The Beauty of Transport

They say that Girvan is the only Art Deco station in Scotland. And they’re more-or-less right. (Although I do wish Network Rail would restore the lost canopy on the front; it’s taking ages). But there is another borderline Art Deco station in Scotland, just clinging on…

I am low-key obsessed with it, but it is in an absolutely terrible state, bricked up and disintegrating. But you can still - just - make out what a fine building it must have been when new. That angled canopy at the front is super, and I love a booking hall lit by clerestory windows.

They say that Girvan is the only Art Deco station in Scotland. And they’re more-or-less right. (Although I do wish Network Rail would restore the lost canopy on the front; it’s taking ages). But there is another borderline Art Deco station in Scotland, just clinging on…

When I say small heritage items at stations are good ways of telling railway history, this is what I mean. This is a BRB (Residuary) sign (with logo! who knew) at Leamington Spa. The company had a small but important role in the privatised railway, but has left very little physical evidence behind.

When I was writing Trackside Transformation (the big book of Grouping-era stations: philipbutler.bigcartel.com/product/pre-...) an unexpected resource that really helped was BritainFromAbove.org.uk, which often had good images of lost inter-war stations. But it's still not a well known site. So...

The LNER's Balgreen Halt (1934) had a surprisingly large station building for a halt. The LNER/Tyne Commissioners station at Tyne Commission Quay (1928) was rarely photographed in a way that showed much of the station. The aerial view gives that context.

When I was writing Trackside Transformation (the big book of Grouping-era stations: philipbutler.bigcartel.com/product/pre-...) an unexpected resource that really helped was BritainFromAbove.org.uk, which often had good images of lost inter-war stations. But it's still not a well known site. So...

My very own lost station, the Southern Railway's Hastings of 1931. And although Bromley North (1925) is still with us, this aerial shot shows the now-lost west wing of the station. Exmouth's delightful (and now lost) baroque station building of 1924 can be seen in the third image.

When I was writing Trackside Transformation (the big book of Grouping-era stations: philipbutler.bigcartel.com/product/pre-...) an unexpected resource that really helped was BritainFromAbove.org.uk, which often had good images of lost inter-war stations. But it's still not a well known site. So...

...let's have a tour. Here is the Southern Railway's Dumpton Park (1926) and its enormous forecourt, and you can also see the rarely photographed top station of the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway (1936) in the same image. (Links in alt text throughout)

Big update to https://stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/ - six contributors have sent in their findings for 11 new stations with eight more updated! Loads of interesting artefacts recorded, with this extremely rare GWR boundary kerbstone at Dawlish a highlight.

There are records now for 596 stations on the site (although those records might not be complete). That's 22.8% of all British mainline stations, so it's closing in on 25% in less than a year. That's - not too bad? It does depend a bit how many stations there actually are, though...

Which I absolutely agree with; I shouldn't be writing about GBR's garbled visual identity, branding and signage standards... except that's nearly the only thing the DfT is giving me. Are they telling me *how* tickets will be simplified by GBR? How bike/rail or bus/rail integration will be improved?

Just on the off-chance... does anyone know of a picture of the front of the station building at Filey Holiday Camp? The National Transport Trust website has this good one of its rear elevation but the web seems to have no good ones of the front. And neither does any book I've ever found.

A workthrough of the latest crop of railway station departure boards by @ryanbate.bsky.social on his Now Let’s Be Clear site. Have someone explain why you’re vaguely discomfited by them in ways you can’t explain yourself. nowletsbeclear.substack.com/p/lets-not-b...

This is Trackside Transformation, a book which is the first attempt (as far as I can tell) to fully catalogue British mainline railway station architecture of the Grouping era (1923-47). It's written by me to accompany photographs by @artdecomagpie.bsky.social of all the significant survivors.

Records of artefacts created for five new stations, and five updated at https://stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/ thanks to four contributors, including a plaque commemorating the visit of a US president (not many of those around) submitted by @railwayheritage.bsky.social - thank you!

Ah - looks like we have an answer as to whether the GBR livery will include yellow ends on new trains, rather than just legacy yellow-end stock. I’ve never really understood why the default non-yellow option is black though. Feels like an all blue front would have been possible?

As ever I appreciate this is probably the least important thing about this new train order (level boarding is ace, battery-electric rather than just wiring the non-electrified bits of track is very not ace) but you can get sensible experts for the important stuff. I just do what it looks like.

From about 2017 I had a rather chaotic few years of house moves so my transport bookshelves were mostly in storage. Now I am settled again I am filling some gaps with books I would otherwise have bought at the time. Here then, are some (very) delayed book recommendations…

Hidden London (2019) completely passed me by. I knew the tours of course but seem to have overlooked that there was an accompanying book. It has really striking photographs of places on the Hidden London tours. A beautiful book.

From about 2017 I had a rather chaotic few years of house moves so my transport bookshelves were mostly in storage. Now I am settled again I am filling some gaps with books I would otherwise have bought at the time. Here then, are some (very) delayed book recommendations…

I think @markonthemaps.bsky.social and @mrmappy.bsky.social talking about their new book sounds splendid. Unfortunately it's rather difficult for me to pop down from Orkney, so how about you go, then post about it and make me jealous? 18 November, 7:00pm-8:30pm www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mapping-br...