Halts as Termini

[Nearholmer]

It might have become clear to some that I have a mild obsession with 'the lowest form of station': halts.

 

We had a good old chat about them in this thread https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/122841-halts-in-all-their-glory/?hl=%2Bhalts+%2Bin+%2Ball+%2Btheir+%2Bglory

 

But, I would like to open 'a new line of enquiry': Halts at which trains terminated, ideally branch line passenger termini that were halts.

 

There is an old, and erroneous 'modellers' rule' that no termini were Halts, but it is a falsity.

 

Heath Park Halt got mentioned in the previous thread, and I've become aware of two really good ones recently, Berwig, and Moss, both near Wrexham, and both having signals relating to level crossings, and I know there was one in South Wales somewhere too, but can't remember where (Barry Railway??). Combe in Cornwall probably qualifies too.

 

In all these case, the line continued beyond the Halt, to a goods facility.

 

How many others were there?

 

Were there any where the line finished altogether, no goods continuation?

 

Were any worked by loco-hauled trains that had to run-round, or are they all worked by motor trains or railcars? 

 

As a reminder, a Halt isn't necessarily a request stop (good job, in the case of termini!), its defining feature is that it has no facility to issue tickets. We should probably admit GWR 'platforms', which I think had limited and/or part-time ticket issuing facilities.

 

Nothing post the abolition of the term 'Halt' in its original meaning, which I think was in 1967, especially since 'nearly everywhere' would qualify!

 

Kevin

Edited January 24, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Miss Prism]

Old Ynysybwl Halt

[Mark Saunders]

Blackpool South qualifies after its rebuild!

[Pannier Tank]

The original Bedford St Johns was a Halt before the end of 1967.

[The Johnster]

We are going to run into definition issues with this, as in later years many stations became unstaffed termini due to 'rationalisation'.  Coryton, the terminus of the truncated Cardiff Railway in northern Cardiff, is a good one; the line had been cut back for passenger use to this point in the 20s by the GW, and by the time I worked on the branch in the mid 70s, it was served by a shuttle from Bute Road in the docks, another unstaffed station.  In fact, out of the 8 stations on this route, only one was staffed in any form, Queen Street.  Auto working, extended in South Wales in 1953, enabled booking facilities to be removed from stations, and the fitting of corridor connections to class 116 dmus furthered the 'rot'.  

 

The one you are thinking of in South Wales may be Old Ynysybwl, the terminus of an auto worked service from Pontypridd; this was a Taff Vale branch and had been truncated from a 'proper' terminus a little further up the valley.  This had no facilities at all except a lamp standard and a nameboard, and was a proper buffer stop terminus.

 

A terminus of any sort is rare in South Wales if you are referring to something with the line ending in a set of buffer stops; almost everywhere a track continued up the valley to a pit or down to wharves.

Edited January 24, 2019 by The Johnster

[Nearholmer]

Thanks Miss Prism and Johnster, thats the oneI was thinking of!  

 

The line continued to a colliery in earlier years, didn't it?

 

Coryton looks good - a run-around loop, and some services operated by non-auto trains, 45XX and a B-Set, I think, although I'm not good on GWR things.

 

But, wasn't The Fall of Blackpool South after the term 'halt' was abolished?

Edited January 24, 2019 by Nearholmer

[johnofwessex]

Old Ynysybwl Halt

Interesting modelling project!

[Zomboid]

Wingham Canterbury Road was very much a halt. But it was on a true light railway, too, so maybe it doesn't quite count.

 

How about Lymington pier?

Edited January 24, 2019 by Zomboid

[Nearholmer]

I thought about that Zomboid, but I think it had ticket issuing facilities. It certainly had a station building with a little office, which was moved from Wingham (Town), when the line was extended.

[stewartingram]

Sheringham?

 

Stewart

[Nearholmer]

Before 1967?

[Hesperus]

Ditton Priors Halt was the terminus of the Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors light railway.  I was working about a mile from it today while my kids were at school at the other end of the line.  It could have been an interesting commute many years ago as it was served by an aerial ropeway from the quarrys behind my house.

[Chris Turnbull]

How about Felixstowe Pier station?  According to Wikipedia it was unmanned from the 1920s.  The erstwhile site of this station nowadays is in the middle of the vast Felixstowe docks complex

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felixstowe_Pier_railway_station

 

Chris Turnbull

[Clay Country]

Not sure if it qualifies, but St Combs, terminus of the short branch from Fraserburgh was very basic by the standards of the early 60s. Following the introduction of DMUs the small station building was demolished and the loop was removed, leaving a single-track stub with only a basic platform shelter. An early example of what happened at many other locations, though not enough to save this line from closure. http://www.gnsra.org.uk/gnsra_gallery_stations_127.htm

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/dmu-1xx/105/hA0F7F8BB

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/dmu-1xx/105/hA0F80238

Edited January 26, 2019 by Clay Country

[MartinWales]

Not sure if it qualifies, but St Combs, terminus of the short branch from Fraserburgh was very basic by the standards of the early 60s. Following the introduction of DMUs the small station building was demolished and the loop was removed, leaving a single-track stub with only a basic platform shelter. An early example of what happened at many other locations, though not enough to save this line from closure. http://www.gnsra.org.uk/gnsra_gallery_stations_127.htm

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/dmu-1xx/105/hA0F7F8BB

 

https://rcts.zenfolio.com/diesel/br/dmu-1xx/105/hA0F80238

St Combs was reduced to this status after goods traffic was withdrawn. DMU service started on 7th November 1960 

[melmoth]

What about Port Victoria in its later days?

[caradoc]

Maybe a bit later than the OP intended, but after the electrification of the Ayrshire lines in 1986, a feature of the timetable was an hourly service to Ardrossan. A few trains ran through to Ardrossan Harbour for ferry connections, but the majority terminated at the unstaffed Ardrossan Town, which had closed but was re-opened for the project. Some years ago most, if not all, trains were extended to the Harbour, whether there was a ferry connection or not.

[mdvle]

Interesting modelling project!

 

Maybe even perfect for a Cakebox challenge.

[Siberian Snooper]

Defiance Platform was the principal terminating place for the Saltash Motor services on the Cornish Mainline.

[john new]

Rowntrees Halt, York (Foss Islands Branch). Limited daily, but unadvertised, workers trains. Lasted into DMU days in the early 1980s. 

[The Stationmaster]

Slough Estate was an interesting one - on a private industrial railway of course but at one time served by GWR trains from/to Slough (I think non advertised).  

 

The oddity, apart from it being on a private railway, was that there were no originating tickets at all and instead there were pre-printed Excess Fare tickets issued at Slough (only) to cover a journey in either direction.  I believe they were actually Edmundson Card style tickets but I have never seen one and they might even have been issued off a Rapidprinter ticket machine at one stage as I know the plates in the Slough Booking Office Rapidprinter (as it was when I worked there in 1966) had been changed over the years.

[adb968008]

Do Ormskirk and Kirkby qualify ?

 

A single platform, where services terminate from opposite directions onto the same platform, which is split by buffers in the middle blocking a through line service that used to be possible.

Edited January 26, 2019 by adb968008

[Nearholmer]

It qualifies, if it was the terminus of s service, and a halt, when the term ‘halt’ was still current, which I think was pre-1967.

 

PS: is there a train, trapped by buffers at Ormskirk and Kirkby, shuttling to and fro, with no means of escape, I have to ask?

Edited January 26, 2019 by Nearholmer

[adb968008]

It qualifies, if it was the terminus of s service, and a halt, when the term ‘halt’ was still current, which I think was pre-1967.

PS: is there a train, trapped by buffers at Ormskirk and Kirkby, shuttling to and fro, with no means of escape, I have to ask?

Two separate lines.

 

Liverpool Ormskirk, terminates at the buffers in the middle of the platform 1 from the west.

Preston Ormskirk also terminates at the buffers in the middle of platform 1 from the east.

Passengers have to walk the length of the platform to change trains.

Platform 2 is closed.

Nothing prevents through services except the buffers blockading the track in both directions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormskirk_railway_station#/media/File%3AOrmskirk_railway_station_2009_a.JPG

 

Kirkby is the same story, except a length of rail has been removed, Inbetween the sets of buffers, which used to pass under the road bridge.

Services are from Liverpool and Manchester and passengers have to walk between the two trains.

 

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kirkby_railway_station#/media/File%3AKirkby_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_747868.jpg

 

Odd set up, never understood the logic in this arrangement, other than saving a platform/loop.

 

This map puts it into perspective...

http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Northern%20Network-Map-DPPP-p.gif

Edited January 26, 2019 by adb968008

[Nearholmer]

Thanks.

 

I was pulling your leg, though.