Conversational station names

[zbang]

In casual conversation, which stations have acquired new names for either ease or amusement?

I really can't see "Turnham Green" as anything but "Turnip Green", and Rickmansworth becomes "Ricky". Occasionally, Wimbledon becomes Womboldon. Past that, I can't think of any others but there must be a few.

ETA- turns out I could think of a couple of others, now in @class411's thread as mispronunciations.

[Chris M]

Oxford Circus → Oxo is another. There are also loads of simple abbreviations, e.g. King's Cross St. Pancras → King's Cross, London City Airport → City Airport, Tottenham Court Road → TCR, Elephant & Castle → Elephant or The Elephant, etc but I presume you're not looking for them.

Outside the TfL network, I presume that Alexandra Palace station is referred to as Ally Pally the same as the building.

[quex]

I've often heard "High Street Ken" and "Kenny O". "High & I" is less common but definitely has some usage.

Back when I worked on the big trains, there were some station nicknames that could not be repeated in polite company!

[selbiehouse]

Many years ago on the Hounslow group they referred to 'The East', 'The Central' and 'The West.   HPC was used for Hyde Park Corner.   Some names get lengthened such as 'The Angel' and 'The Bank'.

[class411]

HSK for High Street Kensington. (Used for the place as well as the station.)

I've also heard
Vicky -> Victoria
Pad -> Paddington
HammerSchmitt -> Hammersmith
Sheep Herder's Bush -> Shepherd's Bush Market
Lie Cester square -> Leicester Square. (In honour of the way many foreigners mispronounce it - and who can blame them?)

I'm sure there are other but I can't bring them to mind.

[Tom]

High Street Kensington was often referred to as just 'High Street' too.

[brigham]

"King's Cross St. Pancras → King's Cross"
... If you are going to King's Cross, that is.
If you are going to St. Pancras...

[norbitonflyer]

In our household, we refer to the "Discreet" Line, the "MetroLOPitan Line" and the "Piccalilli Line", and Vauxenhall, Westmonster and Leffington Castle stations. I also hear "Errol's Court", but that's more to do with a Scottish accent than a deliberate mispronunciation. Clapham Junction has been "Claffam" ever since a 4-year old member of the family (now in his twenties) misread the station signs.

[class411]

Mar 16, 2021 9:13:19 GMT norbitonflyer said:

In our household, we refer to the "Discreet" Line, the "MetroLOPitan Line" and the "Piccalilli Line", and Vauxenhall, Westmonster and Leffington Castle stations. I also hear "Errol's Court", but that's more to do with a Scottish accent than a deliberate mispronunciation. Clapham Junction has been "Claffam" ever since a 4-year old member of the family (now in his twenties) misread the station signs.

I have a set of deliberate malapropisms that I use, and they all started years ago when I began calling the Piccadilly line the Peccadillo line.

I don't think any of the others are railway related - other than Chatham. When I heard that yuppies had started calling Clapham Clarm, to try and make it sound a bit more upmarket, I started thinking of Chatham as Charm.

ETA: And Bromley South > Bromley's Half in honour of Eric, one of the porters at our local station in the seventies who would always announce it with his heavy Kent accent as Bromleysarff. I can still hear his voice saying this fifty years later.

[zbang]

It's interesting to see the different directions between (un)intentional mispronunciations (class411's thread) and deliberate renaming like Ricky or Peccadillo (I'm remembering that one). A linguist or anthropologist could have some fun with this.


Relevant to adding "The"- common usage in southern california is to say highway numbers as "the 101", a shortening of "the 101 highway"; in northern CA, it'll just be "101".

[rapidtransitman]

@zband Adding the definite article to highway numbers is common all over North America, even in French in Quebec ie << le Trente >>

[philthetube]

We seem to have lost the names such as the Drain or the Misery line.

[zbang]

Mar 16, 2021 20:12:01 GMT rapidtransitman said:

@zband Adding the definite article to highway numbers is common all over North America, even in French in Quebec ie << le Trente >>

Not so sure about that, I've only ever heard it in SoCal. Certainly not along the Atlantic coast states.

[rapidtransitman]

Mar 17, 2021 4:13:21 GMT zbang said:

Mar 16, 2021 20:12:01 GMT rapidtransitman said:

@zband Adding the definite article to highway numbers is common all over North America, even in French in Quebec ie << le Trente >>

Not so sure about that, I've only ever heard it in SoCal. Certainly not along the Atlantic coast states.

I have relatives in Ontario & Quebec Canada and have driven the 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, &c, highways, and in Quebec the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 highways (which uses the US Interstate numbering scheme). In Washington State, the Interstates are called with the 'I' prefix, so the I-5, I-90, which I presume is done in the rest of the States.

[londoner]

From my experiences where Oyster is valid:
Station names:
Shepherd's Bush > Bush
Kensington High Street > High Street Ken
Kensington (Olympia) > Olympia
South Kensington > South Ken
King's Cross St. Pancras > King's Cross
Harrow-on-the-Hill > Harrow 
Wembley Park > Wembley (typically commuters asking if a train stops at Wembley)

Train station names:
West Hampstead Thameslink > West Hampstead
Gatwick Airport > Gatwick
Automated or staff voice on train or platform says London XYZ but most locals would just say XYZ. e.g.:
London Marylebone > Marylebone 
London Paddington > Paddington
London Euston > Euston 

London Marylebone announcement:


Paddington announcement:


Euston announcement:


Line names:
(the) Metropolitan Line > (the) Met
(the) London Overground > (the) Overground 
(the) Docklands Light Railway > (the) DLR
Chiltern Railways > Chiltern train

I also always call the Met, Circle and H&C line "The SSR" when travelling in central London.

[brigham]

'The Tube' > Any electric suburban railway in London, or, in one instance, Glasgow!

[spsmiler]

Golders Blue (when talking about Golders Green)

[ducatisti]

Wamstead (West Hampstead)
Oakey P - Oakleigh Park
Barné - Barnet