Weirdest Oddities Still on the UK Network?

[30907]

They can join at Bromley North but at Grove Park where they have to change to another service it's stairs all the way. On very rare occasions if Bromley South is closed for works then trains will run through from Bromley North to Charing Cross or Cannon St and then PRM can dare to use this service.

As a pure terminus station without a regular through service to Central London it must be unique in Greater London. Windsor and E C and St Albans Abbey are the next nearest.

 

[Modron]

A bit harsh to call him an 'oddity', but the 'Station Master' at Pontyclun does a great job and is one heck of a character.

Used to see him up at Maesteg CC a few times too.

 

[delt1c]

As a pure terminus station without a regular through service to Central London it must be unique in Greater London. Windsor and E C and St Albans Abbey are the next nearest.

What about Gospel Oak

 

[A Challenge]

Gospel Oak is not a 'pure terminus', as it has the North London Line as well as the line to Barking.

 

[Stuart-h]

Perth? - https://goo.gl/maps/YFJMer37kc62
Wemyss Bay?
Inverness? - https://goo.gl/maps/6kjAV99wbtA2
Kyle of Lochalsh?

Southend Victoria I beleve its possible to park work cars/vans on the platform.

 

[Stuart-h]

There are a few stations that aren't accessible by road. Corrour has already been mentioned but there are others, for example Middlewood.

Then there's Smallbrook Junction, which is only accessible by rail.

Berney Arms isn't accessible by road. Its accessed by train or boat!

 

[trebor79]

Or just boat at the moment!

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Shettleston station (on the Glasgow- Edinburgh via Bathgate line) has a library for the use of passengers
https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/46/366/

There are bookshelves along two of the walls.

 

[TurbostarFan]

Berney Arms isn't accessible by road. Its accessed by train or boat!

Unless you count the private road off the A47. Or the footpath from Great Yarmouth, near Gt Yarmouth railway station!

 

[route101]

Shettleston station (on the Glasgow- Edinburgh via Bathgate line) has a library for the use of passengers
https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/46/366/

There are bookshelves along two of the walls.

That is pretty common , Carlisle has it too

 

[Ayrshire Roy]

Although disconnected now by about 20 yards from a siding at Wabtec Kilmarnock there is still a triple guage level crossing.
The line used to run into part of the old Hunslet Barclay offices.
The line across the main road is dual guage with a small section of triple guage crossing a side road.
There is also a set of buffers not connected to anything now in a hedge next to the road.
Is there dual guage or more track anywhere in the UK now?

 

[PaxVobiscum]

That is pretty common , Carlisle has it too

Yes but the locals in Carlisle can read

 

[route101]

Yes but the locals in Carlisle can read

The station at Shettleston is at the well to do part !

 

[61653 HTAFC]

These notices on Northern 153s (and the unrefurbished 155s, don't recall if the notices are still in place on the refurbished examples) are a bit of an oddity:

 

[frodshamfella]

Berney Arms isn't accessible by road. Its accessed by train or boat!

Stanlow and Thornton is a bit like this, the station is within a refinery and I believe your average pedestrian might well be stopped and questioned if walking to the station. Mind you bearing in mind service levels right now if you were going to give it ago, you need to time it right. !

 

[Parallel]

These notices on Northern 153s (and the unrefurbished 155s, don't recall if the notices are still in place on the refurbished examples) are a bit of an oddity:
View attachment 58929

GWR definitely used these too, I haven’t been on a GWR 153 for a while so I’m unsure if they still do.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

GWR definitely used these too, I haven’t been on a GWR 153 for a while so I’m unsure if they still do.

Though did their "strips" stay orange, though? Says it all about Northern (both past and present) that they repainted the inside of the doors but didn't bother to update the notices. It also raises the question "well if it's not a handle, what is it then and why is it there?"...

No doubt someone on here will know!

 

[LowLevel]

Though did their "strips" stay orange, though? Says it all about Northern (both past and present) that they repainted the inside of the doors but didn't bother to update the notices. It also raises the question "well if it's not a handle, what is it then and why is it there?"...

No doubt someone on here will know!

Its a retarder to prevent the door travelling too far and getting stuck or coming off it's runner. 153s in certain circumstances are prone to a pressure build up causing the door to open with a bit more vigour than you'd expect, causing the over-travel issue.

The same applies if the crew have to open them without any air in the system, it stops them being pushed too far.

If you pull them too much they split and come away from the door.

 

[Rick1984]

Exeter St. Davids also has a foot crossing at South end with the white indicator lights. No idea if ever used.
London Liverpool St. the taxi rank is sort of on the platforms. Quite suprised it's still there.

 

[Parallel]

Though did their "strips" stay orange, though? Says it all about Northern (both past and present) that they repainted the inside of the doors but didn't bother to update the notices. It also raises the question "well if it's not a handle, what is it then and why is it there?"...

No doubt someone on here will know!

Yes, they definitely used to say 'orange' when the whole of the door was painted pink. Not sure about now though.

 

[matacaster]

There is a (disused) wagon hoist which used to facilitate goods being raised into the vast railway warehouse by Huddersfield station.

As an aside, the goods warehouse is a very large building which was being restored to convert to offices?, but that seemed to have stalled once the vast roof had been fixed and all the windows replaced (literally hundreds). If someone is looking for Brexit warehouse space, it might be worth considering!

 

[shaun]

The layout of Greenford Station I always found odd. The fact that you have the GWR service terminating in-between two through London Underground lines. Is there anything else like that on either network?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The layout of Greenford Station I always found odd. The fact that you have the GWR service terminating in-between two through London Underground lines. Is there anything else like that on either network?

Not terminating, but the Central Line at Stratford is between main line tracks - so is pretty much the Greenford situation in reverse. Funnily enough, that's the same tube line as well...

 

[JBuchananGB]

Barking is also quite weird. Terminating bay platform for underground sandwiched between eastbound District line and eastbound C2C. Two lines eastbound underground previously mentioned are sandwiched between Overground GOBLIN terminating platform and the eastbound C2C.
Westbound District uses a dive under to find itself between the westbound C2C towards London and the eastbound C2C towards Grays.

 

[Dai Corner]

The layout of Greenford Station I always found odd. The fact that you have the GWR service terminating in-between two through London Underground lines. Is there anything else like that on either network?

Euston DC platforms? They're operated by London Overground and I think main line trains do have access but only use them in exceptional circumstances?

 

[Non Multi]

I suppose this is more of a quirk than an oddity, but some GWR lines still have mile-posts fabricated out of old broad-guage rail. Anyone else know of any other instances where broad-guage rail is still serving a functional purpose?

The metal wall beyond the bufferstops on the Windsor bay at Slough uses bridge rail with what appears to be an end wall made of Barlow rails. At Paddington, bridge rail appears to be used with bullhead for the fence around the hydraulic buffers at the end of platform 11 and 12.

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Slough's Station Jim - where else is there a Victorian stuffed dog in a glass case fundraising on a railway platform? He had a very lucky escape back in 1994.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

The Norfolk swing-bridges have been mentioned up-thread, but there's also one just west of Keadby over the Stainforth & Keadby Canal, and one over the River Ouse at Goole.

Church Stretton has a latitude/longitude stone on the Shrewsbury platform. It's a modern replica but the original is at the Steam museum in Swindon.

The bells at Worcester Foregate Street announcing upcoming trains were mentioned in a recent thread.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The metal wall beyond the bufferstops on the Windsor bay at Slough uses bridge rail with what appears to be an end wall made of Barlow rails. At Paddington, bridge rail appears to be used with bullhead for the fence around the hydraulic buffers at the end of platform 11 and 12.

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Slough's Station Jim - where else is there a Victorian stuffed dog in a glass case fundraising on a railway platform? He had a very lucky escape back in 1994.

Is that the Dog I remember that used to be at Wimbledon Station very many years ago.? I think they may be one one the the National Railway Museum too? (I think I remember also seeing a live dog of a similar breed with a collection tin on it's back at Waterloo Station, again many years ago.

 

[Lucan]

Machines that stamped your name, or whatever you typed in, on a thin aluminium strip for use as an ID tag. Like Dymotape on metal.

 

[dazzler]

The Norfolk swing-bridges have been mentioned up-thread, but there's also one just west of Keadby over the Stainforth & Keadby Canal,

The one at Keadby is even odder, as it lifts slightly, then slides sideways as it swings!

and one over the River Ouse at Goole.

There's another railway swing bridge over the Ouse at Selby Station. The old swing bridge on the former ECML at Naburn is now part of the York - Selby branch of the Transpennine Trail (and no longer swings!)
(For completeness, there are also road swing bridges over the Ouse at Boothferry, Selby and Cawood.)