Unusual Station Descriptions

[Ivo]

Another Quiz from Ivo. (Yes, I know, I've made several.) This time, provide a strange, but true, description of a station (clichéd, I know...), and then others have to provide the station in question. So, to give an easy example, if I said that Station X was used as the starting point for a 2009 Top Gear race, the answer would obviously be King's Cross.

So, to get you all started:

A This station is at the end of Britain's second shortest self-sufficient branch line (the shortest being the Stourbridge Branch, so don't say Stourbridge Town! ), at only one mile, six chains. The definition of "self-sufficient" is that all journeys terminate at the main-line junction.

B This station has a suffix that is actually the name of the suburb it is a part of. Before this and the town's main station opened, however, the town was the largest in Britain post-Beeching to have no railway station of its own.

C According to the 2007/08 statistics, this is the busiest station in the country in terms of passenger numbers to have only through services (that is, it can not serve as a terminus under normal circumstances [permitting instances like engineering works] and does not form a junciton) that is not a part of a town or city with a population of 100,000 or more. (Just promise me this one won't be around forever. I've carefully worded it to avoid things like "suburb". And this time, I hope that this is true!)

 

[Bedpan]

I'd go for the Cardiff Queen Street - Cardiff Bay for A, Masnsfield Woodhouse for B, and as a complete stab in the dark Haywards Heath for C

 

[Ivo]

Damn. That's two gone already. But the problem with Haywards Heath is that it can be a terminal (I should have said this, sorry - I knew I'd blow it! ), even if it rarely is (I'm going to rewrite that one). So, two out of three. The one thing I would say is that there are probably larger examples than Haywards Heath around.

 

[transportphoto]

Chafford Hundred for Lakeside shopping centre

for C?

 

[Lampshade]

Could C be Leyland?

 

[L.E.Rover]

Does Leicester have any terminating trains?,if so I'll say Stoke on Trent or how about Northampton?,unless this is a trick question and the answer is Birmingham New Street,whats my prize?,thought so!!.

 

[Royston Vasey]

C According to the 2007/08 statistics, this is the busiest station in the country in terms of passenger numbers to have only through services (that is, it can not serve as a terminus under normal circumstances [permitting instances like engineering works] and does not form a junciton) that is not a part of a town or city with a population of 100,000 or more. (Just promise me this one won't be around forever. I've carefully worded it to avoid things like "suburb". And this time, I hope that this is true!)

Hard one, given the number of caveats! Guessing somewhere heading into London, but not part of London. Would have said Watford Junction but for the DC line terminus.

Hitchin? Or one of the SWT stations?

 

[Ivo]

Right, let see. Answers to C so far... [Not a trick question! - Independent settlement with pop. <100,000]

Haywards Heath
Chafford Hundred
Leyland
Hitchin

Haywards Heath I have already discussed. Hitchin falls into the same problem. And Leyland is far too small! Chafford Hundred, on the other hand, is a decent guess and not too distant geographically either. Just to clarify, this station is in a settlement with a population of less than 100,000 and has no terminus or interchange facilities at all. It is just your run-of-the-mill commuter station. Somewhere like Farnborough (it's not Farnborough!).

Question D: The smallest of three stations to have this exact name. Alphabetically, its "area" [along the lines of Newport SW/Essex] is the middle one. One of the other two is not in England.

 

[MCR247]

Does Leicester have any terminating trains?,if so I'll say Stoke on Trent or how about Northampton?,unless this is a trick question and the answer is Birmingham New Street,whats my prize?,thought so!!.

Leicester - No
Northampton - No
BHM - I doubt it

I know they aren't my questions, but I know for a fact LEI, and northampton have terminators

 

[Royston Vasey]

Right, let see. Answers to C so far... [Not a trick question! - Independent settlement with pop. <100,000]

Haywards Heath
Chafford Hundred
Leyland
Hitchin

Haywards Heath I have already discussed. Hitchin falls into the same problem. And Leyland is far too small! Chafford Hundred, on the other hand, is a decent guess and not too distant geographically either. Just to clarify, this station is in a settlement with a population of less than 100,000 and has no terminus or interchange facilities at all. It is just your run-of-the-mill commuter station. Somewhere like Farnborough (it's not Farnborough!).

Question D: The smallest of three stations to have this exact name. Alphabetically, its "area" [along the lines of Newport SW/Essex] is the middle one. One of the other two is not in England.

Not aware of any that terminate at Hitchin, thought they all went to Letchworth if terminating in that vicinity

How about Staines? 2.6m pax, pop 24k (more and less than Hitchin anyway, respectively)

 

[Mike Redding]

Would D be Bramley (Hants) on the Reading-Basingstoke line? Failing that, Penrith North Lakes?

Edit: I misread the question, sorry! (unless one of them is right...)

 

[Ivo]

There may not be any trains that terminate at Hitchin, but it is still an interchange station. The same goes for Staines, which is a terminus (to a limited degree) anyway. As for D, mis-read maybe but geographically speaking Bramley is pretty close!

 

[Royston Vasey]

There may not be any trains that terminate at Hitchin, but it is still an interchange station. The same goes for Staines, which is a terminus (to a limited degree) anyway. As for D, mis-read maybe but geographically speaking Bramley is pretty close!

You said only through trains, not being an interchange is a different thing altogether!!

 

[Mojo]

Is D Whitchurch?

 

[Ivo]

You said only through trains, not being an interchange is a different thing altogether!!

True, but the Original Post also states that the station does not form a junction. This would discount stations such as Hitchin and Staines. Lesson One in causing a Quiz debate on the forum: Bring in station usage statistics!

As for D, Mojo is correct.

 

[Mojo]

When you say "the smallest of three stations to have this exact name" I'd have thought you to have been after the Cardiff one. However by saying "alphabetically, its "area" [along the lines of Newport SW/Essex] is the middle one. One of the other two is not in England" I think you are trying to throw me off, because Whitchurch (Cardiff) is the smallest but alphabetically it is not in the middle and it is also not in England.

 

[Ivo]

When you say "the smallest of three stations to have this exact name" I'd have thought you to have been after the Cardiff one. However by saying "alphabetically, its "area" [along the lines of Newport SW/Essex] is the middle one. One of the other two is not in England" I think you are trying to throw me off, because Whitchurch (Cardiff) is the smallest but alphabetically it is not in the middle and it is also not in England.

All right, a technicality. Fine. Whitchurch is still right though, so what difference does it make? I should have referred the data (hence my point about spawning arguments :roll.

Um, would anyone else care to set one, or is it all me again?

 

[Mojo]

E: Three quarters of the lines through this station are electrified and the platforms currently open to the public are not numbered consecutively.

 

[clagmonster]

C: Chelmsford.

 

[Royston Vasey]

C: Chelmsford.

Population over 100k!

 

[Ivo]

C: Chelmsford.

[Population over 100k!

Chelmsford would actually have been correct if it was smaller. It is easily the largest non-terminus outside of London, and supposedly the second busiest station to not be considered an NR interchange (debatable if you look at station statistics, especially considering only alternate Norwich services call there!) of them all (behind only Vauxhall). I will admit though, you are no more than 25 miles out.

As for Mojo's...

?????

 

[Mojo]

Might need to give a clue at this rate!

 

[Ivo]

Might need to give a clue at this rate!

Okie doke then. Big giveaway, this one. It begins with "B".

 

[L.E.Rover]

Theres lots of places beginning with B,I'll say Boston,because it fits all the criteria apart from being the right answer obviously.

 

[Ivo]

Chelmsford would actually have been correct if it was smaller. ... I will admit though, you are no more than 25 miles out.

Big giveaway, this one. It begins with "B".

Theres lots of places beginning with B,I'll say Boston,because it fits all the criteria apart from being the right answer obviously.

Boston is, um, a bit small? For every one passenger it has, the station in question has 14! Also, note the first clue of the above pair - no more than 25mi from Chelmsford. It also begins with "B" (which Boston does, to be fair). Come on, people, thinking caps on; there aren't that many stations near Chelmsford that begin with "B"! And the answer certainly isn't Battlesbridge!

 

[clagmonster]

Basildon

 

[Ivo]

Basildon

I'll make a little game of this, Family Fortunes -style.

X

Two lives remaining.

 

[Mojo]

Billericay.

The clue for my one is that it is at a junction where an electrified line and a non-electrified line meet.

 

[Ivo]

Billericay.

X

One life remaining.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Braintree?