Jorge Da Silva
Established Member
which stations used to have excursion platforms usually used for summer services
Morcambe Euston Road Station was effectively an excursion station
Correct - these were the excursion platforms, the main station was demolished to make way for a supermarket.The current Blackpool North is actually the old excursion station, I think?
I did mention Llangollen as the platforms there are much longer than any other station on the Ruabon - Barmouth route, though Barmouth had an excursion platform - wasn't it south side of the LC?It would be interesting to see whether there were any excursion platforms at non-coastal places
A few more mentioned here in a previous (similar) thread ...which stations used to have excursion platforms usually used for summer services
It would be interesting to see whether there were any excursion platforms at non-coastal places
Both of those were used by ordinary trains.Perhaps the enormously long down platform at Bournemouth, and the clear provision for non-stop fast lines at Pokesdown.
Kempton Park was only open on race days until 2006. SWT opened it daily from that point with it being served by Shepperton services.Racecourse stations at both Newbury and Cheltenham, only opened on race days. The former has now become a regular station; I can't think of another which has done so.
Originally Tattenham Corner was for excursion and holiday traffic only. The regular branch service terminated at Tadworth. Both these branch lines had additional "part-time" signal boxes which were used to create short sections to handle the volume of traffic.Arguably, the lavish provision of platforms at Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner was to cater for excursion traffic, mainly on one day a year!
Those look like they were are the car park is now.I think Esher used to have some racecourse platforms; I'm not sure whether the remains are still visible, but they definitely used to be. They were at the north-western corner of the station, on the opposite side of the line to the racecourse, for which there was presumably a reason. Looking at the diagram here (which has south at the top) it appears that most arrivals, and all departures in the down direction, would have required a reversal.
I think Esher used to have some racecourse platforms; I'm not sure whether the remains are still visible, but they definitely used to be. They were at the north-western corner of the station, on the opposite side of the line to the racecourse, for which there was presumably a reason. Looking at the diagram here (which has south at the top) it appears that most arrivals, and all departures in the down direction, would have required a reversal.
Those look like they were are the car park is now.
Aintree Sefton Arms has never been called 'Race Course'. It is now the only station at Aintree, and therefore gets all traffic including race excursions even though it only has two platforms. Now called Aintree.I did mention Llangollen as the platforms there are much longer than any other station on the Ruabon - Barmouth route, though Barmouth had an excursion platform - wasn't it south side of the LC?
Aintree (Sefton Arms) Race Course.
Yes the 2 excursion platforms at Esher existed, they even had stairs and subways to Lower Green Road,They were diagonally opposite the car park. The diagram I linked to is 'upside-down' compared with a normal map (presumably because the signal box was on the north side of the line) -- it's only low resolution, but the southern through tracks are discernibly labelled 'up through' and 'up local' (or at least something that looks more like 'up' than 'down').
The Google Maps satellite view indicates that the area is now covered in trees -- you can't see whether there are any remains of platforms under the trees.
I haven't found any pictures online, but I did find this thread on a similar subject to the current one: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/stations-with-excursion-platforms.204468/.