Trivia: Current stations which used to have more platforms.

[317663]

Not sure if theres a thread already.
Moderators feel free to move.
Just want to know stations that have for example 2 platforms but had maybe 4 a few years ago. feel free to give us a link to where the info is from if you want and maybe why they demolished the platforms.

Ill start with a good example.
EPSOM DOWNS which i think used to have a rediculous number. Nine and now only has... one due to signal box destruction in 1981 i think.
location; South london, Sutton and mole valley lines (please correct if possible) no service on sunday.

Feel free to use closed stations that had a history of more platforms... eg. West croydon, waddon marsh,
WALLINGTON (can someone please tellme if it had more platforms because im not sure)
or Cheam (middle fast platforms never built hence the large gap between the tracks)

 

[dysonsphere]

I would guess the list is so long it would get boring quickly.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'll exclude former junction platforms (like at Accrington):

Blackburn had 8 (I think) until resignalling when Preston PSB was commissioned back in the early 1970s;
Bolton's former p5 and Stirling's former p1 are now car parks;
Crewe had a lot more behind what is now p12, removed in the 1970s / early 1980s I think;
Folkestone Central had its southern-most island taken out of use in the 1990s as cross-Channel traffic declined;
One of Charing Cross or Cannon St had an extra platform until the 1980s, when resignalling removed one;
Halifax's old p3 survives as part of the nearby Eureka complex.

 

[Rapidash]

Barnstaple, Exmouth, Newton Abbot spring to mind.

 

[Whistler40145]

Guide Bridge had 4, but now has 2.


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[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manchester Victoria once had 17 platforms (including the east-facing goods bay platform 17) in its height of usage of which platforms 1 to 10 were all east-facing bay platforms. These bay platforms carried many of the local northern-area services to areas that were affected by the closure programme in the Beeching era and the Bury line was one of the first two local heavy-rail lines to be converted to the Manchester Metrolink system. The former platforms 9 and 10 were retained for use and renumbered platforms 1 and 2. In part of the remaining area that was cleared, at first a 2-platform island platform was constructed to serve the Manchester Victoria stop of the Manchester Metrolink system, that will eventually be extended to three platform faces.

The area of the former platforms 11 to 17 which had six through lines was changed when the large arena area was built over those platforms and a four platform revised through station pattern with only four through lines was established, carrying platform numbers 3 to 6.

So what was once the flagship railway station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway with 17 platforms is now but a shadow of its former self with only 6 platforms.

 

[Bevan Price]

A few I can think of:-
Manchester Victoria. Now 6, was 17 (although platform 17 was a short, rarely used bay)
Chester. (Lost 2 platforms at west end, plus 1 disused platform at east end.)
Liverpool Lime St. (former platforms 10/11 are gone)
Preston. Former parcels platforms were originally passenger platforms 1&2. Former East Lancs platforms demolished.
St. Helens Central - lost 2 platforms.
St. Helens Junction - lost one platform.
Blackpool South - lost 3 platforms.
Warrington Bank Quay - lost 2 bay platforms at north end.
Wigan North Western - lost 4 platforms when rebuilt in 1970s.

 

[trentside]

Both Spalding and March had 7 platforms - now both have just 2.

Lincoln Central had 8 platforms originally, and now has 5 in use plus one disused. Two of the original bay platforms (1 & 2) are buried under the station car park and the old platform 8 is still in situ without track and a little overgrown.

 

[mildertduck]

Durham station had lots (from the old photos I've seen, I *think* 8, but happy to be corrected) ... now it has 2.

 

[Techniquest]

Leominster used to have 4, but after closure of the line to Worcester and to New Radnor went in 1955 they were no longer needed. Looking at the station now you'd not think it used to be a fairly significant interchange station in the area.

Cardiff Central lost platform 5 many years back, talk of reinstating it comes back up now and again but never gets anywhere.

Can't think of others off the top of my head, except maybe Abergavenny.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Newbury used to have two bays at the west end, one on each side of the line; both have long since been filled in and used as part of the car parks. They lost their use when the Lambourn Valley Railway closed.

 

[yorksrob]

EPSOM DOWNS which i think used to have a rediculous number, 8 (correction?) and now only has... one due to signal box destruction in 1981 i think.

Nine in the good old days.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I'm sure the number of stations with platforms removed will be in the hundreds. Many will have had bays at the end of long-gone branch lines, or platforms predominantly used for parcels, produce, coal or other non-passenger uses.

Many of these former platforms (with the trackbed filled in) are now car parks.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Both Bradford stations had many more in days gone by, with just 7 spread between the two of them now. Normanton was a major junction with multiple islands, but is now a rather overgrown unstaffed halt with just two rather exposed platforms.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Hellifield once had bays at either end of the island platform. Burton upon Trent also had a bay platform at the Tamworth end of the station. Garsdale had a 3rd platform for trains to Hawes.

Perhaps the most startling example is Ambergate where the original station was in the form of a triangle with I think six platforms. All of this has been swept away with one solitary platform on the Matlock branch.

 

[topydre]

Aberystwyth 5 ->1
Pwllheli 4 -> 1

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Still trying to pull out exotic, non-Beeching ones. I believe all of the following are correct, but by all means correct me:

Whitehaven lost its p3 back in the 1980s - it acted as a southbound through platform IIRC;
Ardrossan SB, West Kilbride and Fairlie lost their old Glasgow platforms when the Largs / Ardrossan line was juiced in the 1980s;
Newcastle used to have a lot (perhaps DaveNewcastle or another local could say just how many) of bays at the Scotland end for the various Tyneside Electrics, all of which were gradually lost as Metro conversion occurred. However, I believe it gained a whole new island platform (p5-8?) during ECML electrification;
On a similar note, Manors lost all bar two of its 8 (9?) platforms;
Hull lost a lot of platforms back in the 1980s and retained its northernmost bays only;
Stockport used to have another couple of bays in its island platforms - the one at the north end of p1/2 was the last to go back in the 80s / 90s.

 

[Manchester77]

Manchester Oxford Road looks to have some disused bays next to platform 5.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manchester Oxford Road looks to have some disused bays next to platform 5.

Just the one bay where platform 6 used to be.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

. . .
Newcastle used to have a lot (perhaps DaveNewcastle or another local could say just how many) of bays at the Scotland end for the various Tyneside Electrics, all of which were gradually lost as Metro conversion occurred. However, I believe it gained a whole new island platform (p5-8?) during ECML electrification;
On a similar note, Manors lost all bar two of its 8 (9?) platforms;

I'm sorry that I don't know the number during the era of the Tyneside electrics, though I can confirm that you are absolutely correct that at least 3 east-facing bay platforms have gone. Similarly, the west facing bays included platforms north west of the main roofline - within what is now the staff car-park.

There is this aerial image of Newcastle Central Station in 1929 on skyscrapercity, where the previous Central Station, and the larger goods depot are in the foreground. The 'new' central station is half way up the left of the image, but Manors station, which had been the terminus of the line to Scotland is not really distinguishable just a mile beyond Central.

 

[Manchester77]

Just the one bay where platform 6 used to be.

It always looked to me like there was a Piccadilly facing bay but I guess that's just the way the old platform 6 was removed. Weird how the OHLE is still strung for platform 6 even though there's no track!

 

[TheKnightWho]

Still trying to pull out exotic, non-Beeching ones. I believe all of the following are correct, but by all means correct me:

Whitehaven lost its p3 back in the 1980s - it acted as a southbound through platform IIRC;
Ardrossan SB, West Kilbride and Fairlie lost their old Glasgow platforms when the Largs / Ardrossan line was juiced in the 1980s;
Newcastle used to have a lot (perhaps DaveNewcastle or another local could say just how many) of bays at the Scotland end for the various Tyneside Electrics, all of which were gradually lost as Metro conversion occurred. However, I believe it gained a whole new island platform (p5-8?) during ECML electrification;
On a similar note, Manors lost all bar two of its 8 (9?) platforms;
Hull lost a lot of platforms back in the 1980s and retained its northernmost bays only;
Stockport used to have another couple of bays in its island platforms - the one at the north end of p1/2 was the last to go back in the 80s / 90s.

Just 7 and 8 gained at Newcastle with electrification. They punched a couple of doorways in the old station back, and replaced one of the old running lines with a new double-length platform which serves what was the next running line back again.

Am I correct in thinking that the reason for the loss of most of these is (with a and b and e being the case for the vast majority):

a) Much faster turnarounds than previously, meaning dwell times can be shorter and therefore less space needed even with no decline in services.
b) Branches have closed, meaning fewer terminating services at larger stations requiring their own platforms.
c) Space for carparks hs been needed, and little-used platforms have been given up.
d) Fewer mail and goods deliveries to stations.
e) The use of MUs rather than loco haulage means carriages no longer need to be left in places overnight, leading to the loss of lots of platforms as well as running lines.

I suppose with a lot of these stations it's difficult to say how many platforms they have/had, as many have counted as 1 or 2 separate ones over the years. Newcastle could very easy have 10 for example, if 5 & 6 and 7 & 8 were merged together as they should be and redesignated with a and b. I'd be interested to know what the highest number of platforms any station has ever had was/is, though.

 

[Marton]

Darlington had two bay platforms for Bishop Auckland till the '80s. Access was before the main station.

Northallerton had several including a low level station for a short period. Never sure how the mainline ones were as the station is now on a fairly narrow embankment.


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[Whistler40145]

Windermere had 3 platforms until 1973.


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[overtonchris]

Basingstoke used to have at least 2 extra platforms going back many years - a bay platform at the west end of P1 to serve the long defunct Alton line (used IIRC) up until the 1980s for parcels vans, and at least 1 more platform immediately north of the current P5 that was part of the GWR station. I believe this was demolished C1932!

 

[Welshman]

Halifax's old p3 survives as part of the nearby Eureka complex.

Originally, Halifax had 6 platforms.
You can see the remains of P.4 from the Eureka car-park, and P.5 & 6 [which used to serve the GN lines to Queensbury, Bradford & Keighley] have gone completely.

The old Slaithwaite station used to have 4 platforms, but the new one has only 2.
Further up the line, Marsden also used to have 4, but now has 3.

In its heyday, Rochdale used to have 4 through platforms and a couple of bays at the eastern and western ends.

 

[317663]

I'm trying to find some other stations for here aswell.

Battersea Park used to have 5, one was demolished in 2013.
New malden has a disused fast platform in the middle.
Bath green Park
Streatham Hill used to have a 3rd bay platform but they have now electrified it so it may be back in use... hopefully
I believe Sutton (main) used to have a 5th bay platform for services via mitcham junction.
Jarrow (newcastle) and Pelaw?
Queenstown Road batttersea has a disused overgrown platform but still used for through tains. So does Vauxhall

 

[Bald Rick]

Kings Cross and London Bridge both had several platforms removed in the mid 70s

 

[trentside]

EPSOM DOWNS which i think used to have a rediculous number. Nine and now only has... one due to signal box destruction in 1981 i think.
location; South london, Sutton and mole valley lines (please correct if possible) no service on sunday.

According to London's Local Railways (Alan Jackson) the station boasted eleven tracks, including engine roads - and I think I've worked it out correctly as 9 platforms at its maximum extent. At the time of opening, race traffic was expected for six days of the year, and intense traffic on only 2 or 3 of those. Even from the start, the race traffic was disappointing, according to Jackson, due to a decline in visitors to Epsom Races and competition from road transport. Writing in 1978, he ends the section on the Epsom Downs branch by noting that its future is somewhat questionable - though he also makes the same assessment of Tattenham Corner, and both are still open 36 years later!

 

[edwin_m]

Originally, Halifax had 6 platforms.
You can see the remains of P.4 from the Eureka car-park, and P.5 & 6 [which used to serve the GN lines to Queensbury, Bradford & Keighley] have gone completely.

If I recall, the Eureka building was the original main entrance, then some more platform lines were built so it was "marooned" on an island platform. These tracks have since been removed but the later bridge access is still used as the entrance to the station. Bangor (N Wales) also had its main building marooned in a similar way.