RAIL CHRONOLOGY : The demise of "HALTS" and "PLATFORMS" on British Rail
Page last updated: 6 June 2010
British Rail expunged the suffix halt in England and Wales with effect from the 6 May 1968 timetable. The suffix remained operative for a further 15 years in Scotland until dropped from the final four remaining locations (Balmossie, Carfin, Golf Street, Rosyth) with effect from the 16 May 1983 timetable. Incidentally, twelve months prior to that, Rogart had lost the suffix that had latterly been bestowed upon it.
The suffix platform - last appended to Wootton Wawen - was dropped from 6 May 1974. Although shown as plain Coombe in the operator's and the national timetables for December 2007, the operator's and the National Rail websites had added the suffix “Halt” by January 2008. From 18 May 2008 the location was further, formally, renamed Coombe Junction Halt while adjacent location, St. Keyne, was renamed St. Keyne Wishing Well Halt from the same date. It is not explained why the other two intermediate stations on the Looe branch are not also redesignated halts. Various heritage/preserved lines use the suffixes for some of their stopping places.Richard Maund
Adapted from a note by the author in Railway & Canal Historical Society Railway Chronology Group Co-ordinating Newsletter no.45, January 2006.
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