Weirdest Oddities Still on the UK Network?

[theageofthetra]

Arsenal on the Piccadilly Line is the same.

Waterloo and City stations also

 

[Kite159]

How about all the places where trains reverse at intermediate stops which aren't junctions as such (only having two adjacent stations)?

The likes of Bere Alston, Coombe Junction Halt (a particularly odd example because most trains reverse just outside the station), Fort William... You could even include fairly major stations like Swansea in the list.

Castleford doesn't quite fit the definition (even for passenger services, it has three adjacent stations; Woodlesford, Normanton and Glasshoughton), but all trains reverse there despite the fact that the line continues to Sherburn-in-Elmet and Selby... Are there any other stations where all trains reverse/terminate despite there being an extant line that connects to open passenger stations beyond?

Chathill

 

[A Challenge]

How about all the places where trains reverse at intermediate stops which aren't junctions as such (only having two adjacent stations)?

Haselmere, Portsmouth and Southsea, Bournemouth, Poole, Frome (unless you count the Westbury Avoider), Weston-super-Mare, Moreton-in-Marsh, Great Malvern and Corby to name a few, I'm sure there must be many more.

 

[Iskra]

I'm going to nominate Pacers as a weird oddity on the UK network. I've never seen anything like them anywhere else. They are novel and endangered.

 

[Amlag]

The Railway Goldfish pond with surrounding garden at the west end of the Up platform at Totnes.

 

[Amlag]

The little library in the small waiting room at Yeoford station on the former Plymouth to Waterloo main line now only served by Barnstaple line trains.

 

[6Gman]

Go to Barrhill, the instruments are in an office on the platform, not in the box

I seem to recall some years ago a passing loop (Muir of Ord?) where the instruments were in two locations at opposite ends of the platform and the signalman cycled from one to the other as our train sat in the loop.

 

[6Gman]

Are there any stations where road vehicles still drive onto the platforms? Euston maybe?

Llandudno. Taxis park between the platforms.

(Actually, has that stopped following the station ... er ... rebuilding.)

 

[GusB]

I seem to recall some years ago a passing loop (Muir of Ord?) where the instruments were in two locations at opposite ends of the platform and the signalman cycled from one to the other as our train sat in the loop.

I'm not sure about Muir of Ord, but that was certainly the case at Nairn until that part of the line was resignalled.

EDIT - https://www.flickr.com/photos/117648855@N07/15777942286
(Link to photograph of Nairn with signalman cycling along the platform)

 

[6Gman]

The Railway Goldfish pond with surrounding garden at the west end of the Up platform at Totnes.

I'm assuming the goldfish pond within the station buffet at Coventry has long gone?

 

[Killingworth]

Back in the early 80s we were travelling through the mists on a train from Fort William to Crianlarich with windows steamed up and nothing to see when we stopped in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.

Where are we? Youngest spotted something. We're at Portaloo! It was probably Corrour waiting to pass a train in the opposite direction, or might have been Rannoch Moor.

 

[Dieseldriver]

Other than the Grove Park to Bromley North shuttle during peak hours does any other service have a driver rostered to both ends.?

Heathrow Express Terminal 5 shuttle?

 

[mirodo]

How about all the places where trains reverse at intermediate stops which aren't junctions as such (only having two adjacent stations)?

Clitheroe - everything reverses there, with the exception of a couple of trains extended through to Hellifield on Sunday.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Ellesmere Port is a bit like Castleford in that all trains reverse there except that they reverse from both directions.

Not really unique when the same happens at two other places on the same network

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

View attachment 57644 The X1 bus destinations being shown on the PIS at Peterborough has been mentioned before on the forum but it was interesting to also see Swaffham which sadly will never ever see a train service again (Dereham does of course still have a rail link to Wymondham courtesy of the MNR!)

I think Pickering shows up at York Station for theCoastliner Bus.?

 

[Spartacus]

I'm going to nominate Pacers as a weird oddity on the UK network. I've never seen anything like them anywhere else. They are novel and endangered.

You'd be surprised, look up Czech Class 810 and rebuilt 812.

 

[WestRiding]

Why doesn't that apply to the track too?

Because the signals basically are interlocked with the in-use signals on the mainline, if one on the loop fails, it could affect the working of the mainline signals, and Holmes LC etc

 

[Esker-pades]

Haselmere, Portsmouth and Southsea, Bournemouth, Poole, Frome (unless you count the Westbury Avoider), Weston-super-Mare, Moreton-in-Marsh, Great Malvern and Corby to name a few, I'm sure there must be many more.

But those are seperate services. I thought it referred to a single service, rather than a train terminating and then forming another service.

 

[A Challenge]

But those are seperate services. I thought it referred to a single service, rather than a train terminating and then forming another service.

Possibly it did, we would need @mallard to confirm.

 

[mallard]

Possibly it did, we would need @mallard to confirm.

If I understand the query... I was referring to stations where all (passenger) trains terminate/reverse. I think most of those stations do have "through" services, even if they're very infrequent as with Corby.

 

[Iskra]

You'd be surprised, look up Czech Class 810 and rebuilt 812.

They look interesting. Are they still in service?

I bet the chassis wasn't based on that of a freight wagon though!

 

[Spartacus]

They look interesting. Are they still in service?

I bet the chassis wasn't based on that of a freight wagon though!

Heaven knows what they're based on, but they can only do 50mph. The suspension looks quite similar to a pacer's especially the pre-production prototypes, and as far as I know they're still in service.

 

[theageofthetra]

The Railway Goldfish pond with surrounding garden at the west end of the Up platform at Totnes.

Similar on London end of up slow/down fast platform at Elmstead Woods

 

[headshot119]

Darsham level crossing is slightly odd. In the up direction it is worked as if it was an AOCL+B, with stop board, red white flashing light and obligation to check the crossing. In the down direction its a normal AHB.

It's an AHBC crossing, there's nothing odd about it really

 

[EveningStar]

I seem to recall some years ago a passing loop (Muir of Ord?) where the instruments were in two locations at opposite ends of the platform and the signalman cycled from one to the other as our train sat in the loop.

Was standard Highland Railway practice to have instruments in the main station building and simple unstaffed boxes at each end of the passing loop. At the expense of a lot of too and fro, this saved on staff, which made a lot of sense for an impoverished railway with infrequent trains and, apparently, a causal attitude to timekeeping.

Articles for Achnasheen West https://signalbox.org/gallery/sc/achnasheenwest.php and East https://signalbox.org/gallery/sc/achnasheeneast.php.

I'm not sure about Muir of Ord, but that was certainly the case at Nairn until that part of the line was resignalled.

EDIT - https://www.flickr.com/photos/117648855@N07/15777942286 (Link to photograph of Nairn with signalman cycling along the platform)

Nairn West and East are both listed and the buildings are, I believe, the last serving Highland 'pair'.

 

[Belperpete]

They look interesting. Are they still in service?

Czech railbuses still in use on various lines. They ride as well as Pacers! See:
https://www.likealocalguide.com/prague/prazsky-semmering

 

[Belperpete]

Getting back to UK oddities, at Red Cow Crossing in Exeter can pedestrians still walk across the crossing when the barriers are down? This used to be controlled by an attendant, with special indicators so the attendant can see which line a train is coming on. You can see the walking route around the barriers, and the special indicators here:
http://abcrailwayguide.uk/red-cow-private-level-crossing-devon#.XDSm5lz7TIU

 

[Cowley]

Getting back to UK oddities, at Red Cow Crossing in Exeter can pedestrians still walk across the crossing when the barriers are down? This used to be controlled by an attendant, with special indicators so the attendant can see which line a train is coming on. You can see the walking route around the barriers, and the special indicators here:
http://abcrailwayguide.uk/red-cow-private-level-crossing-devon#.XDSm5lz7TIU

Yes that's absolutely still the case. The board which says '5U' for example (platform 5 Up) is also accompanied by a very satisfying "Dring!" noise from a loud bell when the numbers come up.

Another nice little local oddity is the words 'TOPSHAM' spelled out in topiary on Topsham station opposite the disused signal box (my Grandmother actually used to tend to it years ago.

 

[xotGD]

At Bingley there is a model of a narrowboat in the station garden.

Change here for the 5 Rise Locks.

 

[theageofthetra]

There's one of the few remaining coal tax obelisks just London side of Swanley on the down line. Its just outside the boundary fence but visible from the train. I think there is one other in North London?