Trivia: Stations that serve a completely different purpose to when they first opened

[PTR 444]

When London Marylebone first opened, its purpose was the terminus of the Great Central Main Line, serving trains from Rugby, Leicester and beyond. The Chiltern Main Line back then was part of the GWR route from Birkenhead, which took the New North Main Line into London Paddington. That lasted until the 1960s when the Great Central closed and all trains going to Paddington via the NNML were diverted to Marylebone. Nowadays, Marylebone serves a completely different purpose to 100 years ago, acting as a local terminus for trains from the Chilterns and Birmingham as opposed to long-distance expresses from the East Midlands back in the day.

What other stations are there which have received a similar fate?

 

[vic-rijrode]

When London Marylebone first opened, its purpose was the terminus of the Great Central Main Line, serving trains from Rugby, Leicester and beyond. The Chiltern Main Line back then was part of the GWR route from Birkenhead, which took the New North Main Line into London Paddington. That lasted until the 1960s when the Great Central closed and all trains going to Paddington via the NNML were diverted to Marylebone. Nowadays, Marylebone serves a completely different purpose to 100 years ago, acting as a local terminus for trains from the Chilterns and Birmingham as opposed to long-distance expresses from the East Midlands back in the day.

What other stations are there which have received a similar fate?

One could argue that the original St Pancras station (Barlow's trainshed) now serves a completely different purpose to when it first opened - although this depends on the definition of a station (physical structure?).

Of course - stretching a point, Manchester Central and Bath Green Park definitely serve a different purpose - but I guess that's not what PTR 444 means...

 

[The exile]

The station that was on the site of the Western end of Waverley was at right angles to the current one. Does that count, and are there any other stations that have effectively been rotated by 90 degrees on the same site?

 

[Mikey C]

One could argue that the original St Pancras station (Barlow's trainshed) now serves a completely different purpose to when it first opened - although this depends on the definition of a station (physical structure?).

On a similar basis, the former Waterloo International platforms were a separate international station with a completely different function to what they have now

 

[Springs Branch]

Taking the "... when they first opened" of the title literally, wasn't Edge Hill station originally the point where the Liverpool & Manchester Railway swapped its early steam locos for haulage of trains by ropes up or down inclines in tunnels on the final stretch to/from Liverpool?

Chinley, Carnforth, Hellifield and (maybe) Penistone used to be important junction stations on main lines between major cities where many passengers would change to/from connecting trains. Now these stations simply serve the local settlement.

Stalybridge and Guide Bridge also used to be places where a fair number of connections could be made as part of longer journeys (via regular Stockport / Stalybridge trains). However, both these stations have always had a healthy amount of Manchester area local traffic too, so maybe not "... completely different purpose ..." here.

 

[PTR 444]

Custom House is another. The platforms now occupied by Crossrail were once part of the Stratford - North Woolwich railway which closed in 2006. Both railways serve completely different destinations.

 

[Mat17]

I guess any stations that were converted to Metrolink? Bury Interchange, built for EMU stoppers to Man Vic, now used by trams that work beyond the original terminus through Manchester city centre.

 

[Iskra]

Taking the "... when they first opened" of the title literally, wasn't Edge Hill station originally the point where the Liverpool & Manchester Railway swapped its early steam locos for haulage of trains by ropes up or down inclines in tunnels on the final stretch to/from Liverpool?

Chinley, Carnforth, Hellifield and (maybe) Penistone used to be important junction stations on main lines between major cities where many passengers would change to/from connecting trains. Now these stations simply serve the local settlement.

Stalybridge and Guide Bridge also used to be places where a fair number of connections could be made as part of longer journeys (via regular Stockport / Stalybridge trains). However, both these stations have always had a healthy amount of Manchester area local traffic too, so maybe not "... completely different purpose ..." here.

Penistone was not originally built as a junction station, it was just on the Sheffield to Manchester line originally, now it’s just a stop on the Barnsley-Huddersfield line, so its purpose is as the same as originally really, just with a variation in where the traffic flows to.

 

[PTR 444]

Penistone was not originally built as a junction station, it was just on the Sheffield to Manchester line originally, now it’s just a stop on the Barnsley-Huddersfield line, so it’s purpose as the same as originally really, just with a variation in where the traffic flows to.

Also Penistone still has a direct service to Sheffield, albeit indirect via Barnsley.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Think I'm right in saying that what's now known as Gatwick Airport station was originally built to serve the one-time Gatwick Racecourse and included sidings for horse boxes.

 

[181]

Chinley, Carnforth, Hellifield and (maybe) Penistone used to be important junction stations on main lines between major cities where many passengers would change to/from connecting trains. Now these stations simply serve the local settlement.

I think Normanton was an important junction, and maybe refreshment stop, in the early days of the railway system.

it’s purpose as the same as originally really, just with a variation in where the traffic flows to

Although you could say the same about the OP's example of Marylebone (it's still a London terminus), so maybe exmples like that are meant to be included.

The orginal Surbiton station was the station for Kingston, and while I think Surbiton was beginning to develop as a place in its own right by the time the station was moved to its present site in the 1840s, Kingston didn't get its own station until 1863. There are probably other similar examples.

 

[Springs Branch]

Penistone was not originally built as a junction station, it was just on the Sheffield to Manchester line originally, now it’s just a stop on the Barnsley-Huddersfield line, so it’s purpose as the same as originally really, just with a variation in where the traffic flows to.

Yes, I thought this was probably the case seconds after clicking 'Reply' - I can't think of many really useful connections you could have made at Penistone, compared to places like Carnforth. My excuse is I was misguided by watching 'Woodhead' videos and seeing the substantial station buildings they used to have at Penistone.

 

[NorthOxonian]

I guess any stations that were converted to Metrolink? Bury Interchange, built for EMU stoppers to Man Vic, now used by trams that work beyond the original terminus through Manchester city centre.

To a lesser extent, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. The services have always been pretty similar in nature (suburban services to and from Newcastle) but have changed from heavy rail to Metro and have now extended beyond Newcastle to South Shields.

 

[Bald Rick]

When Battersea Power Station first opened, it generated electricity. Now it’s on the Northern Line!

(I’ll get my coat )

 

[Iskra]

Yes, I thought this was probably the case seconds after clicking 'Reply' - I can't think of many really useful connections you could have made at Penistone, compared to places like Carnforth. My excuse is I was misguided by watching 'Woodhead' videos and seeing the substantial station buildings they used to have at Penistone.

I tried to find a historic timetable for Penistone and couldn’t, but I think there are probably more than you imagine, such as Manchester-Barnsley/Doncaster, Nottingham to Huddersfield, Huddersfield to Doncaster. But yes, you are right that it would probably pale in to significance compared to places like Carnforth with it being on a major North/South main line.

The history of Penistone station is quite interesting, I’ve just learnt that what looks like a car-loading ramp there was actually for loading Churchill tanks in WW2 that were built at Chapeltown, driven onto the moors for testing and a spot of target practice before being loaded onto trains for distribution to the frontlines.

 

[Mat17]

My excuse is I was misguided by watching 'Woodhead' videos and seeing the substantial station buildings they used to have at Penistone.

Many of the buildings are still there to be honest. Only the disused island platform has lost it's buildings/canopy - I think there may have been another platform adjacent to this, where the current Transpennine trail path is, but that was long out of use even by the 1960s - my recollections may be incorrect though.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Didcot Parkway was originally mostly a junction station for Oxford where people changed onto stagecoaches. Now, it's primarily a railhead for the Didcot/Abingdon/Wallingford area and main GWML access point for A34 traffic, many bound for Oxford miss the station entirely via the Didcot East curve.

 

[The exile]

To a lesser extent, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. The services have always been pretty similar in nature (suburban services to and from Newcastle) but have changed from heavy rail to Metro and have now extended beyond Newcastle to South Shields.

And of course, no more long distance excursions or summer extras from further afield.

 

[bishdunster]

A lot of stations these days seem to be shopping centres which happen to be served by rail !

 

[zwk500]

There's a fair few stations that were opened purely as 'ticket platforms' that have now become proper stations, such as Preston Park.
Newhaven Marine was opened to serve ferry connections, it's now an aggregates freight terminal and shunting siding.
Selby of course used to be a junction stop on the ECML, now it's just an intermediate call on the way to Hull.

 

[StretfordEnd96]

Stalybridge and Guide Bridge also used to be places where a fair number of connections could be made as part of longer journeys (via regular Stockport / Stalybridge trains). However, both these stations have always had a healthy amount of Manchester area local traffic too, so maybe not "... completely different purpose ..." here.

Yes I'd agree with those two.

In fact it's interesting - the railway line between Guide Bridge and Stalybridge was, when built, actually in theory just a branch line built in the 1840s by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway - a branch off their main Woodhead Line. They are the ones that built the station in Stalybridge but around the same time a new line was built by the Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway from Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria anyway.
When the Huddersfield line was opened in 1949, while it naturally made the Stalybridge to Guide Bridge line look like a 'mainline' on a map, it wasn't primarily used for that purpose and in the years thereafter the main function of the line (and therefore both Stalybridge and Guide Bridge Stations) was still very much a local branch-type line for Stockport to Stalybridge services rather than longer distance services coming to/from Yorkshire (which primarily used the Stalybridge to Victoria line).

Nowadays of course all different - Guide Bridge is now just a local station on the Hadfield Line (and Rose Hill Marple services), whereas for Stalybridge, the earlier importance of it being an interchange station for the Huddersfield Line for passengers coming in from Stockport certainly helped nail its location as one of the areas more important stations and thus ever since it's always been served by a fair amount of longer distance services i.e. Scarborough and Liverpool Lime Street, in comparison to most other stations in the nearby area, and what was built as a branchline off the Woodhead line, the line between Stalybridge and Guide Bridge is now very much a main thoroughfare - regularl Stockport to Stalybridge services have long since ceased owing to a certain Windsor Link.

 

[fandroid]

What about the few private stations that were built to serve the nearby big house? I guess most were built as part of the deal for the railway to cross his lordship's land. One or two survive, don't they?

 

[Howardh]

I suppose Teeside Airport station, built to serve the airport and now serves, well, an empty field! I'm not sure it fits the thread title as it serves no purpose at all!

 

[fandroid]

And what actually happened at High Wycombe? The original station must have been built as a terminus of the branch from the GWR main line at Maidenhead. In fact, the GWR's various cutoffs must have repurposed a reasonable number of stations, as did the bypassing of "Castleman's Corkscrew" between Brockenhurst and Poole/Bournemouth.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Dolgarrog was built as sidings and interchange for the Aluminium works, these days although only just been rebuilt it serves precisely......nothing!

 

[NorthOxonian]

What about the few private stations that were built to serve the nearby big house? I guess most were built as part of the deal for the railway to cross his lordship's land. One or two survive, don't they?

There's a few like that in the remote Highlands which were originally built for large hunting estates - I would imagine what little traffic they do get is still nearly all leisure orientated but now is towards walkers rather than hunters.

 

[zwk500]

There's a few like that in the remote Highlands which were originally built for large hunting estates - I would imagine what little traffic they do get is still nearly all leisure orientated but now is towards walkers rather than hunters.

Still a few private charter trains for the hunters every now and then though!

 

[martinsh]

Birmingham Moor Street. For 90 years or so a suburban terminus station. Now a through station with services as far afield as London and Worcester.

 

[SargeNpton]

A lot of stations these days seem to be shopping centres which happen to be served by rail !

Lincoln St Marks now being a shopping centre that is not served by rail.

 

[gg1]

Lichfield City - originally built as a station on the South Staffs line running from Dudley & Walsall to the MR at Wichnor Junction. It was over 30 years later before the line to Birmingham was built.