Stations not known by their "official" names?

[Krokodil]

Think about all the London terminal stations owned by Network Rail. No one ever calls it London (station name), just the normal name.

There's a legend of an Irishman (who may or may not have been inebriated) at Holyhead who asked for "Heuston". He was (understandably) misheard and directed to a London train.

Oxenholme The Lake District is the silliest - why not Kendal or Windermere Jcn?

Because the station is in Oxenholme and Kendal has its own station.

My late father used to call Cardiff Central by it's old name of Cardiff General. Possibly still happens with older generations if they remember it being called that?

The dominos on Cardiff Panel still showed "Cardiff General" until the very end.

Abergele & Pensarn is often known as just 'Pensarn' station to locals.

A few years ago some numpty Probation Officer wrote out a warrant from "Pensarn" to Colwyn Bay for one of his clients from Pensarn, Conwy. "Pensarn" is a request stop on the Cambrian. Tickets paid for with warrants must be issued exactly as directed by the warrant which meant I had no choice but to enter a fare worth ten times the correct one.

 

[Uncle Buck]

A reverse of this - a station that could perhaps do with more specificity - is ‘University’ station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, which serves Sunderland Uni (and even then, only one of that Unis two campuses in Sunderland). You can get a direct train there from Newcastle Airport and I do wonder how many international students heading for Newcastle or Northumbria Unis end up in Sunderland by mistake, instead of alighting at Haymarket.

Pity the unfortunate tourists who, embarking on an excursion from London to Shakespeare’s beautiful birthplace, find themselves wandering around the Borough of Newham, wondering how it took so little time- and where the river Avon is…

 

[izvor]

Sevenoaks was referred to locally as Tubs Hill long after that designation was dropped (by 1950), I remember it well. Whether it still lingers on I don't know.

Anyone here from Hull (Paragon)?

 

[tfw756rider]

A few years ago some numpty Probation Officer wrote out a warrant from "Pensarn" to Colwyn Bay for one of his clients from Pensarn, Conwy. "Pensarn" is a request stop on the Cambrian. Tickets paid for with warrants must be issued exactly as directed by the warrant which meant I had no choice but to enter a fare worth ten times the correct one.

Oh gosh! I actually know what you're talking about as well, because my residential school, for the more than 4 years I went to it, gave me (correct) ones to get train tickets to get home (over 70 miles away) on term-time Friday evenings and back to school on term-time Sunday evenings (and to go home at the start of a holiday and back to school at the end of it of course).

 

[mikeg]

I wish I'd taken a screenshot, but TPE recently advertised a job at 'Thirsk Junction' railway station. Hasn't been called that for a while, nor have I heard anyone ever call it that outside a historical context!

 

[izvor]

Hardly anyone calls "Borough Green & Wrotham" by its full name, usually "Borough Green" is sufficient. Even automated platform announcements don't include "& Wrotham", usually only the onboard automated announcements do this.

True. Except... when there's a rail replacement bus involved the auto announcements use "& Wrotham". And pronounce it wrong. It's not pronounced like Rotherham!

 

[William3000]

Think about all the London terminal stations owned by Network Rail. No one ever calls it London (station name), just the normal name. By this logic, London Bridge's "normal name" would be just 'Bridge'!

I always use the London prefix, which seems common among those who don’t use said stations very regularly. I think in the past mainline stations in London didn’t have the London prefix. When in London, Birmingham, Manchester etc., I tend to drop the prefix but when outside I tend to use them. Similarly locals often shorten stations like King’s Lynn to Lynn and Bishop’s Stortford to Stortford

 

[Barnsley]

Anyone here from Hull (Paragon)?

Currently on nights here! Everyone in Hull refers to it as Paragon, I answer the phone with 'Hull Paragon', all Network Rail diagrams etc are titled Hull Paragon, The Bus Station is called Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull based Guards usually announce it by it's full name

 

[uglymonkey]

Tavistock North was always referred too almost up until closure by locals , long after Tavistock South closed. Letchworth is another one, they changed the signs years ago to Letchworth Garden City, but everyone still calls it Letchworth. Personally I don't like the " London" ( Euston, St Pancras International etc) but I understand why it's like that. Why is it not London,London Bridge? Why not put London at the start of any station there to avoid confusing anyone? London Surbiton, London Bromley??)

 

[Djgr]

How frequently do people say the Parkway bit of station names, either where it's clear what the station is (Luton Airport, Southampton Airport) or where there aren't any others by its named settlement (Tiverton, Bodmin)?

I've never heard anyone referring to Liverpool South.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

In my experience Penrith North Lakes is more often shortened to either just "Penrith", or extended to "Penrith, for the North Lakes", but never anywhere in-between. The signage and announcements will either say one or the other, just not the official station name itself as I understand it. The entrance sign said "Penrith The North Lakes" when it was managed by Virgin, but since Avanti took charge it seems to now be written as "Penrith North Lakes" even though the on-board announcements only refer to it as "Penrith".

I think the addition of North Lakes was just a bit of Virgin razzmatazz.

 

[aliceh]

Much to SWR's dismay, nobody here uses the full name of "Pokesdown for Boscombe". It's just Pokesdown.

 

[WestAnglian]

Redcar? I'm not a regular, but never heard anyone ask for Redcar Central

You've Redcar East next door so Redcar will need qualification sometimes.

 

[wimbledonpete]

I had a younger colleague who referred to Tooting as "Tooting Junction", which it hasn't been for 90ish years, so no idea where he got that from - he wasn't a railway enthusiast or anything, possibly preserved local usage.

 

[The exile]

A few years ago some numpty Probation Officer wrote out a warrant from "Pensarn" to Colwyn Bay for one of his clients from Pensarn, Conwy. "Pensarn" is a request stop on the Cambrian. Tickets paid for with warrants must be issued exactly as directed by the warrant which meant I had no choice but to enter a fare worth ten times the correct one.

I have often wondered just how far I would have got on the hand written ticket I was once (about 40 years ago) issued with in return for the princely sum of 30p. A single from Brustol Temple Meads (printed) to (handwritten) Clifton. (“Down” presumably taken as read) I think trying to get to Manchester on it would have been pushing my luck.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

Much to SWR's dismay, nobody here uses the full name of "Pokesdown for Boscombe". It's just Pokesdown.

Quite correctly “for xyz” is a description- not part of the name, any more than the wonderfully wordy GWR “change here for a,b,c and d” was.

 

[Bill57p9]

Prestwick International Airport station is more usually known as "Prestwick Airport", however the station signage states "Glasgow Prestwick Airport".

Meanwhile half a mile away, Prestwick Town is Prestwick (Strathclyde) in the fares system.

 

[Killingworth]

There's a new station proposed at Waverley, on the site of the Battle of Orgreave! That might lead to interesting misdirections.

Hull was known locally as Paragon Street station when I lived there 50 years ago. Cannon Street closed in 1924.

The Midland Railway lived on a long time in the names of many of its old stations sited close to those of other companies.

Chesterfield Central (Great Central Railway) is remembered but probably not terminal station Market Place Chesterfield closed in 1951. Chesterfield Midland survives, although Midland is now being forgotten..

 

[A S Leib]

Meanwhile half a mile away, Prestwick Town is Prestwick (Strathclyde) in the fares system

Slightly further up is Howwood (Renfrewshire) to avoid confusion with How Wood (Hertfordshire), which could cause confusion in the rare chance somebody asks for a ticket from somewhere like Wigan where the prices are similar (or unpredictable for infrequent travellers due to distance) and doesn't check what they've been sold too carefully.

 

[Falcon1200]

Friend who lives in Paisley always refers to Paisley Canal as 'Canal Street station'.

Railway staff, but probably not the public, sometimes shorten longer names, eg Bishopbriggs became 'the Briggs' and Cambuslang 'the Lang'.

 

[InOban]

Connel Ferry is just Connel - since there hasn't been a Ferry since Connel Bridge opened over 100 years ago.

 

[stuu]

Most people just say "Clapham", it's only people on here who get funny about it and say "do you mean Clapham Junction, Clapham (Yorks) or Clapham Common/park)

Not anyone who lives locally, as Clapham Junction is a distinct place to Clapham High St

 

[Magdalia]

Similarly locals often shorten stations like King’s Lynn to Lynn and Bishop’s Stortford to Stortford

Also Downham, Bury, Ashwell and Letchworth.

Railway staff, but probably not the public, sometimes shorten longer names, eg Bishopbriggs became 'the Briggs' and Cambuslang 'the Lang'.

In pre-electric days Cambridge drivers went to the Street and the Cross, and that usage was also common with enthusiasts.

The station called Colchester is 1 mile north of the city centre, and is known locally as "North Station".

That name is used by railway staff and it appears on the front of buses, but I don't think it's ever had any official status.

This only became an issue when St Botolphs was renamed Colchester Town.

In Cambridge we are also having increasing difficulty distinguishing between the old station, that has no suffix, and the new stations North and South.

 

[Pete 1981]

I still refer to Stockport as Edgeley. They dropped the Edgeley name when the other station in the town centre, Tiviot Dale closed

 

[David Burrows]

Lincoln Central is often seen in many official places despite Lincoln St Marks having closed in 1985.

Lincoln 'Central' appears on most if not all station platform displays at EMR stations and is often announced on trains the same.

 

[contrex]

Most people just say "Clapham", it's only people on here who get funny about it and say "do you mean Clapham Junction, Clapham (Yorks) or Clapham Common/park)

Or Clapham High Street station on the South London Line, that I knew as 'Clapham', as it was named thus from 1937 to 1989 (when I was 37)?

 

[Bill57p9]

Slightly further up is Howwood (Renfrewshire) to avoid confusion with How Wood (Hertfordshire), which could cause confusion in the rare chance somebody asks for a ticket from somewhere like Wigan where the prices are similar (or unpredictable for infrequent travellers due to distance) and doesn't check what they've been sold too carefully.

Indeed. In a story arc for this thread, I became aware of the Prestwick Town Vs Strathclyde thing whilst struggling to buy a ticket to there at Southampton Airport Parkway.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Good thread !!
My first job was at a place sometimes pronounced Mack ****h leth or Mackinellie.

A passenger totally threw me as a young "wet behind the ears" 16 year old. He asked me (in a Brummie accent) for a ticket to Persia. I recoiled and thought Persia was somewhere in the Middle East but was a country rather than a town or city. Turns out he want to go to Pershore !!

 

[dcbwhaley]

New Mills New Town is usually called just Newtown by locals

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

I still refer to Stockport as Edgeley. They dropped the Edgeley name when the other station in the town centre, Tiviot Dale closed

Lots of locals still call it Edgeley. And the big junction south of the station is still officially Edgeley Junction
Just as Morley still gets called Morley Low despite Morley Top closing in 1969

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I still refer to Stockport as Edgeley. They dropped the Edgeley name when the other station in the town centre, Tiviot Dale closed

This was May 1968, so a year and a bit after Stockport Tiviot Dale station had closed. Seem to have been quite a few station name 'simplifications' around the GB rail network in the late 1960s, so a few years after Beeching, of which this was perhaps another one.

 

[JRT]

Mansfield says Mansfield Town on the station signs (as shown below) but that's the only place its known as that, online etc. its just Mansfield View attachment 185041

It was also known as Mansfield Town in 1952, to distinguish itself from the GCR's former Mansfield Central and Mansfield Woodhouse stations. It may have been a nod to the fact that it's in the town, rather than nowhere near as mentioned in the former station name Alfreton & Mansfield Parkway. It also is probably used to distinguish itself from nearby Mansfield Woodhouse, which is a separate place with its own station

 

[Steven Taylor]

Not anyone who lives locally, as Clapham Junction is a distinct place to Clapham High St

Fully agree. Clapham Junction station has given its name to the locality, which is in Battersea. Clapham High Street is about 2 kilometres away.
As you leave Clapham Junction station (St John`s exit) there is a large sign saying `Welcome to the heart of Battersea, Clapham Junction~.