National Rail
(Merseyrail Northern & Wirral Lines)
Station code:
MRF
Opened:
1977
Platforms:
3
The station was opened in 1977 as the replacement for the closed terminus Liverpool Exchange [1]. The line was continued through Moorfields to Liverpool Central. The Wirral Loop platform, which is at a deeper level than the other platforms, did not open until a few months after the Northern Line platforms and shares the same grp (glass-reinforced polyester) cladding design as the other new stations on the loop [2].
Moorfields is the third busiest station on the Merseyrail network and the largest underground station. It is managed and served by Merseyrail.
View down the platform
This way for the Wirral Line
Northern Line platform showing the grp cladding
This way for the Northern Line!
Northern Line platform
[1] Chris Heaps, BR Diary 1968-1977 (Ian Allan, 1988) p. 114
[2] David Lawrence, British Rail Architecture 1948-97 (Crecy Publishing, 2018) p. 156
Lancaster Gate is a stop on the London Underground Central Line in central London between Queensway and Marble Arch.
Central Line 91267 departs
Information
Type:
Transport of London (London Underground Central Line)
Station code:
ZLA
Opened:
1900
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Central London Railway in 1900 as one of the railway's original batch of stations. The original station building by Harry Bell Measures was replaced by a new surface building in 1968. Above the building is now a hotel. The station was closed for refurbishment in 2006 and 2017, the latter time the lifts were replaced [1].
The station is now a stop on the Central Line, it is within walking distance of London Paddingtonrailway station.
Between the platforms
Down the platform after a departure
Use the lifts or the 78 steps!
Preparing to depart
[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 138
Coupar Angus was a stop on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway in Perth & Kinross between Ardler and Woodside & Burrelton. It was also a terminus of the Blairgowrie branch.
Coupar Angus station [1]
Information
Type:
Scottish Midland Junction Railway
Opened:
1837
Closed:
1967
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Dundee & Newtyle Railway in 1837. This station closed in 1847 but was re-opened the following year by the Scottish Midland Junction Railway. In the late 1850s a branch line was built as far as Blairgowrie. The branch line was closed in 1965, though passenger traffic had stopped in the mid-1950s.
Coupar Angus itself was closed in 1967.
[1] "The Perth-Dundee-Montrose Section of the LMSR", The Railway Magazine p. 4
Gomshall is a stop on the North Downs Line in Surrey between Chilworth and Dorking West.
A GWR service departs heading for Reading
Information
Type:
National Rail
(North Downs Line)
Station code:
GOM
Opened:
1849
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Reading, Guildford & Reigate Railway in 1849 as Gomshall & Shere Heath. Over the next couple of years the station name was changed to Gomshall & Sheire, then Gomshall & Shere. The name was eventually (in 1980) shortened to just Gomshall. The station was the scene of a major railway accident in 1903 when a troop train derailed, though thankfully there were no fatalities [1].
The station has two staggered platforms connected by a footbridge. However, until 2016 a gated foot crossing was the means for passengers to transfer between the two platforms. The station is managed by Great Western Railway with an hourly service in both directions during peak hours, every two hours off-peak. The original station buildings have now gone (replaced by the usual bus shelters) but the platform based signal box (from 1941) survives though no longer in use.
Platform view from the footbridge
Gomshall signalbox
Preparing to depart
Footbridge, notice the platform stagger
GWR 165 116 arrives with a Redhill bound service
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Guildford to Redhill (Middleton Press, 1988) Fig. 46
Stoke-on-Trent is on the Stafford-Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and is also the hub of a number of local branch lines.
LNWR 350 114 at Stoke-on-Trent
Information
Type:
National Rail
(West Coast Main Line)
Station code:
SOT
Opened:
1848
Platforms:
3
The station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1848 as Stoke station (sometimes referred to as Stoke Junction), the name changing to Stoke-on-Trent in 1910 when the county borough was created [1]. The station building was also used by the North Staffordshire Railway as it's headquarters with the board room and directors on the first floor.
The station is mostly unchanged since opening apart from the obvious changes such as signage, though two centre roads (which had been mainly used for storing stock) have been lifted. This was done to make space for electrification masts in the 1960s.
Access between the platforms is via a subway. The station is nowadays managed by Avanti West Coast and is served by themselves, Cross Country, London Northwestern, Northern and East Midlands Railway.
Station frontage
Avanti WC 390 136 arrives at Stoke-on-Trent
Northern 323 227 on Platform 3
An EMR service from Crewe approaches
A Manchester Cross County service pulls in
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Derby to Stoke-on-Trent (Middleton Press, 2016) Fig. 68
Transport for London (London Underground Circle & District Lines)
Station code:
ZBY
Opened:
1868
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Metropolitan Railway in 1868. Although trains at the station were under an overall roof, services were steam operated until 1905. The Metropolitan and District Railway operated through Bayswater as the Inner Circle. The station was renamed Bayswater (Queen's Road & Westbourne Grove) in 1926, this was shortened to Bayswater (Queen's Road) in 1933. The station was renamed Bayswater (Queensway) in 1946 but eventually lost the suffix to return to it's original name [1].
The station is served by the Circle and District Lines with a combined total of at least twelve trains in each direction every hour.
View out into the open air!
Station frontage
Choose your platform!
Down to platform level
Down the platform
[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 103
Wolverhampton Station is the terminus of a branch of the West Midlands Metro which opened in 2023. The stop is next to Wolverhampton railway station.
A tram departs for Birmingham, passing Wolverhampton railway station
Information
Type:
West Midlands Metro
Opened:
2023
Platforms:
1
The original West Midlands Metro terminus is at Wolverhampton St George's. Work began on a new branch of the Metro to improve transport interchange, as well as terminating at the railway station there is also an intermediate stop at Pipers Row bus station. Originally it was planned to open the new branch in 2020 but this was delayed until September 2023 [1].
There is a single platform though there is space to store a tram beyond the platform if needs be. The new branch has not been electrified and relies on the West Midlands Metro tram fleet's battery capability.
A tram approaches
Platform shelter
The tram will go no further
Heading back to Birmingham
[1] "Trams finally reach Wolverhamton station", Modern Railways (October 2023) p. 21
Old Roan is a stop on the Merseyrail Northern Line's Ormskirk Branch in Liverpool between Aintree and Maghull.
Merseyrail 507 031 arrives at Old Roan
Information
Type:
National Rail
(Merseyrail Northern Line Ormskirk Branch)
Station code:
ORN
Opened:
1936
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1936 on an existing line. The station was named after a nearby pub and was built because of a new housing development. Services at Old Roan ran to Ormskirk and Liverpool Exchange. However, since 1977 and the closure of the latter station services now run through to Liverpool Central.
The station has a staffed ticket office and the usual basic platform facilities including shelters and displays. The platform level is evelated with a subway between the platforms. Access to the platforms is via lifts or steps.
Queen's Park is a stop on the London Overground Watford DC Line between Kilburn High Road and Kensal Green and London Underground Bakerloo Line between Kilburn Park and Kensal Green. There are also two platforms on the West Coast Main Line but out of use.
Two Bakerloo Line trains at Queen's Park
Information
Type:
Transport for London (Bakerloo Line & London Overground)
Station code:
QPW
Opened:
1879
Platforms:
4
The station was opened by the London & North Western Railway in 1879 as Queen's Park (West Kilburn) on its mainline from London to Birmingham. The name was shortened to it's current form in 1952.
The Bakerloo Line reached the station in 1915 on its extension north to Watford Junction (though later the service was cut back to Harrow & Wealdstone). The LNWR rebuilt the station to accommodate the Bakerloo Line [1] with four new platforms arranged as two islands. The station retains six platforms (two being on the WCML slow lines) though only the four on the two islands are used apart from during engineering work or special services.
London Overground trains use the outer platforms and Bakerloo Line trains the two inner platforms. These platforms are sheltered from the elements by an overall roof.
Currently no Main Line services call at the station after London Midland stopped in 2013. An interesting aspect of the station is that the Bakerloo Line has one of its depots at the station with carriage sheds at either end of the platforms. Northbound Bakerloo Line trains indeed leave through one of these carriage sheds. Some Bakerloo Line services terminate and begin at the station. The station is owned by Network Rail but managed by Transport for London.
A London Overground train departs for London Euston
Under the overall roof
Beyond the station can be seen part of the Bakerloo Line depot
Preparing to depart
Heading for central London
[1] Mike Horne, The Bakerloo Line (Capital Transport, 2001) p. 31
