Stations that fell from grace- stations still in use today that once were significantly more impressive.

[John Luxton]

Barnstaple (Junction)
Bere Alston
Bere Ferrers

 

[flixtonman]

This is not an entirely accurate reply to the OP's question, but may provoke some debate. Buxton once had two stations side by side: one built and operated by the LNWR, and the other built and operated by the Midland Railway. The LNWR route went from Buxton to Manchester London Road (now Manchester Piccadilly), while the Midland Railway route went from Buxton to Manchester Central along an entirely different route (via Chinley and Stockport Tiviot Dale I think). The Midland route also included services (I think) directly from Buxton to Ashbourne, and from Buxton to London (and other stations south) via a change at Millers Dale. There remains now the former LNWR station serving stations to Manchester Piccadilly.
A comparatively isolated town which, nonetheless, was well connected to many different cities.

 

[Falcon1200]

Pontypool Road on the Marches Line, now Pontypool and New Inn. Very busy junction with a large MPD and huge marshalling yard, now a single island platform devoid of buildings.

A similar example which comes to mind is Rose Grove. The station is now a bleak unstaffed halt, the MPD and yards are long gone, with the indignity of a motorway running through the site!

Oh boy, I wonder how grand it [Euston] would've looked today. It's desecration reminds me off Penn station over the pond in NYC

The only parts of Euston worth saving were the Great Hall, which was plumb in the way of any sensible redevelopment, and the Arch, which should have been saved. The rest of the station was a mess!

 

[Mat17]

This is not an entirely accurate reply to the OP's question, but may provoke some debate. Buxton once had two stations side by side: one built and operated by the LNWR, and the other built and operated by the Midland Railway. The LNWR route went from Buxton to Manchester London Road (now Manchester Piccadilly), while the Midland Railway route went from Buxton to Manchester Central along an entirely different route (via Chinley and Stockport Tiviot Dale I think). The Midland route also included services (I think) directly from Buxton to Ashbourne, and from Buxton to London (and other stations south) via a change at Millers Dale. There remains now the former LNWR station serving stations to Manchester Piccadilly.
A comparatively isolated town which, nonetheless, was well connected to many different cities.

I thought about Buxton as well, but as you say, I wasn't sure if it counted being two stations. That said though there are other examples of rival stations (or parts of stations) ending up combined into one.

Wasn't Manchester London Road owned by separate companies?

 

[bearhugger]

It’s a pretty station but I believe it once had 7 platforms; now reduced to 3!

Stockton just has two platforms now and has for many years.

 

[yorksrob]

Oh boy, I wonder how grand it would've looked today. It's desecration reminds me off Penn station over the pond in NYC

To be fair, apart from the arch and the waiting room, it was a bit ramshackle. BR committed many architectural atrocities, however the 1960's concourse seems a lot better to use than what it replaced.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh boy, I wonder how grand it would've looked today. It's desecration reminds me off Penn station over the pond in NYC

Not sure its 6-7 car platforms and tiny Great Hall would have worked.

 

[Pete_uk]

Gloucester. Once had two stations within spitting distance and massive sidings.

Picture shows the old Gloucester layout

 

[noddingdonkey]

Wakefield Kirkgate must be on the list?

 

[Sprinter107]

Birmingham Snow Hill with both the original building and roof! Such a travesty to not only remove the beautiful building, but to place a car park where the glass roof was....

Absolutely right with that.

 

[Rail Ranger]

This is not an entirely accurate reply to the OP's question, but may provoke some debate. Buxton once had two stations side by side: one built and operated by the LNWR, and the other built and operated by the Midland Railway. The LNWR route went from Buxton to Manchester London Road (now Manchester Piccadilly), while the Midland Railway route went from Buxton to Manchester Central along an entirely different route (via Chinley and Stockport Tiviot Dale I think). The Midland route also included services (I think) directly from Buxton to Ashbourne, and from Buxton to London (and other stations south) via a change at Millers Dale. There remains now the former LNWR station serving stations to Manchester Piccadilly.
A comparatively isolated town which, nonetheless, was well connected to many different cities.

Buxton to Ashbourne was LNW (a continuation of the present Hindlow branch).

I thought about Buxton as well, but as you say, I wasn't sure if it counted being two stations. That said though there are other examples of rival stations (or parts of stations) ending up combined into one.

Wasn't Manchester London Road owned by separate companies?

Manchester London Road was owned jointly by the Great Central and the LNW.

 

[Ken H]

Manchester Victoria?

Who remembers when there was Exchange next door and the fabulous long platform. Exchange had gone before I visited except for a footbridge but the long platform remained. Gone now?

 

[D6130]

Wow! I spent a Saturday afternoon spottin' here in the summer of ... 63 I think. I knew it had an overall roof, but really - c'est magnifique - I'd forgotten how it was. Is this heading in the up direction? IS it a Sunday diversion?

Yes, it's an Up train - the 1Axx headcode means that it's heading for Kings Cross. It may have been a Sunday diversion, although for many years there was one weekday Newcastle-Kings Cross and vice-versa service via Stockton. The magnificent overall roof - by the same designer as the larger one at Darlington - was removed in 1979 as it had become dangerous.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Burton on Trent is a dump now - dilapidated concrete compared to what looks like it was once a handsome brick construction. Actually, that applies to lots of the town itself…

 

[Magdalia]

Yes, it's an Up train - the 1Axx headcode means that it's heading for Kings Cross.

Not necessarily. Until 1969 1Axx was used by both up and down trains from/to both Tyneside and Scotland.

But odd numbers were up trains and even numbers were down trains.

As it happens in 1963 1A39 was the 0930 Glasgow Queen Street-Kings Cross, with an Aberdeen portion, on Mondays to Saturdays, but 1025 Glasgow Queen Street-Kings Cross on Sundays. On none of these was the train booked via Stockton so the picture is likely to be a diversion.

 

[Alanko]

Perth. Sprawling, but when you look closely you see the bricked up windows and arches, peeling paint, rust and buddleia poking through. It's a small organism occupying a much bigger exoskeleton, but full of relics and traces of a much grander operation.

 

[Kingston Dan]

Galashiels? I know it's a new station on a slightly different site - but now a single platform unstaffed station with a bus shelter for cover. Previously three platform junction, goods station and engine shed.

Still doesn't beat Manors though.

 

[WizCastro197]

Still doesn't beat Manors though.

In terms of overall platform and space reduction? I think Manchester Victoria does that?

 

[steamybrian]

No coincidence, I guess, that the road to the east of East Grinstead station, where the line from Three Bridges to East Grinstead would have carried on eastwards after going over the remaining line, is called Beeching Way.

Dr. Beeching lived at East Grinstead and the grounds of his large house backed onto the line between East Grinstead and Forest Row which closed in 1967.

 

[D6130]

Has anyone mentioned Workington?....or Dumfries?

 

[Alanko]

Galashiels? I know it's a new station on a slightly different site - but now a single platform unstaffed station with a bus shelter for cover. Previously three platform junction, goods station and engine shed.

Still doesn't beat Manors though.

Newtonmore is a bit like that. Modern bus shelter station. Old station building now a private house. Signal box a holiday let. Reduced to single line from double track. Second platform allowed to return to nature. Stripped back to the bare essentials.

 

[yorksrob]

Dr. Beeching lived at East Grinstead and the grounds of his large house backed onto the line between East Grinstead and Forest Row which closed in 1967.

I bet he loved a quieter garden.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The only parts of Euston worth saving were the Great Hall, which was plumb in the way of any sensible redevelopment, and the Arch, which should have been saved. The rest of the station was a mess!

The arch looked very nice (based on photos), but did it actually serve much of a purpose other than looking imposing?

 

[d9009alycidon]

Craigendoran, once had an island platform on the West Highland Line, two side platforms on the Helensburgh line and a pier platform with sidings, now just a single platform face

 

[150249]

Newton Abbot, only a shadow of its former self.

I think it's mostly the town of Newton Abbot that falls into this thread. The station is one of the nicer parts.

 

[dk1]

Great Yarmouth (or should I say Yarmouth Vauxhall?). A town which once bosted 3 stations and yards. Now just 1 station survives, which is smaller than it once was.

Yes it is Vauxhall. It once had sidings on the down side along with a line down to the Quay as well as a decent sized goods yard & engine shed on the up. Much of this was swept away with resignalling in 1977 & then in the late 80s when ASDA was built. Further resignalling took place in 2018 which is when platform 1 & the siding next to platform 4 were lost.

The station itself actually had a renaissance in 1959/60 when it was enlarged with platform extensions & construction of the carriage sidings (now in use for Eastern Rail Services) to cope with all the extra holiday traffic transferred from the closure of the entire M&GN network along with Yarmouth Beach Stn in February 59. It gradually took over all through London trains from the East Suffolk line as Yarmouth Southtown gradually fell from grace in the 60s before it to bit the dust in 1970.

 

[John Griffiths]

I've only seen March from a through train, but it looked to have a lot of derelict structures. On the positive side the structures are still there for reuse (Wisbech branch, maybe?).

 

[dk1]

I've only seen March from a through train, but it looked to have a lot of derelict structures. On the positive side the structures are still there for reuse (Wisbech branch, maybe?).

It’s recently had a fair bit of money spent on facilities by GA & the Friends of March Stn do regular fund raising etc to look after the place. Unfortunately I can’t see much hope for the Wisbech line but would be happy to be proved wrong.

 

[70014IronDuke]

It may have been a Sunday diversion, although for many years there was one weekday Newcastle-Kings Cross and vice-versa service via Stockton.

I assumed it was the Coast train at first, but then saw the time on the station clock!

The magnificent overall roof - by the same designer as the larger one at Darlington - was removed in 1979 as it had become dangerous.

Such a shame. This was a station Stockton could be proud of.

 

[Falcon1200]

The arch looked very nice (based on photos), but did it actually serve much of a purpose other than looking imposing?

Not as far as I know, but it did indeed look very imposing, and presumably did not need a great deal of maintenance? But it's gone now and is never coming back, even if parts of it sill exist in the River Lea.....