainly back in BR days the large sign at the top of the ramps displayed boldly just "Waverley Station", and nowadays all the signage outside is Edinburgh Waverley. But the timetable, and the platform boards, just say Edinburgh.

Incidentally, Waverley does have another mainstream entrance, directly on Princes Street. Which is more than Princes Street station ever had!

There were ‘Edinburgh Waverley’ platform boards when I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Services at Glasgow Queen Street are also advertised with both ‘Edinburgh’ and ‘Edinburgh Waverley’ as destinations.

 

[KevinTurvey]

I think there is at least one Avanti TM who announces Stockport Edgeley as the next stop

 

[bramling]

I asked for two PRIV returns to Cardiff General today at Swansea. The booking clerk smiled and gave me the right tickets!