Station At Sunderland : It Isn't A Wonderland (3)

 Try, Try And Try Again!

The original Euston Station was grand and welcoming; welcoming to those who arrived from Birmingham and welcoming for those who wished to depart. But the station grew and accumulated huge amounts of clutter.

By the time fbb passed through with aunty or granny it was a dreadful, dark and disconcerting place, designed to confuse and create stress.

Then came the shiny new Euston ...

... with an impressive concourse, clean and clinically "grey" but with little character. You would never call it "welcoming".

But slowly, that expanse of marble filled up with "retail opportunities" and the clutter returned. The latest bit of architectural obfuscation has moved much of the clutter up on to a shelf opposite the platform entrances.

It has removed much of the ground floor cloggage, but it is not a pleasant place to wait (if you can find a seat) and the refreshment prices are high enough to encourage fbb to starve! A burger and a coffee (ordered via some Dr Who style electronic bleeping thing) was well over ten quid.

But the same desire to make money out of stations led to a very poor deal for Sunderland. The uninspiring 1950s southern entrance ...

... was bulldozed, as was the glorious mock gothic northern entrance.

The canopies which themselves replaced the grand overall arched roof were to be replaced by a huge concrete raft. This was to allow for "development" of almost all of the station curtilage.

The poor southern entrance was replaced with something about as welcoming as a large public convenience block.

Even after several refurbishments it is hardly fitting for a town, nay a City, of a quarter of a million people.

But it is in the nether regions that the worst damage has been done. Despite some noble attempts to brighten things up, the platforms are cramped, dark and miserable.

Similar to the gloomfest that is Birmingham New Street, there is little that can be done at platform level, although a brave railway management would surely aim to remove the shops and offices and replace them with a "green" environment.

Maybe open up the two disused platforms and fill them with green stuff as in some Metro line 14 stations in Paris.

Just installing full lighting, even if unnecessary, would give some sense of openness as an alternative to gazing into darkness. The present arty light display is better than nothing, but still not open enough.

But plans have been announced for a new station building at street level.

There will be more glass and more light at night ...

... and more room to move about.

Maybe common sense will prevail and the platforms can be improved. There are underground stations that a bright and welcoming! Or will be when they are finished.

Barry Scenic Railway

Although it is hard to tell from the pictures, the "Scenic Railway" in Barry's once memorable funfair is a wooden roller coaster.

Installed in the park in late 1939 by park owner and legendary showman, Pat Collins, the Barry Island Scenic Railway was one of the last to be built in the United Kingdom.

It was a copy of Collins' 1932 Great Yarmouth Scenic Railway. According to the book "Roller Coasters, Their Amazing History", by Robert Preedy, the ride was taken to Leige in 1939 for the International Water Exhibition, but was rapidly dismantled following the outbreak of war and rushed over to Collins' Barry Island Pleasure Park.

The ride opened in March 1940 and was an instant success. At a mile long, and with a first drop of 72 feet, it was one of the biggest wooden roller coasters in the country, and ran virtually the full length of the park. For added effect, and in common with many other Scenics, the ride's wooden structure was covered in scenery giving the effect of a mountainous landscape. This scenery, which was turquoise in colour, remained intact until the ride's demolition.

Unfortunately, the ride was severely damaged by a gale in 1973 making its repair uneconomical. The ride had to be demolished. The great giant was bulldozed, and one of the country's last surviving Scenic Railways was gone.

The Great Yarmouth ride is still in use ...

... but nowhere near as scenic as the well plastered version at Barry Island.

You can also experience a wooden roller coaster at Margate ...

... but it is not as high, nor as big as the Barry and Great Yarmouth "Scenics". You can, however, clearly see that it is made of wood!

One more Barry Island railway to go!

 Next Disappointing blog : Thursday 15th July