Why do people refer to the London - Brighton line as the 'BML'?

[pompeyfan]

I think NSE had it spot on south of the Thames with the South Western, South Eastern and South Central Main Lines (although referring to the Great Western as “Thames” and the West Coast and Midland both as “North” is less well thought out).

Brighton is only a little seaside town of no particular importance other than its proximity to London. There are plenty more famous seaside towns that can only dream of having a “Main Line” named after them (Southport, Morecambe, Whitby, Cleethorpes etc) and plenty more with no rail access left at all, so it can think itself lucky it remained so well connected, whatever the LB&SC line is called.

I’m hoping this was said tongue in cheek to ruffle a few feathers. If it was then it clearly worked!!

 

[Domh245]

Brighton is only a little seaside town of no particular importance other than its proximity to London. There are plenty more famous seaside towns that can only dream of having a “Main Line” named after them (Southport, Morecambe, Whitby, Cleethorpes etc

Brighton (290,885)
Southport (91,703)
Morecambe (34,678)
Whitby (13,213)
Cleethorpes (38,996)

It's been a pretty prominent destination every since the railway arrived - primarily because of the proximity to London, making it the "default resort" for a city with a population of millions

 

[Robertj21a]

I think NSE had it spot on south of the Thames with the South Western, South Eastern and South Central Main Lines (although referring to the Great Western as “Thames” and the West Coast and Midland both as “North” is less well thought out).

Brighton is only a little seaside town of no particular importance other than its proximity to London. There are plenty more famous seaside towns that can only dream of having a “Main Line” named after them (Southport, Morecambe, Whitby, Cleethorpes etc) and plenty more with no rail access left at all, so it can think itself lucky it remained so well connected, whatever the LB&SC line is called.

Do you want to correct that 2nd paragraph.......

 

[507020]

I’m hoping this was said tongue in cheek to ruffle a few feathers. If it was then it clearly worked!!

Yes it did didn’t it…

Brighton (290,885)
Southport (91,703)
Morecambe (34,678)
Whitby (13,213)
Cleethorpes (38,996)

Well that showed me with the populations, although there are towns with half the population of Southport that have direct services to London as well as other long distance destinations, but ~35000 is not an insignificant number of people. Combined with the wider areas of Lancaster and Grimsby their populations will be larger. Whitby is of course famous for its breaded scampi and an annual goth festival.

Typical 'Northern Ignorance', Brighton has been a city since 2000.

It’s not ignorance. Preston has been a city since 2002 but no one in the north seems to care in the slightest. It can’t even be reached from Southport, despite being closer than Liverpool.

Do you want to correct that 2nd paragraph.......

Done.

The City of Brighton and Hove (population 290,885) is of great importance, its proximity to London making it the default seaside resort for millions of people since at least the opening of the LB&SCR. Are you happy now?

 

[vlad]

Typical 'Northern Ignorance', Brighton has been a city since 2000.

No. Brighton & Hove is the city - that's the administrative area. Brighton is merely a town within an area with city status and therefore has no more right to call itself a city than places like Sutton Coldfield, Paddington or Southsea, which are also areas within cities.

 

[507020]

No. Brighton & Hove is the city - that's the administrative area. Brighton is merely a town within an area with city status and therefore has no more right to call itself a city than places like Sutton Coldfield, Paddington or Southsea, which are also areas within cities.

But Sutton Coldfield is of course royal, in that it is The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, as is Royal Leamington Spa.

 

[snowball]

It's remarkable how many places that have the Royal prefix already have more than one word in their names: Sutton Coldfield, Leamington Spa, Wootton Bassett, Tunbridge Wells

 

[Taunton]

Brighton is only a little seaside town of no particular importance other than its proximity to London. There are plenty more famous seaside towns that can only dream of having a “Main Line” named after them (Southport, Morecambe, Whitby, Cleethorpes etc)

Severn Beach Main Line

 

[185]

Typical 'Northern Ignorance', Brighton has been a city since 2000.

Southern thieves nicked our Bidston Main Line

Wider point though, a lot of those using jargon et al on here does baffle many newcomers and perhaps we should to some extent consider this when posting.

 

[ExRes]

I have to say that in all the years I worked for BR, NSE and the railway in general, the travelling and commuting between London, Three Bridges and Brighton for more years than I care to remember, I never came across the description Brighton Main Line, it was the Main Line, nothing more, nothing less

 

[Mordac]

I have to say that in all the years I worked for BR, NSE and the railway in general, the travelling and commuting between London, Three Bridges and Brighton for more years than I care to remember, I never came across the description Brighton Main Line, it was the Main Line, nothing more, nothing less

Brighton, the centre of the universe.

 

[ExRes]

Brighton, the centre of the universe.

Brighton has certainly never been the centre of my universe, the County Ground Hove maybe ....

 

[Minstral25]

Brighton, the centre of the universe.

Correct

 

[507020]

I have to say that in all the years I worked for BR, NSE and the railway in general, the travelling and commuting between London, Three Bridges and Brighton for more years than I care to remember, I never came across the description Brighton Main Line, it was the Main Line, nothing more, nothing less

The main line of what? The SouthCentral division of NSE or the previous Southern region of BR? That would make sense.

Brighton, the centre of the universe.

Being located a good 35 miles closer to Dundee than the likes of Brighton, comments like this baffle me. Fort William is only 5 miles further than Brighton and Aberdeen only 15. (In a straight line)

Going the same distance from Brighton in the opposite direction you end up 55 miles south of Paris! That must make it a reasonable place for the centre of the universe.

 

[Darandio]

Brighton can be the centre of whatever it wants to be. Still ain't as good as Whitby.

 

[507020]

Brighton can be the centre of whatever it wants to be. Still ain't as good as Whitby.

Exactly, but to get to Whitby you have to reverse at Battersby! Wouldn’t an extension of the TPE service along the coast from Scarborough make more sense?

 

[Darandio]

Exactly, but to get to Whitby you have to reverse at Battersby! Wouldn’t an extension of the TPE service along the coast from Scarborough make more sense?

Probably doesn't make much sense today, the line has been closed over 50 years.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Exactly, but to get to Whitby you have to reverse at Battersby! Wouldn’t an extension of the TPE service along the coast from Scarborough make more sense?

Probably doesn't make much sense today, the line has been closed over 50 years.

And one would still have had to reverse at Whitby West Cliff station.

Drifting a tad off topic though.