Confused Passengers at Heritage Railway Stations

[Geswedey]

After reading another thread about people boarding a Mid Hants train at Alton thinking they were going to Waterloo it reminded me of the reasonably regular occasions where people turn up at Staverton on the South Devon Railway thinking that they are at Totnes NR Station, when questioned they invariably blame their Sat Navs. I can understand it happening at places like Sheringham, Kidderminster etc where the stations are close or part of the same infrastructure. have any other people seen the same at heritage railway stations that are some way from the nearest NR station.

 

[43055]

Not National Rail but we have had catering passengers ending up at the other nearby heritage railways before.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Plenty of coach companies arrive at Oxenholme in the hope of finding a steam train to Keighley.

 

[theblackwatch]

Plenty of coach companies arrive at Oxenholme in the hope of finding a steam train to Keighley.

But do many folk turn up at Oxenhope with the intention of getting the train to Windemere for a boat cruise?

 

[fgwrich]

Alton used to be on the list for two reasons;

1 being “is this the train for Alton Towers”

2 being people so used to the modern technology of the Juniper or Desiro they’ve travelled on to get there, that they would stand by the Mk1 door and be seen pressing the rubber doorstop bung in the hope and expectation that the door will open for them…

 

[YorkshireBear]

But do many folk turn up at Oxenhope with the intention of getting the train to Windemere for a boat cruise?

Haha I think it may have happened but I know of the other way round happening more.

 

[kje7812]

After reading another thread about people boarding a Mid Hants train at Alton thinking they were going to Waterloo it reminded me of the reasonably regular occasions where people turn up at Staverton on the South Devon Railway thinking that they are at Totnes NR Station, when questioned they invariably blame their Sat Navs. I can understand it happening at places like Sheringham, Kidderminster etc where the stations are close or part of the same infrastructure. have any other people seen the same at heritage railway stations that are some way from the nearest NR station.

Definitely used to happen frequently at Kidderminster, lots of people asking for train to Worcester, Brum, Cheltenham, London, etc. It has decreased remarkably since the rebuild of the mainline station.

 

[37069]

But do many folk turn up at Oxenhope with the intention of getting the train to Windemere for a boat cruise?

The R&ER being a sister company to the Ullswater Steamers (on the opposite side of the Lake District) does sometimes result in passengers buying tickets or boarding trains asking how to connect to the boat at the other end of the line.

 

[Forty29]

Definitely used to happen frequently at Kidderminster, lots of people asking for train to Worcester, Brum, Cheltenham, London, etc. It has decreased remarkably since the rebuild of the mainline station.

Yes saw a smartly dressed young woman with two suitcases wandering around SVR Kidderminster concourse looking bemused at the goings on. Wanted to go to London so directed her to mainline station. Was looking for a Costa and ticket machines.

 

[Mike Machin]

As I mentioned on another thread, the day the four castle class locomotives were together at Didcot Railway Centre, I took a ride on the shuttle train running on the demonstration line.

The train was formed with a Prairie Tank and two auto coaches. Around lunchtime, a young Chinese couple boarded and asked ‘is this the train for London?’

Goodness knows how they found their way into the railway centre rather than the station!

 

[steamybrian]

At the Spa Valley Railway passengers have occasionally arrived with tickets for the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

I understand the passengers logic that the terminus at Tunbridge Wells West is in Kent and the other end at Eridge is in East Sussex.

 

[D1537]

For a short while, if people typed "Northallerton Railway Station" into a well-known online satellite navigation app, it attempted to take them to the Wensleydale version, which effectively left them in the middle of a country lane underneath a railway bridge.

 

[duffield]

For a short while, if people typed "Northallerton Railway Station" into a well-known online satellite navigation app, it attempted to take them to the Wensleydale version, which effectively left them in the middle of a country lane underneath a railway bridge.

At least they only ended up less than 10 minutes away from their actual destination.

It's a shame about Northallerton North being closed indefinitely, but at least I did get to use it - once - while it was briefly operational.

 

[4COR]

Amazed about Staverton, it isn't that far from the main road but still tucked well away down narrow lanes. In much the same way as Wensleydale, you're only 10 min (and 80 years) away from Totnes though....

 

[Tetragon213]

Definitely used to happen frequently at Kidderminster, lots of people asking for train to Worcester, Brum, Cheltenham, London, etc. It has decreased remarkably since the rebuild of the mainline station.

Still happens from time to time, though!

 

[Titfield]

Occasionally hear people asking at Swanage Railway Station when the next train to Wareham for the mainline service to London is.

Hardly surprising that for 30 years SR has been promising to restore the link and when they did decided only to operate two trial services (to Wareham) and then backtrack.

 

[martin butler]

The best one, though, has to be one day at a gala, we were using platform two, I was fireman on Frank the yank, ( S160) when it was in Longmoor livery, and we were sat in platform 2, waiting departure time, When Someone, in SWT uniform, walked up, without asking got on the footplate, sat down in the driver's seat, I asked, excuse me, but do you have a pass, If not, i will have to ask you to leave, Then my driver appeared, turfed the person off, to this day, we don't know who he was, We would often get SWT crews walking over for a chat, when they had time, but never, would they do that, unless we knew them, and they were MHR crew also,

 

[Bodmin16]

Alton used to be on the list for two reasons;

1 being “is this the train for Alton Towers”

2 being people so used to the modern technology of the Juniper or Desiro they’ve travelled on to get there, that they would stand by the Mk1 door and be seen pressing the rubber doorstop bung in the hope and expectation that the door will open for them…

When Bullied Coach 4211 was restored in 1988/9 destination boards were applied , one being " Waterloo" . Some passengers crossed from the station entrance ( mainline) and boarded the Watercress Line train expecting to travel there so we were requested to remove the Waterloo one !