Macon Heights Halt really needs a proper station

[whittlesfordok]

Channel 4 Electric Dreams The Commuter just watched this and very good but if you had a imaginary town there should be a station as well but what would it look like?

 

[Rick1984]

What was going on with the train? Changed from a class 450 to a loco hauled train. Possibly a class 33 or 31 with mki coaches with desiro doors (possibly painted on).
Thought maybe the Watercress Line?

 

[Spartacus]

I thought at one brief point there was a thumper involved, though mostly it looks like a 50. Considering the nature of the story I was happy to go along with it, who wouldn't in an ideal world prefer a 50 or thumper to a 450, despite in reality being slower.

Heck, preserved railways, or the reasons many enthusiasts have for visiting them could be a good analogy of the show!

 

[yorksrob]

Enjoyed the show very much.

In terms of the station, according to the story, Macon Heights was a new town planned some time in the post war period, and is clearly on the Southern Region.

My guess would be that it would look like one of the Southerns new stations, built out of Exmouth Junction's concrete components with some BR modern style buildings. Possibly thinking Hurst Green here.

Anyhow, all that jumping in and out of moving trains would have been far easier with a VEP or a HAP.

 

[Rick1984]

Also the train calling pattern made no sense. Going to Portsmouth via Alton

 

[D6975]

Macon Heights was a new town planned some time in the post war period, and is clearly on the Southern Region.

More than that, it was specifically mentioned that it was on the Alton branch.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

More than that, it was specifically mentioned that it was on the Alton branch.

So it's a town that is nowhere to be seen and that is on a line to nowhere.

 

[rich r]

In the book it's between Jacksonville and Lewisburg - 30 miles from Jacksonville on the B-Train line. Funnily enough, there's now a suburb of Jacksonville (Arkansas) that's called Macon Heights, and it doesn't have a station.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The "fake Desiro" was quite impressively done I thought. Appeared to have a real Desiro door attached on by the van where it was opened.

 

[Rick1984]

I did wonder if the change wasn't disguised to go with the surreal nature of the place

 

[mikestone1952]

Interesting use of Poundbury as the town, given its own actual falsity.

 

[Rick1984]

They said it already had such a surreal quality they didn't need to dress it at all!

 

[Chris125]

The "fake Desiro" was quite impressively done I thought. Appeared to have a real Desiro door attached on by the van where it was opened.

CGI by the looks of it, the carriages were still green in the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYw7h__LLuU

 

[Rick1984]

So it was a Thumper pulled by a class 50? Anyone have idea of the location

 

[Cowley]

So it was a Thumper pulled by a class 50? Anyone have idea of the location

50027 up at the Mid Hants so I've heard.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Also the train calling pattern made no sense. Going to Portsmouth via Alton

Would have been possible in the past.

Farnham, Bentley, Bordon, Longmoor, Liss. The latter being on the Longmoor Military Railway...

Unfortunately the A3 dual carriageway obliterates it at Longmoor.

 

[JohnRegular]

Would have been possible in the past.

Farnham, Bentley, Bordon, Longmoor, Liss. The latter being on the Longmoor Military Railway...

Unfortunately the A3 dual carriageway obliterates it at Longmoor.

Or indeed via Droxford and Fareham before the closure of the Meon Valley Railway.

 

[jadmor]

Acon Heights station was closed by Beechings ghost, hence the need to jump out into the field.