History UsefulNotes / NationalRail

* On the UsefulNotes/IsleOfWight, there's a quirky set of trains that aren't seen anywhere else on the Network, and are ''the'' oldest class of trains still in use on the mainline to date. These are the '''Class 483'''s, a class of [=EMUs=] that were constructed by renovating old 1938 London Underground stock from 1989 to 1992. The main reason why these trains still rumble reliably down the line from Ryde to Shanklin is that they can fit through a tunnel in Ryde that has a raised track bed to avoid being flooded. They are due for retirement in the 2020s.

British Rail operated for most of its life in a regional basis centred on London in a manner analogous to the Big Four with Scotland as a separate region; the old LNER routes became Eastern Region, for example. In 1982, this was 'sectorised' into three groups, called (at the time of privatisation), Intercity, Network [=SouthEast=] and Regional Railways. In addition, there were six Passenger Transport Executives that ran local services in the bigger urban areas like Manchester.

* Class 43 (HST) power car - the world's fastest diesel locomotive, the 'Intercity 125' (always operated as two power cars with a number, varying between franchise, of Mark 3 coaches between them) is nearing the end of its life despite new engines, but is still very common, especially on the Great Western line.

* On the UsefulNotes/IsleOfWight, there's a quirky set of trains that aren't seen anywhere else on the Network, and are ''the'' oldest class of trains still in use on the mainline to date. These are the '''Class 483'''s, a class of EMUs that were constructed by renovating old 1938 London Underground stock from 1989 to 1992. The main reason why these trains still rumble reliably down the line from Ryde to Shanklin is that they can fit through a tunnel in Ryde that has a raised track bed to avoid being flooded.

* London St. Pancras International - so close to King's Cross it shares a Tube station (see next entry); it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Euston (abut 10-15 minutes' walk down Euston Road, or just one stop on the [[UsefulNotes/LondonUnderground Tube]]). It is now the home of the Eurostar services (hence the "International"). Frankly, it needed some love and was refurbished as a result in the late 2000s/early 2010s to the point it is now considered one of the best stations in the world, but takes a long while to get around. Terminus of the Midland Main Line and [=InterCity=] services operated by East Midlands Railway, as well as the [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed services]] to Kent operated by Southeastern. All Thameslink services at this station call at the lower level station, designated Platforms A and B to avoid confusion.

* London King's Cross. Home of the East Coast Main Line (current operators London North Eastern Railway and two open access operators, Hull Trains and Grand Central). UsefulNotes/TheLondonUnderground station, King's Cross St. Pancras, is a six line station and the busiest on the network. It's been claimed, probably inaccurately, Boudica is buried there. Underwent a major renovation in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
** No discussion of this station is complete without discussing the use and misuse of this station by ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', where it is the departure point for the Hogwarts Express via Platform 9¾. Platforms 9 and 10 in real life not only have no wall between them, they are not even in the ECML part of the station. 4 and 5 were used in filming.

* London Waterloo. Named after the 1815 battle (before any more French people complain, they should note Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris), it contained Waterloo International, home of Eurostar until 2007. It also had (until UsefulNotes/WorldWarII) the London Necropolis station next door, a station dedicated to running funeral trains for the London Necropolis company, who ran trains to the Brookwood Cemetery, where over 240,000 people are buried and designed to deal with London's deceased. Waterloo East is a smaller station, between London Bridge and Charing Cross as noted above. It is connected to the main station by a footbridge, while the eastern end of the station connects with Southwark Underground Station.

* London Charing Cross. One of the smaller termini with only six platforms, home to Southeastern services to the south-east of England. The closest station to Trafalgar Square and the West End, it sits on the north bank of the Thames, and can be seen from Waterloo. Southeastern are known for their tendency to shut down their entire network if even a single millimeter of snow is detected, something which naturally pisses off the thousands of commuters who rely on it every day.
* London Victoria: Until the advent of Eurostar and direct connections through the Channel Tunnel, Victoria was where you started your journey to the continent. Regular trains ran to Dover and Folkestone to connect with the channel ferries, not to mention more luxurious trains such as the Golden Arrow and the London extension of the Orient Express network. It still has some international connections, as many tourists use it to go to and from Gatwick Airport because nobody's told them it's cheaper to go from Blackfriars.

* London Paddington: Departure point for the Great Western line, which is non-electrified bar a section that serves the Heathrow services from there, it's a visually impressive station. The Great Western line is currently operated by Great Western Railway. Originally dubbed "Worst Great Western" and "Worst Late Western" by many, it suffered a fare strike in 2007-08, once had the worst punctuality record in the country (until Thameslink and Great Northern came along) and once had the government considering pulling the franchise. [[TheEngineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] would not approve.

* London Euston - Home of the West Coast Main Line, which goes to Scotland via Manchester, London Northwestern Railway services to Birmingham and London Overground trains to Watford Junction. The WCML is currently owned by a certain Richard Branson as part of the Virgin network. The current station is an unpopular 1960s concrete affair that is a controversial replacement for the original that was knocked down along with the famous arch.
* London St. Pancras International - so close to King's Cross it shares a Tube station (see next entry); it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Euston (abut 10-15 minutes' walk down Euston Road, or just one stop on the [[UsefulNotes/LondonUnderground Tube]]). It is now the home of the Eurostar services (hence the "International"). Frankly, it needed some love and was refurbished as a result in the late 2000s/early 2010s to the point it is now considered one of the best stations in the world, but takes a long while to get around. Terminus of the Midland Main Line and [=InterCity=] services operated by East Midlands Railway, as well as the [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed services]] to Kent operated by Southeastern. Thameslink services between Bedford and Brighton call at the lower level station, designated Platforms A and B to avoid confusion.

* London Liverpool Street. Used to be grimy and confusing to get around due to its split-level concourse, but was completely refurbished in the early 1980s and is now bright, airy and spacious... except for platforms 11-18. Home of the Abellio Greater Anglia services to the Anglia region, the network was formerly known as "one" (sic), which led to jokes, like "The eleven twenty-one one service". Or confusion, as in "[[WhosOnFirst The 1120 "one" service...]]". It is now also served by London Overground and [=TfL Rail=] suburban services; the latter being the beta version of the Elizabeth Line aka Crossrail running to Shenfield.

* London Bridge (always called that, since it's the actual name of the nearby bridge). The main part of the station is a terminus, but some lines run past it and on to Waterloo East and Charing Cross, or to Cannon Street, or to Blackfriars, St. Pancras and beyond on the Thameslink line. Trivia: the station is right next to London's tallest building (as of 2014), the Shard. Currently undergoing a major refurbishment with a huge new concourse having just opened, allowing Thameslink services to proceed to Blackfriars.

* The Intercity Express Programme led to the advent of the Class 800 Bi-modal Multiple Unit [[note]]meaning it can convert from diesel to electric power and back[[/note]] and the Class 801 Electric Multiple Unit. Both the 800 and the 801 are high-speed trains brought in to gradually replace the Intercity 125 and 225 trains. The Class 802, and the soon-to-be-built Classes 803 and 804 were also developed from them, and look rather similar. Currently they operate by a range of corporate names like 'Azuma'[[note]]LNER[[/note]], 'Intercity Express Train' (or IET)[[note]]Great Western Railway[[/note]], 'Nova 1'[[note]]Transpennine Express[[/note]], and 'Paragon'[[note]]Hull Trains[[/note]].

* The Intercity Express Programme led to the advent of the Class 800 Bi-modal Multiple Unit [[note]]meaning it can convert from diesel to electric power and back[[/note]] and the Class 801 Electric Multiple Unit. Both the 800 and the 801 are high-speed trains brought in to gradually replace the Intercity 125 and 225 trains. The Class 802, and the soon-to-be-built Classes 803 and 804 were also developed from them, and look rather similar. Currently they operate by a range of corporate names like 'Azuma'[[note]]LNER[[/note], 'Intercity Express Train' (or IET)[[note]]Great Western Railway[[/note]], 'Nova 1'[[note]]Transpennine Express[[/note]], and 'Paragon'[[note]]Hull Trains[[/note]].

* The Intercity Express Programme led to the advent of the Class 800 Bi-modal Multiple Unit [[note]]meaning it can convert from diesel to electric power and back[[/note]]] and the Class 801 Electric Multiple Unit. Both the 800 and the 801 are high-speed trains brought in to gradually replace the Intercity 125 and 225 trains. The Class 802, and the soon-to-be-built Classes 803 and 804 were also developed from them, and look rather similar. Currently they operate by a range of corporate names like 'Azuma'[[note]]LNER[[/note], 'Intercity Express Train' (or IET)[[note]]Great Western Railway[[/note]], 'Nova 1'[[note]]Transpennine Express[[/note]], and 'Paragon'[[note]]Hull Trains[[/note]].

It is now a collection of 24 passenger train operating companies (plus freight companies), which change ownership and name fairly frequently, as networks are merged, split or franchises get revoked early - as in the case of the infamous Connex. These companies frequently incorporate the name of their owner into their name (Arriva Trains Wales or Abellio Greater Anglia) or reference a historical Big Four company (Southern).

* London Paddington: Departure point for the Great Western line, which is non-electrified bar a section that serves the Heathrow services from there, it's a visually impressive station. The Great Western line is currently operated by First Great Western. Dubbed "Worst Great Western" and "Worst Late Western" by many, it suffered a fare strike in 2007-08, has the worst punctuality record in the country and has had the government considering pulling the franchise. [[TheEngineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] would not approve.

* London Euston - Home of the West Coast Main Line, which goes to Scotland via Manchester, London Midland services to Birmingham and London Overground trains to Watford Junction. The WCML is currently owned by a certain Richard Branson as part of the Virgin network. The current station is an unpopular 1960s concrete affair that is a controversial replacement for the original that was knocked down along with the famous arch.
* London St. Pancras International - so close to King's Cross it shares a Tube station (see next entry); it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Euston (abut 10-15 minutes' walk down Euston Road, or just one stop on the [[UsefulNotes/LondonUnderground Tube]]). It is now the home of the Eurostar services (hence the "International"). Frankly, it needed some love and was refurbished as a result in the late 2000s/early 2010s to the point it is now considered one of the best stations in the world, but takes a long while to get around. Terminus of the Midland Main Line and [=InterCity=] services operated by East Midlands Trains, as well as the [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed services]] to Kent operated by Southeastern. Thameslink services between Bedford and Brighton call at the lower level station, designated Platforms A and B to avoid confusion.

* London King's Cross. Home of the East Coast Main Line (current operators Virgin Trains East Coast and two open access operators, First Hull Train and Grand Central). UsefulNotes/TheLondonUnderground station, King's Cross St. Pancras, is a six line station and the busiest on the network. It's been claimed, probably inaccurately, Boudica is buried there. Underwent a major renovation in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

* London Liverpool Street. Used to be grimy and confusing to get around due to its split-level concourse, but was completely refurbished in the early 1980s and is now bright, airy and spacious... except for platforms 11-18. Home of the Abellio Greater Anglia services to the Anglia region, the network was formerly known as "one" (sic), which led to jokes, like "The eleven twenty-one one service". Or confusion, as in "[[WhosOnFirst The 1120 "one" service...]]". It is now also served by London Overground and [=TfL Rail=] suburban services; the latter being the beta version of the Elizabeth Line aka Crossrail 1 running to Shenfield.

* London Bridge (always called that, since it's the actual name of the nearby bridge). The main part of the station is a terminus, but some lines run past it and on to Waterloo East and Charing Cross, or to Cannon Street, or to Blackfriars, St. Pancras and beyond on the Thameslink line. Trivia: the station is right next to London's tallest building (as of 2014), the Shard. Currently undergoing a major refurbishment with a huge new concourse having just opened.

** Recent proposals have been made for all London-bound sleeper trains terminate at the now-disused International part of the station... instead it will be brought back into regular use for South West trains.

* London Charing Cross. One of the smaller termini with only six platforms, home to Southeastern Trains services to the south-east of England. The closest station to Trafalgar Square and the West End, it sits on the north bank of the Thames, and can be seen from Waterloo. Southeastern Trains are known for their tendency to shut down their entire network if even a single millimeter of snow is detected, something which naturally pisses off the thousands of commuters who rely on it every day.

* The Desiro (Class 185 DMU, Classes 350/360/380, 444/450/700 [=EMUs=]) - built by Siemens, these replaced a lot of older units post-privatisation, mostly with South West Trains in Southern England and London Midland in the Midlands.

Most of the trains in regular service the network now have automatic doors, while the rest have doors that are locked remotely pre-departure and can be opened only after arrival. Bizarrely, to leave a non-retrofitted Mk3 carriage[[note]]still the most common type on long-distance services[[/note]]you must open the window, lean out of it, and use the door handle on the outside - much to the confusion of uninformed tourists. Not counting the Eurostar trains, the fastest ones on the network are the InterCity 125, the current confirmed record holder as the fastest diesel-powered train at 148 mph (238 km/h), the Class 91 "Intercity 225" loco-hauled trains found on the East Coast Main Line, the Class 390 "Pendolino" units on the West Coast Main Line, and fastest of all (at 140mph top speed) Southeastern's Class 395 "[[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High-Speed]]" or "Javelin" trains, which partly use domestic sections of Eurostar track with overhead wiring, and partly third-rail commuter lines at slower speeds.

* Class 47: The most common diesel locomotive built for BR, the 47 remains in use. Some have been refurbished and re-engined with second-hand EMD engines to become the Class 57.
* Class 66: A version of an American (EMD) design, these are nicknamed 'Sheds', because, well, they look like one. Very distinctive shapes, due to the pointed roof corrugated sides and large windows. Also notable at their introduction for hardly ever breaking down. Carry a number of liveries, including Freightliner, EWS, GBRF, Railfreight Services and DB Schenker.

The British railway system also has the distinction of hosting the world's most scenic railway journey, as voted by the travel magazine ''Wanderlust''. The West Highland line, which links Glasgow to the highland port towns of Oban and Mallaig, has held the title for three years, beating the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Cuzco-Macchu Picchu line in Peru. It passes over Rannoch Moor and the Glenfinnan viaduct, where HarryPotter was attacked by Dementors. In summer, part of the route from Fort William (sleeper trains run from London Euston) to Mallaig is covered by regular steam trains marketed as "The Jacobite" and which sell a large array of Potter merchandise.

* On the UsefulNotes/IsleOfWight, there's a quirky set of trains that aren't seen anywhere else on the Network, and are ''the'' oldest class of trains still in use on the mainline to date. These are the '''Class 483'''s, a class of EMUs that were constructed by renovating old 1938 London Underground stock in 1989. The main reason why these trains still rumble reliably down the line from Ryde to Shanklin is that they can fit through a tunnel in Ryde that has a raised track bed to avoid being flooded.

* Mark 3 based multiple units, such as the Class 442 Wessex Electrics... currently used on Gatwick Express services from Victoria, which they are pretty unsuitable for (Southern is getting new trains to replace them)

* London Moorgate: Has 10 platforms, but 5-6 are disused following the withdrawal of Thameslink services from Farringdon when platform extension there severed the line, which is now used for storage. Of the rest, LondonUnderground operates from 1-4 and 7-8, with the only National Rail services being from platforms 9-10, with Great Northern operating full size dual-voltage trains using third rail up to Finsbury Park on what was a branch of the Northern Line until 1975, where it was the site of the worst peace time disaster in the network's history, after a train failed to stop at Platform 9 and ploughed into the end wall of the tunnel beyond, killing 43 people - the precise reason the driver failed to stop remains unknown. These two platforms (and indeed, the rest of the branch) are still laid out in their 1990s appearance under the British Rail [=Network SouthEast=] brand and are currently served by trains built in the mid-1970s.

British Railways operated a [[SchizoTech collection of rolling stock]] from Victorian-era six-wheelers and locomotives still eking out an existance on branch lines to the top-link express locomotives of the big four and their predecessors, their own advanced designs and the harbingers of modernisation such as the electric blue and bespeedwhiskered Deltic prototype and GWR railcars. The late '50s to early '60s were probably the golden age of [[RailEnthusiast trainspotting]] as a result.

Linked to all of this is the very active 'heritage' railway scene in the UK, which got started in the 1960s as BR removed steam from the main line and Beeching was removing lines from the passenger maps. A good number of old locomotives were saved from scrapping by a Barry Island owner who decided it made more economic sense to sell them to the preservation movement than cut them up. Many of these run on (mostly) single-track heritage lines that are reopened passenger lines, where they have been joined by ex-BR locomotives and some Diesel Multiple Units, but there are companies that do fairly expensive steam tours on the mainline, something guaranteed to make regular users gawp in amazement.

* London Cannon Street - a commuter station serving the City of London (ie the financial district) with platforms extending onto the river. The original victorian concourse was replaced by a bland 1960s building, but the red brick walls and towers at the river end have been refurbished. The original arched glass roof over the platforms was removed during WW2 to protect it from bomb damage, and placed in storage in a safe location, which got bombed. Eventually the empty space was used for an office building which makes the station look, from the river side, as if a giant hovercraft is taking a dump in it. Trains using the station have to negotiate a tight curve around Southwark Cathedral, which causes a lot of wear and tear on the wheels.

It was also thought that passenger numbers were in decline or would remain stagnant at best. In reality whilst the percentage of people chosing rail over other forms of transport has not changed, the population has, and passenger numbers have increased appropriatly. The network now carries more people now than in the late 19th c. when it had a monopoly.

In the late 1960s, British Rail bought the TOPS computer system from Southern Pacific to keep track of its rolling stock. They allocated numbers to their locos, ships (yes, they did own some ships through their Sealink ferry business) and multiple units in a numbering system that survives with some changes to this day - TheOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_locomotive_and_multiple_unit_numbering_and_classification more information]]. In addition, the Southern Region inherited a multiple unit system from the Southern Railway that still sort of survives today in unofficial form and you will generally hear the Southern classification used for these units in favour of the TOPS one.

London has several major railway stations, referenced in media (there's even a case from the ''ThomasTheTankEngine'' where engines argue about which station is London, not realising they are all correct). In all, at least ''twelve'' stations in Central London open today can be counted as being "major" termini - rather more than the number in other large cities (for comparison, Paris has six, Berlin four, and New York two[[note]]Although the low number for New York can be attributed in part to the general decline of rail travel in the United States and in part to the American mania for "union stations" - that is, single stations to host multiple railroads (New York Penn presently plays host to three, even with the decline) - the fact that the rail-crazy Europeans also have fewer stations just goes to show how strange London is.[[/note]]). This is in large part because of the aforementioned bit with the large number of railway companies in Britain; each liked to operate its own smaller station rather than gather together in a few larger ones. So we now have twelve big stations. In clockwise order from the West direction, these are the current ones:

- --

British Railways operated a [[SchizoTech collection of rolling stock]] from Victorian-era six-wheelers and locomotives still eking out an existance on branch lines to the top-link express locomotives of the big four and their predecessors, their own advanced designs and the harbingers of modernisation such as the electric blue and bespeedwhiskered Deltic prototype and GWR railcars. The late '50s to early '60s were probably the golden age of [[RailEnthusiast trainspotting]] as a result.

* London Marylebone. Only six platforms, it provides Chiltern Railways' all-diesel services along the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham and beyond - it is the only non-electrified London terminus. It was the historic terminus of the Great Central Railway (GCR), which was built to European loading gauge standards and in anticipation of a connection to the Channel Tunnel that never came to fruition. The GCR was closed under Dr. Beeching's "axe", although some of it is now a heritage route.

Most of the trains in regular service the network now have automatic doors, while the rest have doors that are locked remotely pre-departure and can be opened only after arrival. Bizarrely, to leave a non-retrofitted Mk3 carriage[[note]]still the most common type on long-distance services[[/note]]you must open the window, lean out of it, and use the door handle on the outside - much to the confusion of uninformed tourists. Not counting the Eurostar trains, the fastest ones on the network are the Class 91 "Intercity 225" loco-hauled trains found on the East Coast Main Line, the Class 390 "Pendolino" units on the West Coast Main Line, and fastest of all (at 140mph top speed) Southeastern's Class 395 "[[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High-Speed]]" or "Javelin" trains, which partly use domestic sections of Eurostar track with overhead wiring, and partly third-rail commuter lines at slower speeds.

* Class 43 (HST) power car - the world's fastest diesel locomotive, the 'Intercity 125' (always operated as two power cars with a number, varying between franchise, of Mark 3 coaches between them) is nearing the end of its life, but is still very common, especially on the Great Western line.

* Class 37: A diesel locomotive built for BR in the 1960s, many of these still run over both Network Rail and Heritage lines. Known to Rail Enthusiasts as "tractors" due to the distinctive sound of their engines.

* Class 66: A version of an American (EMD) design, these are nicknamed 'Sheds', because, well, they look like one. Very distinctive shapes, due to the pointed roof and large windows. Carry a number of liveries, including Freightliner, EWS, GBRF, Railfreight Services and DB Schenker.
* Class 70: Another recent US-designed locomotive (GE this time), these are operated by Freightliner and Colas Rail.
* Class 90: Electric locomotive powered by overhead wires and operated by several companies.

* Class 55 'Deltic' - known for their distinctive sound from their two-stroke engine, these diesels were a major improvement in East Coast performance; they were clocking 100mph regularly from 1963. After their replacement by the HST, six have preserved and still do railtours.

* Britain has historically the most heavily restricted 'loading gauge' to rail width in the world, which basically means that the trains tend to be less wide and less tall than those on the continent; this can cause issues when shipping freight between countries and indeed the first Eurostar trains, the Class 373, are slightly smaller versions of the TGV designed for use on British lines in the south of England that the service ran through until the opening of [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed 1]]. Running Eurostars beyond London as was initially planned is much complicated by that fact and the rise of low cost airlines has all but guaranteed no such service at least until the opening of High Speed 2. This has also precluded the widespread adoption (or indeed much adoption at all) of double-decker trains, the only example being the two 4DD [=EMUs=] built for the Southern Railway in 1949; they weren't very successful, but stayed in service until 1971, well into the BR era.
* The standard platform height is 915mm (give or take 25mm) compared with the much lower heights in many other countries - you will only have to make one step up to the train when boarding as opposed to the two or three elsewhere.

->''The supply of [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire an Empire]]''
->''Where [[BadassBoast the sun never set.]]''
->''[[TheRemnant Which is now deep in darkness,]]''
->''[[HopeSpot But there railway's there yet.]]''

All these stations, again, are in [[OneLondonThirtyThreeBoroughs Central London]]. Paddington, Marylebone, Charing Cross, and Victoria are in the City of Westminster; Euston, St. Pancras, and King's Cross are in the Borough of Camden; Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street, and Blackfriars are in the City; London Bridge is in Southwark; and Waterloo is in Lambeth.

The British railway system also has the distinction of hosting the world's most scenic railway journey, as voted by the travel magazine ''Wanderlust''. The West Highland line, which links Glasgow to the highland port towns of Oban and Mallaig, has held the title for three years, beating the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Cuzco-Macchu Picchu line in Peru. It passes over Rannoch Moor and the Glenfinnan viaduct, where HarryPotter was attacked by Dementors. In summer, part of the route is covered by regular steam trains marketed as "The Jacobite".

* London St. Pancras International - so close to King's Cross it shares a Tube station (see next entry); it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Euston (abut 10-15 minutes' walk down Euston Road, or just one stop on the [[UsefulNotes/LondonUnderground Tube]]). It is now the home of the Eurostar services (hence the "International"). Frankly, it needed some love and was refurbished as a result in the late 2000s/early 2010s to the point it is now considered one of the best stations in the world. Terminus of the Midland Main Line and [=InterCity=] services operated by East Midlands Trains, as well as the [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed services]] to Kent operated by Southeastern.

* London Liverpool Street. Used to be grimy and confusing to get around due to its split-level concourse, but was completely refurbished in the early 1980s and is now bright, airy and spacious... except for platforms 11-18. Home of the Abellio Greater Anglia services to the Anglia region, the network was formerly known as "one" (sic), which led to jokes, like "The eleven twenty-one one service". Or confusion, as in "[[WhosOnFirst The 1120 "one" service...]]"

* London Fenchurch Street. Has a graceful curved pediment above the main entrance. Only four platforms and home to c2c, the rebranded LTS Rail. The London, Tilbury and Southend Line, formerly dubbed "The Misery Line", a moniker it has now lost after new trains were introduced (the Class 312 slam door trains were not nice at all). Fairly nice station- just make sure you go out the right exit if you're transferring to Tower Hill. The only London terminus with no directly-linked tube station, although Aldgate and Tower Hill are quite close.

* London Bridge (always called that, since it's the actual name of the nearby bridge). The main part of the station is a terminus, but some lines run past it and on to Waterloo East and Charing Cross, or to Cannon Street, or to Blackfriars, St. Pancras and beyond on the Thameslink line. Trivia: the station is right next to London's tallest building (as of 2014), the Shard.

* Britain has historically the most heavily restricted 'loading gauge' to rail width in the world, which basically means that the trains tend to be less wide and less tall than those on the continent; this can cause issues when shipping freight between countries and indeed the first Eurostar trains, the Class 373, are slightly smaller versions of the TGV designed for use on British lines in the south of England that the service ran through until the opening of [[UsefulNotes/HighSpeedRail High Speed 1]]. This has also precluded the widespread adoption (or indeed much adoption at all) of double-decker trains, the only example being the two 4DD [=EMUs=] built for the Southern Railway in 1949; they weren't very successful, but stayed in service until 1971, well into the BR era.