Les's Railway Stations

Les's Railway Stations Railway Stations I've Visited.
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05/06/2026

MIDDLE OF THE LINE: Norchard
NORCHARD is a railway station on the Dean Forest Railway, near Lydney in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, UK.

Norchard is the main station of the Dean Forest Railway. Complete with sidings & a shed, it is the engineering base of the railway. Also to be found at this station are the museum, gift shop, cafe, toilets, main ticket office, & a large free car park. Around Norchard there are many footpaths providing access to the forest, many with views of the trains.

Access between the ticket office & the platforms is via a level crossing. The station has 3 platforms, two at the Low Level station, +1 at the high level. Platform 2 has the purpose-built cafe & the 9681 shop which is in a coach. Norchard High Level has just 1 platform but it serves trains from both Lydney Junction & Parkend, making it the main platform.

03/06/2026

LYDNEY TOWN Railway Station is a railway station on the Dean Forest Railway in Gloucestershire.
The station which is situated in the centre of Lydney opened with rather basic facilities on 23/9/1875, these facilities were later upgraded in 1897.
The station is located at 8 miles from Berkeley Road, located at exactly 0.11 miles to the north of the station is the High Street level crossing.

The station's proximity to the main road through Lydney proved to be a problem throughout the station's life as shunting in the nearby yard & in the station caused delays to road & foot traffic.
A footbridge was constructed in 1904 in order to reduce the delays to foot traffic.
The metal supports for the footbridge & the old platform foundations can still be carefully made out in the undergrowth on the East side of the line between the new platform & the level crossing.
All passenger services north of Lydney Town ceased in 1929. The passenger services from Lydney Town to Berkeley Road survived until the destruction of the Severn Railway Bridge in October 1960 when passenger services were suspended. The station was officially closed in November 1964.
The Dean Forest Railway started operating services over Lydney Town Crossing & past the site of the former Lydney Town Station to St Mary's Halt in 1991.
Lydney Town Station was then rebuilt & subsequently reopened on 22/4/2001.

31/05/2026

WHITECROFT (& BREAM) railway station is a railway station on the Dean Forest Railway.

The station originally opened on 23 September 1875, and closed on 8 July 1929. It was re-opened to passengers on 25 May 2012 after a construction period of around 18 months.

Much of the funding for the restoration programme came from a Rural Development grant, administered by the Forest of Dean Local Action Group in Coleford. The programme of work involved the construction of a four-coach platform on the Pillowell (up)side of the line, with the new station building be constructed in traditional Severn and Wye style.

Future developments in Whitecroft will include doubling the track through the station, the construction of the second (down) platform on the Bream side of the line and the addition of a goods shed.

BLUNDELLSANDS & CROSBY Railway Station is a railway station in the Blundellsands area of Merseyside, England. It also se...
30/05/2026

BLUNDELLSANDS & CROSBY Railway Station is a railway station in the Blundellsands area of Merseyside, England. It also serves the adjacent town of Crosby. It is situated on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.

The station underwent a revamp at a cost of £250,000 in 2009, including the installation of electronic timetables, in July that year. The refurbishment included a new toilet with disabled access, changes to the waiting rooms such as automatic doors, CCTV, new flooring, seats, new windows & heating. In 2010 a new 101-space car park was constructed on the site of the previous one, including new surfacing, marked bays, lighting & landscaping. There is also cycle racks for 30 cycles & secure cycle storage for 74 cycles.

Trains operate every 15 minutes throughout the day from Monday to Saturday - they travel to Southport in the north & to Liverpool Central in the south. Sunday services travel every 30 minutes in each direction.

Blundellsands & Crosby railway station opened on 24/7/1848 as Crosby when the LC&SR opened its line from Waterloo to Southport Eastbank Street.
The station was situated on the north side of Warren House lane which was crossed using a level crossing,
In 1852, the station was moved 230 miles north to the south side of the newly built Blundellsands Road which was also crossed via a level crossing. This station was constructed from some of the materials from the recently closed Southport Eastbank Street opening on 1 June.
In 1850, the LC&SR had been authorised to lease, sell or transfer itself to the L&YR & on 14/6/1855 the L&YR purchased and took over the LC&SR.
The station was relocated again in 1865 to the north side of Blundellsands Road when it was renamed Blundellsands for Crosby, in November 1865 it was renamed Blundellsands & Crosby.
The station was extensively rebuilt in 1882. There were 2 platforms with substantial awnings. The down side buildings were of brick & stone construction whilst the up side were wooden.
There was a goods & coal yard situated behind the down platform, it was equipped with a 4 ton crane, & there were additional sidings on the up side of the line.
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London & North Western Railway on 1/1/1922 & in turn was Grouped into the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948.
The goods yard closed on 6/1/1964.
In 1978 the station became part of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line.

WHITCHURCH [SHROPSHIRE] Railway Station is 1 of 3 UK stations named as such. The station is 18¾ miles (30 km) north of S...
30/05/2026

WHITCHURCH [SHROPSHIRE] Railway Station is 1 of 3 UK stations named as such. The station is 18¾ miles (30 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line. It is maintained and served by Transport for Wales.

The station opened on 1 September 1858 by the LNWR-backed Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway. It was once the junction for the Cambrian Railways' Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway line to Oswestry and Welshpool (the former Cambrian mainline to Aberystwyth), and the Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway. The former was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe in January 1965, whilst the latter was closed to passengers by the British Transport Commission in September 1957 & completely in January 1963.
The site of the former junctions can still be seen from passing trains.
The last major work carried out on Whitchurch station was the replacement of the original railway bridge that had become damaged by an oversized lorry load.

The station has two platforms and a footbridge. There used to be a large signal box here, which was latterly switched out of use, although operational if required; this was closed and demolished in 2012 whilst the one-time goods shed has been turned into a garage. The former up loop and down bay platforms have both had their track removed (the former is fenced off) and the main buildings (booking hall, waiting room and offices) have also been demolished.

The station is unstaffed, although it does have a ticket machine. There are waiting shelters on both platforms. Train running information is offered by means of CIS displays and timetable poster boards. Step-free access is only possible to the northbound platform, as the footbridge is not accessible for disabled passengers.

Transport for Wales operates the following services:
A local stopping service between Shrewsbury and Crewe; these operate every two hours each way
Some longer distance trains call here between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central, with extensions to Carmarthen, Fishguard Harbour and Milford Haven.

WHALEY BRIDGE Railway Station serves the Peak District town of Whaley Bridge, in Derbyshire, England. It is a stop on th...
29/05/2026

WHALEY BRIDGE Railway Station serves the Peak District town of Whaley Bridge, in Derbyshire, England. It is a stop on the Buxton Line, 16+1⁄4 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly.

Northern Trains operates a generally hourly service in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Buxton. There are some additional services at peak times.

Opened on 9 June 1857, the station was originally on the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway; it was built by the London and North Western Railway to connect with the Cromford and High Peak Railway and was extended to Buxton in 1863.
Until 1983, the station had an active signal box and served as a terminus for some trains to/from Manchester Piccadilly.

The ticket office is staffed six days per week (Mondays to Saturdays) from early morning until early afternoon (06:50-13:25); at other times, tickets must be purchased prior to travel or on the train. There is a waiting room in the main building, open when the booking office is staffed, and canopies to offer a covered waiting area at all times; platform two has a waiting shelter. Train running information is provided via help points on each platform, digital CIS displays, timetable posters and automated announcements.
The station is unusual for the line in that its platform one, where the main station building and ticket office is sited, is on the side for trains bound for Buxton, whereas platform two serves trains to Manchester. The platform is on a tight curve and was some 30 cm too low for the height of the carriages used, making it difficult to access for people with mobility problems. It was addressed by Network Rail in 2012, which rebuilt the Buxton platform and installed a Harrington Hump easy access ramp on the Manchester-bound side.
The station enjoys the support of the local community in the form of the Friends of Whaley Bridge Station, a voluntary group dedicated to improving and maintaining the station buildings and grounds.

28/05/2026

LYDNEY JUNCTION railway station is near Lydney in Gloucestershire. The station is now the southern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway. It's located to the south of Lydney, near the A48 road.
The diesel department of the preserved line uses Lydney Junction as a base of operations.

Lydney Junction was the name of 2 separate but adjacent stations on 2 different railway lines. The GWR station, which remains open as Lydney railway station, opened in 1851 on the Gloucester to Chepstow section of the South Wales Railway. To the west of this station, the freight-only line of the Severn & Wye Mineral Railway crossed the GWR line on its north–south route taking coal & iron from the Forest of Dean to the docks at Lydney.
In 1875, the Severn & Wye started passenger services & built a new terminus station at Lydney Junction for passenger trains to/from Drybrook, near Cinderford. 4 years later, this first station was superseded by a new 1 as the Severn & Wye joined with the Midland Railway in building the Severn Bridge Railway, which linked Lydney across the river Severn with the Midland's Sharpness Branch Line, enabling access for the Forest of Dean minerals to the new & more extensive docks at Sharpness.
The new Lydney Junction station was linked by a long footbridge to the GWR's station. It was built on a curve which took the line away to the east from the north–south line of the original freight railway, & there were extensive freight yards, which provided the only rail link between the Severn & Wye & the Great Western lines. The 2 stations worked closely together, particularly after 1894, when the Severn & Wye Railway was bought by the GWR & the Midland. Finally, in 1955, under British Railways, the 2 stations were formally merged into 1.
Lydney Junction was used as a through-station for passenger services to/from Berkeley Road railway station & over the Severn Railway Bridge. These services either terminated at Lydney Town railway station, which was in the centre of Lydney, or continued on northwards into the Forest of Dean to terminate at Lydbrook Junction on the Ross to Monmouth line. These services ceased abruptly in October 1960 when the Severn Railway Bridge was damaged beyond economic repair in a shipping accident. Passenger services were officially withdrawn in November 1964.

After closure, the up platform & the station building were demolished. The down platform survived & forms the basis of the new Lydney Junction station on the heritage Dean Forest Railway. The station was reopened in 1995 when a signal box was opened to supervise a level crossing - the flat-roofed BR timber structure came originally from Heysham Port station in Lancashire. A row of locomotives, including 73002 & 08734, is on static display.

26/05/2026

PARKEND Railway Station is located in the village of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It is currently the northern terminus of the Dean Forest (heritage) Railway.

In 1864 the Severn and Wye Railway began operating small mineral trains on its existing tramroad, but they were not satisfactory and, in 1868, the company added a broad-gauge steam railway line. However, both were removed and replaced with standard gauge tracks by 1874. The station was constructed in 1873, and subsequently opened in 1875, to enable the company to also offer passenger services alongside its freight operations which, by now, had given the railway a sizeable presence in the village, including several sidings.
A decline in mineral traffic and passenger numbers saw regular passenger services cease in 1929. The last goods train left Parkend on 26 March 1976 and much of the track was dismantled.
The line was bought by the Dean Forest Railway Preservation Society, now based at Norchard. In 2004-2005 Parkend station was extensively reconstructed, and it reopened 26 December 2005. Diesel Railcars ran the service in December 2005 and then Steam services have run into Parkend since 25 March 2006. It was then officially opened, by the Princess Royal, on 19 May 2006.
The station has two platforms, a water column, footbridge, goods shed , level crossing and a signal box (ex Maesmawr). On the 'Down' Platform there is the main station building which has a ticket office and also sells some food & drink along with some gifts. Toilets are also part of this building. The level crossing gates at the north end of the station are reputedly the longest in Britain.

An extension to Beechenhurst is currently planned.

LEOMINSTER Railway Station lies on the Welsh Marches Line, serving the town of Leominster in Herefordshire, England. It ...
25/05/2026

LEOMINSTER Railway Station lies on the Welsh Marches Line, serving the town of Leominster in Herefordshire, England. It is situated 11+1⁄4 miles north of Hereford. The station has 2 operational platforms, for northbound services via Ludlow & southbound via Hereford; in the past, it had 3 more for discontinued services to Worcester & Kington.

Developed jointly by the GWR & the LNWR, it was originally a through station on their Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway. The GWR then took over 2 independently financed & developed branch lines, creating a busy junction station:

Leominster & Kington Railway to Kington & Presteigne (platforms 3/4)
Worcester, Bromyard & Leominster Railway to Worcester Shrub Hill (platforms 4/5)
Both branches were closed to passenger traffic by British Railways in the 1950s; services to Worcester ended in 1952 & to Kington in 1955.

The station has a ticket office on platform 1, which is staffed on a part-time basis on weekdays only (06:55 – 13:25). There is a self-service ticket machine provided for use outside of these times & for collecting pre-paid tickets.
Platform 2 has a shelter, with customer help points, digital information displays & automatic announcements provided to offer train running details on both sides. Though the footbridge linking the platforms has stairs, level access is provided to each platform.

Leominster has the following general Monday-Saturday off-peak service, with all trains operated by Transport for Wales:
1 train per hour (tph) to Manchester Piccadilly, calling at Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Crewe, Wilmslow & Stockport; some trains also call at Whitchurch & Nantwich).
1 tph to Carmarthen, calling at Hereford, Abergavenny, Cwmbran, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway, Neath, Swansea, Llanelli & Pembrey & Burry Port.
This journey is extended to Milford Haven every 2 hours, calling at Whitland, Clunderwen (request stop), Clarbeston Road (request stop), Haverfordwest & Johnston (request stop).
On Sundays, there is also an hourly service each way from mid-morning; this include a departure northbound to Chester & Holyhead in the late afternoon.

I had the greatest time on DEAN FOREST (Steam) RAIL. I visited all 5 of its railway stations, namely PARKEND. WHITECROFT...
24/05/2026

I had the greatest time on DEAN FOREST (Steam) RAIL. I visited all 5 of its railway stations, namely PARKEND. WHITECROFT, NORCHARD, LYDNEY TOWN & LYDNEY JUNCTION (+ Lydney itself).
Thanks to the staff, especially to General Manager PEGGY ROMER & new conductor SHARON MOFFAT.

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