Trivia: Obsolete or unusual stop position or boarding point markers etc.

[Halish Railway]

I've spotted this VT 8 / 10 car stop marker photo by "Adam Bryant 1" on Flickr but no location given:

VT 8/10 Car Stop | Adam Bryant 1 | Flickr

Given the other pictures next to this one, it seems like it is Torquay.

 

[Crossover]

There is a sign at the end of Skipton p1 (Settle end) which refers to GNER - I forget exactly what the sign says but I do have photos somewhere

There are also still 91+Mark 4 stop boards at the stations north of York which are no longer served by 91s.

I would expect these to stay for a while - it isn't inconceivable, I don't believe, for one to make it up there again, at least whilst crews sign them. Indeed, even after the final planned services, some went up North again

Given the other pictures next to this one, it seems like it is Torquay.

It states it belongs to an album named "Torquay"

 

[221129]

I've spotted this VT 8 / 10 car stop marker photo by "Adam Bryant 1" on Flickr but no location given:

VT 8/10 Car Stop | Adam Bryant 1 | Flickr

Torquay on the up side.

 

[APT618S]

There are numerous more stations then just Chesterfield that can't take a 10 car XC.


Not ideally, but it can and does happen.

Last time I was on a 10 car XC Voyager the rear coach was locked out of use - I thought at the time it might be due to the length of the train.

 

[221129]

Last time I was on a 10 car XC Voyager the rear coach was locked out of use - I thought at the time it might be due to the length of the train.

Correct.

 

[_toommm_]

There is a sign at the end of Skipton p1 (Settle end) which refers to GNER - I forget exactly what the sign says but I do have photos somewhere

Is that the one for the HSTs, where you’d have at least the front (from Leeds) powercar hanging off the platform.

 

[DanNCL]

I would expect these to stay for a while - it isn't inconceivable, I don't believe, for one to make it up there again, at least whilst crews sign them. Indeed, even after the final planned services, some went up North again

The remaining crews that sign the 91s only sign the route up to Newcastle, so one working up to Edinburgh now is incredibly unlikely, as it would require a route conductor. Not impossible though!

The HST stop boards also remain at all of those stations, but they're not obsolete anywhere other than Northallerton, as the CrossCountry HSTs still stop a the stop markers that were there for the LNER sets.

 

[Crossover]

Is that the one for the HSTs, where you’d have at least the front (from Leeds) powercar hanging off the platform.

Possibly, yes

 

[LowLevel]

Thurgarton Station amongst others between Newark and Nottingham has 3 car stop markers dating from the days of old class 120 DMMUs being the staple traction (70s/80s). To be totally ignored by traincrews - the current 23m rolling stock serving the line doesn't fit 3 carriages at those platforms.

 

[Virgin Voyager]

Carnforth Still Has Class Transpennnine Class 185 Stop Boards,even though the TPE lost the Cumbrian Coast Line Franchise in 2016, and theese services are now operated by Northern 195s or Sprinters

 

[Ashley Hill]

Talking of ZZ boards there's one at Lostwithiel for the down sleeper.
Buckfastleigh still has its HST stop board!!

 

[Mojo]

not a stopping point marker but Swansea still has this old "purple zone" marker that looks like it from early FGW days like a boarding zone

I believe the Gold / Blue / Purple Zone actually dates from InterCity days pre-privatisation rather than Great Western; I’ve definitely seen these signs on the WCML.

 

[hexagon789]

I believe the Gold / Blue / Purple Zone actually dates from InterCity days pre-privatisation rather than Great Western; I’ve definitely seen these signs on the WCML.

Yes, I can remember announcements at certain WCML stations saying which zone First Class was in, I think the signs were still at some of them a few years ago - possibly there are still some in situ?

 

[43055]

There are still 373 stop markers at some locations on the East Coast Main Line. There are also still 91+Mark 4 stop boards at the stations north of York which are no longer served by 91s.

I believe there a some 373 stop boards between stations as well for when stopping at red signals and I think a neutral section is in the area.

The only place where 10 coach Voyagers run is on the West Coast Mainline and they just stop at the Pendolino 9/11 stop markers. CrossCountry don’t operate 10 car Voyagers due to platforms not being long enough, specifically at Chesterfield.

Not very often but is does happen on Cross Country. 1827 off Plymouth yesterday was a 10 car according to RTT. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C82809/2021-01-30/detailed#allox_id=0

Derby has a 1 car stop for the 153s but they no longer operate as a 1 car.

 

[krus_aragon]

I knew I'd read about it standing for Virgin Trains somewhere. On railsigns the page on stopping markers lists them as applying to both 390s and Voyagers and provides an example 8/9-car board for Pendolinos

North Wales has some 57+390 stopping markers, from the days when Pendolinos were hauled to Holyhead and back.

(Though as it's over a year since I stepped onto a train, I couldn't recall which stations still have them off-hand.)

 

[Beebman]

Shiplake on the Henley Branch has some long-obsolete stopping markers in the up direction, or at least they were still there the last time I travelled on the line about a year ago. If my memory serves me right they're for 9 and 10 cars and possibly 12? They presumably date from the 1970s when there were through services to Paddington in the peaks formed of loco-hauled trains and Class 123 DMUs. They're quite some way to the south of the station presumably to keep the trains clear of the level crossing and their comparative remoteness is perhaps why they survived for so long.

 

[Ianno87]

Coventry presumably still us its VT 14/15 car stop board on Platform 3 (for the "blockbuster" Chiltern diversions).

Bolton Platform 5 impressively had a Pendolino stopping board installed when it opened!

 

[hexagon789]

North Wales has some 57+390 stopping markers, from the days when Pendolinos were hauled to Holyhead and back.

(Though as it's over a year since I stepped onto a train, I couldn't recall which stations still have them off-hand.)

And it's been 8 years since the last 390 drags to Holyhead iirc

 

[Mag_seven]

I remain to be convinced that when originally put up the "V" in "VT" stood for "Voyager". OK maybe somebody thought that the "V" could stand for either "Virgin" or "Voyager" when they were being made but I'm sure if you asked 99% of people what they thought the "V" stood for I'm sure they would say "Virgin". Is there any documentary evidence from operating publications at the time (not from now) that states that the "V" stands for "Voyager"?

 

[py_megapixel]

I remain to be convinced that when originally put up the "V" in "VT" stood for "Voyager". OK maybe somebody thought that the "V" could stand for either "Virgin" or "Voyager" when they were being made but I'm sure if you asked 99% of people what they thought the "V" stood for I'm sure they would say "Virgin". Is there any documentary evidence from operating publications at the time (not from now) that states that the "V" stands for "Voyager"?

The thing about that is that you'd think it would be redundant...

For example, there's some stop boards around for 185s, and they just say "185" - they don't say "Desiro Train"!

 

[route101]

VT 8/9 would be for a double Voyager.

Haymarket perhaps?

I wondered if there were still any on the E&G but I assumed not. I think some of the smaller stations on the Edinburgh-Dundee line might still have them even though they've not been served by HSTs for many years.


Surprised they've not got rid of them yet!


Asides from the original 253 sets, FGW did indeed run some 2+7 high-density sets sans buffet car, I forget the reasoning behind it but I don't believe it was trailer shortages. It was fairly short lived as well in the grand scheme of thingsm

Linlithgow and Larbert may still have HST stop boards. Need to check.

 

[6026KingJohn]

At Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level down platform there is a plethora of signs. Starting at the far end of the platform and working backwards they are: VT 10, Class 390 9/11 (a), 8 car,
VT 4/5, 4 car. The 8 & 4 car signs are for LNR 350s. The reason for 11 coach 390s stopping earlier than 10 coach voyagers is due to the high level line bridge support being too close to the platform edge. With the 10 car sign 2 voyagers are clear of the bridge. With the 9/11 sign a 9 coach train is clear of the bridge and an 11 coach train has the 10th coach under the bridge and passengers are not allowed to alight (b), but the 11th coach is clear of the bridge and on the platform.

(a) Not having been down since pre-Covid I think the sign says Class 390 not VT, which would strengthen the claim that VT stands for Voyager Train, but I am happy to be corrected.
(b) Presumably this is done by the guard locking the doors on the 10th coach at Tamworth because, as far as I know, Pendolinos don't have SDO and trains that stop at Lichfield also stop at Tamworth (No crossovers between fast and slow lines between these stations)

 

[Sheridan]

Cheadle Hulme has the rather bizarre signage "Trains stop 10 metres to the right" ten metres ahead of the stopping point on the northbound Stoke platform, and it's oriented to be read by passengers rather than the driver - what is the point of this, as there is no way anything shorter than 10 metres would ever use that platform, and in any case you don't want to be stood right at the front as that's where the cab door is!

I don’t know the layout here but if there is much platform space beyond the stop marker, maybe it’s to stop passengers waiting beyond and having to walk back to the front of the train, which could cause delays?

 

[py_megapixel]

I don’t know the layout here but if there is much platform space beyond the stop marker, maybe it’s to stop passengers waiting beyond and having to walk back to the front of the train, which could cause delays?

Interesting point - come to think of it that is probably what it's for, as the entrance to the waiting room is actually beyond the stop marker!

It doesn't work though - a substantial number of people still end up running up the platform...

 

[hexagon789]

Haymarket perhaps?



Linlithgow and Larbert may still have HST stop boards. Need to check.

Might be Linlithgow on the Edinburgh-bound thinking about it

 

[RuralSquad93]

I could be wrong ... but from memory I think the up slow platform (5) at Nuneaton has a Loco + 390 9/11 stop board ... I'm sure it's there because the loco + bit always confuses me ... could be wrong though. Helpful I know lol ..

 

[stj]

APT boarding zones painted in yellow on the Platform at Preston were visible for many years.Possible some traces are still there.

 

[Deepgreen]

A few years ago, I remember seeing "444 Car Stop" boards at Wareham - that seems a very long tain to cater for! On a more serious note, Redhill's 'new' platform 0 has a minimum of 4/5 car stop boards so the three car GWR 165/6s go right up to it, meaning that 90% of the train is beyond the meagre canopy and passengers have a needlessly long walk back to the stairs to exit or interchange. All for the lack of a single 2/3car board at miniscule cost! I've seen many people miss catching trains there because of the needless distance between train and stairs. Southern taking care of their fleet only and ignoring the needs of other TOCs.

 

[Sheridan]

Interesting point - come to think of it that is probably what it's for, as the entrance to the waiting room is actually beyond the stop marker!

It doesn't work though - a substantial number of people still end up running up the platform...

I suspect anyone switched-on enough to notice it could probably decipher the stop marker anyway, so it certainly sounds a bit superfluous!

 

[stj]

I believe the Gold / Blue / Purple Zone actually dates from InterCity days pre-privatisation rather than Great Western; I’ve definitely seen these signs on the WCML.

I think they came in with the INTERCITY large logo/Swallow era.Dont think many passengers used them or even realised what they were for.Still can be seen around the network.