Off The Map

PlatformCat would like to apologise for the recent lack of updates - this is due to a cow on the line, or something...

But yeah, anyway, I have been away, to distant lands, but still managed to tick off one station on the map...

This is why I normally use hairspray...

No Ron Weasley sightings...

Centre of the world. Proof.

Mum and I were on our way to The South, and were required to change at that grand pile of architecture that is York - gateway to virtually everywhere in the know universe, or so it seems. Our train was due to depart from platform 9, which gave a good view of the Hogwarts Express, parked over on platform 11 (alas, not 9¾). The engine, masquerading as "Hogwarts Castle", is actually called "Olton Hall" - I travelled behind it from Hellifield to Carlisle once, in the pouring rain, when I was about 17 - and rather appropriately, considering our destination, was built for the Great Western Railway, which leads me rather neatly to the following few places...

Exeter Central

Or rather, it doesn't - due to a total lack of planning on my part (I was on holiday!), the first badly-taken photo is Exeter Central, and although it is now managed by First Great Western, was historically nowt to do with the GWR - it was built by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) on their main line from Waterloo to Plymouth Friary - now sadly truncated at Meldon Quarry. At the time of the NER tile map it was called Exeter Queen Street, so for historical accuracy, I'll label it as such in the little list over there » » » »

Plymouth

Next up - I think this was Monday (much wine has been drunk since then) - was Plymouth North Road (now just called Plymouth) which was originally a joint venture between the LSWR & the GWR. Architecturally, it's a bit grim. The original buildings were (like most of Plymouth city centre) flattened by the Germans, so are a mix of 1950s/60s brutalist, with odd bits added since. Didn't see any sailors hanging around (insert seamen jokes here).

Torquay

Tuesday we had a trip to Paignton, for a game of crazy golf on the windy seafront. The beach area was totally deserted - I think everyone was in town, wasting their money and junk food and fridge magnets. Rather than just getting the train straight back, we got the "Dart Princess" ferry across the bay to Torquay, and got piss-wet-through while waiting on the quay, in the only rain shower of the week - hence why my hair looks so weird in the photo I took on Torquay station. Although, thinking about it, it looks pretty much the same as usual...

Totnes (Littlehempston)

Wednesday caused a blog-related problem! Not content with the fact I was now posing about in places that are way, way off the North Eastern's tiles, I was now in a station that didn't even exist 'til 1993! Except, to add to the confusion, it sort of did...

Totnes (Littlehempston) aka. Totnes Riverside, is owned by the South Devon Railway, and is the terminus of the branch line up to Buckfastleigh - home of monks and tonic wine. Their steam trains aren't allowed into the main Totnes station - they get in the way so the Fat Controller won't allow it - so the SDR volunteers had to build their own new one next door. Like a giant Hornby trainset, they got ready made buildings from elsewhere, and plonked them down on the platform. The booking office was from Toller Porcorum in Dorset - hence the label at the side. Apologies for not getting a picture of the station sign, but I preferred this one...