Trivia: Stations that are overengineered for their current usage

[Intercity 225]

Hi,

We all appreciate that some stations' usage and status can change over time and this is something that interests me greatly. This thread is to discuss stations that were once built to accommodate significantly more rail traffic and/or passengers than they do today but still remain in use on the same site. There are two types of stations that can be featured in this thread:

1. Stations that still have significant pieces of infrastructure in place but large areas have been mothballed.

An example here would be Hellifield.

2. Stations that are still wholly or predominantly the same as they were when they had a different use but today have little need for the additional infrastructure.

An example here would be Hampton-in-Arden which has very lengthy platforms that were designed to accommodate Intercity trains for passengers travelling to and from Birmingham Airport. Once Birmingham International station opened these longer platforms were required far less frequently.

All information appreciated.

Many Thanks

--------------

UPDATE

To consolidate all the stations mentioned so far I've compiled the following lists - one contains all stations that have been widely accepted to be overengineered whereas the second list contains stations that are being debated as to whether they qualify or not. Both lists are in alphabetical order for ease of reference and each list can be updated over time as the thread progresses.

Please keep them coming!

Widely Accepted
Attenborough
Bexhill
Brigg
Cheadle Hulme
Chippenham
Denton
East Midlands Parkway
Esher
Folkestone Central
Gainsborough Central
Great Yarmouth
Hampton-in-Arden
Hartford
Hellifield
Hooton
Hull Paragon
Kempston Hardwick
North Camp
Perth
Pontypridd
Salisbury
Skegness
Stirling
Telford Central
Thornton Abbey
Tynemouth
Wellington
Wembley Central
Wemyss Bay

Debated
Aberdeen
Birmingham Snow Hill
Blackpool North
Bristol Temple Meads
Bushey
Carlisle
Crewe
Dorchester South
Ebbsfleet International
Edinburgh Gateway
Exeter Central
Goxhill
Harrow and Wealdstone
Ince & Elton
Inverness
Liverpool South Parkway
Lowestoft
Manchester Victoria
Moorgate
New Malden
Nuneaton
Queen's Park (London)
Rugby
Scarborough
Shrewsbury
Stafford
Stanlow & Thornton
Stratford International
Vauxhall
Watford Junction
Weymouth
Wrexham General

 

[GW43125]

Blackpool North still has 8 platforms in situ, to be reduced to 6 after the resignalling, if that would count-7&8 are barely used.

 

[Intercity 225]

Great example! Please keep them coming.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

A few come to mind for different purposes:

Hartford has similar ex-InterCity status and therefore long, now partially abandoned, platforms, though it lost its provision much later than Hampton-in-Arden.

The western side of Perth station, as beautiful and grand as it is, is somewhat overblown for modern needs.

About two thirds of Skegness is dormant, only two platforms of six being in use and I'd presume the other half of the station being out of bounds to the public.

God only knows how many thousands of rooms lie disused in station buildings across the country. Most of the building at Manchester Victoria is without any particular activity I believe.

 

[6Gman]

Worse are the stations which have been built recently, at huge cost, for negligible use.

Mentioning no names.




Liverpool Sth Parkway, Ebbsfleet, Stratford 'Intl'...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Worse are the stations which have been built recently, at huge cost, for negligible use.

Mentioning no names.




Liverpool Sth Parkway, Ebbsfleet, Stratford 'Intl'...

I'll bet in five years time you can add Worcestershire Parkway to those unmentioned names!

 

[richard1976]

Worse are the stations which have been built recently, at huge cost, for negligible use.

Mentioning no names.




Liverpool Sth Parkway, Ebbsfleet, Stratford 'Intl'...

add East Midlands Parkway to that

 

[Blindtraveler]

And Edinburgh Gateway!
Might do well but unless the tram price for the airport reduces or something major is done to make the train or tram service (or indeed both) massively more attractive than it currently is then I fear another white elifant.



OT but I feel removing platforms at Blackpool is just daft given numbers are rising!

 

[yorksrob]

I remember Folkestone in all it's double island platform glory. Now just the one.

The railway has retreated from a large part of Hull Paragon, now replaced by buses.

Skeggy had a lot of overgrown platforms when I visited.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

OT but I feel removing platforms at Blackpool is just daft given numbers are rising!

I believe 8 (?) in the current set-up is permanently out of use already, so in capacity terms the remodelling only takes it down one platform. Passenger numbers are rising, yes, but six platforms could still comfortably handle 12tph or more if necessarily, and if you're desperate there's always the depot next door to hold stock in. I can't see a situation ever arising where you'll need more than six platforms for the service level, including the odd charter, North is ever likely to get.

 

[richard1976]

There are five platforms at Scarborough and only 2 trains an hour for most of the day

 

[Intercity 225]

These are all excellent examples, thank you for all the replies so far. Definitely an early theme of coastal resorts being common and also interesting to read about the modern stations listed so far.

Couple of quick questions:

Hartford has similar ex-InterCity status and therefore long, now partially abandoned, platforms, though it lost its provision much later than Hampton-in-Arden.

This is really interesting, why did Hartford have Intercity services and when did they cease?

I remember Folkestone in all it's double island platform glory. Now just the one.

Which Folkestone station are you referring to here please?

Keep them coming!

 

[swt_passenger]

Tynemouth covers a huge total area compared to the short lengths of in use Metro platforms.

 

[yorksrob]

These are all excellent examples, thank you for all the replies so far. Definitely an early theme of coastal resorts being common and also interesting to read about the modern stations listed so far.

Couple of quick questions:



This is really interesting, why did Hartford have Intercity services and when did they cease?



Which Folkestone station are you referring to here please?

Keep them coming!

Apologies, Folkestone Central.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

This is really interesting, why did Hartford have Intercity services and when did they cease?...

I don't actually know why or exactly when, I'd guess it was to serve mid-Cheshire (I can hear the Mid-Cheshire Mention alarm going off at jcollins's house as I type this ), as I can imagine there still is a fair amount of wealthy peak time commuters to and from London who live there, now largely covered by Wilmslow's enhanced service. Both West Coast and CrossCountry services stopped around 2004 I believe, though I'm sure someone will know for sure!

The station building at Hartford is also built on stilts of sorts, that's probably unique in this country and certainly a bit of over-engineering you'd never see today!

Apologies, Folkestone Central.

Didn't they originally rationalise it to both outer faces only, then just a few years later slew it over to the layout in use today?

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Possibly Weymouth in the winter, don't know how often Weymouth has all three platforms with trains in during the summer.

Dorchester South, I don't ever recall seeing a train on the "down side" (opposite platform from the old brewery side)

 

[Clansman]

Perth and Stirling - practically stabling depots in their own right

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The original Bradford Forster Square would qualify in its last few years, before the more modest 3 platform replacement was built.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Bristol Temple Meads always seems half empty to me compared to when I used to go spotting there in the early 1980's. Mind you the fact that Bath Road mpd is long gone doesn't really help matters.

 

[thenorthern]

Telford Central always seems to have longer platforms than it needs, I am told that it was built to contain inter-city trains and the current Voyagers are not that long.

Carlisle, Crewe, Stafford and Nuneaton all seem to have platforms that are rarely used.

 

[richard1976]

Platforms at Cheadle Hulme are far longer than the train that serve it

 

[Blindtraveler]

Cant think of a platform at Carlisle thats rarely used, the least frequent of course being P8 but even that comes in handy when theres a lot of 156s around at the start/end of service and also when theirs voyager shuttles to Scotland running.

 

[yorksrob]

I don't actually know why or exactly when, I'd guess it was to serve mid-Cheshire (I can hear the Mid-Cheshire Mention alarm going off at jcollins's house as I type this ), as I can imagine there still is a fair amount of wealthy peak time commuters to and from London who live there, now largely covered by Wilmslow's enhanced service. Both West Coast and CrossCountry services stopped around 2004 I believe, though I'm sure someone will know for sure!

The station building at Hartford is also built on stilts of sorts, that's probably unique in this country and certainly a bit of over-engineering you'd never see today!



Didn't they originally rationalise it to both outer faces only, then just a few years later slew it over to the layout in use today?

Yes, the centre platforms were fairly lightly used for a number of years as I believe trains calling at Folkestone West weren't able to use them.

I remember speeding through them on EPB 5001 for the Southern Electric Group's Emerald Water Witch tour.

 

[dk1]

Great Yarmouth has 4 for basically an hourly service which only goes half hourly in the morning/evening & on Summer Saturdays. A run round facility between 2/3 is now not used as no through IC services run here. The carriage sidings are overgrown but there is a plan to use this for storing stock released by the new fleet now being built. Platform 4 is only used once per day (15:17 departure) & platform 1 will be abolished during resignalling.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Great Yarmouth ... Platform 4 is only used once per day (15:17 departure) & platform 1 will be abolished during resignalling.

When is the resignalling planned out of interest?

 

[dgl]

Possibly Weymouth in the winter, don't know how often Weymouth has all three platforms with trains in during the summer.

Dorchester South, I don't ever recall seeing a train on the "down side" (opposite platform from the old brewery side)

Weymouth multiple times daily has all platforms occupied with a service to Bristol/Gloucester on platform 1, the semi-fast (xx:23?) to Waterloo on platform 2 and the fastish (xx:03?) to Waterloo on platform 3, so no over capacity there. Late night trains will sometimes be platformed with another 444 unit already waiting at the station so doubling up platforms is not an option.

Dorchester south uses both platform all the time with iirc the platform nearest brewery square for trains to Waterloo and the side furthest for Weymouth trains. the dual platforms also have the uses as a waiting point (if necessary) for a up train to wait for a down train to clear the single line section.

 

[Mag_seven]

Wemyss Bay - two platforms and massive glass roofs all for one train an hour. If it wasn't for the fact it was listed it probably would have ended up with one platform and a bus shelter.

 

[swt_passenger]

Weymouth multiple times daily has all platforms occupied with a service to Bristol/Gloucester on platform 1, the semi-fast (xx:23?) to Waterloo on platform 2 and the fastish (xx:03?) to Waterloo on platform 3, so no over capacity there. Late night trains will sometimes be platformed with another 444 unit already waiting at the station so doubling up platforms is not an option.

Dorchester south uses both platform all the time with iirc the platform nearest brewery square for trains to Waterloo and the side furthest for Weymouth trains. the dual platforms also have the uses as a waiting point (if necessary) for a up train to wait for a down train to clear the single line section.

Both of SpacePhoenix's points seem to be contradicted by a simple check of RTT. There is also little or no fundamental difference between winter and summer operations, bar a few GWR strengthenings of individual services.

It may have been considered to have a notionally "spare" platform before the SWT 2 tph service started, but it still wouldn't seem to fit the original question.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Both of SpacePhoenix's points seem to be contradicted by a simple check of RTT. There is also little or no fundamental difference between winter and summer operations, bar a few GWR strengthenings of individual services.

It may have been considered to have a notionally "spare" platform before the SWT 2 tph service started, but it still wouldn't seem to fit the original question.

Actually there is some difficulty in platforming the service at times on summer Saturdays, particularly when the HST runs and SWT / GWR units have to platform share to fit it all in.

 

[kevconnor]

Manchester Victoria may act as a cautionary tale, it was over capacity just before the Arena was built in the early 90's but a mix of increased patronage and decrease capacity now see a situation where needing to change service patterns to prevent services starting/ending there so as to increase capacity.