Name the town...

[Ivo]

[Starts to mutter to self, incomprehensibly]

Hmm... Must try harder...

...

Oh, sorry, I didn't actually say "Yes" or "No". Salford is correct.

 

[4SRKT]

Well, you're on my patch now, so it's easier for me!

I am one of two towns in the UK to bear this name, and I am the smaller of the two. I have one station, and am a small university town. My namesake has two stations that bear the name, one with a suffix, and has the distinction of being served by an operating company that is state-owned.

 

[Ivo]

Why do I get the feeling that "State-Owned" actually refers to something like LU, as opposed to East Coast...?

Either I'm an idiot or this is a tough one. Or both.

 

[4SRKT]

The main clue is the use of the term 'UK' to describe the country. Get yer lateral thinking cap on!

 

[Ivo]

<LATERAL THINKING CAP IN PLACE>

Bangor!

 

[4SRKT]

Bangor is correct! I didn't even have to use the 5'3" clue I had up my sleeve!

 

[Ivo]

I won't comment on that...

Speaking of University, my course resumes in 20 minutes after the holiday. So one last one before it returns, maintaining the University theme...

I am a small-ish city and the home of a University (obviously), but also play host to a campus of a different city's University. There are no less than three stations bearing my name, though one is far smaller than the other two. I am notorious on this forum for being a Pacer hot-bed.

 

[4SRKT]

Cardiff?

 

[Ivo]

I will concede that I hadn't thought of Cardiff. But it's not a "small" city. Also, I checked on Wikipedia and discovered that there are four HE institutions there!

 

[4SRKT]

A pacer hotbed with three stations bearing the name??? Hmmmm.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Exeter?

 

[Waddon]

Want to try something a bit different?
OK, I'm taking a journey from platform 3 of a station which has no platform 2 to a station which has no platform 1 (the train does not terminate there but continues on to a major terminus). The journey takes about 18-23 minutes, but can take two different routes. What are the two stations?

 

[Ivo]

Exeter was, of course, correct.

Interesting idea (new thread maybe?)...

I would have said Bristol TM to Bristol Parkway, but last I checked - bearing in mind that I live in Bath - it only takes ten minutes, and there's only one route. So... that's wrong.

No Platform 1? I can't think of anywhere else without Platform 1... I haven't been exploring enough *

Approximately 20 minutes from Platform 3 at Station A to Station B via two alterate outes, and both lack one obvious platform... ?????

*This will be my year for that. 2009 was a warm-up. I want to finish in the Top 5 in the Mileage Competition, and then go for the title next year.

 

[Capybara]

Clapham Junction has no Platform 1, so the answer's likely to be Epsom or something like that. Except it isn't Epsom.

Twickenham?

 

[EM2]

Here's one:
I am a suburb of a major city. There are five stations within my boundary but only two bear my name. The station that originally bore my name with no suffix is not the busiest.

 

[Ivo]

The only place I can think of is Paisley, but that doesn't sound right...

 

[4SRKT]

Oldham?

 

[Ivo]

But Oldham isn't even on the NR network anymore, is it?

 

[EM2]

Not Paisley nor Oldham.

 

[Ivo]

I'm going to stick with the Shipley Boy's* idea of Manchester.

Hyde?

*

 

[EM2]

Nope

 

[scrapy]

Bootle??

 

[Ivo]

I thought about Bootle, but it didn't look right... If it is, where's a hammer to hit myself with?

 

[4SRKT]

But Oldham isn't even on the NR network anymore, is it?

No, but the stations are still there.......

There are seven stations within what I'd call Hyde (i.e. the SK14 postcode district), Hyde North, Central, Flowery Field, Newton for Hyde, Godley, Hattersley and Broadbottom.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Coatbridge?

 

[EM2]

I'll give you a clue.
Three stations are on one route, which is electrified.
The other stations are on another route, which isn't.

It's possible that the word 'suburb' might be confusing the issue. Maybe it's better to say it is within the bounds of the city

 

[4SRKT]

The whole business of what constitutes cities, suburbs, boundaries etc is very confusing and open to lots of interpretations. I must say I'm stumped with this, but mainly because I don't really know what you mean by a town that is a suburb that is within the bounds of a city.

 

[EM2]

Well, it used to be a town on its own years ago. As the nearby city has grown, it has 'consumed' this town, so that it's now part of the city.
Does that make more sense?

 

[4SRKT]

I guess so! I'll give it some more thought.

 

[Ivo]

I'm 90% sure that this is wrong, but... St Helens?

 

[Railfreight 90]

Salford maybe?

 

[Ivo]

It had better not be Salford, considering I've already done that...