Trivia: Bleakest Terminal Stations

[birchesgreen]

London Cannon Street can be pretty empty on a weekend, pick the time right and you might have this large station to yourself, which can be pretty eerie.

 

[xotGD]

And more importantly, no EPB's.

Your wish is my command...

 

[yorksrob]

Your wish is my command...

View attachment 171203

Very nice

Oh for proper trains again !

 

[43066]

Your wish is my command...

View attachment 171203

Thanks for that. Brilliant photo. The Networkers displayed 24, Charing Cross via Lewisham, 25, Cannon Street, and 34 direct Ladywell - London Bridge I seem to recall.

I'm surprised this feeling comes over, because it is in the middle of a very substantial parade of 1930s shops, elegantly Tudor half-timbered, with a pub, a supermarket, multiple coffee shops including a Costa (which I think all the other contenders lack), etc.

I wouldn't describe Hayes as "bleak", really, especially not in comparison with most of the other places mentioned in this thread. Of Greater London outer terminals, I can see the case for Chessington South being described that way (and if you count Slade Green as a terminal, that, too - and not only the station in that case). Barking Riverside in its way, too. Hayes station though, to my eyes, is enclosed without being oppressive, and located in a decent enough parade of shops in reasonably pleasant suburbia. But maybe I just don't know it well enough...

You’d both see it differently if you changed ends there on a regular basis, with nobody to back you up. Plenty of “issues” on the mid Kent line, sadly.




(Image is a hand written not to call order from Waterloo East to Hayes).

Still on my camera roll, from back in the day… The NTC order of doom; Hayes is never somewhere you want to rush to .

I seem to recall hammering through London Bridge non stop (at 20mph) was lots of fun, on that particular run.

Eight years ago now, it’s incredible how the years slip by.

 

[Skipness]

Newquay - very minimal facilities - imagine it’s not great with drunks. Whitby - no toilets

Whitby is classed as an unstaffed halt. How would any toilets be cleaned/serviced or cleared of needles?

 

[Russel]

Whitby is classed as an unstaffed halt. How would any toilets be cleaned/serviced or cleared of needles?

There are toilets opposite Whitby station, by the island, if needed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Newquay - very minimal facilities - imagine it’s not great with drunks. Whitby - no toilets

Newquay is utterly grim. But to be fair that sentence could be as easily applied to the town as the station, which is entirely in keeping with the town. Basically it's Blackpool but with surfers.

Big trains a couple of times a day on a branch line is a lovely quirk though. A bit like the Berchtesgaden branch in Bavaria.

 

[urbophile]

many of the branch-end stations where Northern and Merseyrail services meet.

Many? There are only three, unless you include Southport. None of them are particularly bleak although Headbolt Lane is a bit soulless.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Whitby is classed as an unstaffed halt. How would any toilets be cleaned/serviced or cleared of needles?

By contract cleaners as many are anyway.

 

[yorksrob]

Plenty of facilities in close proximity of Whitby station - particularly pubs and fish and chip shops.

 

[Iskra]

Many? There are only three, unless you include Southport. None of them are particularly bleak although Headbolt Lane is a bit soulless.

I’ve mainly visited in winter so perhaps that’s why I’m not overly fond of them.

Plenty of facilities in close proximity of Whitby station - particularly pubs and fish and chip shops.

Agreed. Not bleak at all. It also has some characterful classical architecture and features such as planted flowers which at least gives a cared-for impression.

 

[Class15]

Llandudno

I’d say that’s a bit harsh.

 

[yorksrob]

I’ve mainly visited in winter so perhaps that’s why I’m not overly fond of them.


Agreed. Not bleak at all. It also has some characterful classical architecture and features such as planted flowers which at least gives a cared-for impression.

And if you're lucky, a rake of mk 1's !

 

[Bletchleyite]

I’d say that’s a bit harsh.

Llandudno was bleak in 1995. The town was a bit down too. Now both the town and the station are quite nice.

 

[frodshamfella]

Blackpool South is pretty bleak

 

[AM9]

Berney Arms (in midwinter)?

 

[Jan Mayen]

Berney Arms (in midwinter)?

Is Berney Arms a terminal?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is Berney Arms a terminal?

No. I do still need to go there though!

 

[DunsBus]

Tweedbank.

 

[GoneSouth]

Blackpool South is pretty bleak

Yes, utterly soul destroying. A halt in the middle of what is mostly an empty, vast carpark with rubbish strewn all over the place. Then you exit onto the road which is full of depressing, or empty shops, drunks outside Tesco Express around the corner and the weather, it’s just horrible. All built on the edge of what used to be the very busy approach to the old central station.

That’s progress!

 

[waverley47]

Tweedbank.

Tweedbank I think has been done quite nicely. It's a fairly empty spot, but there's a couple of buildings around including the depot, it's integrated into the bus network, there's a daily large car park, and it's surrounded by leafy scenery.

Obviously it's never going to win an award for homeliness, but it's serves its job well as a railhead, and it's ten minutes from the walks along the Tweed.

It's clean, it's tidy, and crucially, it's not unwelcoming.

 

[xotGD]

Plenty of facilities in close proximity of Whitby station - particularly pubs and fish and chip shops.

Would it be a fair assumption that you have visited one or two of these establishments?

 

[John Luxton]

Newquay is utterly grim. But to be fair that sentence could be as easily applied to the town as the station, which is entirely in keeping with the town. Basically it's Blackpool but with surfers.

Summed up well.

I have been visiting Cornwall regularly since I was a toddler - over 60 years ago but Newquay must must be the place i have purposefully visited the least!

Driven through a couple of times and have ridden the Par - Newquay line twice once at the end of the 70s and a repeat visit in 2023. I might take another trip along there in the next year or so to view the upgrades - but I can't possibly see any other reason to visit what must be Cornwall's most depressing town!

Many? There are only three, unless you include Southport. None of them are particularly bleak although Headbolt Lane is a bit soulless.

Ellesmere Port and the area immediately around the station. Have visited the National Waterways Museum a couple of times by train in the last few years, the station, ruined hotel and general rundown road leading down to the Museum reulted in me switching back to the car even though my 60+ Merseytravel pass gets me there for free on the train.

 

[urbophile]

I’ve mainly visited in winter so perhaps that’s why I’m not overly fond of them.

Ormskirk, even in winter, is not bleak at all. A beautifully restored and updated station building. A few minutes away from shops and pubs though. Hunts Cross is in a boring suburb but it's quite civilised. And it does have a pub in the old station building, plus shops nearby. Headbolt Lane is perhaps the nearest to bleak in that it is surrounded by soulless developer estates, but the station building is staffed and far from desolate.

 

[Lloyds siding]

Summed up well.

I have been visiting Cornwall regularly since I was a toddler - over 60 years ago but Newquay must must be the place i have purposefully visited the least!

Driven through a couple of times and have ridden the Par - Newquay line twice once at the end of the 70s and a repeat visit in 2023. I might take another trip along there in the next year or so to view the upgrades - but I can't possibly see any other reason to visit what must be Cornwall's most depressing town!


Ellesmere Port and the area immediately around the station. Have visited the National Motorways Museum a couple of times by train in the last few years, the station, ruined hotel and general rundown road leading down to the Museum reulted in me switching back to the car even though my 60+ Merseytravel pass gets me there for free on the train.

The National Motorways Museum...think you've found a new niche product there....catering would be pricey and nothing special...
I have been to the National Waterways museum at Ellesmere Port however!

 

[urbophile]

Ellesmere Port and the area immediately around the station. Have visited the National Motorways Museum a couple of times by train in the last few years, the station, ruined hotel and general rundown road leading down to the Museum reulted in me switching back to the car even though my 60+ Merseytravel pass gets me there for free on the train.

Sorry I forgot Ellesmere Port. Never been there! So I'm prepared to concede a point.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sorry I forgot Ellesmere Port. Never been there! So I'm prepared to concede a point.

It was one of the few places on Merseyrail I'd not been to as a child. Went a couple of years back. Wished I hadn't, it's just grim, though the station itself is a fairly standard Merseyrail wayside one.

 

[DarloRich]

It was one of the few places on Merseyrail I'd not been to as a child. Went a couple of years back. Wished I hadn't, it's just grim, though the station itself is a fairly standard Merseyrail wayside one.

the area is grotty ( and I come from the north east so have a good grotometer!) to say the least but the station buildings are in decent nick and of some attractiveness.

 

[yorksrob]

Would it be a fair assumption that you have visited one or two of these establishments?

You may think that, I couldn't possibly comment !

Summed up well.

I have been visiting Cornwall regularly since I was a toddler - over 60 years ago but Newquay must must be the place i have purposefully visited the least!

Driven through a couple of times and have ridden the Par - Newquay line twice once at the end of the 70s and a repeat visit in 2023. I might take another trip along there in the next year or so to view the upgrades - but I can't possibly see any other reason to visit what must be Cornwall's most depressing town!

I've gotten to quite like Newquay. There are a couple of nice places with spectacular views of the bays.

 

[brad465]

Dirtford Dartford: still has outdated lifts (unless they've been replaced very recently) and bridge in general, and the atmosphere overall isn't very pleasant, particularly being in a rough town. Also being high up can be exposed to the wind.

Also Strood, particularly on the island platform: waiting room facilities are minimal and large parts of the platforms are open, so not nice to wait at. Not so bad if you're connecting service is already at the station or soon to arrive.