Stations not known by their "official" names?

[The exile]

Going back to Edinburgh, apart from historical sentimentality, there is a second city-centre station with long-distance trains - Haymarket - so there has to be a name for Waverley.

This has never bothered the railway authorities, though. Given the nature and importance of Haymarket, my feeling is that, rather than Waverley losing its suffix, Haymarket should be given the “Edinburgh” prefix as well.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Letchworth Garden City is often referred to as simply Letchworth in station announcements.

Which it officially was prior to 1999, so not that long ago.

 

[fat_boy_pete]

The first reference I can find to the station as "North Station" in newspaper archives is from the Essex Standard in September 1863 (which is before St Botolph's opened), probably not coincidentally a few months after the Hythe opened for passengers, suggesting that this was what caused the need for a distinction to be made.

Additionally, the first use I could find of the name "North Station Road" for the road leading to the station from the city centre is from 1878 (as the section closer to the station was being developed?) and the council formally resolved to rename the whole length of road as that in November 1892, replacing "North Street" which was the historic name.

Excellent research. I wonder why GER never formally bowed to local sentiments and renamed it.

 

[ServerHoster]

One of my local stations is Sandbach, which is extremely far from Sandbach town centre. The station is in Elworth, so my grandad calls it Elworth. I wonder how many other locals also call it Elworth? Technically, Elworth is part of the town of Sandbach, but it's far enough away to be considered its own entity.

Even the local bus company calls it Elworth!

(screenshot of BusTimes website for the route 37 bus, showing "Elworth Rail Station" as a bus stop)

 

[Falcon1200]

Recent introduction of the names Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Gateway has always looked rather ill-advised to me.

Hopefully no-one ever goes to Edinburgh Park hoping to have a picnic in a park, surrounded by grass, trees and nature.....

 

[styles]

If I get the train South on the borders railway, I don't say I'm going to Tweedbank. I say I'm going for a Tweedbonk.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Newport, South Wales used to have three stations - High Street, Dock Street and Mill Street.

The latter two were closed to passengers when the services were diverted to High Street in 1880, but both remained open to goods traffic until the 1960s, so the suffix "High Street" remained in use until then. It's now just known as "Newport", although NRE refer to it as Newport (South Wales) to differentiate it from Newport (Essex), which is some way away.

Ironically, the station's location has never been on the actual High Street, although it is quite near to it. It's current location is on Queensway, a "inner bypass" road constructed in the 1980s, although previously it was on Station Approach, a name that you'll now find on Google Maps but nowhere else as it's an unnamed, very short, pedestrianised street which runs between Queensway and High Street. There's also a Railway Street and a Station Street nearby, but neither of them have ever led to the station.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

I believe TRACKmaps stills throws a vague assertion for Norwich (Thorpe), which is strange because it's really only historical nerd contexts that words like "thorpe station" come out.

 

[Deepgreen]

I noticed the NRE site referred to Dorking as "Dorking (Main)" recently in an engineering works note.

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Lancaster is often referred to as “Lancaster Castle”, despite not being on any of the station signs.

Is this by locals?

 

[Dryce]

Newport, South Wales used to have three stations - High Street, Dock Street and Mill Street.

Ironically, the station's location has never been on the actual High Street, although it is quite near to it.

There is the actual "High Street" station (code: HST) on the actual High Street in Glasgow.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

There is the actual "High Street" station (code: HST) on the actual High Street in Glasgow.

I'd forgotten about that one; thanks.

 

[Jimini]

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name? The one that popped into my head was Smitham, but I've just looked and Coulsdon Town is CDN, so that must have been updated at the time of the name change.

 

[bramling]

Letchworth Garden City is often referred to as simply Letchworth in station announcements.

Yes no one locally says Letchworth Garden City. It was only a local interest group who campaigned to have the station renamed. I’m not entirely sure of the wisdom of this, as it’s effectively promoting the fact that Letchworth is a de-facto new town, which generally has negative connotations.

You don’t really hear Welwyn Garden City that much either, though that’s a bit different as there is both a separate station and a separate place.

 

[Deepgreen]

Newport, South Wales used to have three stations - High Street, Dock Street and Mill Street.

The latter two were closed to passengers when the services were diverted to High Street in 1880, but both remained open to goods traffic until the 1960s, so the suffix "High Street" remained in use until then. It's now just known as "Newport", although NRE refer to it as Newport (South Wales) to differentiate it from Newport (Essex), which is some way away.

Ironically, the station's location has never been on the actual High Street, although it is quite near to it. It's current location is on Queensway, a "inner bypass" road constructed in the 1980s, although previously it was on Station Approach, a name that you'll now find on Google Maps but nowhere else as it's an unnamed, very short, pedestrianised street which runs between Queensway and High Street. There's also a Railway Street and a Station Street nearby, but neither of them have ever led to the station.

Dorking, Surrey also has three stations, and the irony is that the one that is closest to the town has by far the worst service (Dorking West)!

 

[Tester]

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name? The one that popped into my head was Smitham, but I've just looked and Coulsdon Town is CDN, so that must have been updated at the time of the name change.

Not railway, and not UK, but PEK for Beijing gives me a chuckle.

 

[A S Leib]

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name? The one that popped into my head was Smitham, but I've just looked and Coulsdon Town is CDN, so that must have been updated at the time of the name change.

HPQ for Harwich Parkeston Quay.

BDM for Bedford Midland (BFD is Brentford; I'm not sure if BED or BDF are taken).

 

[david l]

Wigan Wallgate is often referred to (by olders) as the 'Lanky' (L&Y) station, as opposed to Wigan North Western (LNWR)

 

[CyrusWuff]

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name? The one that popped into my head was Smitham, but I've just looked and Coulsdon Town is CDN, so that must have been updated at the time of the name change.

WCX for Wembley Stadium (Wembley Complex from 1978 to 1987.)

BIT for Bicester Village (Bicester Town from 1987 to 2015.)

 

[duffield]

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name? The one that popped into my head was Smitham, but I've just looked and Coulsdon Town is CDN, so that must have been updated at the time of the name change.

Bicester Village - the code is BIT, reflecting its pre-2015 name, Bicester Town. Edit: CyrusWuff got there while I was typing!

LCN for Lincoln - although it fits perfectly, the code really reflects its former name, Lincoln Central. I understand it is now officially just Lincoln but Lincoln Central does still appear in some contexts (e.g. in RTT). The "Central" became redundant when Lincoln St. Marks closed in 1985 and its services were re-routed into Central, but the suffix was not officially removed until 2019.

 

[David Burrows]

Bicester Village - the code is BIT, reflecting its pre-2015 name, Bicester Town. Edit: CyrusWuff got there while I was typing!

LCN for Lincoln - although it fits perfectly, the code really reflects its former name, Lincoln Central. I understand it is now officially just Lincoln but Lincoln Central does still appear in some contexts (e.g. in RTT). The "Central" became redundant when Lincoln St. Marks closed in 1985 and its services were re-routed into Central, but the suffix was not officially removed until 2019.

But as mentoned in my previous posts, EMR station platform indicators and recorded announcements refer to Lincoln Central. 'Human' conductors also often refer to Lincoln Central - so how 'officially' has 'Central' really been removed?

 

[duffield]

But as mentoned in my previous posts, EMR station platform indicators and recorded announcements refer to Lincoln Central. 'Human' conductors also often refer to Lincoln Central - so how 'officially' has 'Central' really been removed?

Network Rail's National Rail Timetable refers to it as just Lincoln, as does the EMR website and the National Rail website. So i'd say it is officially "Lincoln" but the other references have just not been bought up to date; it's probably not a priority.

 

[Miles Bown]

Currently on nights here! Everyone in Hull refers to it as Paragon, I answer the phone with 'Hull Paragon', all Network Rail diagrams etc are titled Hull Paragon, The Bus Station is called Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull based Guards usually announce it by it's full name

I must say I've never heard a local member of the public call it by the 'Paragon' name; it's either 'Hull Interchange' or simply 'Interchange'. Perhaps it's a generational thing. Guards almost exclusively use only 'Hull', as do on-train/station announcements.

 

[Revilo]

Conversely, Worle station has always just been Worle. yet a lot of local people call it "Worle Parkway", which is merely the name of the adjacent business park!

This is true. However, the official station entrance BR logo sign showed ‘Worle Parkway’ until they covered the word ‘Parkway’. Google street view shows earlier versions saying Parkway. So if the railways themselves can’t get it right, what hope is there for the public.

 

[TAS]

Excellent research. I wonder why GER never formally bowed to local sentiments and renamed it.

Thanks, I've been doing some similar research for another project so didn't take me too long to look this up. Interestingly at about the same time (1860s) North Hill Station crops up a few times and North Street Station once or twice before North Station becomes the settled usage.

There are a few examples of the GER using it in the paper too - mostly in letters to the local authority which the paper reproduces, but at least once in an advert the GER placed. Couldn't immediately find any reporting suggesting that they'd been asked to change the name to match local usage and I guess they may not have been keen to advertise how inconvenient their main station actually was for the centre of town.

 

[LRV3004]

I noticed the NRE site referred to Dorking as "Dorking (Main)" recently in an engineering works note.

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Is this by locals?

Thinking about it in depth, this is probably the case - a friend of mine who is a dispatcher there lives in the area and refers to it as such!

 

[xotGD]

I've just made a booking with our corporate travel provider, and it refers to "Carlisle Central Railway Station".

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Still in a railway context - the Porter and Sorter at East Croydon (name reflecting both railway and former Crown Post Office at E Croydon) has the unofficial name of Platform 7. E Croydon has six platforms (there was a parcels loop with a “platform” inaccessible to passengers at one point.

 

[Deepgreen]

I've just made a booking with our corporate travel provider, and it refers to "Carlisle Central Railway Station".

Which is ludicrous as its old name was Carlisle Citadel! I don't think it has ever been called 'Central'.

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Still in a railway context - the Porter and Sorter at East Croydon (name reflecting both railway and former Crown Post Office at E Croydon) has the unofficial name of Platform 7. E Croydon has six platforms (there was a parcels loop with a “platform” inaccessible to passengers at one point.

The pub next to Reigate station (two platforms) has a large sign saying 'Platform 3' in its garden!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which is ludicrous as its old name was Carlisle Citadel! I don't think it has ever been called 'Central'.

Been conflated with the nearby 'Carlisle Central' Travelodge hotel?

 

[Deepgreen]

Been conflated with the nearby 'Carlisle Central' Travelodge hotel?

It probably won't be long before sponsorship deals give us stuff like 'Carlisle Travelodge' as a station name!