Train Station/railway Station - Mr Selfridge

[hellywelly4]

I noticed someone said 'Train Station' in Mr Selfridge last night. I have always called it Railway station until very recently - was it called train or railway in those days?

[bhg481]

I think it was "railway station", it certainly was when I was a boy.

I'm puzzled as to why and when it changed to "train station" - it can't be the Americans because they have "railroad stations".

[boxtops]

Perhaps they were distinguishing it from the bus station? - train station sounds very American.

[emmie]

i would have said railway station, not sure what i call it now, apart from bloody packed.

[tamborine]

Railway as only tots use train station.

Yep, present generation still in baby gibberish ;)

[Canary42]

"Train station" is now widely used on the trains' own announcements - possibly to avoid reference to the "rail" which of course is under totally different control post-privatisation.

Also it is more consistent with road transport, after all you don't catch a bus at a road station.

[bhg481]

I agree it's more consistent, but why change. We still "dial" a telephone number or "film" an event.

[anotheoldgit]

This is titled London Train station late 1800s.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14904354@N06/6804510810/in/photostream/

[bhg481]

AOG - but it looks like it was posted March 3rd 2012 and the person who posted it called it "train Station".
This picture was posted on the web many years ago

http://www.oldclitheroe.co.uk/page166.htm

again, it's the poster's title but it makes the point that the term "railway station" was in use several years ago (at least in Lancashire).

[hellywelly4]

Thanks to all for your replies. Interesting isn't it how names change.

[bundleone]

The first time I heard it called a Train Station was in the film 'Annie' about 30 years ago when she refered to Daddy Warbucks mansion

[paulllambert]

I'm sure I've only ever used ' station', without the use of the words train or railway.

[ELVIS68]

A train station is a station that is the end of line or one with sidings, a railway station is one where trains pass through

[sherrardk]

Elvis - someone is looking for you in music (I think it's music).

[TheWinner]

excuse me ELVIS68, but there is a message for you.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Music/Question1308891.html

[pretty_snowdrop]

I always say 'train station' and my mother always reminds me that it actually a railway station.

[BobbityB]

This nomenclature keeps raising its head, and some can find it annoying:

Traditionally, 'Railway Station' was the term used in the UK (and the majority of the Commonwealth), and in the US, 'Railroad Depot'; a place where you could buy a railway ticket and board a railway train.

To be grammatically correct the term should be 'Rail-way Train Station' or 'Rail-road Train Depot', but the word 'Train' (and hyphenation) was dropped.

English is a continually evolving language. Recently, the term 'Train Station' has come into more common usage where the word 'Railway' or 'Railroad' has been dropped instead of the word 'Train', and what is wrong with that?

We have 'bus, Police, Fire-engine, power, and petrol (or gas) stations; places where we can find those services. I wonder how long it will take before we find 'plane stations?