Stations not known by their "official" names?

[bishdunster]

Bournemouth had 4 platforms in the 1970s and the staff club (BRSA) was always referred to as "Platform 5" !

 

[Teapot42]

Whereas Newtown to me is Newtown (Powys)!

I'm not actually sure if Newtown is a place in it's own right, or is considered a suburb of New Mills. Certainly the station is in Newtown, but is close enough to New Mills to be usable, and some tickets are valid to either.

From what I can find there was not a station on the third line through New Mills - naming for such a small place would have been very confusing otherwise.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'm not actually sure if Newtown is a place in it's own right...

Road signs when approaching the area along the A6 still say 'Newtown'. Believe the locality was once a separate parish, before being merged into New Mills in the 1930s.

 

[fat_boy_pete]

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.

150 years (plus and ongoing) of local name being different from the official name, must be the record.

 

[izvor]

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

Does anyone still call it Dorking North? It's probably died out by now.

Out of interest: are there any station codes that still reflect a previous name?

Ashford International is AFK (after Ashford (Kent)).

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)!

...and used to be called Dorking Town! I still occasionally hear Dorking (Deepdene) called plain Deepdene, which of course it was for many decades prior to gaining its more sensible present name.

 

[Smwrff]

I dont know a single person who refers to Port Talbot Parkway. It is just Port Talbot.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Does anyone still call it Dorking North? It's probably died out by now.

Lots of things happen in Surrey that most people thought had previously died out, that included

 

[6Gman]

I know in north east Flintshire, Shotton station is sometimes referred to merely by, "high level", or "low level".

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Aug 2025 ==


Also on this line, it's somewhat commonplace to ask for a ticket to "The Junction".

In my time it was always "the Junction" among local railway staff. "Change at the Junction", "Junction men work that to Chester" (despite the possibility of Mold Junction men being involved) etc.

And the pub opposite the station was always "The Killer", but that's another story!

 

[Krokodil]

In my time it was always "the Junction" among local railway staff. "Change at the Junction", "Junction men work that to Chester" (despite the possibility of Mold Junction men being involved) etc.

The definite article has now been lost for most people so "Change at Junction", "Day Return to Junction" etc.

And the pub opposite the station was always "The Killer", but that's another story!

Still is

 

[telstarbox]

In Southeastern land I've heard people mention connecting at Waterloo 'Main' to SWR.

I've read Stratford 'Regional' as opposed to International but never heard this in the wild.

 

[The exile]

I've read Stratford 'Regional' as opposed to International but never heard this in the wild.

Brings up an interesting point though. Difficult to explain in general - but basically, the minute Edinburgh Park / Gateway opened (whichever was first), then Waverley should have regained its suffix. Likewise Cambridge should have gained one once North opened (but not “central” as it’s anything but!).

 

[Falcon1200]

the minute Edinburgh Park / Gateway opened (whichever was first), then Waverley should have regained its suffix. Likewise Cambridge should have gained one once North opened

Interesting points! Also perhaps Oxford, once Parkway opened, although I'm not sure how it should be renamed - Central (although it is not), General (as per the GWR), or Main Line (Chiltern and EWR might object).

 

[The exile]

Interesting points! Also perhaps Oxford, once Parkway opened, although I'm not sure how it should be renamed - Central (although it is not), General (as per the GWR), or Main Line (Chiltern and EWR might object).

Indeed - not sure why ENR or Chiltern would object as all their services will serve it as well. Personally I’m quite in favour of “Main” as an equivalent of Hbf (in situations where there’s nothing more “obvious”) implying its status but nothing about geography.

 

[Tester]

Indeed - not sure why ENR or Chiltern would object as all their services will serve it as well. Personally I’m quite in favour of “Main” as an equivalent of Hbf - implying its status but nothing about geography.

I think Oxford Hbf, and indeed Cambridge Hbf, would be just fine.

At least we don't have the Frankfurt Main Hbf problem

 

[Taunton]

Edinburgh station has always been known as Waverley, and to be true Edinburgh argot should be "The Waverley". Certainly in the 1970s-80s the signage at the entrance just said 'Waverley Station'. Although Haymarket never seems to have had an Edinburgh prefix, the two have always been known just by their distinctive names alone. Bristol always the same, with Temple Meads just used on its own without any mention of station, or Bristol. Wherever there are unique names they seem more readily adopted.

Clapham Junction is commonly known fully by those from afar, just changing there, but is "The Junction" to locals. There have been both well known at the time films and pop records using just that expression. It is, unlike the various other Clapham stations, not there at all, but in the middle of Battersea.

 

[A S Leib]

At least we don't have the Frankfurt Main Hbf problem

Bangor (Main) station, not to be confused with Bangor, Maine, or Bangor, County Down the NI one also has Bangor West, so calling that one Main makes more sense than Bangor (Gwynedd) .

 

[zwk500]

Interesting points! Also perhaps Oxford, once Parkway opened, although I'm not sure how it should be renamed - Central (although it is not), General (as per the GWR), or Main Line (Chiltern and EWR might object).

"General" probably fits best for both Oxford and Cambridge, although my preference would be "City". Either that or give it a personal suffix, maybe 'Cambridge Newton' and 'Oxford Hooke' to continue the rivalry?

 

[duffield]

"General" probably fits best for both Oxford and Cambridge, although my preference would be "City". Either that or give it a personal suffix, maybe 'Cambridge Newton' and 'Oxford Hooke' to continue the rivalry?

"City" is probably the most obvious and least confusing for Oxford tourists. But "General" implies it's the main station where most connections are made and where all the intercity services depart from, which is also true. So maybe "Oxford City & General"? But then that makes it sound like a hospital!

 

[unlevel42]

Always "Blaenau"

I would have said 'Stiniog' to a local(Gwynedd) Welsh speaking peer and 'Bleuna' to anyone else, Welsh, Welsh speaker, posh or foreign. In the same way as nearby Bethesda would be called 'Pesda'. Using the two alternatives would have been regarded as rude and disrespectful in the presence of elders. There was no ambiguity with near by Ffestiniog.

 

[Falcon1200]

"City" is probably the most obvious and least confusing for Oxford tourists.

City is the most appropriate choice for me, but as the station was not renamed when Parkway opened, doubt it will happen now!

 

[styles]

On the Borders railway, apparently Newtongrange is known as Nitten, so you do hear Nitten station sometimes.

 

[godfreycomplex]

On the Borders railway, apparently Newtongrange is known as Nitten, so you do hear Nitten station sometimes.

Sometimes aye.

Gilshochill station (and area) is sometimes referred to as Gilshy. The station was briefly known as Lambhill, but that quickly fell into disuse upon renaming (I am anxious to know why it was named Lambhill in the first place as it’s smack bang in the middle of Gilshy and nowhere near Lambhill)

I think Crowborough is known locally as Jarvis Brook and I did hear High Street station quite a bit when I lived in Swansea.

 

[Siemens Trains]

the minute Edinburgh Park / Gateway opened (whichever was first), then Waverley should have regained its suffix.

Maybe true, but the absence of any other terminus in Edinburgh (since the closure of Princes Street or Caley or whatever our ancestors called it) meant this either wasn't going to happen formally or would never be adopted sufficiently well by passengers.

The mistake was made by choosing Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Gateway as names for new stations. I'm unaffected by this because I know the conventions very well but I find it very annoying because I can understand how visitors and occasional train users will be easily confused.

Edinburgh station has always been known as Waverley, and to be true Edinburgh argot should be "The Waverley". Certainly in the 1970s-80s the signage at the entrance just said 'Waverley Station'. Although Haymarket never seems to have had an Edinburgh prefix, the two have always been known just by their distinctive names alone.

I've never heard "The Waverley" in common use but I suppose there are bigger crimes (see above)! It's perhaps slightly ambiguous because there's a line in the Borders area that some people call the Waverley Route but it's a long distance from Edinburgh. As a local I'd always call it Waverley Station when describing to another local, but of course in railway terms it's Edinburgh.

Another Edinburgh error is referring to the airport as Turnhouse. This really should have gone out with the ark, or at least when the new terminal opened in the 1970s. But it still stubbornly persists on some airline tickets. Maybe Edinburgh Gateway should have been called Turnhouse Station.

On the Borders railway, apparently Newtongrange is known as Nitten, so you do hear Nitten station sometimes.

I believe Nitten is just an everyday name for Newtongrange village rather than specific to the station. A bit like Enster for Anstruther.

 

[styles]

I believe Nitten is just an everyday name for Newtongrange village rather than specific to the station. A bit like Enster for Anstruther.

Indeed it is.

 

[County School]

Lincoln 'Central' appears on most if not all station platform displays at EMR stations and is often announced on trains the same.

But Central is the new name. I’ve just taken a taxi to “LNER (Central)” and the taxi company doesn’t mean the LNER that took over from Virgin!

 

[scrapy]

The station is Cark and Cartmel, the village is Cark, or Cark in Cartmel but Cartmel is a separate village better known for its racecourse.

The westbound platforms actually in the larger village of Flookburgh. (Eastbound is in Cark) Flookburgh and Cark would be the most accurate name for the station, although I can see why they didn't want to name the station Flookburgh as many would choose not to pronounce the L. Grange station is actually closer to Cartmel.

 

[zero]

The tram stop for Blackpool North is officially called North Station and I suspect everyone there also refers to the South station as just that.

 

[The exile]

Maybe true, but the absence of any other terminus in Edinburgh (since the closure of Princes Street or Caley or whatever our ancestors called it) meant this either wasn't going to happen formally or would never be adopted sufficiently well by passengers.

Surely the evidence of the last fifty or so years suggests that the suffix concerned (“Waverley”) has survived all attempts to expunge it so is unlikely not to be “adopted sufficiently well by passengers”. On top of this, the usefulness of Haymarket for a large proportion of the city means there is a need to distinguish what “the station” means.

 

[Mogz]

Many stations used to be suffixes “General” but are no longer (eg Chester, Banbury, Reading) but the only one I know of that is still signposted thus is Wrexham General.

 

[D6130]

Many stations used to be suffixes “General” but are no longer (eg Chester, Banbury, Reading) but the only one I know of that is still signposted thus is Wrexham General.

Many years ago, when Edinburgh Road station was still open, Perth was known as Perth General....the only example that I know of such a suffix being used for a non-Great Western or GWR joint station. Didn't Chester also have the 'General' suffix prior to the closure of Northgate in about 1969?