Platforms of Last Resort

[Railsigns]

Just thought of this: you would need to be seriously desperate to use platform 2 at Corrour: even hand pumping points.

You would be pretty desperate if you were trying to hand pump the points at Corrour, seeing as they're worked from mechanical ground frames.

 

[Trackman]

Hither Green Platform 1.
Only used for line blockages.

 

[cf111]

How much use do all the platforms at Inverness have? Platform 7 can't get much use, I would have thought.

I've terminated into platform 7 a few times but never caught a train from it. Once or twice it was due to disruption meaning that platforms 5 and 6 were full and on one occasion even the guard was slightly perplexed until his colleague the driver suggested that the signaller thought he could do with the walk

 

[Efini92]

Is that the one usually only ever used by the weekly "Denton Flyer"?

Plus empty stock at night shunting into the carriage sidings

Platform 7 cannot be used by passenger services due to no protection from the sidings

And that it’s classified as a goods loop

 

[CJ]

Platform 13B and Platform 14B at Manchester Piccadilly (rarely used, for early morning/late evening turnarounds, such as TfW Manchester - Chester services. Also for late running trains and/or blockages at Castlefield or Longsight).
Platform 1 at Manchester Oxford Road (rarely used now, only used if there is a blockage on the Castlefield corridor and/or trains needing to terminate at Oxford Road in either direction).
Platform 0 at Stockport (rarely used now since pandemic, trains to Hazel Grove/Buxton/Sheffield/Cleethorpes/Nottingham/Norwich go to/use Platform 1 now instead). Similarly Platform 3B also (examples have already been mentioned).
Platform 3 at Macclesfield / Sandbach (rarely used, only used to move late running trains out of the way for intercity/express trains to pass. Macclesfield may still use theirs for any Manchester bound terminators).

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Unless I am missing something, I am sure I have been on a train which has passed another there

Perhaps pre the RETB era when Corrour had a signalled crossing loop?

 

[Devon Sunset]

If I remember correctly, that's pretty much why it was built - to provide a useful place to turn stock and for unusual operations (e.g. when the Haymarket tunnels are closed).

I seem to remember that it was originally built as part of the electrification of the west end of Waverley when trains from the west and north were terminating at Haymarket.

 

[Crossover]

Perhaps pre the RETB era when Corrour had a signalled crossing loop?

I'm not old enough to remember that. I know I was on a sleeper that passed the 156 at Rannoch on one occasion and on the more recent occasion it was another station but may have been Bridge of Orchy

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Platform 1 at Taunton, that's the onetime Barnstaple departure bay. I don't know if there's anything scheduled from it nowadays. Handy for parking tampers and odd locomotives, but I haven't seen a train in there for ... maybe 50 years. Still features on the station map.

I have a vague (and possibly false) memory of arriving on a Sprinter from Exeter at that platform some time in the 2000s.

Mirfield platform 2 - on the "through" line used by the fast services from Dewsbury to Huddersfield. Used to have one booked train a week, but I don't think does anymore. Does see very occasional use in disruption (I have used it once before when trains were stacked through platform 3 due to a train fault and the stopper was routed to p2 instead)

It also doesn't have a PIS screen (on the occasion of my use, I only caught it as I was watching RTT and saw which track berth the train disappeared into!)

Until fairly recently the 1840ish Wigan service used platform 2. During the late 80s/early 90s after platform 3 had been added, many Leeds to Huddersfield stoppers still used P2, as the fasts were infrequent enough that there was no need to overtake. I also remember a point in the late 90s when TPE fasts were diverted via Calder Valley, but Bradley curve was out of use at that point so a shuttle ran from Huddersfield to connect at Mirfield. The westbound fasts used P2, can't recall what the return shuttles did though.

 

[najaB]

I seem to remember that it was originally built as part of the electrification of the west end of Waverley when trains from the west and north were terminating at Haymarket.

That would fall under the category of "unusual operations". They wouldn't have gone to the expense of commissioning a new platform for just one project.

 

[Anonymous10]

does platform 3 at Whitland see any limited use or is it network rail only?

 

[GordonT]

Platform 2 at Glenrothes with Thornton has tended to be the poor relation of Platform 1 but if plans to re-route Edinburgh to Perth services via Dunfermline instead of Kirkcaldy are implemented it will see more regular use.

 

[Horizon22]

Very rare to see Platform 1 at Orpington in use for passenger services.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Very rare to see Platform 1 at Orpington in use for passenger services.

Pre-pandemic it was used daily, there was always a 1715 ORP-CHX fast that ran from P1, among others

 

[noddingdonkey]

Huddersfield P5 only sees a handful of services, it's too short for most stock now.

Marsden P3 does seem to have any booked passenger calls since the Northern services got dropped

 

[Horizon22]

Pre-pandemic it was used daily, there was always a 1715 ORP-CHX fast that ran from P1, among others

Yes hence the "very rare". A bay on the mainline platforms isn't highly helpful!

 

[Watershed]

Huddersfield P5 only sees a handful of services, it's too short for most stock now.

Only 150s and 153s fit there. It's used by most of the (handful of) Castleford services.

 

[Glenn1969]

Huddersfield P5 only sees a handful of services, it's too short for most stock now.

Marsden P3 does seem to have any booked passenger calls since the Northern services got dropped

Does anything use P2 at Mirfield ?

 

[Western Sunset]

The bay at Kingston was well used a few years ago, when there was the big summer rebuild at Waterloo and Shepperton trains reversed there.

 

[Deepgreen]

Exeter St Davids' Platform 2 and Clapham Junction's Platform 8 are the two that come instantly to my mind.

The CJ example does pose a question to the OP - are we looking for platform roads which see little train traffic, or few trains actually calling? P8 obviously sees huge numbers of non-stoppers but rarely sees a stopping working. If the latter, P3 at Earlsfield may be an example.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Platforms 1 and 3 at Tattenham Corner are rarely used. Mostly used for stabling and a couple of departure and arrivals each day.

Hastings Platform 1 does not have any booked passenger services as far as I'm aware. The only regular booked move is a Southeastern unit shunts into it and stables overnight.

Only other booked usage is when the 2Dxx service group terminates at Hastings from Ashford International due to engineering works.

 

[cambran]

Leamington Platform 1 currently has 2 departures a day. Although passenger trains can depart from it the only route in is a shunt move. Are there any others that can only be used for departures?

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Leamington Platform 1 currently has 2 departures a day. Although passenger trains can depart from it the only route in is a shunt move. Are there any others that can only be used for departures?

Oxted Platform 3 is another one. Can only be accessed via a shunt move.

Is used all day on Sunday though for the Oxted - Uckfield shuttles.

 

[40129]

Platforms 2 and 12 at Crewe are in daily use but see fewer trains than the others - platform 10 might also fall into this category. Agree that platform 2 is not a good place to join/leave a train in inclement weather due to the gap in the roof (platform 3 isn't much better in this respect)

Last time I used James Street, platform 2 was specifically marked as 'Emergency Use Only'

 

[kingston_toon]

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Gourock platform 2 was almost never used for passenger services, although a unit would often stable there overnight so I assume there was at least one working each way per day. Now though when I go back to visit, it seems to be used far more regularly throughout the day, although 1 and 3 are clearly preferred (perhaps due to the curvature of the track).

 

[YorksLad12]

Leeds platform 14 (formerly 11) always used to be very under-used. Not sure if that's changed recently.

Yes, it gets more than it used to I think but it's difficult to keep track on all of the east of Leeds stoppers or semi-fasts. RTT would help here, I guess. Quite proud that I've boarded or alighted at every platform, and I think every platform letter at Leeds... except 0. Yet.

Can I have Barlaston and Wedgwood? Both open stations, both have unused platforms as no trains call. And others of that ilk, of course.

 

[william]

Penrith 3

 

[Crossover]

Does anything use P2 at Mirfield ?

No - see post #90

 

[najaB]

Does P3 at Penrith get any passenger use? Had a look through for today and it’s only a Willesden to Shieldmuir mail train that’s booked.

Penrith 3

Not much, but it does appear occasionally. For example: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C98629/2021-12-02/detailed. I suspect that as often as not it will actually get routed through 2 instead.

 

[GordonT]

The CJ example does pose a question to the OP - are we looking for platform roads which see little train traffic, or few trains actually calling? P8 obviously sees huge numbers of non-stoppers but rarely sees a stopping working. If the latter, P3 at Earlsfield may be an example.

I had in mind platforms at which passengers are able to board/alight but which are utilised as little as possible.