Trivia> Trivia!!

[David Dunning]

C'mon - everyone on here has a bagful of interesting but useless facts about railway stations which can be used to annoy people down the pub, lose a girlfriend or win a million in a quiz.

The York-Harrogate-Leeds line has a rich variety of lineside signals from pop up LEDs to 60s Colour Lights (On the ground in Harrogate) thru to the distant semaphore protecting Poppleton

 

[EM2]

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.

Er, London Victoria? London St Pancras?

 

[TheNewNo2]

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.

I went there last week, it has become just about my favourite station. Lovely and quiet, beautiful scenery, no one to disturb you. All of two users every day on average (with returns I think).

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..."

They clearly did not research the provision of escalators on the SSL.

 

[DaleCooper]

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??

Does White Room by Cream qualify?

You said no strings could secure you at the station
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows
I walked into such a sad time at the station
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning
I'll wait in the queue when the trains come back

 

[backontrack]

Plus Paul Simon created the song 'Homeward Bound' at Widnes station.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

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??

"Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander, I stay at home at night
But I don't, feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise"

 

[backontrack]

Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks?

 

[IanD]

Er, London Victoria? London St Pancras?

Named after the areas they are in?

 

[thenorthern]

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.

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

Dublin's main stations are named after Irish Republican Army (Old IRA) leaders who were executed in the 1916 Easter Rising and were all re-named in 1966 to commemorate 50 years since the conflict.

Its not just Dublin though all the main city stations in the Republic of Ireland are named after IRA leaders from the Easter Rising although most of them are just known by the area that they serve i.e. Dundalk not Dundalk Clarke.

 

[Howardh]

There are no stations starting with X or Z, although Ashby de la Zouch ought to have an honourable mention!

 

[backontrack]

Some London-based factoids:
-Ickenham is the only LU station to begin with the letter 'i'
-St John's Wood is the only stop to not contain any of the letters in the word 'mackerel'
-Pimlico is the only stop to not contain any of the letters in the word 'badger'
-Mansion House and South Ealing are the only LU stops to have all 5 vowels
-Pimlico is the only stop on the Victoria Line to have no connections to either LU or normal rail
-You can travel on the tube northbound each way between King's Cross and Euston on the Northern and Victoria lines respectively
-Likewise, this can be done southbound with the lines reversed
-Crossrail's main tunnel is shorter than the Large Hadron Collider, but was more expensive to build

 

[Hornet]

Some London-based factoids:
-Ickenham is the only LU station to begin with the letter 'i'
-St John's Wood is the only stop to not contain any of the letters in the word 'mackerel'
-Pimlico is the only stop to not contain any of the letters in the word 'badger'
-Mansion House and South Ealing are the only LU stops to have all 5 vowels
-Pimlico is the only stop on the Victoria Line to have no connections to either LU or normal rail
-You can travel on the tube northbound each way between King's Cross and Euston on the Northern and Victoria lines respectively
-Likewise, this can be done southbound with the lines reversed
-Crossrail's main tunnel is shorter than the Large Hadron Collider, but was more expensive to build

Sudbury & Harrow Road is the only National Rail Greater London Station with less than 100 Passenger Entrance & Exits per day.

 

[krus_aragon]

Llanfair PG?

Yes indeed, opened three times. After re-opening due to the Britannia Bridge fire, it was then closed again for a few months to replace the ancient wooden platforms.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Cardiff Central?? - were there platforms on the south side with a different name?

That was Cardiff Riverside, on the branch to Clarence Road (and used for local TVR trains from Penarth, for example, despite being a GWR line). It ended up integrated into Cardiff General (GWR), and subsequently closed. The old south entrance to Cardiff Central, now being rebuilt with the arrival of platform 8, was the entrance to Riverside station.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

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....

Squeeze had "Up the Junction" about a girl from Clapham. Gomez had a hit with " Whipping Piccadilly".

 

[thenorthern]

Derbyshire has the shortest operational public tramway system when 300m of the Supertram track crosses into the county from Sheffield and then crosses back out again. I think it is also the only county with an open public tram system but no stations.

Carnforth station is the only station in Lancashire managed by First TransPennie Express.

 

[krus_aragon]

In the National Rail three-letter codes for stations, every single LL_ code represents a station in Wales. (Perhaps unsurprising, given the number of Llan- places.) All but eight of the possible LL_ codes are used, and half of those have letters that don't typically feature in Welsh (LLK, LLQ, LLX and LLZ)

Not all Llan- places have a LL_ code, however. Llanfairpwll (LPG) and Llanbradach (LNB) are two such examples.

 

[Railsigns]

There is only one distant signal on the national network that's provided with a banner repeater. It's at Kirkhill, Glasgow.

 

[backontrack]

No. There are probably quite a few of those. Crookston and Hawkhead are another two.

Dunrobin Castle has opened three times as well.

 

[pdeaves]

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

Of course. I interpreted the original statement incorrectly.

Oops.

 

[backontrack]

Are there any station names shorter than Par?

 

[richard1976]

Are there any station names shorter than Par?

No but there are a few others with only 3 letters

 

[6Gman]

Are there any station names shorter than Par?

No [ 2 letters ]

 

[backontrack]

I see what you did there...

 

[DaleCooper]

Are there any station names shorter than Par?

What is par for the length of a station name?

If only there were stations called Birdie, Eagle and Albatross.

 

[Strathclyder]

Singer is the only station that I'm aware of in Britain (correct me if I'm wrong) that takes it's name from a sewing machine factory (It was built to serve the massive Singer factory in Clydebank. Long since closed, mostly demolished and replaced by a business park).

If it were to be receive a geographical name now, Kilbowie (the original station with that name has long since closed) or Clydebank North would be ideal.

 

[47271]

Derbyshire has the shortest operational public tramway system when 300m of the Supertram track crosses into the county from Sheffield and then crosses back out again. I think it is also the only county with an open public tram system but no stations.

Carnforth station is the only station in Lancashire managed by First TransPennie Express.

The two shortest tramways are in Derbyshire: also a mile, with stations, at Crich museum!

 

[Gathursty]

Only small vehicles with wing mirrors retracted can enter Burma Road leading to Longcross station. I believe the intention is to put off 'doggers' and fly-tippers.

 

[306024]

Are there any station names shorter than Par?

Par
Ely

Ely by a thousandth of an inch.

 

[thenorthern]

Manchester Airport station I think is the only airport station that is the same name as the airport it serves and Manchester Airport along with Southampton Airport Parkway are the only two stations that use the correct airport name as all the other ones are technically wrong as:

Luton Airport Parkway, Southend Airport, Heathrow's stations, Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport are all missing the London prefix.

Tees-side/Teesside Airport - Durham Tees Valley Airport

Birmingham International - Birmingham Airport

Rhoose Cardiff International Airport - seves Cardiff Airport

Prestwick International Airport station - Glasgow Prestwick Airport

 

[Howardh]

Which station could give you the best possible score at Scrabble? DISALLOWED that long effort in Wales!!!!!!