Railway Station Pub?

[roundhouse]

11 minutes ago, Rivercider said:

It is not very clear, but there is a 'Buffet Bar' sign on the platform on the right of this view, I can't read the red and yellow sign beside it. The buffet later closed, and was empty for some years, but then re-opened as a buffet bar, or bar in the evening called 'The Old Straight Track', now called 'Off the Rails'.

45073 arrives at Weston-super-Mare 31/12/79,

 

cheers

And with the replacement sign when it became 'Off the rails'. Also note that the canopy roof was spoilt when it was reroofed. For a while the landlord had to lock the doors at night due ot trouble with the local yobs but would let locals and anyone he thought was Ok in. On our last visit a few years back, the new landlord didnt lock the doors.

 

[Ray Von]

1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

It is not very clear, but there is a 'Buffet Bar' sign on the platform on the right of this view, I can't read the red and yellow sign beside it. The buffet later closed, and was empty for some years, but then re-opened as a buffet bar, or bar in the evening called 'The Old Straight Track', now called 'Off the Rails'.

45073 arrives at Weston-super-Mare 31/12/79,

 

cheers

Hard to make out, looks a bit like "Bistro" they were a bit la de da back in the day... 

[steve1]

"Bistro" and "Wine Bar", both very 1980s.

 

steve

[HonestTom]

There's the one at Kew Gardens, which the LSWR built to take advantage of the fact that the actual gardens lacked refreshment facilities. 

.

[steve1]

Cleethorpes Light Railway has what it calls The Smallest Pub On The Planet in an ex-signal box that in 4mm is equivalent to the Ratio Ground Frame kit.

 

Good beer too!

 

steve

[Banger Blue]

The “Prince of Wales” is directly across the road from Didcot Parkway. Has Passenger Information Screens as all Railway Station Pubs should.

 

 

 

At Bath, in Brunel Square, a few steps away from the Station is “Graze”. The outside eating area / beer garden backs onto the platform, literally just the other side of the fence.

Cheers!

 

[roundhouse]

3 hours ago, Banger Blue said:

The “Prince of Wales” is directly across the road from Didcot Parkway. Has Passenger Information Screens as all Railway Station Pubs should.

 

 

 

At Bath, in Brunel Square, a few steps away from the Station is “Graze”. The outside eating area / beer garden backs onto the platform, literally just the other side of the fence.

Cheers!

 

Its a shame that you cant just walk off the platform into Graze as these days its down the steps out the station then back up the steps or lift if its working to get back to more or less the same point if coming from Bristol. Bath Ales are worth the climb though.

Edited January 14, 2021 by roundhouse

[steve1]

Started and finished a Class 20 Loco Society vist to Didcot Power Station in the Prince of Wales in 1984.

 

We met there and a couple of members with cars took us over. Very interesting tour and slideshow, especially the bit about MGR workings. 

 

Then it was all back to the PoW for a few ales prior to bashing a 117 DMU back home to Maidenhead.

 

steve

[doilum]

Anyone remember the Flying Scotsman in Normanton?

[AdamsRadial]

I don't know where the actual shooting was done, but in the Sapphire and Steel episode "Tamazin bridge", the railway station had a bar and hotel actually opening onto the platform.

[Mike Storey]

On 13/01/2021 at 20:49, Ray Von said:

Ok, I'm pretty sure I'm going to include a bar in/on my station - would they prototypically be named or would there just be a sign saying "Bar"? (Era is early 80's.)

 

As per Ian, the usual sign would be "Buffet/Bar", by then. The "Lemon Tree" , but also other names, nomenclature was gradually added before Travellers Fare was sold off, in the late 80's.

 

I well remember, as a greenhorn Assistant Station Manager in 1982, being disgusted at the existence of a Bar/Buffet at Sittingbourne (my first "real" job), only to discover that the "Bar" element consisted of selling tinned lager and similar..... I just remembered my alternate supervisor at Cannon Street (where I was a station announcer), in the mid 1970's, getting completely, falling down and sleeping, pissed in the station bar, every lunchtime, before his shift started.

 

I cannot think of a single example of just the sign "Bar" at a through station, outside of the main London and a few other large city termini/through stations, by the 1980's. There were still examples of "Bars" only at Kings Cross, Euston, Waterloo, Paddington, Liverpool Street and Marylebone even then, and still are at some. Leeds and Glasgow C have probably retained the longest tradition of an on-site,  station Bar outisde London, although not in the same location. Almost all others that survive today are re-openings under private tenure.

[Graham456]

Giveing a shout out to both Porthmadog and Aberystwyth pubs, I call them pubs because whilst their in the station buildings they are no longer in use as the station !

think Aberystwyth weathspoons has the most lavatories cubicles for any pub ! 

Enough to deal with a excursion train load !

[Mike Storey]

If we are giving shouts, then the Buffet/Newsagents at Hebden Bridge Station, which is (was, with Covid??) still going strong. Best bacon butties outside Pickering.

[phil_sutters]

Seaford station has acquired a cafe-bar in recent times - Steamworks - part-owned by the tax accountant who works out of an office at the other end of the station.

 

Then there is the Phoenix and Firkin in Denmark Hill Station. One of my grandsons is named after said drinking hole. I am glad my son didn't have twins as I am not sure Firkin is a name that would avoid abuse of one sort or another. Mind you it seems to have lost the '& Firkin' by the time this photo was taken.

 

 

 

The Railway at Burgess Hill is right opposite the station

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by phil_sutters
Replacement of lost photos.

[Mike Storey]

19 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

 

The Railway at Burgess Hill is right opposite the station

 

Ah, The Railway at Burgess Hill - the meeting place of much of the Southern Region railway masonry in the 1970's/80's. Many careers were decided there, for good or ill......

 

[phil_sutters]

I have just come across this book on a website my daughter-in-law recommended to me, should you have £13 to spare.

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Unusual-Railway-Pubs--Refreshment-Rooms-and-Ale-Trains-9780857041739

 

Edited January 17, 2021 by phil_sutters

[roundhouse]

17 minutes ago, phil_sutters said:

I have just come across this book on a website my daughter-in-law recommended to me, should you have £13 to spare.

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Unusual-Railway-Pubs--Refreshment-Rooms-and-Ale-Trains-9780857041739

 

The cover photo is the one at Stalybridge.

[phil_sutters]

The Somerset & Dorset across the road from Burnham station is one I should have remembered earlier. At a later time it sported a 7F 2-8-0 on its sign, a late and not very appropriate addition for the end of the Somerset Central line. Dad refused to call it 'the branch'.

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by phil_sutters

[Oldddudders]

On 16/01/2021 at 20:32, Mike Storey said:

 

Ah, The Railway at Burgess Hill - the meeting place of much of the Southern Region railway masonry in the 1970's/80's. Many careers were decided there, for good or ill......

 

Masonry passed me by. I knew a few - Bob Newlyn and Allan Barter come to mind - but it was Fred at Cannon who was the only one to offer to get me in. Politely declined. 

[wasabi]

The North Star in London E11 (Leytonstone) has lots of railway photos inside and the sign depicts he GWR 'North Star' loco.  Unfortunately the pub is not particularly near the station and is in ex-GER territory anyway.  Apparently the first landlord named it after a ship in which he made a voyage from Hartlepool to India in the 1850s and the railway connotation came later.

[Mike Storey]

15 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Masonry passed me by. I knew a few - Bob Newlyn and Allan Barter come to mind - but it was Fred at Cannon who was the only one to offer to get me in. Politely declined. 

 

Ah, Fearless, But it was drunken Percy, who had won on the pools, who made his life a misery, because he was from a higher Lodge, or something like that. But there were many in those days, such as the AM who ran the Dartford patch from the White Horse, and most of the second division Brighton team. The new peeps, through the revised training scheme, largely put paid to that era. I doubt it carries much weight now, outside of the remaining old boys, who help each other to consultancies.....

[steve1]

On 17/01/2021 at 08:18, phil_sutters said:

I have just come across this book on a website my daughter-in-law recommended to me, should you have £13 to spare.

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Unusual-Railway-Pubs--Refreshment-Rooms-and-Ale-Trains-9780857041739

 

 

My daughter gave me a copy of this a couple of Xmases ago.

 

steve

[Liam]

Hope contributors don’t mind me bringing this thread back up. I’ve just started a thread which I hope acts as an “anthology” to any rail traveller looking for a decent pint close to a railway station. If it’s OK with you I’ll go through this thread and add these suggestions, but any further suggestions and insight would be most welcome. 

 

 

[AyJay]

If you can shoehorn a pub in Ray, what are you going to name it?

 

Here's a few suggestions?

"The Engineers Arms"

"The Station Hotel"

"Firemans Rest"

Or my current favourite (Fairport Convention fans will recognise this)  the "Piston Broke"

or is that "Pissed-n-broke" 

[JZ]

Both Bonepartes at Temple Meads and Off the Rails at Weston- s-m have now gone. Off the Rails would usually be full of cider drinkers at 8am, but they did keep a good drop of ale.