Hartlebury is a stop on the Worcester-Birmingham Line in Worcestershire between Droitwich Spa and Kidderminster.
WMR 172 211 departs the station
Information
Type:
National Rail
(Worcester-Birmingham Line)
Station code:
HBY
Opened:
1852
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway in 1852, later becoming part of the Great Western Railway. In 1862 it became the original starting point of the Severn Valley Railway through to Shrewsbury. Services to Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley continued until 1970 and the line to Stourport remained open for freight until 1979.
The station is now unstaffed though the original station building remains, however now has a non-railway use. The footbridge (which was at the level crossing end of the station [1]) and canopies have been removed, access between the two platforms is via a level crossing at the Kidderminster end of the station. The station's facilities are the usual bus shelters and information screens found on an unstaffed station. At the other end of the platforms was a goods yard and cattle dock which were both closed in the 1960s as did another goods yard at the other end of the station,
The station is managed by West Midlands Railway though retains a GWR style nameboard as with a number of stations on the Birmingham Snow Hill lines.
Station sign next to the level crossing
Former station building, now a restaurant and bar
Bus shelter and PIS
GWR style nameboard
WMR 172 221 departs for Worcester
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Worcester to Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2007) Fig. 23
Hereford is the junction of the Cotswold Line and the Welsh Marches Line. On the latter it is between Abergavenny and Leominster.
WMR 170 502 waits at Hereford
Information
Type:
National Rail
(Cotswold & Welsh Marches Lines)
Station code:
HFD
Opened:
1853
Platforms:
4
The station was opened in 1853 as Hereford Barrs Court [1]. It was jointly operated by the standard gauge Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway and the Great Western Railway's broad gauge Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway. The broad gauge line was converted to standard gauge in 1869. The station was renamed Hereford in 1893 when the GWR's Hereford Barton station was closed.
The station's original station buildings were replaced with the current structure in 1878-83 during a major rebuild of the station [2]. The station has four platforms with a footbridge connecting them.
The station is managed by Transport for Wales. It is served by Transport for Wales services along the Welsh Marches Line. West Midlands Railway services from Birmingham New Street terminate here as do GWR Cotswold Line services from London Paddington.
A pair of WMR 170s at Hereford
View of platform 3 and the main building
TfW 175 008 arrives with a Wales bound service
Footbridge
Hereford signal box
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Worcester to Hereford (Middleton Press, 2004) Map. XXX [2] Ibid. Fig. 114
The station was opened by the South Leicestershire Railway in 1864, for two years prior trains terminated at London Road to the West of the current station site [1], the line being completed through to South Wigston in 1864. The original station building dates from then though is no longer purely in use as a station with small businesses occupying part of the building, though the ticket office remains staffed at times.
The original footbridges were replaced in 1983 [2] by a stepless one, this also allows for a pedestrian right of way across the railway line. The station had extensive goods handling facilities including two separate goods sheds but, as with most station goods facilities, are now long gone.
The station is managed by East Midlands Railway though all services, usually one an hour in each direction, are run by Cross Country.
View down the platform
Station frontage
An XC train under the footbridge
View from the footbridge
XC 170 523 heads off towards Leicester
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Coventry to Leicester (Middleton Press, 2017) Map. XVII
The station was opened as the terminus of a Great Western Railway broad gauge line in 1854, the station being designed by Brunel. This remained High Wycombe's station until 1864 when a new through station was opened. The original station building became a goods shed [1] and has now been listed and preserved.
The current station layout dates from a rebuilding by the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway in 1906 [2]. The station has two staggered platforms, it once had four through lines but the central lines were lifted in 1989-90 [3]. There is a bay platform for services terminating from London Marylebone (and until recently the parliamentary Chiltern Railways service from London Paddington). Originally access between the platforms was via a subway but this was replaced by a footbridge in 2015.
High Wycombe was once the terminus (though later the line was extended to Aylesbury) of the Wycombe Railway from Maidenhead, though this line was closed in 1970. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways.
Chiltern 165 032 arrives with a London bound service
Horsley is a stop on the New Guildford Line in Surrey between Clandon and Effingham Junction.
South Western Railway 455 741 arrives at Horsley
Information
Type:
National Rail
(New Guildford Line)
Station code:
HSY
Opened:
1885
Platforms:
2
The station was opened in 1885 by the London & South Western Railway as the rather unwieldy Horsley and Ockham and Ripley, the name was shortened to Horsley in 1914. The station served a number of villages scattered around the area. The station had a small goods yard which closed in 1964 [1]. The station retains it's original buildings with decent canopies.
Access between the platforms is via a footbridge. The station is managed by South Western Railway with three trains an hour in each direction between London Waterloo and Guildford.
Main station building
Across the footbridge
View from the footbridge
Station building
SWR 455 847 and friend meet at Horsley
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Branch lines around Effingham Junction (Middleton Press, 1990) Fig. 82
High Barnet in north London is the terminus of the High Barnet Branch of the London Underground Northern Line.
Northern Line 51666 at High Barnet
Information
Type:
Transport for London (London Underground Northern Line High Barnet Branch)
Station code:
ZHB
Opened:
1872
Platforms:
3
The station was opened by the Great Northern Railway in 1872 as the terminus of a branch line of the GNR route from Finsbury Parkto Edgware. The station later became part of the LNER but in 1940 [1] was taken over by the London Underground as part of the Northern Heights project. LNER services stopped in 1941 though freight traffic continued until 1962.
Most of the original GNR station remains in place though the station has been upgraded to offer step-free access. There is also stabling for Northern Line trains next to the station. Northern Line trains depart up to every three minutes to Morden or Battersea Power Station.
View down the platform, notice the footbridge
A step-free way around the tracks!
Under the canopy
Just arrived
Next to depart
[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 131
Hope / Yr Hob is a stop on the Borderlands Line in Flintshire between Caergwrle and Penyfford.
Transport for Wales 150 217 leaves Hope
Information
Type:
National Rail
(Borderlands Line)
Station code:
HPE
Opened:
1866
Platforms:
2
The station was opened in 1866 as Caergwrle but was changed to Hope Village in 1899 [1]. The station had a small goods yard and cattle dock which were closed in the mid-1960s. The station was renamed to Hope in 1974. The original station buildings have now gone, to be replaced by bus shelter type accommodation. Access between the platforms is via a road that passes underneath the railway just past the Wrexham end of the platforms.
The station is managed by Transport for Wales who serve the station with an hourly service in both direction most days between Wrexham Central and Bidston.
View down the platform, a shelter is visible
Another platform view, facilities are basic
This way to the platforms
Bi-lingual station sign
TfW 150 217 arrives at Hope
[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Wrexham to New Brighton (Middleton Press, 2013) Map. XII
Headbolt Lane is a double terminus in Merseyside of the Merseyrail Northern Line's Kirkby Branch and the Wigan-Kirkby Line.
Merseyrail 777 142 prepares to return to Liverpool
Information
Type:
National Rail
(Merseyrail Northern Line Kirkby Branch, Wigan-Kirkby Line)
Station code:
HBL
Opened:
2023
Platforms:
3
Merseyrail's Kirkby Branch originally terminated at Kirkby, as did trains from Wigan, the two terminating lines facing each other without a physical connection. In 2023 a new station was built a little further up the line with Merseyrail trains continuing onwards to this new terminus. The Merseyrail line extension is not electrified, the Class 777 trains travelling to Headbolt Lane on battery power. As with Kirkby beforehand, there is no physical connection between the two lines.
There are two platforms for Merseyrail trains and one for Northern's services from Wigan Wallgate. The station has a staffed ticket office and is served by up to three Merseyrail trains and one Northern train an hour.
Hall Road is a stop on the Merseyrail Northern Line between Hightown and Blundellsands & Crosby.
Merseyrail 507 011 arrives with a Liverpool bound service
Information
Type:
National Rail (Merseyrail Northern Line)
Station code:
HLR
Opened:
1874
Platforms:
2
Hall Road owes its existence to a timber merchant called Joseph Gardner. He lived nearby in an isolated house and wanted a station built for his use. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, who owned the line, said they would not open a station for just the one house but would if five more houses were built nearby. Gardner had the houses built himself! [1] The station was opened in 1874.
Now part of the Merseyrail network, the station sees Merseyrail's distinctive yellow trains usually every fifteen minutes between Southport and Liverpool (and beyond). Access between the platforms is via the footbridge or via the road/level crossing at the entrance of the station. The station is manned and has a ticket office. Station buildings are a mixture of brick and bus shelter.
Station sign
507 003 arrives with a Liverpool bound service
General view of the platform, plenty of Merseyrail yellow on show!
Main station building
Level crossing
[1] Jonathan Cadwaller & Martin Jenkins, Merseyside Electrics (Ian Allan, 2010) p. 22
