Name the town...

[4SRKT]

There are no electric trains in Salford or St Helens. I have to say I'm totally stumped. Even my apparently plausible answer of Coatbridge given upthread doesn't fit because I've remembered a sixth station in the town

 

[Capybara]

I'm not even sure I know which question we are on any more .....

 

[EM2]

You're all way too far North.

 

[4SRKT]

I've got a horrible feeling that this is all going to result in some sort of argument about whether this place is actually a suburb of another place at all

Where on Earth is this place? South of Manchester/Merseyside? One electrified route, one not? A major city, big enough to have consumed somewhere else with five stations?

Taking major cities one at a time, it can't be thatLondon because there aren't enough non-electrified lines. It can't be Bristol or anywhere in South Wales because it's all diesel, it can't be in West/South Yorks, M'side, GM, T&W or Scotland because they're all too far north. Leicester/Nottingham out because of no electrics. The major city has to be Birmingham. Except it isn't because none of the surrounding towns have the right combination of stations and electrification.

<is stumped>

 

[MCR247]

Somewhere on the south coast?

 

[Capybara]

I'll have an argument about boundaries with anyone.

However, I'd still like to know the answer to the one about missing platforms. Unless I've missed it up there somewhere.

 

[EM2]

OK, huge clue time.
It *is* now part of London.

 

[4SRKT]

London? With two non-electrifed platforms? Harrow? I'd thought this already and discounted out, but now realise you might be excluding LUL lines.

 

[EM2]

Not Harrow.

 

[4SRKT]

Well that's it then. There are no other non-electrified lines in towns that have been swallowed up by thatLondon. Except the Paddington lines, and there's no electrified lines in towns also on the Paddington lines.

 

[Mike Redding]

Windsor??

Not sure if its actually a part of london though.

 

[4SRKT]

Where the blazes is EM2 with the answer to this goddamn impossible question? We need to move this thread on......

 

[EM2]

I'm here!

I must admit I thought this would go quite quickly. Anyway, the answer is
Walthamstow

The five stations are Walthamstow Central, St. James Street and Wood Street on the electrified line between Liverpool Street and Chingford and Walthamstow Queens Road and Blackhorse Road on the non-electrified Gospel Oak to Barking line.
Walthamstow Queens Road was originally called Walthamstow but is not the busiest station, that being Walthamstow Central which was originally called Hoe Street.
It didn't become part of London until 1965.

 

[Ivo]

Damn. I did very briefly think Walthamstow, but I only only counted four [Blackhorse Road threw me]. And it became a "part" of London when the capital became "Greater" London.

Lemme try one for you all [again]...

I have only one station, on a major north-south thoroughfare. I have some sidings to north, which are useful for the two terminating services an hour from the south; for my station has only the two basic platforms and no bays. A little further south (beyond my town perimeter) is a triangle junctinon, one end of which is famous for a very long platform.

 

[4SRKT]

Aha. I was thrown because I never would have considered Walthamstow as anything other than a part of London. This is the boundary problem I was on about, where there are a number of differing yet accurate definitions. It has a London postcode, and that's kind of my way of looking at it. Ilford, for example, doesn't, so it might be viewed by more people as being not London. Personally I don't think anyone except those with an interest in the history of local government would think of Walthamstow as being something other than a part of London.

 

[Waddon]

I'd still like to know the answer to the one about missing platforms. Unless I've missed it up there somewhere.

Well, Maybe one more clue first: The station which has no platform 2 (in addition to the service to the station with no platform 1) also has a direct train service to a major terminal which has no platform 7 (but has higher numbered platforms). Trains to this destination can also follow two different routes. These services do not pass through the station with no platform 1

confusing enough yet?

p.s. in the earlier post I said trains leave from platform 3. They can also leave from platform 1 to get to both of these destinations.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Cheltenham Spa?

 

[EM2]

Is it Willesden?
Willesden Jct has one low-level platform OOU, which I think is 2. It has a service to Clapham Jct, which has no platform 1.
I don't know about the station with no platform 7 though...

 

[Capybara]

OK, Victoria has no Platform 7, so I guess Clapham Junction is the Platform 1-less station in question. Crystal Palace is a bit of a madcap station and probably fulfils the other criteria, so I will go for that. Failing that, it's likely to be a station that's had its platforms played around with to accomodate the Croydon Tramlink like Elmers End or Beckenham Junction.

 

[Tomnick]

...or West Croydon?

 

[EM2]

Victoria does have a p.7, I'm sure.
I know one station that does, but I wouldn't class it as a 'major terminal'.

 

[Tomnick]

How about West Croydon (no P2), Clapham Jn (no P1) and London Bridge (no P7) as the full set then?

 

[Ivo]

That does sound pretty good to me! (Although, I guess the West Croydon idea could be sourced from Waddon's username... Waddon? As in, on Croydon's doorstep?)

So, jumping to the conclusion that it and Clapham Junction (and London Bridge) are the correct answers, here is the next one. (Sorry if I've jumped too early.)

I am a town with two stations. Counting a village immediately west of me as a suburb, which is debatable, I have had three in my time, but that station was closed long before my most recent addition. The newest station has a suffix in its name, which relates to a major new development known for clothes. Also, the old station is on a closed route known for bacon.

 

[EM2]

Whoa there, Ivo! I'm still struggling with the triangular junction one

 

[Ivo]

And there I was wondering why gordonthemoron said Cheltenham Spa. He was right with that. Sorry folks!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sod this. I'll just give the answer to the new one. It's Braintree.

 

[Waddon]

West Croydon, Clapham Junction and London Bridge are indeed the correct answers

 

[EM2]

I used to have three stations which all had suffixes but now only have one which doesn't.
For a number of years, I had no stations, but the one I now have is on the site of one of the old ones.
You could argue that my one station is actually two...

 

[4SRKT]

Blaenau Ffestiniog?

 

[EM2]

Nope.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

I have two stations within my town centre, which you can walk between in a matter of seconds. I am the home of a well known betting company, tinned food producer and host premier league football and super league rugby.

(bonus points for naming the companies and teams)