Trivia: Station nicknames

[Calthrop]

General knowledge question:

What novel begins with the words "Thorpe Station in Norwich"?

I seem to recall that one of Arthur Ransome's intrepid-kids'-adventures-on-water tales -- no longer any idea, at many decades' distance, of the title; but it's one of those of his, set on the Norfolk Broads not in the Lake District: opening words, "Thorpe Station in Norwich is a terminus."

 

[PeterY]

As a resident in Watford for over 20 years, never heard the locals refer to Watford Junction as Watford - just The Junction (whch is not particularly original). Watford station on the Underground is always referred to as Watford Met and there is also "The High Street" station.

Hemel is mostly referred to by their locals as 'Emel.

I once had to correct a Southern guard (when their service ran to Milton Keynes) who pronounced Berkhamsted as BerkHAMsted. To the locals of West Herts it's always BERKhamsted - hence Berko.

I live in 'Emel (Hemel Hempstead) and yes people call it 'Emel.

Agree about all the Watford stations but I've never heard Watford North called anything else.

 

[D6975]

Has anyone mentioned Fort William yet? Fort Bill to bashers for many years now.

 

[D6130]

Has anyone mentioned Fort William yet? Fort Bill to bashers for many years now.

....but "The Fort" to locals, back in my day.

 

[Yabba]

My old boss from a slightly rougher part of West Yorkshire also often used to nickname Starbeck 'St Arbeck' because he didn't reckon the original name was posh enough for Harrogate

In the same vein when i was speaking to some Wimbledon fans in London, they informed me they had come off the train from St. Evenage (pronounced Evan-Arge) because it sounded more fancy than their trip to deepest darkest Hertfordshire. I've never been able to call it it's proper name from that day on.

 

[MadMac]

....but "The Fort" to locals, back in my day.

As in “The Port” for Port Glasgow.

 

[snowball]

I seem to recall that one of Arthur Ransome's intrepid-kids'-adventures-on-water tales -- no longer any idea, at many decades' distance, of the title; but it's one of those of his, set on the Norfolk Broads not in the Lake District: opening words, "Thorpe Station in Norwich is a terminus."

Correct!

Coot Club, first published 1934, fifth of the series that began with Swallows and Amazons. Its two central characters were first introduced in the fourth book of the series, Winter Holiday. The first two and a bit sentences go:

Thorpe Station at Norwich is a terminus. Trains from the middle of England and the south run in there, and if they are going on east and north by way of Wroxham, they run out of the station by the same way they ran in. Dick and Dorothea Callum had never been in Norfolk before ...

 

[vic-rijrode]

I live in 'Emel (Hemel Hempstead) and yes people call it 'Emel.

Agree about all the Watford stations but I've never heard Watford North called anything else.

Strangely enough Watford North station is in North Watford and Watford West (on the Croxley Green branch) was in West Watford (both effectively suburbs of Watford but each having a distinct name). It would have been more logical to give them the geographic prefix rather than the suffix.

Neither station was ever called "North" or "West" though!

The old Croxley Green station was about a mile from the actual Green, Croxley on the Underground is always "Croxley Met" and is only a short walk from the "Green", such as it is.

 

[LT02 NVV]

“The Drum” is what I have heard people call both Drumchapel & Drumry train stations. I have also heard someone call Anderston, simply “Andy” before.

 

[BeijingDave]

Not unusual for locals to call Warrington 'Wazza', including 'Wazza Gezza' (Warrington General Hospital), though I've never heard rail staff use it.

 

[Peter0124]

Bridgeton station also gets called 'BriG-ton' a lot by locals.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Bridgeton station is near to Glasgow Central, and it's quite common for some Central Scotland place names with "Bridge" in them to be referred to locally as "Brig", for example Coatbridge becomes "Coat-brig" and Bonnybridge (near Falkirk) becomes "Bonny-brig".