Ryde Esplanade (RYD)

Ryde Esplanade is located on the sea front at Ryde and is one of the most busiest stations on the Isle of Wight's Island Line.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line)
Station code:	RYD
Opened:	1880
Platforms:	1

The first station on the site was to serve a horse drawn tram that ran along Ryde Pier but the railway station, originally called Pier Gate, was opened in 1880 when the railway line was built. The platforms - originally two were in use - are built partially over the shore (see photo below).

The station was closed at the end of 1966 in order to carry out modifications ready for electrification, the platforms had to be lowered as the ex-tube stock bought in for the Island Line had lower floors [1]. The station re-opened in 1967 along with the rest of the line. A new booking office and parcels office was built in 1973 [2], but shelters on the down platform were demolished later in the 1970s though the platform fell into disuse after cessation of shuttles from Ryde Pier Head. Now only the up platform is in use.

A bus station is located next to the railway station, and slightly more unusually a hovercraft station is located on the other side of the tracks via a footbridge!

483 007 departs to head across the sea to Ryde Pierhead

Ryde Esplanade is built partially over the shore line

483 004 emerges from Ryde tunnels on approach to Ryde Esplanade 

483 004 enters the station, the bus station can be seen next to the railway station

Behind 483 007 can be seen the now-disused other platform

[1] RJ Maycock & R Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 225
[2] Ibid p. 235

Pimlico (ZPO)

Information
Type:	Transport for London (Victoria Line)
Station code:	ZPO
Opened:	1972
Platforms:	2

Pimlico was the last station to be opened on the Victoria Line and is also the only station on that line that does not have an interchange with another service.

Pimlico was a late addition to the extension of the Victoria Line scheme through to Brixton. At first London Underground were hesitant to add an extra station between Victoria and the river Thames as it was felt the business case was too marginal however there was strong local support and the Crown Estate which owned the land where the station was to be built offered free easements [1]. The station was not ready when trains began to run on the extension (though the platforms were in place). The station was finally opened in 1972 just over a year after the rest of the extension opened [2].

As with the other stations on the Victoria Line Pimlico's platforms have a unique tile motif design. In Pimlico's case the motif represents modern art, the station being close to the Tate Britain gallery [3].

A 2009TS train stands at Pimlico

Pimlico's tile motif

Station entrance

[1] Mike Horne, The Victoria Line (Capital Transport, 2004) p. 69
[2] Paul Moss, London Underground (Haynes, 2014)  p. 118
[3] Horne p. 74

Bootle Oriel Road (BOT)

Information
Type:	National Rail (Merseyrail Northern Line)
Station code:	BOT
Opened:	1876
Platforms:	2

Bootle Oriel Road was opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1876 to replace the earlier Bootle Village built further along the same road. The station was later operated by the LNWR, LMS and finally British Railways. Now it is a station on Merseyrail's Northern Line between Bootle New Strand and Bank Hall on the Southport branch.

Bootle Oriel Road was at one time quite a grand station with 4 platforms which has station canopies though these disappeared as the station went into decline [1]. Happily the station benefited from a substantial rebuilt in 2008 - though still lacks cover!

Merseyrail 508 15 arrives on a Liverpool bound service

Main station building

Footbridge

A Southport bound train arrives

[1] Jonathan Cadwallader & Martin Jenkins, Merseyside Electrics (Ian Allan, 2010) p. 19

New Cross (NWX)

Information
Type:	National Rail (South Eastern Main Line) & London Overground
Station code:	NWX
Opened:	1850
Platforms:	4

New Cross in East London serves trains out of London Cannon Street and London Bridge and is a terminus of the London Overground.

New Cross was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1850 as New Cross & Naval School though this was changed to just New Cross in 1854. However the London & Croydon Railway had already built a station just 600m away called New Cross in 1839! It was not until both stations came under the Southern Railway umbrella in 1923 that the confusion was ended when the older station was renamed New Cross Gate.


New Cross was one of the terminuses of London Underground's East London Line (originally part of the Metropolitan Railway) until 2007 when the East London Line, for a long time the poor relation of the tube network, was finally closed and re-opened in 2010 as part of London Overground.

New Cross' platforms have letters and not numbers to reduce confusion between National Rail and Transport for London services.

Southeastern 376 007 with a London Cannon Street service

General view of the station including the overbridge

View across the platforms, a London Overground train is in 

Most trains on the South Eastern Main Line pass through

LO 378 143 at the London Overground platform (platform D)

Duffield (DFI)

Information
Type:	National Rail (Midland Main Line) & Preserved Railway (Ecclesbourne Valley Railway)
Station code:	DFI
Opened:	1841 1867 (current position)
Platforms:	3

Duffield is a small unmanned station on the Midland Lain Line between Derby and Belper. The original station was built in 1841 a bit further along the line with the current station dating from 1867 when it was decided to build a station on the junction between the line and a branch to Wirksworth.

That branch is now the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (EVR) and their Duffield terminus (the former platform 3) is adjacent to the National Rail station. The EVR have adopted Duffield station.

The current National Rail station has a single island platform accessible via a footbridge with a bus shelter. The only trains that stop at the station are East Midlands Trains services between Matlock and destinations like Newark Castle and Nottingham. Expresses between London St Pancras and Sheffield and Leeds also pass through the station but do not stop.


The EVR station has a single platform (platform 3), it reopened in 2011. A new booking office / shop opened in 2017.

EMT 153 310 at Duffield

A Meridian passes through the station at speed

Station footbridge

National Rail platform viewed from the EVR one

A run round loop exists at the EVR station to aid loco hauled services

As with the NR station most services to the EVR one are also DMUs!