Buying tickets to obscure stations: could this work?

[DiscoStu]

I've often wondered whether I could buy a ticket from my home town to some Godforsaken station in deepest, darkest Cornwall, and then use it to travel anywhere in the UK ... the North East maybe, on the premise that the ticket inspector wouldn't actually know where the place was, and would simply stamp the ticket as valid?

I'm not planning on doing such a thing, but just wondered if it were possible.

Any inspectors on here? What would you do if you didn't know where the destination was?

 

[ACE1888]

I've often wondered whether I could buy a ticket from my home town to some Godforsaken station in deepest, darkest Cornwall, and then use it to travel anywhere in the UK ... the North East maybe, on the premise that the ticket inspector wouldn't actually know where the place was, and would simply stamp the ticket as valid?

I'm not planning on doing such a thing, but just wondered if it were possible.

Any inspectors on here? What would you do if you didn't know where the destination was?

Being a Cornish lad, could you tell me where 'Godforsaken' station is and on what line?
Seriously, i would assume most would have a fair knowledge of the network in most places..possibly

 

[Flying Snail]

Possible yes, Advisable no.

Some checkers will not read properly or care when they see an unknown place, some will know and others will check if they don't know the destination. All you would be doing is playing fare evasion roulette.

 

[Greenback]

DiscoStu, you may be surprised at the geographical knowledge fo some railway staff! Even if they don;t know the exact lcoation of a place, they may have an idea of which region it is in!

 

[thewolf]

Given that a fair few ticket office staff around here don't know where Hamstead is, I've often wondered how many guards (who I would assume have even less knowledge of local stations in Birmingham) would know where it is.

That said it does say 'Hamstead Birmingham' on the tickets which probably helps them out.

 

[Eagle]

Using the exact details in your post, DiscoStu, it wouldn't be such a good idea.

Travelling tomorrow:
A single from Northampton to godforsaken Cornwall (Camborne used for reference) is £97
A single from Northampton to Darlington (a representative Northeastern station) is £89

If you wanted to do this properly you'd use a closer to home godforsaken place with an obscure name. I suggest Canley (where I currently live) as that's about as godforsaken as it gets. A single is £9.

Of course the guard might be suspicious as to how a ticket from Northampton to (in her mind) Canley, Perthshire, is under a tenner.

 

[WestCoast]

I started a thread on a similar subject about a month ago,

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49155.

 

[southerner2174]

Quite simple really, put the destination into advantix and see what it comes up with on journey planner, you'll soon be able to see if the person is heading in the right ir wrong direction

 

[ObservationCar]

I'm not encouraging it at all, but I have seen things such as, someone buying a ticket from London to go to a Scotland game getting a very good deal to Hampden Park, only to be issued to a ticket to Hampden Park (in Surrey?). I know many legal loopholes of breaking up tickets to get a cheaper fare, BUT this is not one of them. I have also seen this kind of thing happen due to the ignorance of a booking agent, booking tickets to the wrong Wellingtons, Charring Cross' or Ardwicks.

Going back to the original post, I would suggest that a ticket examiner would have a better knowledge of individual stations in outlying areas as opposed to a suburban station in London and the South East. They would probably guess that LLanfairgenericwelshstation is not in east anglia or Achnascotland is no part of a Godforsaken cornish outpost.

 

[jopsuk]

If you got cuaght, I'd reckon you'd be vulnerable to prosecution.

 

[starrymarkb]

I knew a local basher who managed to get to Yorkshire on a Solent and Severn rover, exploiting the grippers not knowing the boundries. Mind you he also bought ALRs from he who stole an Advantix machine

 

[bnm]

I knew a local basher who managed to get to Yorkshire on a Solent and Severn rover, exploiting the grippers not knowing the boundries. Mind you he also bought ALRs from he who stole an Advantix machine

Know as a friend or mere acquaintance? Was he caught using the fraudulently obtained ALRs? If not and you knew he was using them, did you report it?

 

[DiscoStu]

Thanks for the replies everybody.

As I mentioned in my OP, this isn't something I plan to do, and the details of Northampton and Cornwall arn't set in stone. Was just wondering if you could buy a ticket to an obscure/hardly known place and use it to get to somewhere much further.

Apologies to any Cornish people oi may have offended too

 

[northwichcat]

You're find that place names are quite often a clue to the part of the country the station is in. For instance, names ending in -waite or -cough or usually north of England. You might show a £16.50 Off-Peak Return between Burscough Junction and Ashley to a conductor in Somerset, thinking he won't know where either place is.

The conductor thinks about it - he has an Auntie living in the North West with a surname Myerscough so he double checks where Burscough Junction is - it's in Lancashire so a £16.50 Off-Peak Return from Lancashire is certainly not valid in Somerset.

Some might catch people out though. The first time I heard of Pontefract was when it was on the front of a 156 at Wakefield Westgate. My initial reaction is why is there a direct service to some small place in Wales from Wakefield, as I'd never heard of a town called something started with 'Pont' that is in England.

 

[Greenback]

If a conductor sees an unfamiliar place on a ticket, they will usually make a conversation, as in 'I've never seen a ticket to there before' or' Where's xxxx, never heard of that one'. A lot of rail staff are genuinely interested when they come across somewhere new.

 

[Eagle]

I'd never heard of a town called something started with 'Pont' that is in England.

Pontefract. (Okay, so that's Latin, not Celtic.)

Other regionally distinctive suffixes are -by (north and east), -combe (south and west) and -sted (south and east).

 

[northwichcat]

are -by (north and east)

Which are places where the Vikings settled e.g. West Kirby, Formby, Frankby, Greasby etc.

 

[starrymarkb]

Know as a friend or mere acquaintance? Was he caught using the fraudulently obtained ALRs? If not and you knew he was using them, did you report it?

Work Colleague, and no I didn't get involved. He left us for foreign climes though I hear he's back in the UK now because of "@#*& foreign trains"

 

[Intermodal]

I was once speaking to a fairly old guy on a train, who was a relative of a BR man. He says back in the day PRIV travel used to be that you would have to enter two locations on a card and then you could travel between them and nothing more, not like the current unlimited travel for 2/3 days you get today.

He told me stories of how he would enter his home station and then some obscure station in Scotland and then travel down south or anywhere in the country really. He said it worked very well with no price to tip the Guards/RPIs off until he got caught and got his Dad in a lot of bother!

 

[cuccir]

If one wanted to do this, the best bet would be two nondescript names that refer to streets, parks, pubs, or suburbs, rather than towns: Daisy Hill, North Road, Fairfield, Guide Bridge, Angel Road, Beaulieu Road, Berney Arms, Blackhorse Road, Bowes Park, St Andrews Road, St Johns, South Bank, etc etc etc.

But there's no way that such activity should even be considered for a laugh/out of interest: its pure, and rather cynical, fare evasion (I realise that the OP was not condoning doing it, but I thought I'd just repeat this anyway!). What is interesting about it (I think) is the number of obscurely named stations!

 

[Madge Wildfire]

I think that buying a ticket from (say) Lincoln to Ben Rhydding is your best bet, then see how close to Inverness you can get by insisting it a station deep in the Highlands.

 

[junglejames]

I think that buying a ticket from (say) Lincoln to Ben Rhydding is your best bet, then see how close to Inverness you can get by insisting it a station deep in the Highlands.

Id say that was a bad idea. As soon as you hit Northern England or Scotland, guards will probably know that Ben Rhydding is not in the Highlands. They may not be sure where it is (like im not 100% sure), but like me, they will probably know for a fact it isnt where you say it is. There are so few stations up there, and so few lines, that its not difficult to recognise a station as being up there.
They could then really get you to drop yourself in it. Instead of letting on, they then ask if you are intending to head up to Inverness and change there (lets say you are on an EC service to Edinburgh). You say yes, and bang, not only have you brought an incorrect ticket, and then lied about where it is. But you have now just admitted you intend to head all the way to Inverness on this ticket. Thus admitting point blank that you intend to go fare dodging and to steal from the railways. That would be far too easy to prosecute against. Someone as good as admitting to it. Expect a far harsher punishment than usual.
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If one wanted to do this, the best bet would be two nondescript names that refer to streets, parks, pubs, or suburbs, rather than towns: Daisy Hill, North Road, Fairfield, Guide Bridge, Angel Road, Beaulieu Road, Berney Arms, Blackhorse Road, Bowes Park, St Andrews Road, St Johns, South Bank, etc etc etc.

Beaulieu Road. It may say Road at the end, but it clearly refers to quite a famous town/ village. Famous for the motor museum, and for being one of the most well known places in the New Forest. I reckon most guards would know where Beaulieu Road was. Not a good example me thinks. Plus it only needs them to smell a small rat, and they check everything.

 

[cuccir]

Beaulieu Road. It may say Road at the end, but it clearly refers to quite a famous town/ village. Famous for the motor museum, and for being one of the most well known places in the New Forest. I reckon most guards would know where Beaulieu Road was. Not a good example me thinks. Plus it only needs them to smell a small rat, and they check everything.

I give you the latter point, which is even more reason (other than the fraud!) for not doing it. However, Beaulieu Road need not be near Beualieu: place names are often used for road names eg a search for 'Cheltenham Road' has pulled up 8 streets named 'Cheltenham' for me on Google Maps in the North East of England.