Unused Preserved Stations

[Jan Mayen]

I understand that Eardington Halt on the Seven Valley railway is now not used by passenger trains. Are there any otherstations/halts on a preserved railway which have been used in preservation, but no longer are?

 

[D821]

Harlow Road is a preserved station on a former rail route that's now a footpath:

Hadlow Road railway station - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

It has been restored to have the look and feel of the day the station was permanently closed to passengers in 1956. It has an authentic ticket office, waiting room and telephone box. Formerly the museum was a working railway station on the single track Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire

 

[davetheguard]

With some heritage railways still keeping Covid restrictions in place, I think actually there are currently quite a few intermediate stations at which you cannot board or alight. Goodrington Sands, Churston, and Greenway Halt on the Paignton - Kingswear line is one such railway.

Forgetting the dreaded C word for the moment, I'm pretty sure that the Bluebell in its early days had a small halt built between Sheffield Park & Horsted Keynes.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'm pretty sure that the Bluebell in its early days had a small halt built between Sheffield Park & Horsted Keynes.

There was certainly a 'Bluebell Halt' in the early days (1960-1961?) of the preserved railway, located about 100 yards short of Horsted Keynes station. Think there was also a temporary halt at 'Holywell (Waterworks)' operational in 1962 only and a couple of others, 'Freshfield Halt' (opened 1960, closed 1988?) and 'Ketches Farm Halt' (1989-1990) which was only ever normally used for farm open days.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

With some heritage railways still keeping Covid restrictions in place, I think actually there are currently quite a few intermediate stations at which you cannot board or alight. Goodrington Sands, Churston, and Greenway Halt on the Paignton - Kingswear line is one such railway.

Forgetting the dreaded C word for the moment, I'm pretty sure that the Bluebell in its early days had a small halt built between Sheffield Park & Horsted Keynes.

Whistlestop Valley aka Kirklees Light Railway is the same- no break of journey permitted so Skelmanthorpe is just a passing point. Cuckoo's Nest Halt is the same though the loop there is only used during special events, and it isn't really a "preserved station" as it didn't exist when the big trains ran.

 

[Longacres]

Another one to add to the list is St Mary's Halt on the Dean Forest Railway

 

[Tim M]

The Ffestiniog Railway had halts at Pen Cob (by the Junction into Boston Lodge works) and Pen-y-Bryn less than half a mile short of Penrhyn, both opened in the 1950’s and closed in the 1960’s. Further up was Llyn Ystradau opened for a short period in 1977//1978 as the temporary terminus on the Deviation before services were restored to Tanygrisiau.

Blaenau Ffestiniog had four stations before passenger services were withdrawn in 1939, although two of these, Dinas and Duffws had closed before that date, Dinas AFAIK in the 1860’s or 1870’s. The present Blaenau is on a slightly different site and opened in 1982.

Mind the OP refers to ‘preserved railways’. The FR isn’t really a preserved railway, but thats a very different discussion.

 

[John Webb]

With some heritage railways still keeping Covid restrictions in place, I think actually there are currently quite a few intermediate stations at which you cannot board or alight. Goodrington Sands, Churston, and Greenway Halt on the Paignton - Kingswear line is one such railway.

The Dartmouth Steam Railway is run basically as a commercial operation rather than the more usual form of preserved steam railway. Comments elsewhere on this forum [sorry, can't find the thread!] and elsewhere on the internet suggest that these stations are being kept closed for reasons of financial savings rather than anything else.

 

[steamybrian]

Strathspey Railway has Aviemore Riverside which closed many years ago when BR allowed access to Aviemore.
Peak Rail is Matlock Riverside still used.?

 

[70014IronDuke]

With some heritage railways still keeping Covid restrictions in place, I think actually there are currently quite a few intermediate stations at which you cannot board or alight. Goodrington Sands, Churston, and Greenway Halt on the Paignton - Kingswear line is one such railway.

Forgetting the dreaded C word for the moment, I'm pretty sure that the Bluebell in its early days had a small halt built between Sheffield Park & Horsted Keynes.

Surely they should be forced to run a parly service then!

OR maybe not
Perhaps they could run an all stations "parly" on the first Monday of every month to attract the "shack bashers". Might be a nice niche earner!

 

[Falcon1200]

There are several preserved lines which operated from temporary termini until access to a 'proper' station was achieved when relinquished or facilitated by BR and its successors; The Bluebell, Strathspey and Peak Rail as mentioned above, also the East Somerset (Cranmore West).

 

[Cowley]

There’s a few halts around that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a train stop at, Nappers Halt on the South Devon Railway for example.

 

[tumbles]

Herston Halt on Swange Line is request only but struggle to see anyone genuinely using it given its only 200 yards or so from the main termi

 

[wce]

Strathspey Railway has Aviemore Riverside which closed many years ago when BR allowed access to Aviemore.
Peak Rail is Matlock Riverside still used.?

Matlock Riverside has been in use recently while PR work out a new system to run into the Mainline station.

 

[Calthrop]

The Ffestiniog Railway had halts at Pen Cob (by the Junction into Boston Lodge works) and Pen-y-Bryn less than half a mile short of Penrhyn, both opened in the 1950’s and closed in the 1960’s.

(Quotes "snipped") -- by my understanding, these two halts were creations of the FR's revival, 1954 on: Pen Cob's life-span was 1956 -- 67, Pen-y-Bryn's 1957 -- 67; the closure of the two halts was announced at the time, in the Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, under the heading "Mini-Beeching".

Mind the OP refers to ‘preserved railways’. The FR isn’t really a preserved railway, but thats a very different discussion.

"As per yours" -- not particularly wishing to set off topic-drift; but I have trouble seeing how the FR is other than "preserved": it had closed down as a commercial operation, and was rescued and revived by railway enthusiasts, wishing to run it "for the sake of" / and to carry, not meaning to be rude, "tourists and trippers". (So as not to derail this thread -- a fresh one might be started, given sufficient interest?)


This thread has turned my thoughts to the several tiny halts -- over and above its "pukka" stations -- on the Talyllyn Railway: Hendy, Fach Goch, Cynfal, and Tynllwynhen (on the more westerly half of the line); plus Quarry Siding, between Dolgoch and Abergynolwyn. The picture which I get is that these are mostly adjacent to individual farms, for whose inhabitants they used to cater: one would tend to assume (pace more definite knowledge), that the "old", pre-1951 Talyllyn -- tending to work in a pretty highly unofficial way -- just stopped trains there informally as and when wished; the new regime 1951-on, rather more officially-minded, designated them as "regulation" request halts. As per L.T.C. Rolt: in the new regime's earlier years there was still -- perhaps surprisingly -- a certain amount of use of the line's passenger service by "real people needing to get from A to B" -- particularly in the line's reaches closer to Tywyn: a bit more distant from the parallel road and its bus service, than further east on the route. One would imagine the halts' having been meaningful for some years in the 1950s, until being rendered irrelevant by virtually universal car ownership, and thus being closed. To my surprise, though, I learn that they are all still rated functional as request halts, complete with nameboards; albeit one would figure that they must nowadays get only an infinitesimal amount of use. (The relevant Net entry tells us that Fach Goch is the least-used halt of all; with Tynllwynhen in second place.)

The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway -- although it has had ups and downs ownership-wise -- could I feel, be in no way considered a "preserved" line. Notable, though, perhaps: for its having had in its life of not far short of a century, pretty much of a legion of intermediate stations and halts which at various times, and for varying whiles, existed and were then done away with.

 

[Ashley Hill]

East Leake on the Nottingham Heritage Railway (GCR(N)) has never reopened.

Nappers Halt on the South Devon Railway for example.

It can only be served by auto-services but hasn’t been used for some years. I don’t think there is a current safety case for it hence the lack of use.

 

[HS 4000]

Endon station on the stoke - leek line springs to mind , the infrastructure is intact and is used as a cafe , it is hoped that there may be some C.V.R services running in the near future

 

[steamybrian]

Dixter Halt on the Kent and East Sussex Railway was opened between Bodiam and Northiam in the 1980s for special services from Bodiam. It lasted for a few years but was demolished when the line was reopened for regular passenger services.

Dixter Halt railway station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[bishdunster]

Herston Halt on Swange Line is request only but struggle to see anyone genuinely using it given its only 200 yards or so from the main termi

Actually its about a mile out of Swanage

 

[trebor79]

Arguably not presented, but the original Percy Main terminus of the North Tyneside Railway was replaced by one a few hundred yards to the south.
On the Tabfield, Marley Hill was replaced by Andrews House when that opened.

 

[Cowley]

It can only be served by auto-services but hasn’t been used for some years. I don’t think there is a current safety case for it hence the lack of use.

Thanks for that. Another one that’s disappeared in the preservation era is Britannia Crossing Halt on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Not sure when it was removed though?

 

[Gartcosh]

Britannia Crossing was removed in the late 80's, either the start of 88 or 89 - can't remember without looking the date up. It was removed at the request of HMRI as part of the project which saw the crossing gates replaced with lifting barriers, keeping it would have restricted the view from the box of the approaching traffic off the ferry. I did, as the one who did much of the work to remove it, try to convince the railway to keep the upper shelter with the idea it would have looked good rebuilt on the loop platform at Buckfastleigh (the DVR still at the time were also running the Buckfastleigh to Totnes line). Unfortunately my suggestion was not met with approval at the shelter and platform were cut up on site.

Not related to this thread, but also maybe of interest, a few years after the removal of Britannia Halt the former signalbox at Goodrington was removed. I made attempts to get this saved - the idea being to move it to Kingswear and re-erect it close to the site of the original box there with the present relay room being removed and the S&T equipment moved to be located in the former locking room of the box. Unfortunately again the idea was turned down and the box demolished on site, although I did manage to recuse such things as the windows which made their way over to the SDR S&T Dept.

 

[Cowley]

Britannia Crossing was removed in the late 80's, either the start of 88 or 89 - can't remember without looking the date up. It was removed at the request of HMRI as part of the project which saw the crossing gates replaced with lifting barriers, keeping it would have restricted the view from the box of the approaching traffic off the ferry. I did, as the one who did much of the work to remove it, try to convince the railway to keep the upper shelter with the idea it would have looked good rebuilt on the loop platform at Buckfastleigh (the DVR still at the time were also running the Buckfastleigh to Totnes line). Unfortunately my suggestion was not met with approval at the shelter and platform were cut up on site.

Not related to this thread, but also maybe of interest, a few years after the removal of Britannia Halt the former signalbox at Goodrington was removed. I made attempts to get this saved - the idea being to move it to Kingswear and re-erect it close to the site of the original box there with the present relay room being removed and the S&T equipment moved to be located in the former locking room of the box. Unfortunately again the idea was turned down and the box demolished on site, although I did manage to recuse such things as the windows which made their way over to the SDR S&T Dept.

Very interesting, thanks for that @Gartcosh.

 

[topydre]

Would Corwen East on the Llangollen Railway fall into this category yet?

 

[Ralph Ayres]

Actually its about a mile out of Swanage

...and Herston is handy for some of the local campsites. I've used it myself.

 

[zwk500]

Surely they should be forced to run a parly service then!

OR maybe not
Perhaps they could run an all stations "parly" on the first Monday of every month to attract the "shack bashers". Might be a nice niche earner!

The Bluebell did stop some trains at the site of their 3 former halts for one of their Anniversary celebrations, although passengers were not allowed to alight as two of the halts have been dismantled and a third is somewhat consumed by undergrowth.

Given the limited market for Shack Bashers and their different qualifiers for ticking each one off (i.e. arrive and depart by different trains, physcially leave the station, simply pass on a train that physically stops?) I can't imagine too many heritage lines being interested. Maybe for a one-off special event or if a railtour visits.

 

[John Luxton]

Would Corwen East on the Llangollen Railway fall into this category yet?

Not really it has been removed. The new station is supposed to open next year which looking at the work done when it was open for inspection at the July transport gala now looks a distinct possibility.

 

[SargeNpton]

Does Sampford Courtneay on the former Dartmoor Line count, as the Exeter-Okehampton trains do not call there?

 

[steamybrian]

Gilderdale Halt on the South Tynedale Railway (1986-1999)

Gilderdale Halt railway station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[chesterred16]

Would Corwen East on the Llangollen Railway fall into this category yet?

Deeside Halt on the Llangollen Railway is also disused - I don't think it was ever a halt in GWR/BR days, it was built as a terminus as once the railway was extended through the tunnel they had to get trains running asap to generate income, rather than waiting for the whole route to the next station at Glyndyfrdwy to be completed. Since Glyn opened in the early 90's I never knew anyone to get on or off at Deeside, and I believe it's now formally closed if not even demolished.