Line Nicknames

[tsr]

The line serving Bognor Regis is occasionally known as "the Boggy" (or similar), but not all that often, as far as I can see.

The avoiding lines between Purley and Earlswood are officially and locally known as the Quarry Line (or Lines).

London Bridge terminators are regularly referred to as "going to The Bridge" by locals.

 

[Bald Rick]

A certain gentleman from St. Albans told me about the Bedpan Line, but he also told me of the Goblin, which was an acronym for the Gospel Oak to Barking LINe. Was this true, or just his invention?

'Goblin' is used by those of a railway persuasion who have an interest in the line but (generally) don't work in the industry. Those who actually manage the operation of it call it 'the Gob', while engineers always refer to it as the T&H (Tottenham & Hampstead).
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Cambridge/Ely - Ipswich is occasionally known as the West Suffolk Line.

Interesting - in a decade of working in Anglia, including visiting every signal box on that line several times, I have never once heard it called the West Suffolk line!

 

[fairysdad]

London Underground rather than National Rail (although in my defence, it was BR until relatively recently!) - the Waterloo & City nicknamed The Drain.

(I also believe that the Bakerloo Line was so called as a nickname, being the Baker Street & Waterloo railway, similar to how the Wimbleware line is so called)

 

[12CSVT]

A certain gentleman from St. Albans told me about the Bedpan Line

When the name 'BedPan' line was first used for Bedford - St Pancras, one magazine (Modern Railways if my memory is correct) suggested the Watford - Euston DC line could be called the 'Wat Eus (What Use) line.

Dr Days Junction to Feeder Bridge Junction in Bristol is the 'Rhubarb Curve'

Tapton Juction to Masborough Junction via Barrow Hill is 'The Old Road'

 

[Eagle]

I also believe that the Bakerloo Line was so called as a nickname, being the Baker Street & Waterloo railway, similar to how the Wimbleware line is so called.

That's actually true of most Tube lines' names having arisen from colloquial shortenings (for instance the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, the Metropolitan District Railway, the Central London Electric Railway) although the Bakerloo is the only one that shortened its name by combining words.

 

[trentside]

That's actually true of most Tube lines' names having arisen from colloquial shortenings (for instance the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, the Metropolitan District Railway, the Central London Electric Railway) although the Bakerloo is the only one that shortened its name by combining words.

The Central was also originally nicknamed the 'Two Penny Tube' due to the original 2d flat fare.

 

[red circle]

For years Liverpool St to Enfield was known as 'The Jazz',any ideas on why ?.

 

[PaulLothian]

For years Liverpool St to Enfield was known as 'The Jazz',any ideas on why ?.

The GER's highly intensive suburban services to Chingford, Enfield and Palace Gates (speeded up to compete with electric trams) used blue and yellow coloured stripes on carriages to help travellers pick out first and second class.

Coloured boards were used to identify the routes and destinations served, with numbers to denote the sequence of stops.

With their average platform occupation at Liverpool Street of six trains an hour, I guess the rushing about of GE tank engines might also have seemed reminiscent of this new-fangled dance craze!

Loads of info via Google - search for GER Jazz trains

 

[transmanche]

For years Liverpool St to Enfield was known as 'The Jazz',any ideas on why ?.

When the GER was facing stiff competition from trams in the 1920s, they introduced what I think was claimed to be the most intensive steam passenger service in the world; on the Palace Gates, Enfield & Chingford routes. Some carriages had bright blue & yellow striped livery. The combination of bright colours and frequent service led to the nickname of 'The Jazz Train'.

The name was revived for a few years in the 1980s when the GLC funded a 10-minute frequency service; 4 tph to Enfield, 2 tph to Hertford East.

 

[Rugd1022]

For those of us that work on it the Knighton Junction - Burton-on-Trent line has become known as 'the sleepy branch line'... once upon a time all Coalville men believed the world ended at Burton or Knighton...!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Waterloo and bak via Kingston used to be "round the houses" - same via Hounslow was "round the world"

2 "New" lines - Euston - Watford DC , and Waterloo via Cobham to Guildford , apertaining to Surbiton - Guildford. Both opened early 20thC

 

[Old-School]

London Victoria to London Bridge via Peckham Rye (inner South London Lines) known as The Atlantic Lines

 

[Buttsy]

Isn't the Cheltenham-Birmingham route often referred to as the Lickey, or is that just the bank section (Bromsgorve-Barnt Green)? I'm sure I've heard mention of taking the Stratford line (GWR) when it was open rather than the Lickey.

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There was the Marton Line, direct into Blackpool, before it closed in the late 60s

 

[Eagle]

Isn't the Cheltenham-Birmingham route often referred to as the Lickey, or is that just the bank section (Bromsgorve-Barnt Green)? I'm sure I've heard mention of taking the Stratford line (GWR) when it was open rather than the Lickey.

Just the incline. It's the name of the hill.

 

[dk1]

Ipswich-Felixstowe is often reffered to by staff as The Burberry Line to reflect the high proportion of Chavs that use the route

 

[Seagulls01]

Horsham to Ford Jcn is known as either the Mid-Sussex or (I think Connex bought this in) the Arun Valley.
Wivelsfield to Lewes, The Keymer.
The Wall Of Death, mentioned earlier, has high concrete walls between Sutton and Sutton Common, on quite a tight long curve.

 

[wimbledonpete]

When I worked on South Eastern I learnt that the link between Strood and Rochester is called the Toomer Loop after some cove in the 19C who forced the two railway companies to open it up. (Or something very like that!)
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Also, the Hayes line is referred to as the Mid-Kent - another example of something being named and not ending up fulfilling its full potential for various historical reasons.

 

[trentside]

Ipswich-Felixstowe is often reffered to by staff as The Burberry Line to reflect the high proportion of Chavs that use the route

Good one - rather like the subtle renaming of a certain line in these parts to the Robin Hoodie line. Not sure how common that is, but it's certainly been used here a few times

 

[2Dogbox]

Good one - rather like the subtle renaming of a certain line in these parts to the Robin Hoodie line. Not sure how common that is, but it's certainly been used here a few times

It's used by lots of us guards!

 

[swcovas]

Swansea - Shrewsbury is known today as the Heart of Wales Line but this is a marketing creation of the 70s. The correct name is the Central wales Line and that is how many people along the route still think of it or quite simple as "The Central". The origin of the name goes back to the original companies who built part of the route......The Central Wales Railway (Knighton to Llandrindod) and The Central Wales Extension Railway (Landrindod to Llandovery). Personally I think the Central Wales Line is far preferable to the (perhaps sickly?) Heart Of Wales Line!

 

[Buttsy]

I'm not sure, but is not The Cotswold Line is more of a nickname? I'm pretty sure it was know as this in the 70s, before it was branded as such.

 

[12CSVT]

Before Leeds was electrified (and the track layout was 10 times more complicated than it needed to be) there was an elevated line that ran from Leeds station, went over the Woodlesford line just south of Holbeck depot and joined the ECML just south of where Copley Hill West Junction is today.

Due to being an elevated line it was known as the 'Viaduct Line'. It closed as a through line about 1987 - 1988.

 

[Eagle]

I'm not sure, but is not The Cotswold Line is more of a nickname? I'm pretty sure it was know as this in the 70s, before it was branded as such.

And not a very good nickname, being as it runs perpendicular to the Cotswolds and hence doesn't spend all that much time in it. (Surely a better home for the name would be the old Birmingham–Stratford–Honeybourne–Cheltenham–Bristol line, which actually runs along the hills.)

 

[Buttsy]

And not a very good nickname, being as it runs perpendicular to the Cotswolds and hence doesn't spend all that much time in it. (Surely a better home for the name would be the old Birmingham–Stratford–Honeybourne–Cheltenham–Bristol line, which actually runs along the hills.)

True. It's unfortunate that the derailment happened along there in 1976, otherwise it might have hung on and still been with us as the 'proper' Cotswold Line.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

A couple more:-

Dumfries to Stranraer, direct, was The Port Line.

As Inverness to Aberdeen was Over The Top, so Perth to Inverness was Up The Middle.

Swindon to Southampton/Portsmouth via Andover was The Tiddly Dyke.

Patricroft to Clifton was the Black Harry Line.

 

[Eagle]

And not a very good nickname, being as it runs perpendicular to the Cotswolds and hence doesn't spend all that much time in it.

Just realized that the same is true of the Chiltern mainline. (Because of this, I've heard a couple of people say that Leamington is in the Chilterns, which in terms of the distance that is wrong by is like saying that Barrow is in the Pennines.)

The Chilterns run from Goring to Hitchin; the Cotswolds from Bradford-on-Avon to Stratford-on-a-different-Avon.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the Misery Line to Shoeburyness. Until improvements that line was truly shocking.

 

[Eagle]

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the Misery Line to Shoeburyness. Until improvements that line was truly shocking.

Thought the Misery line went to High Barnet?

 

[Welshman]

I see the line from Mark's Tey to Sudbury is officially called "The Gainsborough Line"
No doubt inspired by Thomas Gainsborough, who was born in Sudbury.

But I wonder if anyone has made for that line when wanting to go to a certain town in Lincolnshire?

 

[telstarbox]

Is there a nickname for the rather long "Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line"?