What is the best unofficial name for a railway line?

[Western Sunset]

The three-letter station code for Poole is rather unfortunate...

 

[gingertom]

Perhaps if it becomes divided, opportunities may arise for the Chris Evans Line, Ben Stokes, Garfield?

or me.

 

[Maude673]

I can assure you that no one from Glasgow has ever referred to the Subway as that. Sadly we have the tabloid journalists to thank for that.

I’m from Glasgow and I know people who do. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Busaholic]

The Misery Line was the Evening Standard's name for the Northern Line (coined in 1972?) which caught on.

 

[Taunton]

Then there was the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead - WC & P

Old lady at Weston GWR station : "Stationmaster, your porter has just been appallingly rude to me".
Stationmaster : "That doesn't sound like Old Jim at all. I'll go and speak to him".

Stationmaster : "What did you say to the old lady".
Old Jim : "Nothin' particular. She'd just missed her connection to Portishead, so all I said was 'Madam, in that case the best you can do is go to the WC&P' ".

 

[BrianW]

or me.

 

[dk1]

Many would be instantly deleted if posted on here as not politically correct these days. One that always makes me chuckle however is the Felixstowe branch which staff a few years ago christened ‘The Fake Burberry Line’ lol.

 

[AgeoftheTrain7]

TransPennine Express = TransPennineDistress

 

[BrianW]

Somewhere then- The Politically Correct Line?

... or Incorrect ...

The Offensive Line- Ely to Kings Lynn via South West Norfolk- Liz Truss's current constituency

 

[Alex365Dash]

The three-letter station code for Poole is rather unfortunate...

Send it to Bognor Regis!

 

[miklcct]

My favourites are:

• The Drain (Waterloo & City line) - which describes the function elegantly
• Lizzie line (Elizabeth line) - so cute

 

[xotGD]

The Marsden Rattler

 

[yorksrob]

The Tivvy bumper.

 

[Hadders]

Not a line but platfiorms 8-11 at Euston are known as The Wood.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not a line but platfiorms 8-11 at Euston are known as The Wood.

What's the background behind that? I have never heard it, I have only heard them referred to as the suburban platforms.

 

[Airline Man]

The London, Tilbury and Southend was always known as the 'Misery Line', fortunately not now.

 

[snowball]

It would be nice were the Goblin Line to became its official name because of popular usage.

"The Goblin" would be fine, but definitely not "the Goblin Line". It's already got Line inside it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

"The Goblin" would be fine, but definitely not "the Goblin Line". It's already got Line inside it.

Indeed, it's the Gospel Oak to Barking LINe.

 

[Hadders]

Not a line but platfiorms 8-11 at Euston are known as The Wood.

@ChiefPlanner or @Bald Rick will confirm but it's because in the pre-1965 station those platforms were made of wood.

 

[newtownmgr]

‘The Bumble Hole’. Branch line from Blowers Green on the Stourbridge-Dudley line to Old Hill on the Stourbridge-Snow Hill line.

 

[BrianW]

@ChiefPlanner or @Bald Rick will confirm but it's because in the pre-1965 station those platforms were made of wood.

The Lawn at Paddington? The decking?

 

[Ashley Hill]

There used to be the Triangle of Doom at Exeter (Exmouth,Paignton and Barnstaple). Now since Okehampton it’s the Square of Despair!
Laira was always known as Fantasy Island.

 

[Cowley]

There used to be the Triangle of Doom at Exeter (Exmouth,Paignton and Barnstaple). Now since Okehampton it’s the Square of Despair!
Laira was always known as Fantasy Island.

Once Axminster gets included it’ll have to be the Quadrangle of something.

Re ‘The Mule’ no I’m not sure where that comes from either but it does kind of suit it.

 

[Dai Corner]

Once Axminster gets included it’ll have to be the Quadrangle of something.

The Pathetic Pentagon?

 

[Cowley]

The Pathetic Pentagon?

The Pentagram of Pants?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Once Axminster gets included it’ll have to be the Quadrangle of something.

We go to Axminster once a day so we’ll have to come up with something. However,you’ll never do all five lines in a day so I doubt it’ll get a nickname.

 

[Gloster]

A plan to build a line around the west side of Aberdeen was nicknamed the Circumbendibus.

 

[boiledbeans2]

Earlier this year, I was at Romford, when a man asked a TfL staff, "Is the push & pull running?"

Now, as I've been a good student and have read Wikipedia, I knew what he meant (It was also my first time hearing that name used in the field).

The TfL member of staff was utterly confused, so I jumped in and said, "yeah, it's running", as I was heading for the push & pull as well.

 

[Basil Jet]

The Pathetic Pentagon?

Pentagony.

 

[Grecian 1998]

I've heard two explanations regarding the Mule for Waterloo - Exeter.

1. It used to have a lot of jointed track and early MkIIs with open windows into the 1990s, so you could travel long distance at 85mph enjoying a train rattling over jointed track with a 'clip clop' sound. Both now gone of course.

2. It was the Cinderella route to the south-west so was a mule compared to the Berks & Hants thoroughbred horse (although that wasn't particularly fast till improved around 1980s when the HSTs arrived).

No idea if either is true though.