Trivia: locations which have services to London from 2 different termini

[daodao]

Historical one - Plymouth Millbay (GWR) and Friary (LSWR). Also did Cromer (High) and Cromer (Beach) have London services at the same time - Summer Saturdays maybe?

Before the grouping, there were through trains from Cromer High via Norwich Thorpe to London Liverpool Street (run by GER) and from Cromer Beach via Melton Constable to London King's Cross (run by M&GNR), both daily (except Sundays).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jan 2026 ==

Historically, Manchester had four, to three destinations.
Central to St Pancras
London Rd/Piccadilly to Euston
London Rd to Marylebone
London Rd to Kings Cross
Exchange to Euston

Pre-grouping, there were also through services from Bolton Trinity Street and Manchester Victoria to both Euston and St Pancras, and from Bolton Great Moor Street to Euston.

However, these are historic examples from the days of competing railways, and there are now few instances of places that have services to London from separate termini.

 

[norbitonflyer]

What routes were taken by trains from Liverpool and Manchester to King’s Cross?

There were certainly MSLR services (pre-Great Central London extension) from Manchester to Kings Cross via Retford. One of them is mentioned in "Red for Danger" it was the one following the Special Scotch Express involved in the Abbots Ripton disaster, but despite also getting a false clear was stopped before adding to the carnage. I would guess a train from Liverpool for the MSLR would use the Cheshire Lines route, which was a GN/MSLR/Midland joint operation.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jan 2026 ==

Would Uxbridge have counted when Vine Street was open (slightly fudging the question of Uxbridge, Middlesex not being in London and Paddington, Middlesex being in it, although in 1904 I suspect it would have been rural enough to count as a separate settlement)?

Definiely counted in 1904 - the County of London, which existed from 1889 to 1965, included Paddington but not Uxbridge