Great Western Coffee Shop

Quite an easy set (esp no. 3!!) - solved before dawn?

1. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/wwitw1.jpg)

2. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/wwitw2.jpg)

3. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/wwitw3.jpg)

Number 3 is on the 1844 Swindon-Melksham I presume, the 1740 Cheltenham Spa-Southampton Central. Still currently being ran by a SWT 158. Looks like First Class because of the plug sockets, but of course you don't need a First Class ticket to sit there on that train.

1 looks like Gloucester - Platform 1

Tempted to say No.1 is BPW (Bristol Parkway) Although I'm not sure the signal is in the right place.

No. 2 Newbury Park? (You poor sod if it is ;D )

No. 3 Class 158 or 159 South West Trains, First Class Compartment. Possibly the seats closest to the Cab end if a 158 ;) Or any of the 4 of 2 middle seat blocks on a 159 ;D

Number 1 - yes, Gloucester is correct.   That's one of the longest platforms I know of ... there a complete HST in the distance, and room for another one too where the 150 is.

Number 3 - yes, on the 18:44 Swindon to Melksham last night - the SWT 159, seated in First Class.  I know I didn't need a first class ticket to sit in a first class seat on this service (as it doesn't convey first  ;D ) ... but 1st on the 17:45 from Paddington advanced purchase was surprisingly good value and after a hard week at Gloucester, Castle Combe, Trowbridge and [oops - NOT Newbury Park!] I allowed myself a wider seat on the way home!

I've narrowed no. 2 down to one of two lines but it doesn't look like any station I've been to on either of those lines.

2 is on the Northern Line, as to where exactly, somewhere on the High Barnet branch i'd assume.

Longest Platform in Great Britain! ;) ;D :D

I wouldn't have suspected Gloucester but looking at the position of the HST it was obvious... :D

*waits for CfN's "You should know better" smiley * :P

I'd qualify that by saying 'longest platform on the domestic rail network'. Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal has 8 public platforms all with a platform length of 2595ft, easily beating Gloucester's 1977ft. Also the platforms at Cheriton are all single numbered ones - Gloucester's continuous face is two numbered platforms with dead space in between where, due to a crossover and signalling, passenger trains don't stop.

I've really shot myself in the foot there.......... :P ::) ;D

Where is my School Admission Application again?








/coat

You're pretty hot on photo 2 ... careful study of the tube map and a bit of knowledge about where it goes truely "tube" will identify it as 1 particular station, I suspect.

On the longest platform, I seem to recall Manchester and Colchester being mentioned in the past ... but I expect I'm well out of date on that.   It was certainly quite a walk up to "platform 1" at Gloucester ...

Manchester was quoted as there was one (or was it two) platform(s) at Victoria that continued westwards and became a platform at Exchange Station.  Victorai is now a shaddow of its former self and Exchange was closed many years ago, so I guess we can rule Manchester out now. 

Colchester is also ruled out as it doesn't have rails along it's entire length and isn't a continuous face. Again it is two numbered platforms with one ending in buffer stops.

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/col.jpg)

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As for picture number 2, after some research on Northern Line High Barnet branch stations I'm going to say Totteridge and Whetstone

Yes, that's correct - the only High Barnet branch above ground station that isn't wheelchair accessible

On this occasion I shall content myself with a simple  ::)

Anoraky question: is that likely to change when platform 20 at Waterloo (one of the former Eurostar platforms) comes back into use for domestic services next spring...?

The longest at Waterloo (International) is, I believe, P24. Due to the outside curve it would be longer than P20.

P24 is 428m (1404ft) long. Can't find a figure for P20 but I imagine it'll be in the ballpark of 420m (1378ft). That may make it the longest single numbered platform on the domestic network, when it is reopened. Should P24 reopen in the future then that would naturally become the longest.

Darlington's P4 at 458m (1503ft) did lay claim to being the longest single numbered platform, but this now has a 4b. I'm still investigating where a platform could lay claim to being the longest single numbered on the domestic network.

Incidentally, I've just measured Minehead's P1 using Google Earth and that comes out at around 380m (1247ft). Probably the longest platform on a heritage railway.