Trivia> Trivia!!

[ooo]

I've built a database which contains the distances between all adjacent UK stations (although it's not complete for heritage lines), that combined with a journey list by station will give a distance calculated to a pretty good accuracy. Luckily there aren't many places where there are two routes between two adjacent stations which are more than one or two chains different.

Is it possible for us to access this?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Where is the longest straight?
Is it between Selby & Hull or Skegness & Boston?

In reference to station operators above, Newcastle & York have both been operated by 5
GNER, NXEC, East Coast, VTEC & Network Rail

Manchester Victoria(another former 2 in 1 station) has been operated by 4
Northwestern Trains, First North Western, Northern & Netwrk Rail

I'd always thought that the longest straight was on the Redhill to Tonbridge line, though that may have been a spurious "factoid".

Manchester Victoria used to share a platform with Exchange, but I'd argue that the present day station is just what was always officially Victoria.

 

[thenorthern]

I think that Knighton station may be the only station that is across a constituent country border from the place it serves.

 

[miami]

Dartmouth railway station was the only station that has ever seen regular use which has fewer railway platforms than Marlow.

 

[EM2]

More stations have had the name Newport than any other name.

 

[backontrack]

Yes, I do remember that one of the stations in the Tiny Stations book was actually below sea level.

Shippea Hill?

 

[thenorthern]

IIRC Dronfield was the only unstaffed station served by Virgin Trains when a very limited number of services called there after Arriva Trains Northern services were withdrawn.

 

[pdeaves]

Talking of Bristol Temple Meads, it is the only Network Rail managed station that isn't electrified (I think).

And Reading, currently.

 

[backontrack]

There are two travelators on the London Underground, at Waterloo and Bank (though not on the Waterloo and City Line, certainly at the former).

 

[Cherry_Picker]

And Reading, currently.

Reading's had 3rd rail electrification since the 1930s.

 

[tsr]

And Reading, currently.

Reading has partial third-rail electrification for the Waterloo route.

 

[Howardh]

Edinburgh Waverley is further west than Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol TM. Maybe we should re-name Lothian as "The West Country"!!

 

[backontrack]

Edinburgh Waverley is further west than Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol TM. Maybe we should re-name Lothian as "The West Country"!!

Further west than Carlisle, too.

 

[Howardh]

Further west than Carlisle, too.

Ah, Carlisle, jewel of the far east!! 'spesh when t'tides up!!

 

[backontrack]

And then you can ride in by wherry all t' way from Dent.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Hull has a barbers, police station and ladies toilets under the station concourse

Class 321 units still use bells for communication - they might be the only units to do so in everyday service

For one week in October, Walton Street Junction level crossings are operated in manual mode - the only time this happens

The closed Stepney station is the only former railway station to have been used as a Mosque

Dartmouth and Hull Victoria Pier are the only two railway stations that had a station master, porters and yet never saw a single service train

 

[thenorthern]

Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly have the most operators between two stations with 7 (Arriva Trains Wales, Northern, Virgin Trains, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains an First TransPennine Express).

 

[Howardh]

I might be wrong (can't find any info) but I think Metrolink's Cornbrook station is unique in that it allows changes only and you cannot generally leave or enter there. Anyone confirm??

 

[TheNewNo2]

There are two travelators on the London Underground, at Waterloo and Bank (though not on the Waterloo and City Line, certainly at the former).

Just at Waterloo actually, and we refer to them as passenger conveyors. They're to help deal with the long slog to the Jubilee Line.

Of course, Heathrow also has travelators, but that's somewhere between Terminals 123 and Central, so not quite sure if it counts.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I might be wrong (can't find any info) but I think Metrolink's Cornbrook station is unique in that it allows changes only and you cannot generally leave or enter there. Anyone confirm??

Dovey Junction is not as such by rule, but is only accessible by a 1km path, so really only provides exchange for passengers from the Aberystwyth line to the Pwllheli line and even that is limited by the infrequency of trains.

 

[TheNewNo2]

Is it possible for us to access this?

At this point I'd have to say no, while it's a useful tool it's not ready for wide release in my opinion, and it's entirely undocumented. Plus, I cribbed all the mileages from http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/.

 

[richard1976]

I might be wrong (can't find any info) but I think Metrolink's Cornbrook station is unique in that it allows changes only and you cannot generally leave or enter there. Anyone confirm??

That was the case when it first opened, but now you can enter and exit as normal from Cornbrook

 

[yorkie]

Fishguard Harbour has the most regular service of ALL stations in the UK.

There is a train departing at 0300 each day, and one at 1500 each day. Every day, including Sundays. So there is a train every 12 hours.

Regular. Not frequent. But regular.

(This is probably no longer true. I've not examined a recent timetable.)

Regular can mean "done or happening frequently" and in terms of train services, I think more people would use it in that sense.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly have the most operators between two stations with 7 (Arriva Trains Wales, Northern, Virgin Trains, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains an First TransPennine Express).

This crops up frequently, every so often someone will post a thread about it.

Doncaster has Northern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, First TransPennine Express, East Coast, Grand Central, Hull Trains, which is one more than you quoted for MAN/SPT

 

[Howardh]

That was the case when it first opened, but now you can enter and exit as normal from Cornbrook

So I was half-right, which is better than average
Thanks!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Trying to think of stations (as opposed to towns) mentioned in any popular songs. Best I can do is Abba's Waterloo except it isn't about the station, disappointingly. Seem to remember Clapham Junction in a song though - anyone??
"Time Flies By (When You're A Driver Of A Train)" was the nearest Half Man half Biscuit came to a railway station....

 

[thenorthern]

This crops up frequently, every so often someone will post a thread about it.

Doncaster has Northern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, First TransPennine Express, East Coast, Grand Central, Hull Trains, which is one more than you quoted for MAN/SPT

Doncaster and Crewe have the most operators but Manchester Piccadilliy and Stockport have the largest number of operators that operate services that run between two stations.

Vauxhall (London) station is the busiest station which all trains run through and don't terminate.

 

[Michael.Y]

This crops up frequently, every so often someone will post a thread about it.

Doncaster has Northern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, First TransPennine Express, East Coast, Grand Central, Hull Trains, which is one more than you quoted for MAN/SPT

The point was services running *between* these stations. What is the quantifier for your point - i.e. what is your other station - Doncaster and.....?

----

Dublin's railway stations are not named after locations, but people.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

So I was half-right, which is better than average
Thanks!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Trying to think of stations (as opposed to towns) mentioned in any popular songs. Best I can do is Abba's Waterloo except it isn't about the station, disappointingly. Seem to remember Clapham Junction in a song though - anyone??
"Time Flies By (When You're A Driver Of A Train)" was the nearest Half Man half Biscuit came to a railway station....

Ticket to Ryde?

There's a band called Jellymoulds who have a song called Julie Julie, and a genuine line from it goes as follows:

"Today I saw her alone on the tube going home
I knew it had to be fate - she changed at Notting Hill Gate
I swear I've never seen Julie look greater
Than gliding down the Circle Line escalator..."

 

[CarltonA]

Its still the United Kingdom so Newry the only station in the United Kingdom that is served by a foreign operator. (Eurostar and Enterprise are joint operations that include a UK partner) while Iarnród Éireann is foreign.

We often hear the Republic of Ireland called a foreign country however I believe it is a special case and not British or foreign under the Ireland Act of 1949 s. 2(1).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland_Act_1949

 

[Railsigns]

Dublin's railway stations are not named after locations, but people.

I wonder who Tara Street was?

 

[fairysdad]

Leeds (City+Wellington) and Wrexham General (General+Exchange) are stations that started out as two separate stations before being merged... But are there any others?

Salisbury I believe? I recall it is mostly the LSWR station that is in use today, but that the far platform is part of the GWR station (the rest being the SWT depot)?

I might be wrong (can't find any info) but I think Metrolink's Cornbrook station is unique in that it allows changes only and you cannot generally leave or enter there. Anyone confirm??

Smallbrook Junction on the Isle of Wight is an interchange only station with no external access (unless we're not counting interchange to heritage lines).

 

[Michael.Y]

I wonder who Tara Street was?

QI KLAXON

I am aware that there are other *stations* in Dublin, but rather the railway stations with Dublin in the TITLE are named after persons, as opposed to places or roads over here like London, Birmingham or Manchester.