Odd place names?

[Peter Kazmierczak]

 

 

The practice mentioned by St Simon is something relatively new and not entirely logical (must be a Railtrack thing) - thus Tilehurst East Junction isn't a physical junction but is a running junction (i.e. to cross between running lines) and was I think probably almost the first non physical junction on the former WR to be named with the suffix 'junction' as no other running junctions had - to my knowledge - previously been given (and still haven't got) the suffix 'junction' (e.g Twyford West, Dolphin, West Drayton East, Slough West etc).

 

Whereas the Midland Railway did name locations as "junctions" where there were connections between running lines, loops etc.

[russ p]

I've come across a few named running junctions from the past but not many Manor house junction was crossovers north of thirsk. I'm sure the name dates back to Victorian times so don't know what junction was there at all as the line as far as I know was four tracked in the 30s. Unless there were loops there.

Another which still exists is langham jct near Oakham, has only ever controlled the entrance/exit of the goods lines to Oakham

[melmoth]

Having just signed the road down to Battersea the name 'Pouparts Junction' raises a smile when you say it out loud, I've no idea what or where it alludes to!

 

Built on a farm owned by someone called Poupart if I remember my Hamilton Ellis correctly. Not sure if that makes it better or worse

[Mark Saunders]

I've come across a few named running junctions from the past but not many Manor house junction was crossovers north of thirsk. I'm sure the name dates back to Victorian times so don't know what junction was there at all as the line as far as I know was four tracked in the 30s. Unless there were loops there.

Another which still exists is langham jct near Oakham, has only ever controlled the entrance/exit of the goods lines to Oakham

 

Russ

 

The bridge north of Thirsk is Avenue Bridge next to Manor Farm/Manor Farm Curve! From the bridge you can see the remains of what appears to be a Carriage Drive and associated entrance arch which I assume are for the Manor House!

 

Mark

[russ p]

Your right it was Avenue junction, wasn't there another box between there and Otterington called Manor house?

It was where the remains of an over bridge is. I'm sure there was a bad accident there in Victorian or Edwardian times

[russ p]

Here we are

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirsk_rail_crash_(1892)

[Mark Saunders]

There are Signal Boxes that are named after the works/sidings they served but have lost the origins of the name!

 

Vitriol Works is the one that had me thinking (oil of Vitriol is Sulphuric Acid)!

 

British Steel Redcar was never renamed when the plant changed hands!

 

Mark Saunders

[russ p]

The North Eastern often named junction boxes without the jct suffixes. Upleatham was a junction between marske and Redcar where a branch went to upleatham mines, though the mine was called this it was in the village of new marske the village of upleatham was the opposite side of the hill.

[Reorte]

There are Signal Boxes that are named after the works/sidings they served but have lost the origins of the name!

 

Vitriol Works is the one that had me thinking (oil of Vitriol is Sulphuric Acid)!

 

British Steel Redcar was never renamed when the plant changed hands!

Howe and Co's Sidings on the Settle-Carlisle. Howe and Co and the sidings all long gone. Earles Sidings on the Hope Valley line still has plenty of sidings but no Earle (original company operating the cement works?)

[russ p]

Coke ovens junction in Lowestoft although itself disappeared in 1970 was named after a plant that supplied coke to locomotives in the very early days of railways

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Then, of course, there were all those locations labelled north, south, east or west, that weren't actually north, south, east or west of wherever.......

[Ronnie MB]

I can think of a fairly modern example of the need to make station names distinctive from one another: the introduction of RETB meant that the difference between the two stations serving the village of Tyndrum needed to be clear over a radio, so Tyndrum Upper became Upper Tyndrum to distinguish it from Tyndrum Lower.

 

At about the same time, Mallaig Junction (named after the destination of the branch) was renamed Fort William Junction (after its location) - indeed, the same junction had originally been called Banavie Junction after the original destination of the branch.

 

PS I am staying high-minded rather than revealing which station names (and possible ticket combinations) make me snigger!



[BoD]

Dent Station is a bit of a misnomer too.

 

Is it apocryphal that the locals asked why it couldn't be nearer the town to be told that Midland preferred it to be near the railway?

[russ p]

Hornby is a village in Bilsdale and Hornby moor is between Bilsdale and the vale of York on the Hambleton hills.

There was an ancient railway to a quarry near the railway called the Kepwick railway which closed about 120 years ago. It was cable and horse worked and had no connection with any other railway it just going to a lime kiln.

Not sure what gauge it was but wouldn't be too hard to find as amazingly there are still a lot of stone block sleepers still in situ

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Not sure what gauge it was but wouldn't be too hard to find as amazingly there are still a lot of stone block sleepers still in situ

 

 

16.5mm as it's Hornby...........................................

[BG John]

Not sure what gauge it was but wouldn't be too hard to find as amazingly there are still a lot of stone block sleepers still in situ

 

 

16.5mm as it's Hornby...........................................

So 4ft 1½in gauge then .

[russ p]

So 4ft 1½in gauge then .

Oddly enough it won't be far off that!

[robday12]

Recently went on a train around the cumbrian coast and noticed Bransty signal box very close to Whitehaven station. It set me thinking of places like Scarborough that used to have Falsgrave box close by aand New Pudsey station, which lies between Stanningley tunnel and viaduct.

How many other locations like this are there?

 

The station at Whitehaven, had for most of it's existence, been named Bransty. So the signal boxes controlling it were named "Bransty No. 1" and "Bransty No. 2" When it changed to "Whitehaven" I am not sure but the boxes kept the name.

 

Rob.

[Ronnie MB]

I can also think of two stations that "split the difference" between the locations they serve:

 

The Newton line of the Cathcart Circle group in Glasgow splits the two suburbs of King's Park and Croftfoot and, at either end of this stretch of line, there is a station that serves both suburbs.

 

"Splitting the difference", the station at one end is called King's Park (but serves Croftfoot too) and the station at the other end is called Croftfoot (but serves King's Park too).

[62613]

Then, of course, there were all those locations labelled north, south, east or west, that weren't actually north, south, east or west of wherever.......

March, of course, had all four!

[Keith J]

Hornby is a village in Bilsdale and Hornby moor is between Bilsdale and the vale of York on the Hambleton hills.

 

Didn't know there was a Hornby village in Bilsdale but there is certainly one in Lancashire, just northeast of Lancaster.

[russ p]

I have a feeling there is also another in Yorkshire somewhere

[Keith J]

The station at Whitehaven, had for most of it's existence, been named Bransty. So the signal boxes controlling it were named "Bransty No. 1" and "Bransty No. 2" When it changed to "Whitehaven" I am not sure but the boxes kept the name.

 

Rob.

I thought it was called "Whitehaven Bransty" and then shortened to just "Whitehaven" around the late sixties or early seventies, could be wrong though - it was a long time ago!

[jonny777]

March, of course, had all four!

 

So did Sleaford.

 

But in the case of March I think that North was actually north of the town, but then so were East, South and West.

 

Whereas, at least Sleaford West and North were more geographically correct, and East was/is east of the station; although mostly south of the town as it was when the railway came.

 

This is the problem when the railway is located outside of the town/village from which it takes its name.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Derby South Junction was north of Derby, though there was a clear reason why it was thus named, as doubtless are all the other apparently "odd" names.

 

The original route into Derby by the Midland Counties line from Nottingham was via Chaddesden to a junction with the North Midland (just north of the River Derwent) called Derby Junction. Subsequently the newly created Midland Railway built a northern spur, forming a triangular junction (the bit the much later "Midland Pullman" used to avoid Derby station).

 

The southern-most of these two was thus named Derby South Jn and the northern one Derby North Jn. Simples!