Oswestry

Oswestry, in Shropshire, was a station on the Cambrian Railway line. A heritage railway has now opened on the station site though not using the original platforms.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Cambrian Railways)
Opened:	1860
Closed:	1966 (Cambrian Heritage Railways re-opened 2014)
Platforms:	6 (now 1)

The station was opened by the Cambrian Railway in 1860, being closer to the town centre than the GWR's station which opened in 1849. The town served as the railway's headquarters. The line completed the LNWR's mainline from Whitchurch to Welshpool. Later the Cambrian Railway built it's locomotive works opposite the station.

The station was closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching cuts, freight continued to use the line until 1971. Most of the station was demolished apart from the main building which has survived to this day and is now owned by the local authority.

The Cambrian Heritage Railway has begun operations using the surviving railway from Oswestry to Weston Wharf, with the eventual aim of reaching Gobowen. The heritage railway uses Oswestry station's former goods depot as it's station.

Main station building [1]

[1] C. P. Gasquoine, The Story of the Cambrian (Woodall, Minshall, Thomas, 1922)

Golders Green (ZGG)

Golders Green is a station on the Edgware Branch of the Northern Line in North London between Brent Cross and Hampstead. The station is a transport hub with an adjacent bus and coach station. 

51600 at Golders Green

Information
Type:	Transport for London (Northern Line)
Station code:	ZGG
Opened:	1907
Platforms:	5

The station was originally opened in 1907 by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway as a terminus.

The line was extended North in 1923. An incompleted station is in between Golders Green and Hampstead, this was North End which was abandoned in 1906, though what was completed still remains and is used for storage [1]. Golders Green is the first station on this branch of the Northern Line to be in the open air after leaving London.

Golders Green was also home to a depot for the Northern Line and is where most overhaul and maintenance work takes place on the line [2]. The station has five platforms (one is unused) and three through roads.

51715 departs the station

Platform view, the platforms retain these fine canopies

Side view of the cab of 51626

A Northern Line train approaches

51721 stands at the station

[1] Ben Pedroche, Do Not Alight Here (Capital History, 2011) p. 134
[2] John Glover, ABC London Underground (Ian Allan, 1997) p. 41

Presthope

Presthope was a stop on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway in Shropshire between Easthope Halt and Westwood Halt. 

Presthope station (KD collection)

Information
Type:	National Rail (Wellington to Craven Arms Railway)
Opened:	1867
Closed:	1951
Platforms:	1

The station was opened by the Wenlock, Craven Arms & Lightmoor Extension Railway in 1867, it later became part of the Great Western Railway. The station was closed in 1951 due to low passenger traffic though the line continued to be used for freight until the 1960s.

Although the line has gone, parts of the station remain including the platform. The station site is now occupied by a caravan park.

Aintree (AIN)

Aintree is a stop on the Ormskirk branch of the Merseyrail Northern Line on Merseyside between Orrell Park and Old Roan.

Merseyrail 508 114 arrives with a Liverpool bound service

Information
Type:	National Rail (Merseyrail Northern Line Ormskirk Branch)
Station code:	AIN
Opened:	1849
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the East Lancashire Railway in 1849 before being taken over by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. The station was renamed Aintree Sefton Arms by British Railways to distinguish it from the now-closed CLC station Aintree Central [1] though since 1968 has been known as just Aintree. It is the closest station to Aintree Racecourse, the home of the Grand National. A horse shoe is displayed on the station footbridge (see below).

The station once had a substantial goods yard and depot. The L&Y experimented with an electric locomotive between 1912 and 1914 to haul traffic between the North Mersey Goods Yard and the Aintree sorting sidings. The station is staffed with the standard Merseyrail shelters and displays. 

Footbridge, note the horseshoe

A Merseyrail train prepares to depart

Looking down the platform

Station signage

Station view from the footbridge

[1] Jonathan Cadwallader & Martin Jenkins, Merseyside Electrics (Ian Allan, 2010) p. 39

Gospel Oak (GPO)

Gospel Oak is a stop on the London Overground North London Line between Hampstead Heath and Kentish Town West. It is also the Western terminus of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (known as the GOBLIN).

LO 378 258 arrives

Information
Type:	Transport for London (London Overground)
Station code:	GPO
Opened:	1860
Platforms:	3

The station was opened in 1860 by the Hampstead Junction Railway as Kentish Town [1]. It was renamed Gospel Oak in 1867. Between 1926 and 1981 there was no interchange with the line to Barking, though the platform was used for excursions from to time during the 1930s. A new platform was built for the resumption of services [2].

The North London Line was electrified by the LNWR in 1916, it was converted to 25kV AC overhead in 1996. The line to Barking was electrified in 2018. The station is above street level with stairs and lifts down to the street.

Platform buildings

LO 378 202 departs along the NLL

LO 378 216 at Gospel Oak

Waiting at the station

Also waiting

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, North London Line (Middleton Press, 1997) Fig. 72

[2] Ibid. Fig. 75