Summer only stations

[orpine]

I came across the Falls of Cruachan station which is request only. According to the National Rail site http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/FOC/details.html :

"This station is a request stop only and is only open during summer months as there is no station lighting"

It doesn't define "summer months" (but the PDF timetable seems to suggest end Oct), but more to the point - why can't it be used in the winter? It says "no station lighting", but that's not an issue during daylight hours; by my maths looking at the timetable there are at least 3 a day within that period (and 3-4 that aren't).
Is this a case of health-and-safety-gone-mad?

 

[Starmill]

Maybe, but possibly not given the remote location and likely treacherous conditions in deep winter. Also there aren't many hours of light in winter at all so the risk of a train being late and somebody waiting there as it goes dark is greater.

I guess really there are always going to be risks associated with such remote stations!

 

[Railsigns]

I came across the Falls of Cruachan station which is request only. According to the National Rail site http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/FOC/details.html :

"This station is a request stop only and is only open during summer months as there is no station lighting"

It doesn't define "summer months" (but the PDF timetable seems to suggest end Oct), but more to the point - why can't it be used in the winter? It says "no station lighting", but that's not an issue during daylight hours; by my maths looking at the timetable there are at least 3 a day within that period (and 3-4 that aren't).
Is this a case of health-and-safety-gone-mad?

That page needs to be updated.

Firstly, Falls of Cruachan ceased to be a request stop over a year ago.

Secondly, trains routinely call there in full darkness at this time of year, despite there being no lighting.

 

[Starmill]

The NRE pic is hopelessly out of date as well, its gained a little shelter and I think a help point?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I think that Dunrobin Castle is another Scottish station that is open in the summer months only.

 

[Liam]

Is this a case of health-and-safety-gone-mad?

Falls of Cruachan and Dunrobin Castle have been summer only stations for as long as I can remember. Since at least the early 90's.

 

[thenorthern]

Halton Curve is summer only, there are also some summer only extensions. EMT to Scarborough and XC to Newquay which run on summer Saturdays only. Also I think there are some trains to Oakhampton but only on Summer Saturdays.

 

[tractakid]

Halton Curve is summer only, there are also some summer only extensions. EMT to Scarborough and XC to Newquay which run on summer Saturdays only. Also I think there are some trains to Oakhampton but only on Summer Saturdays.

Well, I know that FGW serve Okehampton on summer Sundays! :P

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I:

"This station is a request stop only and is only open during summer months as there is no station lighting"

Berney Arms has no station lighting and a round the year service.

 

[21C101]

Berney Arms has no station lighting and a round the year service.

Dosent it have a portable oil (probably now battery electric) light that the guard installs on the last train before it gets dark?

I think lighting is a legal must.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Dosent it have a portable oil (probably now battery electric) light that the guard installs on the last train before it gets dark?

I think lighting is a legal must.

I wasn't aware the service operated after dark.

 

[yorkie]

Halton Curve is summer only, there are also some summer only extensions. EMT to Scarborough and XC to Newquay which run on summer Saturdays only. Also I think there are some trains to Oakhampton but only on Summer Saturdays.

I think you can have Okehampton, but none of the others are stations

 

[dzug2]

I wasn't aware the service operated after dark.

No trains scheduled to stop after dark in the current timetable

 

[Ash Bridge]

I think you can have Okehampton, but none of the others are stations

In that case, can I include Sampford Courtenay?

 

[Busaholic]

Perhaps Dawlish will become a Summer only station, tides and winds permitting.

 

[Muzer]

Perhaps Dawlish will become a Summer only station, tides and winds permitting.

And perhaps the whole of Cornwall along with large parts of Devon?

 

[Class 170101]

Dosent it have a portable oil (probably now battery electric) light that the guard installs on the last train before it gets dark?

I think lighting is a legal must.

That hasn't happened for many years. Trains just don't stop after dark, The same applies for Buckenham just down the road (should that be Broad?).

In respect of Dunrobin Castle I believe station opening is now something like March to October.

 

[Altnabreac]

There are two (excellent) reasons for using Falls of Cruachan station.

Firstly the fascinating tour of the hydroelectric power station.
http://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/guidedtour/
Entry fee of £7 is reduced to £0 if you arrive by train (or bike).

It's only 200m or so from the station and well worth a visit. Nice cafe overlooking Loch Awe to await your return train.

Given it's open for most of the year (shut for 6 weeks from mid Dec - Feb) perhaps the summer only opening is an anachronism these days?).

Secondly for walking up Ben Cruachan itself. The full horseshoe route is an amazing day out on the hill. It used to be tight to walk the whole horseshoe and catch the last train back, I've ended up running down the last mile or two to make the train before!

With the enhanced service you can now have 8 hours on the hill which makes it a much easier day out.

Again demand is likely to be seasonal but there will be some demand in spring and autumn.

The station is much improved with a nice little shelter and help point that worked very well last time I was there for checking my late running service was still coming.

With plans for CCTV at every Scotrail station maybe a light will be installed as well?

Overall though the current service is pretty good and I'm surprised usage isn't higher.

I'd thoroughly recommend a day out to anyone interested either in hillwalking or engineering.

 

[Busaholic]

And perhaps the whole of Cornwall along with large parts of Devon?

Not if Okehampton gets reopened.

 

[berneyarms]

I came across the Falls of Cruachan station which is request only. According to the National Rail site http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/FOC/details.html :


It doesn't define "summer months" (but the PDF timetable seems to suggest end Oct), but more to the point - why can't it be used in the winter? It says "no station lighting", but that's not an issue during daylight hours; by my maths looking at the timetable there are at least 3 a day within that period (and 3-4 that aren't).
Is this a case of health-and-safety-gone-mad?

Both Falls of Cruachan and Dunrobin Castle are served while British Summer Time prevails, namely from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday of the weekend in which the final Sunday of October falls.

 

[LateThanNever]

Both Falls of Cruachan and Dunrobin Castle are served while British Summer Time prevails, namely from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday of the weekend in which the final Sunday of October falls.

Still odd that you can be 'set down' in a ditch in the middle of nowhere in pitch black from a bus, but a station must have a light.... I'd have thought the train had lights to see to (er) alight and to see the way out sign . None of these stations without lights are, after all, any larger than tiny! (Even Okehampton has electricity...)

 

[tsr]

Still odd that you can be 'set down' in a ditch in the middle of nowhere in pitch black from a bus, but a station must have a light.... I'd have thought the train had lights to see to (er) alight and to see the way out sign . None of these stations without lights are, after all, any larger than tiny! (Even Okehampton has electricity...)

I understand the access to Falls of Cruachan can only be negotiated safely in daylight or with a torch, as the path is quite uneven, and there is a low bridge, of sorts. Daylight-only calls in the depths of winter might be more useful for the tourist reasons outlined, though.

As for Dunrobin Castle, I haven't a clue about any hazards after dark there, but suffice to say I can't imagine there's all that much demand on an evening in the middle of the winter, hence why I suppose nobody has insisted trains stop there!

 

[Railsigns]

I understand the access to Falls of Cruachan can only be negotiated safely in daylight or with a torch, as the path is quite uneven, and there is a low bridge, of sorts.

There is a low bridge, but the path between the station and the main road doesn't pass beneath it.

Meanwhile, trains continue to call there in full darkness.

 

[Gathursty]

As for Dunrobin Castle, I haven't a clue about any hazards after dark there...

I pulled up there at 3am last Summer and even though the ground was flat, it was a mix of grass and gravel and with no lights, the platform ramp was hard to distinguish and so the bank rising beneath my feet was a bit of a surprise to my steadiness. My camera phone's light helped only slightly to distinguish if there were any uneven ground but it is easy to see why there is a reason for such stations to be served at times when you can actually see where you are walking.

 

[Busaholic]

I pulled up there at 3am last Summer and even though the ground was flat, it was a mix of grass and gravel and with no lights, the platform ramp was hard to distinguish and so the bank rising beneath my feet was a bit of a surprise to my steadiness. My camera phone's light helped only slightly to distinguish if there were any uneven ground but it is easy to see why there is a reason for such stations to be served at times when you can actually see where you are walking.

Couldn't such stations be provided with a high wattage light that comes on when motion is detected or is there too much wildlife around for it to be a sensible proposition?

 

[dk1]

Berney Arms has had no trains during the hours of darkeness since this pathetic rule was brought in over 20 years ago. Traincrew definatley do not have anything to do with any station lighting if electric let alone oil.

 

[21C101]

Berney Arms has had no trains during the hours of darkeness since this pathetic rule was brought in over 20 years ago. Traincrew definatley do not have anything to do with any station lighting if electric let alone oil.

Its always been the rule. In times gone by the guard of the last service before sunset installed an oil lamp and lit it, then first train next day recovered it.

Berney Arms used to be Oil Lit. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Berney_Arms.jpg

I would have thought a solar powered LED installation was feasible now.

 

[orpine]

The sweet irony of having a train station with no lights and thus no winter service serving a power station has just occurred to me.
(Bonus points because they can get light to places like Corrour http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/56.7601/-4.6869 !)

In this case I was planning to visit the power station which is open all year (daylight only hours in winter), but now need to take a bus. Then I'll have to somehow get from there to a nearby train station (Loch Awe) so I can continue my journey.
Seems like a poor choice from a tourist-friendly perspective.

 

[dk1]

Its always been the rule. In times gone by the guard of the last service before sunset installed an oil lamp and lit it, then first train next day recovered it.

Berney Arms used to be Oil Lit. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Berney_Arms.jpg

I would have thought a solar powered LED installation was feasible now.

I remember the 'lamp man' going to Berney along with Postman.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Berney Arms has had no trains during the hours of darkeness since this pathetic rule was brought in over 20 years ago. Traincrew definatley do not have anything to do with any station lighting if electric let alone oil.

What is the current situation at New Clee, as in past days, the lack of lighting seemed to have operational consequences there?