Unusual Station Layouts

[LE Greys]

Preston has only ever had passenger terminal bays at the south end. The "bay" at the north end of Platform 3 is only about long enough to hold a locomotive, or maybe a parcels van.

(It was once a Y-type layout when the former "East Lancashire" platforms still existed.)

IIRC, that's precisely what it was for. They often used to double-head from Preston to Carlisle, so an engine dock at Preston (which used to have a water tower and various spares stores) was very useful. Other places one might find engine docks were Carlisle (for the same reason), Liverpool Street (to make it easier to reverse a train quickly) and Nottingham Victoria.

 

[4SRKT]

One platform on a double track line I nominate- Ware ,Maryport plus Limerick Junction in Ireland

And Malton. Also the old Mosney (Butlins) station south of Drogheda on the GN main line in Ireland. The platform and loop are still there AFAICR.

One of the most bizarre ever was Knockmore west of Lisburn, NI. The line at this point was triple tracked, the single line to Derry running alongside and north of the double track GN main line towards Portadown and Dublin, but unconnected except in Lisburn station itself. There were only two platforms: one on the bi-directional Derry line, and the other on the up Dublin line. Local trains from Portadown to Belfast/Bangor could not call at Knockmore, so there were only 4 trains a day in the Belfast direction (Mostly Ballymena short workings because Derry line trains were slow enough via Crumlin without stopping them at local stations as well), but trains a-plenty coming from Belfast on both the Derry line (4 trains) and Portadown services (random stopping pattern).

This had never been an issue prior to the 1978 reopening of the Antrim > Lisburn section to divert Derry line trains out of Belfast York Road and into the new Central station. In GNR days Knockmore had been a conventional junction with double track into Lisburn only (actually a three-way with the long closed line to Banbridge and Newcastle diverging to the south at the same point). The third line was laid at considerable expense (the engineering structures are massive and the line runs at different elevations to the main line), and increased the length of the single line between Knockmore and Ballinderry by an unnecessary 1.5 miles. It also meant that once the Derry trains were diverted back to the NCC main line Knockmore had to close even though the area has a lot of housing development, because no trains to Belfast could call there. Madness.

 

[David Goddard]

Anniesland -
Carlisle (bay platform 2), Ascot and Norwood Junction are in the "too many platforms" category.

Ascot - too many platforms? Theres only three- one each for London, Reading and Aldershot.
The old 4/5 are long overgrown, although there is still a rusting track (complete with juice rail) in the old no5.

Ascot leads on to something we have not covered - stations with double sided platforms, where P1 at Ascot comes into play.

Guildford P6/7 and Yeovil Pen Mill P1/2 join this club, in addition to P16 and the former P7 at Reading, and too many mention on LU and other metro systems.

The introduction of trains with power doors has however almost eradicated the use of these, with them only being opened on one side or the other.

Any more?

 

[4SRKT]

Carlisle platform 2 also has two faces.

 

[daniel78]

Minfordd for the X-type. Not sure if it counts a the top platforms are for the narrow guage Porthmadog to Blaeneu Ffestiniog line.

 

[stuart]

The NRE website station plan is very difficult to follow. Apparently, it's not a triangle but has a single track line passing over the other lines.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/sjp/SHY/plan.html?rtnloc=SHY

Maybe we need a new thread for "unusual plan layouts" - this is certainly about the furthest from reality and most unhelpful one I've seen. (As an aside, the new - since I was last there - footbridge between p3 and p4 looks much more appealing than the old subway. Used to hate arriving on p4 late at night and having to use it.)

 

[4SRKT]

Maybe we need a new thread for "unusual plan layouts" - this is certainly about the furthest from reality and most unhelpful one I've seen. (As an aside, the new - since I was last there - footbridge between p3 and p4 looks much more appealing than the old subway. Used to hate arriving on p4 late at night and having to use it.)

Shipley station at night is very grim. Despite being very central is it very isolated because it is so much lower than the town centre. I always use Saltaire after dark.

 

[AJP62]

Preston has only ever had passenger terminal bays at the south end. The "bay" at the north end of Platform 3 is only about long enough to hold a locomotive, or maybe a parcels van.

(It was once a Y-type layout when the former "East Lancashire" platforms still existed.)

Back in the days of sleepers the Preston north end bay used to stable the sleeping car dropped off the Barrow sleeper so technically passengers did depart and arrive there though just on a shunt movement. Sleeper would remain there all day before heading back south.

 

[stut]

Finsbury Park is another "too many platforms" station - and about to gain another double-faced line.

 

[martinsh]

“X” layout Highbury & Islington

“Y” Layout Crystal Palace (but one side has bays facing away from the junction)

Back To Back - Huddersfield

The following don’t quite fit into any category, but are unusual

Warrington Bank Quay – would be an “X” but one of the lines has no platforms (closed 1962)
Wilmslow – platforms are all parallel, but are after the junction. I would call that a “closed Y”
Dore – a “Half Y” but platform is parallel to main line – a “closed half Y”
Cathcart – something like a “half Y” but with an island platform, platforms are on
the “main” line and never had any on the “branch”.
Gospel Oak, - a “Half Y” but with the addition of a bay platform on the “main” line.
Nuneaton – has parallel platforms, but they are really on two separate sets of lines
(though there is a junction between the two). Sort of like Wigan NW and Wallgate combined into one station !
Upminster – the NR platforms are in two parts, with LU platforms inbetween, and no
connections between any of them
Greenford – the NR platform is a bay in the middle of an otherwise LU station.
Stratford – not sure how you would describe this ! Used to be an X plus a Y, but
now the NR portion is more like a K (platforms branching off in two directions)
Wembley Stadium – a normal two platform satation, but with a turnback loop in the centre road between the platforms

 

[stut]

Oh, and Clapham Junction will soon have an odd "one platform for two terminating lines in the same direction" layout, thanks to LO.

 

[4SRKT]

Ambergate was once a triangle with an avoiding line, and is now sort of a half Y. An unusual layout throughout its existence.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Nuneaton – has parallel platforms, but they are really on two separate sets of lines
(though there is a junction between the two). Sort of like Wigan NW and Wallgate combined into one station !

The current Nuneaton station is almost exactly that. Platforms 1 - 5 are the LNWR Trent Valley station (West Coast mainline and the Coventry branch) while Platforms 6 & 7 are essentially the old Midland Railway/LMS Abbey Street station which is on the Birmingham - Leicester - Peterborough line.
There was never really any need for two stations in Nuneaton other than politics given that all the lines through the town converged on the site of Trent Valley station anyway but it does mean the current station is somewhat unusual in layout. Platforms 6 & 7 are fairly new though, for the longest time the station had five platforms and was a horrible bottleneck as BR had managed to squeeze so many conflicting movements through a rather complicated junction.
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Wembley Stadium – a normal two platform satation, but with a turnback loop in the centre road between the platforms

There is no turnback loop between the platforms. The six foot is certainly wide enough for one, but the turnback siding is immediately to the west of the station. It has to be like this so that shuttle trains arriving from Marylebone can access the turnback sidings after letting passengers off onto platform 2 and that trains exiting the turnback can immediately pick up London bound passengers on platform 1.

 

[jwos]

Anybody mentioned these for 'double faced' platforms???:

Norwood Junction
Guildford
Canary Wharf

 

[12CSVT]

Peckham Rye could be described as a hybrid. The South London Line has an island platform, but the Catford line has separate platform for the up and dowm lines. And there is quite a gap between the two sets of platforms.

 

[IanXC]

Arram has its platforms positioned either side of a level crossing, so that a train calling at the station does not cause the crossing to be closed while making a station call.

(I'm sure there must be other examples of this set up, but I didn't see any on the thread.)

 

[12CSVT]

Arram has its platforms positioned either side of a level crossing, so that a train calling at the station does not cause the crossing to be closed while making a station call.

(I'm sure there must be other examples of this set up, but I didn't see any on the thread.)

There are loads of stations like that - Tutbury & Hatton, Stewartby, Lidlington, Apsley Guise, Bow Brickhill, Attleborough just to name a few.

 

[Mojo]

Arram has its platforms positioned either side of a level crossing, so that a train calling at the station does not cause the crossing to be closed while making a station call.

(I'm sure there must be other examples of this set up, but I didn't see any on the thread.)

There are loads of stations like that - Tutbury & Hatton, Stewartby, Lidlington, Apsley Guise, Bow Brickhill, Attleborough just to name a few.

And Roydon station is staggered the other way round, so trains sit in the platform before passing over the level crossing on departure

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Royd...OxKJd9hkifuupKRFy71IEQ&cbp=12,281.01,,0,14.52

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Mitcham Eastfields' platforms are staggered after the crossing, I believe that is the sole reason for the design.

 

[jopsuk]

And Roydon station is staggered the other way round, so trains sit in the platform before passing over the level crossing on departure

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Royd...OxKJd9hkifuupKRFy71IEQ&cbp=12,281.01,,0,14.52

Indeed- must really p*** off drivers to be sat at the barrier with a train at a standstill.

 

[Robinson]

Am I wrong in thinking that Westerton falls into the "half bi-directional" category? I believe there is a crossover for trains heading onto the Maryhill line (Caley Sleeper + WHL services) on the Dalmuir side which means platform 2 is bi-directional...

 

[marks87]

Am I wrong in thinking that Westerton falls into the "half bi-directional" category? I believe there is a crossover for trains heading onto the Maryhill line (Caley Sleeper + WHL services) on the Dalmuir side which means platform 2 is bi-directional...

Correct; trains destined for the Maryhill line can only use platform 2, which makes it bi-directional.

 

[Holly]

I was thinking about Acton Bridge. Three through platforms including one island.

I recall that until around 1960 a train (steam, push'n'pull) from Warrington used to turn back from the slow up platform.

But I wonder whether the (mostly pre-war) Northwich-Warrington service used the (only) down platform or the slow up platform (either could make sense). Anyone know?

 

[fireftrm]

And Roydon station is staggered the other way round, so trains sit in the platform before passing over the level crossing on departure

As are Prudhoe and Wylam, Newcastle-Carlisle line, and most of the Tyne and Wear Metro stations at level crossings

 

[Michael.Y]

At Valley (short platform) the arse end of the (3-car) train sits on the level crossing while the guard opens the local door in the front carriage to let all the schoolkids out. Of course, muggins here with his trolley is sat in the last vestibule with a front row view of the huffing and puffing drivers slouched over their steering wheels....

 

[robertclark125]

And Roydon station is staggered the other way round, so trains sit in the platform before passing over the level crossing on departure

As are Prudhoe and Wylam, Newcastle-Carlisle line, and most of the Tyne and Wear Metro stations at level crossings

MostTW Metro stations indeed. East Boldon and Bank Foot both have platforms only one side on the crossing, as opposed to staggered either side.
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How about stations with permanent right hand running? Muir of Ord is certainly one and there is one on the West Highland. it's either Ardlui or Arrochar?

There's quite a few on the West Highland Line, and both Ardlui and Arrochar & Tarbet have that layout, as does White City LUL

 

[12CSVT]

There's quite a few on the West Highland Line, and both Ardlui and Arrochar & Tarbet have that layout, as does White City LUL

Any reason for this arrangement at White City ?

There are also stretches of Northern Line and Victoria Line like this.

 

[Railsigns]

There's quite a few on the West Highland Line, and both Ardlui and Arrochar & Tarbet have that layout

Ardlui does; Arrochar & Tarbet does not.

 

[robertclark125]

Ardlui does; Arrochar & Tarbet does not.

Bridge of Orchy does have the wrong way round arrangement, all these stemmed from the RETB introduction in 1988.

 

[Railsigns]

Bridge of Orchy does have the wrong way round arrangement, all these stemmed from the RETB introduction in 1988.

I listed the six West Highland Line stations with right-hand running in post #67 and the reason behind it in post #72.