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Your favourite heritage railway stations

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Bramblewick, Feb 19, 2010.

  1. Bramblewick

    Bramblewick Member

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    I'm curious to know which are people's favourite stations on heritage lines, and why. For me they are:

    Grosmont: A station the way stations used to be, alternating between busy and sleepy and situated at the heart of the community which it was built to serve. The station which made me love railways.

    Horsted Keynes: Lashings of period atmosphere, and a great place to simply sit and watch trains go by.

    Andrews House: Probably the best recreation of a light railway station anywhere in the country.

    Kemsley Down: A kind of 1:1 scale OO9 layout, with a real sense of being loved by those who work there.

    Your thoughts?
     
  2. Fireline

    Fireline Well-Known Member

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    Bodiam: A lovely rural station, and not a bad view, either.

    Harman's Cross & Corfe Castle: Two fine examples of the nicest stations not having to be the biggest.

    Wansford: Good sarnies, and a bench to eat them on that faces THAT many engines!

    Winchcombe: Fine example of what can be done by people who really care.

    I'm bound to have forgotten several....
     
  3. Jark91

    Jark91 Member

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    Grosmont and Goathland have a superb atmosphere.

    Porthmadog and Tan-y-Bwlch are both set in incredible, if very different scenery, as is Rhyd Ddu.

    Consall station on the CVR is beautifully restored and perhaps the best station in the country for photography - that departure past the pub is mighty impressive.

    Loads more naturally but I'm a bit tired to think...
     
  4. Matt78

    Matt78 Well-Known Member

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    Carrog would get my vote- any 'modern' requirments are very tastefully hidden, and the attention to detail is excellent- much time and expense to faithfully recreate the wooden GWR signals for example.
     
  5. dace83

    dace83 Well-Known Member

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    1: Weybourne A wonderfully grand station built to impress the people at Springs hotel (not demolished)
    2: Dereham: great BR atmosphere
    3: Horstead Keynes, for the 20 minutes of so I have been there it has a great atmosphere
     
  6. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    I can't fault you with your first three choices. Alas, I've no real experience of Kemsley Down since 1969!
     
  7. Matt35027

    Matt35027 Well-Known Member

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    Horsted Keynes, for reasons others have said
    Totnes, went to the SDR for the first time last summer, fell in love with the atmosphere and the lovely people
     
  8. Dan Hill

    Dan Hill Part of the furniture

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    Horsted Keynes because it is was such an interesting station with Platforms 4 and 5 sharing the same track and being a former junction. The view from Leamland Bridge towards the station is nice as well as the hill leading up to it.
    Bodiam is nice as well because of the view of the Castle.
    Pickering has special memories asme and my family stayed there a long time ago (more than 10 years) and my grandad and I would go to the station to see one the last train arrive at the station everyday we were there (plus we saw some filming for Heartbeat at Goathland as well)
     
  9. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    Bewdley as an almost unchanged Junction station

    Arley for a country branch line station encapsulated
     
  10. p/wayman

    p/wayman Member

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    It's got to be Consall on the Churnet Valley Railway. The station with the waiting room overhanging the canal all beautifully restored, the lack of road traffic down the potholed lane and the separation of the river and canal by the weir. Not to mention Black Lion where you can sit in the beer garden and watch the trains and canal boats go by and the river with the water going over the weir. With a good pint to boot.Idyllic.
     
  11. dman-lewis

    dman-lewis Member

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    I agree with you but as I havent been to Horsead Keynes im going to add Whitwell & reepham, Because I help there and it is a fun environment, I love to see it evolve.
     
  12. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    I think I would second the mention of Bewdley on the SVR, an authentic GWR former junction station where you often see two trains pass, you can stand at the platform end and listen to the block bells in the box, watch token exchanges, go up the other end and view Bewdley MPD, and so-on.
     
  13. kieranhardy

    kieranhardy Well-Known Member

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    My top ones that have already been said include Bewdley, Weybourne, Horsted Keynes & Corfe Castle. The latter being one of my favourites.

    I also really like Highley, Alresford & Medstead & Fourmarks.
     
  14. martinr1

    martinr1 New Member

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    It really must be Idridgehay, a delightful county wayside station, on the wonderful Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
     
  15. blackfive

    blackfive Member

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    In the traditional manner (reverse order);
    Crowcombe
    Oakworth
    And the winner is;
    Tan-y-Bwlch.
     
  16. Dan Hamblin

    Dan Hamblin Part of the furniture

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    1) Horsted Keynes - wonderful memories of Normandy or one of the Terriers pottering up and down between the service trains, also a favourite photography location with the raised bank to the north west of the station with the railway cottages on top.

    2) Weybourne - a lovely country station with easy access to the nearby country park, and a great place to be on gala days.

    3) Bodiam - wonderful view across the floodplain to the castle, the lovely garden by the level crossing gates, and the modern toilets disguised as a coal office.

    Honourable mentions: Arley, Corfe Castle and New Romney

    Regards,

    Dan
     
  17. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    For an idyllic setting, Crowcombe Heathfield on the WSR.

    My wife has vowed-one day-to live in one of those modern houses just to the side of the station drive at CH.

    ...Suits me...!
     
  18. Lingus

    Lingus New Member

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    Is that with or without you?
     
  19. Bramblewick

    Bramblewick Member

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    Personally speaking I wouldn't say no to one of the semis next to Tenterden Bank.
     
  20. lewis.maddox

    lewis.maddox Member

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    1) Hampton Loade - great in the mornings!! Lovely light and almost always a lovely loco :)
    2) Llangollen - Great setting, the sound of the river and steam locos working hard is just awesome
    3) Bewdley - What's not to like, busy all year round, steamy atmosphere in the mornings and something always going on!
     

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