TRIVIA: Stations with only rail access

[Deafdoggie]

On a recent trip to Wales, I noticed that the rebuilt Dovey Junction now has pedestrian access, albeit a long footpath to a road, that still leaves you in the middle of nowhere! However, you used to be only able to access it by rail.
This set me thinking, what, if any, stations are there, where the only access is by train? Or restricted in some way. Smallbrook Junction on the Isle Of Wite only has rail access (although these is a path with locked gates for "Emergency Access"). Possibly Lympstone Commando, as, in theory, you must be a marine to access the platform, although since the cycle path was put in, I don't see why this requirement is still needed. Any others? Of course, Polesworth, Norton Bridge, etc don't count, as they are not accessible by rail! No trains stop!!

 

[Kite159]

Polesworth has access to its remaining platform, via a side gate kept locked for most of the day

Corrour in highlands, private estates road, but you can walk away

 

[gordonthemoron]

British Steel Teesside?

 

[70014IronDuke]

Trent.

I believe. I did stop there, but never alighted.

(sounds a bit like: "I never inhaled" doesn't it?)

 

[bradders1983]

Berney Arms - you cant get to it by road.

 

[thenorthern]

Sinfin North had no access except by factory workers at Rolls-Royce, given though from 1993 until 1998 the Sinfin branch was replaced by a taxi how do you get a taxi replacing a train if there is no road access?

I know with Sinfin Central there was a long overgrown path from Wilmore Road which allowed British Rail to claim it had road access although its not something that many people used other than Rolls-Royce workers.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A few errors in the OP: it's the Isle of Wight, and Lympstone Commando station.

Sugar Loaf has no road access but is accessible to ramblers so doesn't quite qualify.

 

[Deafdoggie]

A few errors in the OP: it's the Isle of Wight, and Lympstone Commando station.

I was wondering who would spot those first!!

 

[rebmcr]

Cornbrook used to be this.

 

[richard1976]

Manulla Junction in Ireland

 

[AndrewE]

Berney Arms - you cant get to it by road.

But there are public rights of way (bridleways even) from both the river/pub and Halvergate and Wickhampton in the other direction, so it's not inaccessible.
There is genuinely no right of way to Dovey Junction, so there's no access, full stop.

I believe that in Scotland the law of trespass is different (or maybe the concept doesn't even exist) so there will not be anywhere that is really inaccessible unless it is inside an MOD base or walled-off port (or a steelworks or airport or similar I suppose.)

 

[matchmaker]

Corrour. Not only are there no roads to it (only tracks), but it's a long way from anywhere in the extremely unhospitable Rannoch Moor.

 

[Sean Emmett]

"There is genuinely no right of way to Dovey Junction, so there's no access, full stop".

NO. This is no longer true, see earlier post. IIRC Footpath access is signed from the main road.

Sagliains on the Rhaetische Bahn in Switzerland "is a connecting station, which allows passengers only to change trains.... There is no public access to the outside world".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagliains_(Rhaetian_Railway_station)

I changed trains there in July 2015.

 

[urbophile]

Sagliains on the Rhaetische Bahn in Switzerland "is a connecting station, which allows passengers only to change trains.... There is no public access to the outside world".

Sounds like the ideal destination for a tour from Abraham Simpson's Old Folks Home.

 

[Llanigraham]

A few errors in the OP: it's the Isle of Wight, and Lympstone Commando station.

Sugar Loaf has no road access but is accessible to ramblers so doesn't quite qualify.

Sugar Loaf is only 55mtrs from the main road!!
I'm sure there are plenty of stations with longer foot access than that, so I don't think it counts.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

"There is genuinely no right of way to Dovey Junction, so there's no access, full stop".

NO. This is no longer true, see earlier post. IIRC Footpath access is signed from the main road.

And to be pedantic, it is not a Public Right of Way, but a Permissive Path, owned and maintained by Network Rail, and can be closed at any time without having to issue a Traffic Regulation Order.

 

[swt class 450]

Manulla Junction in Ireland

Manulla Junction does actually have road access. You just walk to the east end of the main platform then cross over the track then walk up the steps to the road bridge. I have succesfully entered and exited this station four times and i hear that a few of the locals use it as well.

 

[AndrewE]

"There is genuinely no right of way to Dovey Junction, so there's no access, full stop".

NO. This is no longer true, see earlier post. IIRC Footpath access is signed from the main road.

You'd better tell the Ordnance Survey then. It's not on here:

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/52.5629615747,-3.9124100103,7/pin

today and neither does it show up on the 2 1/2" OS map currently on Bing maps, (or their aerial view) or Google's map view.

There is a track of some sort southwards from the station visible on the Google aerial though. That must be it. A well-kept secret! I see the National Rail website does now say "Dovey Junction station [no road access]
un-named footpath off A487
near Derwentlas
Powys
SY20 8PZ "
Still not a right of way.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Now this really is somewhere you can change vehicles but not get away from:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/norway-midfjord-boat-transfer.cfm

We didn't change, just went through!

 

[snowball]

The track is shown , though not as a PRoW, on OS 1:50k:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=269548&y=297785&z=120&

I have a vague recollection that it's signed to the station from the A487. I spent some time looking around the area when the road was being widened and realigned a few years ago.

 

[swt class 450]

"There is genuinely no right of way to Dovey Junction, so there's no access, full stop".

NO. This is no longer true, see earlier post. IIRC Footpath access is signed from the main road.

Sagliains on the Rhaetische Bahn in Switzerland "is a connecting station, which allows passengers only to change trains.... There is no public access to the outside world".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagliains_(Rhaetian_Railway_station)

I changed trains there in July 2015.

From looking at the photos on wikipedia it looks like there is a road right next to the station!?

 

[Llanigraham]

You'd better tell the Ordnance Survey then. It's not on here:

https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/52.5629615747,-3.9124100103,7/pin

today and neither does it show up on the 2 1/2" OS map currently on Bing maps, (or their aerial view) or Google's map view.

There is a track of some sort southwards from the station visible on the Google aerial though. That must be it. A well-kept secret! I see the National Rail website does now say "Dovey Junction station [no road access]
un-named footpath off A487
near Derwentlas
Powys
SY20 8PZ "
Still not a right of way.

The track is shown , though not as a PRoW, on OS 1:50k:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=269548&y=297785&z=120&

I have a vague recollection that it's signed to the station from the A487. I spent some time looking around the area when the road was being widened and realigned a few years ago.

From looking at the photos on wikipedia it looks like there is a road right next to the station!?

See my comment earlier.
There is a path signposted from the main road to Dyfi Junction Station.
This is NOT a Public Right of Way, but a Permissive Path owned and maintained by Network Rail.
There is vehicular access for NR and contractors vehicles only, through a locked gate, that can also be used by the Emergency Services.

 

[Taunton]

Trent.

I believe. I did stop there, but never alighted.

Well I have, and it did.

Long ago enthusiast trip around East Midlands sheds in the final days of steam. Had passes for Toton, went from Derby to Trent, got off there, middle of nowhere BUT outside the subway entrance there happened to be a BR minibus (had never seen one before) which did shuttles to the shed. I seem to recall this was an absolute unplanned chance as we were meaning to walk. Off it set with us all inside, must be about 3 miles to the shed, we could never have walked it. There's a long lane alongside the railway called Trent Lane, seems to be a dead end just to serve the station.

 

[Sean Emmett]

Cei Llydan on Llanberris Lake Railway. There must be others.
Note that when Welsh Highland Railway extended from Beddgelert to Hafod y Llyn there was footpath access at the latter. IIRC the issue was VAT. If there's public access then its public transport and non VATable. If it not then its akin to a fairground attraction and VATable.
The WHHR sells tickets to Pen y Mount, which has footpath access for the same reason.

 

[hawk1911]

I first used the path from Dovey Junction over 40 years ago (to reach the RSPB Ynys-hir reserve), so its certainly been around for a long time.

 

[D6975]

Manulla Junction does actually have road access. You just walk to the east end of the main platform then cross over the track then walk up the steps to the road bridge. I have succesfully entered and exited this station four times and i hear that a few of the locals use it as well.

There also used to be an unofficial footpath used by locals at the other end too, walking off the west end between the diverging lines and up a small banking. I haven't been there since the branch was a 141, so I don't know if it's still accessible.

 

[northwichcat]

Middlewood. Although, not surprising given it's name!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Does Boston Lodge Halt on the Ffestiniog have external access? I know that visitors to Portmeirion are advised to use Minfford, but that might be down to it not being a request stop, and the added advantage of being served by National Rail.

 

[Llanigraham]

Does Boston Lodge Halt on the Ffestiniog have external access? I know that visitors to Portmeirion are advised to use Minfford, but that might be down to it not being a request stop, and the added advantage of being served by National Rail.

As far as I know, there is no external access to Blodge Halt now.
Passengers to Portmeirion are advised to use Minffordd because it is closer and there is a bus stop outside.

Dduallt Station has no road access.

 

[BurtonM]

Stanlow & Thornton is inside private property isn't it? I remember reading a blog post where someone got off a train there and was escorted off the oil refinery site.
Manchester United Halt is an odd case, not usually being accessible.

 

[Bevan Price]

I think that Cairnie Junction (near Grange) also had no road access - not sure if there was footpath access. It was an interchange between the Aberdeen - Inverness line and the (now closed) North Coast line.

 

[markindurham]

Newton Dale Halt on the NYMR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Dale_Halt_railway_station