Closed heritage railway stations.

[stadler]

Following on from the recent thread about the three closed Dartmouth Railway stations i have discovered some others too:

• Bala Lake Railway - Bryn Hynod Halt
• Bala Lake Railway - Glan Llyn Halt
• Dartmouth Railway - Goodrington Sands
• Dartmouth Railway - Churston
• Dartmouth Railway - Greenway Halt
• Dean Forest Railway - Saint Marys Halt
• Epping Ongar Railway - Blake Hall
• Llangollen Railway - Corwen East
• Llangollen Railway - Deeside Halt
• Mid Norfolk Railway - Hardingham
• South Devon Railway - Nappers Halt
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Burmarsh Road
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Warren Halt
• West Highland Railway - Hafod Y Llyn

All of these are stations on heritage railways that trains pass through without stopping. They all appear to have intact platforms and many previously had trains stopping there until recently.

I am only talking about stations on heritage railway lines that no longer get any calls. So not sites of railway stations that closed in BR days and the platforms were demolished and never rebuilt.

Does anyone know if any of these other stations on the list are planned to get used again? Or are they likely all permanently closed now?

Also can anyone think of any other closed heritage railway stations that i have missed on my list? It must be a heritage railway station that closed while it was a heritage railway or an intact station and platform that exists on the line but has never had any calls?

 

[D6130]

Bluebell Railway: Freshfield Halt.

Severn Valley Railway: Eardington Halt.

 

[stadler]

Bluebell Railway: Freshfield Halt.

Severn Valley Railway: Eardington Halt.

Am i correct in remembering that Freshfield Halt is the one about two minutes after leaving Sheffield Park station? If you look on the East side of the track there is a very basic short platform?

I thought that Eardington Halt was reopened in 2023 and is now an actual calling point? I think it is only temporarily closed now along with Bridgnorth station due to the landslip that happened?

 

[CarltonA]

I'm not sure if Matlock Riverside sees any use since Peak Rail established a platform in the nearby NR Matlock station.

 

[Iskra]

I'm not sure if Matlock Riverside sees any use since Peak Rail established a platform in the nearby NR Matlock station.

It’s in regular use, although how useful it is is a different matter.

 

[JKF]

The Bristol Harbour Railway terminus station at the end of the New Cut closed a couple of years ago because the retaining wall on the river midway along the line collapsed taking the track with it, and has only just been rebuilt. I think it might also have been re-sited when the line between there and Ashton was turned into a busway. Hopefully it will be back at some point, the formation has been restored at the affected area but track has not yet been reinstated.

 

[Cowley]

How about Aviemore Speyside on the Strathspey Railway?

 

[norbitonflyer]

It’s in regular use, although how useful it is is a different matter.

When I visited Peak Rail last year, the train called at Riverside in one direction only. There are no run-round facilities at the NR station, so the train reversed from there to Riverside and the loco ran round there.

 

[Iskra]

When I visited Peak Rail last year, the train called at Riverside in one direction only. There are no run-round facilities at the NR station, so the train reversed from there to Riverside and the loco ran round there.

I think that’s fairly normal. It sees more use when Matlock station is closed for possessions by Network Rail and possibly during events too.

 

[JeffH16]

Following on from the recent thread about the three closed Dartmouth Railway stations i have discovered some others too:

• Bala Lake Railway - Bryn Hynod Halt
• Bala Lake Railway - Glan Llyn Halt
• Dartmouth Railway - Goodrington Sands
• Dartmouth Railway - Churston
• Dartmouth Railway - Greenway Halt
• Dean Forest Railway - Saint Marys Halt
• Epping Ongar Railway - Blake Hall
• Llangollen Railway - Corwen East
• Llangollen Railway - Deeside Halt
• Mid Norfolk Railway - Hardingham
• South Devon Railway - Nappers Halt
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Burmarsh Road
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Warren Halt
• West Highland Railway - Hafod Y Llyn

All of these are stations on heritage railways that trains pass through without stopping. They all appear to have intact platforms and many previously had trains stopping there until recently.

I am only talking about stations on heritage railway lines that no longer get any calls. So not sites of railway stations that closed in BR days and the platforms were demolished and never rebuilt.

Does anyone know if any of these other stations on the list are planned to get used again? Or are they likely all permanently closed now?

Also can anyone think of any other closed heritage railway stations that i have missed on my list? It must be a heritage railway station that closed while it was a heritage railway or an intact station and platform that exists on the line but has never had any calls?

Nappers Halt on the SDR isn't shut as such but it's only useable by auto coaches with retractable steps. So has only ever been used on special events by auto trains.

Hafod Y Llyn on the WHR was never actually a station but a run round loop (which is still there) to facilitate through running to Beddgelert/Aberglaslyn pass, no alighting or joining the train there.

 

[stadler]

Nappers Halt on the SDR isn't shut as such but it's only useable by auto coaches with retractable steps. So has only ever been used on special events by auto trains.

Hafod Y Llyn on the WHR was never actually a station but a run round loop (which is still there) to facilitate through running to Beddgelert/Aberglaslyn pass, no alighting or joining the train there.

I found photos online of Hafod Y Llyn which shows a short basic platform and a nameboard.





So it appears that it was an actual station where you could board and alight at one point.

 

[Cowley]

I’ve pulled a few out from this thread:

Unused Preserved Stations

I understand that Eardington Halt on the Seven Valley railway is now not used by passenger trains. Are there any otherstations/halts on a preserved railway which have been used in preservation, but no longer are?

www.railforums.co.uk

Cranmore West on the East Somerset
Dixter Halt on the Kent & East Sussex:

Dixter Halt railway station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Britannia Halt near Dartmouth

There’s quite a few others on there though

 

[duncombec]

• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Warren Halt

I'll not sure this is officially 'closed'. The railway's website says the district council are currently refurbishing the access, but in general the site is open on specific days or for pre-booked groups.

Also, Blake Hall was never operated as a station by the Epping Ongar - Wikipedia says the platform there is an aesthetic reconstruction only.

 

[A S Leib]

From what I can find, Bledlow Bridge Halt and Wainhill Crossing Halt on the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway have been rebuilt but haven't had preserved services at any point.

 

[kje7812]

I thought that Eardington Halt was reopened in 2023 and is now an actual calling point? I think it is only temporarily closed now along with Bridgnorth station due to the landslip that happened?

And will only be open on special events.

 

[lyndhurst25]

On the Cleethorpes Coast Light railway there is the closed Discovery Halt.

Also, the Humberston terminus has been out of use since 2019 due to issues with the level crossings. Not sure if any progress has been made reopening this part of the railway. The railway’s website “History” section doesn’t even mention the railway being extended to Humberston in 2007, almost doubling its length. Quite a significant development you would have thought.

 

[Djgr]

It’s in regular use, although how useful it is is a different matter.

I think it's for "operational reasons".

 

[Gwr12345]

Northallerton West and Redmire on the Wensleydale Railway? Trains don't run through either but have in the past, with only a few trains to Northallerton West since 2014 and none to Redmire since 2019

 

[The_Van]

I've been on an EOR train that has stopped at Blake Hall approx 2 years ago, picking up a VIP passenger

 

[4SubAsociation]

Following on from the recent thread about the three closed Dartmouth Railway stations i have discovered some others too:

• Bala Lake Railway - Bryn Hynod Halt
• Bala Lake Railway - Glan Llyn Halt
• Dartmouth Railway - Goodrington Sands
• Dartmouth Railway - Churston
• Dartmouth Railway - Greenway Halt
• Dean Forest Railway - Saint Marys Halt
• Epping Ongar Railway - Blake Hall
• Llangollen Railway - Corwen East
• Llangollen Railway - Deeside Halt
• Mid Norfolk Railway - Hardingham
• South Devon Railway - Nappers Halt
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Burmarsh Road
• Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway - Warren Halt
• West Highland Railway - Hafod Y Llyn

All of these are stations on heritage railways that trains pass through without stopping. They all appear to have intact platforms and many previously had trains stopping there until recently.

I am only talking about stations on heritage railway lines that no longer get any calls. So not sites of railway stations that closed in BR days and the platforms were demolished and never rebuilt.

Does anyone know if any of these other stations on the list are planned to get used again? Or are they likely all permanently closed now?

Also can anyone think of any other closed heritage railway stations that i have missed on my list? It must be a heritage railway station that closed while it was a heritage railway or an intact station and platform that exists on the line but has never had any calls?

The RHDR ones are a bit interesting. But what do you class as preserved or pre RHDR Association. I will go with Post 1973 as the answer.

The Warren Halt has open/closed several times over the years. More recently it re-opened in 2009 and shut by Mid 2024. Reason for this is due the Visitor centre nearby the lease was handed back.
Burmarsh road again was a similar story. It re-opened in 1977 and closed in 2015 when the school traffic ended

Other RHDR stations to include are

Golden Sands Holiday Park - Closed in the mid 1990s, site redeveloped to a housing estate although the platform does still exist.
Greatstone, Lade and the Pilot all closed in 1983. Romney sands sort of took over Greatstone and lade's station role.

Bluebell railway has a few closed too which are

Bluebell Halt
Holywell Waterworks
Freshfield Halt
Ketches Halt

 

[scarby]

Beach station on the Scarborough North Bay Railway.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Hafod Y Llyn on the WHR was never actually a station but a run round loop (which is still there) to facilitate through running to Beddgelert/Aberglaslyn pass, no alighting or joining the train there.

If you're including Hafod Y Llyn, you could probably also include Traeth Mawr (between Pont Croesor and Pen-y-Mount). This was used as the terminus of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway for a couple of years, before construction of the 'main line' reached that point, at which point it was truncated back to the existing Pen-y-Mount. The station had a loop and nameboard but no public access.

I believe Ashburton station on what is now the South Devon Railway was briefly re-opened, before road improvements forced its closure and truncation back to Buckfastleigh. (You couldn't imagine such a thing happening now!)

Presumably Bala (Pen-y-Bont) will also close when the extension is built into the town centre.

Not a heritage railway per-se, but the Standard Gauge line at Hollycombe appears to have been defunct for many years, so the stations at both ends (really just steps up to the coaches) could be considered nominally closed.

 

[158760]

Am i correct in remembering that Freshfield Halt is the one about two minutes after leaving Sheffield Park station? If you look on the East side of the track there is a very basic short platform?

You’re thinking of Ketches Halt, about half a mile north of Sheffield Park station. Last public trains called there in 2006, last time I got off there was in 2019 and it was demolished in 2021 as it was in poor structural condition.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2025 ==

Bluebell railway has a few closed too which are

Bluebell Halt
Holywell Waterworks
Freshfield Halt
Ketches Halt

I don’t think these qualify as none of these stations exist anymore, with the last being demolished a couple years ago.

 

[Gwr12345]

This was used as the terminus of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway for a couple of years, before construction of the 'main line' reached that point, at which point it was truncated back to the existing Pen-y-Mount

Could Pen-y-Mount count as Disused? Still in use by the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, but never really used by the Welsh Highland Railway (apart from 1 occasion in 2019 I think)

 

[12C]

Gilderdale, the former terminus of the South Tynedale Railway has been closed since 1999 when the extension to Kirkhaugh was opened.

 

[AJM580]

Hardingham station on the MNR does see some use It is privately owned and the owner allows occasional use of the platforms - it was in use on the MNR Bus Day on May 11 this year

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Could Pen-y-Mount count as Disused? Still in use by the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, but never really used by the Welsh Highland Railway (apart from 1 occasion in 2019 I think)

I believe it was last used as an interchange between the two railways during the WHR 100 celebrations in June 2023, so relatively recently. In theory I don't think there's anything to stop it being used again in future, just no point using it while there's no general public access.

 

[duffield]

Northallerton West and Redmire on the Wensleydale Railway? Trains don't run through either but have in the past, with only a few trains to Northallerton West since 2014 and none to Redmire since 2019

I think the Wensleydale are actively working on bringing the line to Redmire back into use. I can't find a link or reference but I think I read they were relaying some of the track recently.

Sadly there's been no sign of any progress on Northallerton West for a few years (as far as I know), but at least I did get to use it once during its brief lifetime.

 

[Belperpete]

On the Ffestiniog there was a station at Llynystradau, that was the temporary terminus for a year I think. Also a halt at Pen Cob in the early restoration days. Was there also a halt below Penrhyn at one time?

On narrow gauge railways, halts can often be little more than a name board, and so quite ephemeral. I am thinking of some of the halts on the old WHR, the Manx Electric and the like.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I found a photo online of Hafod Y Llyn which shows a platform and nameboard.

View attachment 181907

So it appears that it was an actual station where you could board and alight at one point.

According to Wikipedia it was a temporary terminus during construction and closed when another section of the line opened, but has been used occasionally since.

Hafod y Llyn railway station - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Hafod y Llyn is a halt in North Wales on the Welsh Highland Railway, located between Beddgelert and Pont Croesor. It had been a halt, with a siding for a period on the original WHR,[1] and a temporary terminus during the rebuilding of the line.

Originally, there was no plan for any construction here[2] on the rebuilding, with a new halt of the same name being planned 850 m [3] south of this location. However, being a convenient place for a loop during the rebuild, the construction of a small platform (with no other facilities) was undertaken in 2009. For a short space of time, it was to be called Hen Hafod, but local representation convinced the idea to be dropped

The station opened to passenger traffic on 21 May 2009 and was the WHR's southern terminus. As the station had no parking or other passenger facilities, only self-sufficient walkers and cyclists could board or alight there.

Hafod y Llyn closed on 26 May 2010, when the next section of line to Pont Croesor opened.[4] From January to March, 2011, trains ran to Hafod y Llyn from Porthmadog as part of the Winter Warmer services.[5][6] This replaced the similar service on the Ffestiniog line to Trwyn-y-garnedd, which was suspended due to the bypass construction work at Minffordd. It is still occasionally used such as in March 2017 when it appeared in the timetable.