Tenuous and some...
Former 'five-way junction' could of course apply to either a current junction station with disused line(s), or to a junction station that is now disused entirely, hence Thornton Junction. The station had 4 lines running from it, with a very tenuous fifth if one counts the little line that now links the current Thornton station with the line to Kirkcaldy... The story about Androcles and the Lion now becomes part of the guesswork, as of course the lion has a thorn removed from its paw by the good shepherd, which made me think of your reference to 'leonine arrival' (plausible) and 'ovine departure' (not very plausible but essentially, I was clutching at straws at this point).