Services which terminate one station beyond the much better known location (Trivia)

[JonathanH]

When did trains terminate there incidentally? Not disputing it, just curious. In the 80s generally they'd terminate at East Croydon itself, Smitham (see below), or for a time Sanderstead.

For a while, the Southern service from Milton Keynes ran on from East Croydon to South Croydon to terminate.

Isn't that two? It's the station which was called Smitham in my day IIRC, and there's Reedham in between.

Yes

 

[Robert Carroll]

Gidea Park (Romford) - selected peak hour services

Used to be an all-day destination for the stopping trains from Liverpool Street. It has reversing sidings so it's operationally convenient. I believe some Elizabeth Line services reverse there on Sundays.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 May 2026 ==

Three Bridges instead of Gatwick Airport
Reigate instead of Redhill
Rainham instead of Gillingham
Cambridge North instead of Cambridge

Historically,
West Worthing instead of Worthing
South Croydon instead of East Croydon
Coulsdon Town instead of Purley

Reigate is a sizeable town and the limit of electrification.

Three Bridges serves the eastern side of Crawley.

Rainham is sizeable itself and the Thameslink trains terminate there as there is now a bay platform for them and Gillingham may not have capacity. 1939-59 Gillingham was the limit of electrification.

Cambridge North is a by no means insignificant traffic centre.

West Worthing had a carriage depot and a reversing siding so more convenient for terminating trains than Worthing (formerly Worthing Central). It was also the limit of electrification 1933-38.

South Croydon has five lines so scope for terminating trains and East Croydon does not really have the capacity to reverse any more trains than it does (or did before Covid cuts).

Coulsdon Town (formerly Smitham) is a legacy of the 1983 closure of Coulsdon North, which used to be a regular terminating point, although latterly only at peak times, and was a stabling point. Services previously terminating there were rerouted to Smitham when North closed but those services have themselves now largely disappeared.

One historical classic was Tumby Woodside, where several trains terminated. The real objective was the previous station, Coningsby, which was convenient for the RAF base.

 

[Kite159]

When did trains terminate there incidentally? Not disputing it, just curious. In the 80s generally they'd terminate at East Croydon itself, Smitham (see below), or for a time Sanderstead.

I'm sure for at least one timetable period in the last 12 or so years, the West London line services terminated at South Croydon (so South Croydon - Milton Keynes Central) (although ignore me, as it was already answered by Jonathan, some reason the extra page didn't load).

Coulsdon Town also had a half-hourly terminating service before Covid, giving it & Reedham 4tph towards East Croydon & London Bridge.
Similar West Worthing had a half-hourly stopping service (again before Covid struck) which allowed the Brighton - Southampton/Portsmouth & London - Littlehampton via Hove trains to skip some of the smaller stations

 

[gg1]

Lichfield Trent Valley is after Lichfield City
Rugely Trent Valley after Rugeley Town

At a stretch possibly, leamington is after the county town of Warwick. Arguably Warwick with its castle and being the county town of Warwickshire is better well known than Leamington

Also:
Dorridge instead of Solihul
Four Oaks instead of Sutton Coldfield
Whitlocks End instead of Shirley

Historically you could possibly make a case for:
Hednesford instead of Cannock
Longbridge instead of Northfield

And further afield:
Poole instead of Bournemouth (for loco hauled cross country services)

Were there also peak hour Kings Cross to Morpeth (so one stop beyond Newcastle) services at one time or did I imagine that?

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

There are a few for harbours/ports/piers. Lymington, Falmouth, Heysham, Fishguard, Ryde.

 

[BeijingDave]

Also:
Dorridge instead of Solihul
Four Oaks instead of Sutton Coldfield
Whitlocks End instead of Shirley

Historically you could possibly make a case for:
Hednesford instead of Cannock
Longbridge instead of Northfield

And further afield:
Poole instead of Bournemouth (for loco hauled cross country services)

Were there also peak hour Kings Cross to Morpeth (so one stop beyond Newcastle) services at one time or did I imagine that?

The first few are the type that are really interesting.

Poole isn't really a surprising one given it is a holiday destination in its own right, and actually a lot bigger than people tend to think (c150,000 people).

 

[Merle Haggard]

Also:
Dorridge instead of Solihul
Four Oaks instead of Sutton Coldfield (my bold)
Whitlocks End instead of Shirley

Historically you could possibly make a case for:
Hednesford instead of Cannock
Longbridge instead of Northfield

And further afield:
Poole instead of Bournemouth (for loco hauled cross country services)

Were there also peak hour Kings Cross to Morpeth (so one stop beyond Newcastle) services at one time or did I imagine that?

Seems to be historic; looking at early 1960s timetables there was the same situation. Perhaps it even dates back to the introduction of Birmingham suburban services by the LNWR, when there wasn't much in the way of population beyond. Butler's Lane (Halt) was built by the LMS. In loco-hauled days there were extensive carriage sidings alongside the present bay.
Some people who live in 'Sutton' probably find Four Oaks more convenient.

 

[BeijingDave]

Marsden was always something of an odd one.

Although technically it probably doesn't qualify as it is likely bigger than Slaithwaite, it is certainly smaller than Stalybridge or Huddersfield

 

[Essan]

Not quite the same, as it's the reverse situation (terminating one stop before the better known/bigger destination) but: Worcestershire Parkway instead of Worcester Shrub Hill/Foregate St (last train of the day, too)

 

[Djgr]

Marsden was always something of an odd one.

Although technically it probably doesn't qualify as it is likely bigger than Slaithwaite, it is certainly smaller than Stalybridge or Huddersfield

I think this was due to reaching the passenger transport executive boundary, of which trains which used to terminate at Garswood is another example.

 

[snookertam]

Tweedbank instead of Galashiels.

 

[Trainspecial]

I think there was a phase during or shortly after Covid where Barnstaple trains terminated at St. James Park, one stop beyond Exeter Central.

Still do - albeit only on match days at St James Park

 

[75A]

Also:
Dorridge instead of Solihul
Four Oaks instead of Sutton Coldfield
Whitlocks End instead of Shirley

Historically you could possibly make a case for:
Hednesford instead of Cannock
Longbridge instead of Northfield

And further afield:
Poole instead of Bournemouth (for loco hauled cross country services)

Were there also peak hour Kings Cross to Morpeth (so one stop beyond Newcastle) services at one time or did I imagine that?

Electric trains from Eastbourne to Hastings would carry on to Ore where there were Carriage Sidings (long closed like West Worthings).
The daily Victoria /Hastings Newspaper train (stopping @ Lewes & Eastbourne) would also carry on to Ore to run round.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

• Farnham (Aldershot)

I grew up in Farnham and absolutely beg to differ.

 

[Kilopylae]

Still do - albeit only on match days at St James Park

See, that makes logical sense! Thank you.

 

[BeijingDave]

I think this was due to reaching the passenger transport executive boundary, of which trains which used to terminate at Garswood is another example.

I never knew about Garswood, when was that?

There was a period in the 80s when there was a Manchester-Hunts Cross stopper on the CLC for the same reason I think. Passengers from places like Sankey had to change to Merseyrail and continue on the Northern Line (or schlep over to Warrington Central for the express). I don't think it lasted long, maybe only a year of regular timetabled service.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Electric trains from Eastbourne to Hastings would carry on to Ore where there were Carriage Sidings (long closed like West Worthings).
The daily Victoria /Hastings Newspaper train (stopping @ Lewes & Eastbourne) would also carry on to Ore to run round.

Most Southern trains (Brighton/London - Ore) still continue from Hastings to Ore and use the reversing sidings there.

 

[Djgr]

I never knew about Garswood, when was that?

I think it was also in the 1980s, although I am relying on memory. It has been brought up before by somebody else.

 

[BeijingDave]

I think it was also in the 1980s, although I am relying on memory. It has been brought up before by somebody else.

I just didn't know there was a turnback at Garswood.

 

[kento]

Headbolt Lane. (Kirkby) must leave passengers in Blackburn and Burnley confused but in this case it terminates one station BEFORE the better known destination.

 

[devon_belle]

Historically some Waterloo trains terminated at Holmwood instead of Dorking.

 

[Djgr]

P

I just didn't know there was a turnback at Garswood.

Perhaps someone has better knowledge than my memory!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 May 2026 ==

Headbolt Lane. (Kirkby) must leave passengers in Blackburn and Burnley confused but in this case it terminates one station BEFORE the better known destination.

and, with the exception of die-hard rail enthusiasts, ALSO one beyond (i.e. Rainford better known).

 

[Robert Carroll]

Historically some Waterloo trains terminated at Holmwood instead of Dorking.

And there was a berthing siding there too.

Long ago, pre-1967 timetable change, there was a train that started from Worcester Park in the morning peak and one or two that were berthed in the sidings at Leatherhead where the old LSWR station had been that entered passenger service at Ashtead.

 

[ab2109]

I think this was due to reaching the passenger transport executive boundary, of which trains which used to terminate at Garswood is another example.

Would explain the Adwick example further up, being the last stop in South Yorkshire before heading into West Yorkshire

 

[jonnyfan]

There's the daily Manchester Piccadilly to Chinley service, one stop past the usual terminating station and larger town of New Mills Central.

 

[LowLevel]

There's the daily Manchester Piccadilly to Chinley service, one stop past the usual terminating station and larger town of New Mills Central.

That one is a result of the 2018 withdrawal of TPE services calling at Chinley.

 

[Springs Branch]

I just didn't know there was a turnback at Garswood.

I think it was also in the 1980s, although I am relying on memory. It has been brought up before by somebody else.

I remember the Garswood terminators in the days of MPTE & City Line branding - probably late 1970s and into 1980s.

There was never a turnback siding at Garswood - the reversal was done via a signalled trailing crossover on the Bryn side of Garswood station.
This diagram (from the commissioning of Warrington PSB in 1972) shows the signalling arrangements.


At the time, traffic on the line via St Helens was quite light - an hourly Lime St / Wigan NW all-shacks stopper plus, on the half-hour, the all-stops Lime St / Garswood. There were no limited-stop or longer-distance trains going beyond Wigan and freight was pretty sparse, so no real issues reversing a DMU on the main line.

The crossover at Garswood must have been removed some time ago. I had guessed during the electrification project - but it had been eliminated by the time of my 1990-issue Quail map.


Back to the OP . . .

How about MetroCentre?

I know it's actually the second station west of Newcastle (the intermediate stop at Dunston only has around 1 in 3 trains calling there) and in the current weekday timetable MetroCentre gets just a few evening services which start & terminate there.

But on Sundays, most of the Ashington line trains travel beyond Newcastle to start or terminate at MetroCentre. And in the past, when fewer trains continued up the Tyne Valley Line, I seem to recall there were regular all-day terminators at MetroCentre to/from the Middlesborough direction.

 

[BeijingDave]

I remember the Garswood terminators in the days of MPTE & City Line branding - probably late 1970s and into 1980s.

There was never a turnback siding at Garswood - the reversal was done via a signalled trailing crossover on the Bryn side of Garswood station.
This diagram (from the commissioning of Warrington PSB in 1972) shows the signalling arrangements.
View attachment 204212

At the time, traffic on the line via St Helens was quite light - an hourly Lime St / Wigan NW all-shacks stopper plus, on the half-hour, the all-stops Lime St / Garswood. There were no limited-stop or longer-distance trains going beyond Wigan and freight was pretty sparse, so no real issues reversing a DMU on the main line.

The crossover at Garswood must have been removed some time ago. I had guessed during the electrification project - but it had been eliminated by the time of my 1990-issue Quail map.

Interesting. Thanks for the information.

What a curious anomaly that a train would terminate at a small village instead of continuing on to the (bigger) Bryn/Ashton-in-Makerfield and Wigan beyond. Of course, like the Marsden situation, I understand why but it's still daft, especially when there would be a lot of Wigan bound travellers for work (and the rugby).

 

[Llandudno]

If I remember correctly in the late 80s didn’t a number of trains in West Yorkshire from the Leeds direction terminate at Micklefield, a tiny village near the A1 (WYPTE boundary) instead of continuing to York?

 

[Djgr]

Interesting. Thanks for the information.

What a curious anomaly that a train would terminate at a small village instead of continuing on to the (bigger) Bryn/Ashton-in-Makerfield and Wigan beyond. Of course, like the Marsden situation, I understand why but it's still daft, especially when there would be a lot of Wigan bound travellers for work (and the rugby).

For a few months after the Liverpool Loop opened there were additional peak hour services from Birkenhead North to Heswall (end of administrative boundary)