Balquhidder

Balquhidder was a stop on the Callander & Oban Railway in Stirling between Kingshouse and Glenoglehead and also the terminus of the Lochearnhead, St Fillans & Comrie Railway.

Balquhidder station [1]

Information
Type:	National Rail (Callander & Oban Railway)
Opened:	1870
Closed:	1965
Platforms:	3

The station was opened in 1870 by the Callander & Oban Railway as Lochearnhead. The station was renamed Balquhidder in 1904 when it was relocated slightly to the south when it became a junction with the Lochearnhead, St Fillans & Comrie Railway. The station had a goods yard and a crossing loop for the line, the platforms being either side of the loop. The station was later operated by the Caledonian Railway.

The line to Crieff was closed in 1951. The station and Callander & Oban Railway was closed in 1965.

[1] J. Francis, "To Oban via Perth and Crieff", The Railway Magazine (1926/01) p. 21

Chilworth (CHL)

Chilworth is a stop on the North Downs Line in Surrey between Shalford and Gomshall. 

Chilworth station building

Information
Type:	National Rail (North Downs Line)
Station code:	CHL
Opened:	1849
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway in 1849 as Chilworth & Albury, it was not until the 1980s when the name became just Chilworth. Apart from that the station has not changed a great deal since opening. One major change is the footbridge over the road crossing / level crossing at one end of the platforms and the crossing gates were removed. They were sold to preserved railways for re-use [1].

Chilworth signal box was closed in 1967 when the station was destaffed, however the signal box remains in situ but is used for storage. Near to the station was a large gunpowder works in Chilworth which had it's own extensive narrow gauge network. There was also a siding built by the South Eastern Railway to serve the works. The works and the siding are now long gone.

The station is managed by Great Western Railway with trains between Reading to Redhill via Guildford stopping at the station.

Preparing to depart

Chilworth signal box

View down the platform

Arrival

Another view of the station building, the level crossing behind it

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Guildford to Redhill (Middleton Press, 1989) Fig. 33

Bond Street (ZBD/BDS)

Bond Street is a station on the London Underground. It is on the Elizabeth (between Paddington and Tottenham Court Road), Jubilee (between Baker Street and Green Park) and Central Lines (between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus). 

A 92TS train departs on the Central Line

Information
Type:	Transport for London (Central, Elizabeth & Jubilee Lines)
Station code:	ZBD/BDS
Opened:	1900
Platforms:	6

The station was opened in 1900 by the Central London Railway and originally was just a Central Line station. In 1979 the Jubilee Line arrived at the station. Finally, in 2022 a stop on the Elizabeth Line was opened at Bond Street.

Bond Street is a busy and important interchange station in the centre of London with nearly forty million entrances and exits through the station a year before Covid. For the Elizabeth Line a new station entrance was constructed and the internal arrangement of the station improved ready for the extra passenger flow. New lifts were added to make the station step free.

96095 arrives on the Jubilee Lee platform

Jubilee Line tunnel

Sandbach (SDB)

Sandbach is a stop on the Crewe-Manchester Line in Cheshire between Crewe and Holmes Chapel.

DB 66 041 waits for a signal before continuing onto Crewe

Information
Type:	National Rail (Crewe-Manchester Line)
Station code:	SDB
Opened:	1842
Platforms:	3

The station was opened by the Manchester & Birmingham Railway in 1842, four years later becoming part of the London North Western Railway. The station was also a junction for a branch line to Middlewich and Northwich though this became freight only in 1960. A North Staffordshire Railway line from Kidsgrove to Sandbach also existed though this closed completely in 1964.

The station had a number of private sidings including for lorry manufacturer Foden, these sidings were closed in the 1970s. The station was completely rebuilt during electrification of the line in the 1960s [1] and gained it's current flat roofed station buildings. The station has three platforms, platform three being bidirectional and tends to be only used in peak times. Access between the platforms is via a footbridge. 

The station is managed by Northern trains who also operate all services which stop at the station.

Northern 319 367 arrives with a Crewe bound service

Main station building

Northern 323 328 departs for Manchester

View from the footbridge

A vintage sign on platform 2/3

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Crewe to Manchester (Middleton Press, 2014) p. 13

Loxdale Metro

Loxdale is a stop on the West Midlands Metro in outer Wolverhampton between Bradley Lane and Bilston Central. 

Tram 38 arrives at Loxdale

Information
Type:	West Midlands Metro
Opened:	1999
Platforms:	2

Loxdale was one of the original West Midlands Metro stops which opened in 1999. Although most of the line reused the track alignment from the GWR route from Wolverhampton Low Level and Birmingham Snow Hill, there was no original Loxdale station though Bradley & Moxley, which closed in 1915, was nearby.

Loxdale has the standard West Midlands Metro shelters and facilities.

View down the platform

Loxdale shelter

View down the line

Tram 18 arrives with a Wolverhampton bound service