Tiny Stations: An Uncommon Odyssey Around Britain's Railway Request Stops

by Dixe Wills

An eccentric look at lost Britain through its railway request stops. Perhaps the oddest quirk of Britain's railway network is also one of its least well known: around 150 of the nation's stations are request stops. Take an unassuming station like Shippea Hill in Cambridgeshire - the scene of a fatal accident involving thousands of carrots. Or Talsarnau in Wales, which experienced a tsunami. Tiny Stations is the story of the author's journey from the far west of Cornwall to the far north of Scotland, visiting around 40 of the most interesting of these little used and ill-regarded stations. Often a pen-stroke away from closure - kept alive by political expediency, labyrinthine bureaucracy or sheer whimsy - these half-abandoned stops afford a fascinating glimpse of a Britain that has all but disappeared from view. There are stations built to serve once thriving industries - copper mines, smelting works, cotton mills, and china clay quarries where the first trains were pulled by horses; stations erected for the sole convenience of stately home and castle owners through whose land the new iron road cut an unwelcome swathe; stations created for Victorian day-tripping attractions; a station built for a cavalry barracks whose last horse has long since bolted; and many more. Dixe Wills will leave you in no doubt that there's more to tiny stations than you might think.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, British Literature, Trains, Railways, Travelogue, Transport

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Assuming for a moment that we are what we do, I’m an author and freelance non-flying travel journalist. I’ve written a number of genre-bending books and one or two that give librarians fewer dilemmas. My most recent work is Tiny Stations (AA) which is a journey through the penumbric world of Britain’s railway request stops. Prior to Tiny Stations, I penned Tiny Islands (AA) and Tiny Campsites (Punk). Before the mania for all things tiny struck me, I managed to knock out a few non-size-specific books, including The Z-Z of Great Britain, Places to Hide in England, Scotland and Wales, New World Order (Wills Weltordnung in its Bloomsbury Berlin edition) and, under the name Johnson P Johnson, The Armchair Naturalist (all Icon).

I write for the UK newspaper The Guardian, mainly on green travel. You can read my articles here. You might also find me popping up in other newspapers (though not ones owned by Rupert Murdoch or edited by Paul Dacre, you’ll be pleased to learn) and magazines, some of which you’ll find listed here. I host a monthly spoken word night-cum-pub quiz mash up called Stranger than Fiction that you really ought to come along to because it’s great fun and only costs six quid. I also have a cracking Isle of Dogs-based romcom script unjustly gathering dust in a cupboard. Is there no start to my talents?

Reviews

[Jo Everett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry to report that I didn't manage to make it through the whole book. I read about a quarter of it, then gave up because I found Wills irritating. His humour was too twee for me, and focused more on his mishaps than setting the scene. The narrative didn't really set the scene or aid me in picturing the station, which should be the point of the book. Rather there was too little description of the places Wills visited and too much description of why a journey didn't run to time or a schedule was screwed up. All in all a promising looking book with a cutesy cover, but it doesn't deliver.

[Paul Gallear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too full of jokes that didn't quite work.

[Mousy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting trip around the uk stopping at little used stations. Not at all what I was expecting having read Tiny Islands by the same author...this book had a narrative and was more of a travel journal, telling interesting and often humorous stories of the people, places and stations visited. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any fans of comedic travelogues (a la Bill Bryson perhaps?)

[Owen McArdle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been right up my street but it just didn't really hit the spot. Perhaps it was a bit too much focus on the author and not really on the journey or the stations. Certainly I found it a bit self-satisfied, the nadir being where the author spends a chapter smugly ‘correcting’ the Welsh name of a station, not realising that the spelling in question is the product of a mutation, not a typo.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the UK there are around 150 stations that are unmanned and the train will only stop at them if requested, and in this book Dixie Wills has set himself the target of reaching or passing a substantial number them. Starting in Cornwall in the West Country, he sets off on his eccentric journey.

His travels take him through Wales and Midlands before heading up the west coast of England and then into Scotland where he finishes. As he stops and alights at station, you get a potted history of the area or the station. Some of these have fantastic names, for example Lympstone Commando,Dollarrog and Bootle.

Wills writes delightful and quirky travel books, that are written around the "tiny" theme. Every now and again he wanders off on a tangent in his writing, but he always returns to the lines as he move round the country. More of a 3.5 star book, would be worth reading if you have any interest in trains or an interest in lass travelled parts of the countryside.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit of an armchair traveller and I enjoyed this account of Dixe Wells exploring the request stops of the UK.
I've flagged down many a bus in my time, but never a train - and I'd like to do so.
The book was quite funny in places, but at other times the humour seemed a bit forced and didn't work for me. I got a little tired of hearing about the author's chequered love life and lack of a partner. Considering his naive sweeping statements on some aspects of life, I'd say he still has plenty of growing up to do.
Also, apart from a somewhat poor map there wasn't a single illustration in the whole book! Just can't understand this, and ended up googling a lot of the places he visited. Even more annoying was the fact that we were constantly told he was taking photographs of his trip!

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this railway tour, although it could have done with some maps (my own map of the railway network is currently in storage). I've no idea if it would appeal to non-anoraks, on account of being something of an anorak myself, but (as with all the best railway books) it's not just about the railway, so non-anoraks ought to give it a go.

There were some laugh out loud moments, and I liked the diversions of the mind as much as the diversions on foot. And a book that includes a dramatic rescue, a Scooby Doo experience, and a pub crawl, can hardly be described as dull or nerdy. So if you get the chance to read this, take it.

[TideMark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Railways and philosophy - what’s not to love?

If you are seeking a vegan alternative to Boethius’ perspective on the development of largely unwanted railway stations on routes that were seemingly built entirely by accident, then Dixe Wills provides it in “Tiny Stations”.
He lumbers around the nation with his bike, in search of the story behind the opening and closure of these almost-forgotten stations. His writing style is light, occasionally too light, but that style is beautifully constructed; Wills is a master of story-telling, weaving in elements of his mediocre love life with almost enough industrial history to satisfy most of us. Occasionally he meanders, and the story of Brian - mercifully towards the end - is both too long and perhaps too revealing about a family that can surely be easily identified locally. Wills is mocking them, and that’s never a good style.
But overall, this is a wonderfully entertaining book, and hopefully Wills is up for exploring more of these remote (but curiously, much-loved) tiny stations.

[Sophy H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I got as far as Penmaenmawr with Dixe Wills, then I had to jump off!! Sorry!

The book goes like this:-
here is a random train stop in the middle of nowhere that I had to ask the conductor to stop at, I got out, I looked at the platform, I looked at the first 10 feet of land/field/space past the station, I maybe talked to one randomite at the station, I make a funny comment about it, I get back on the next train but make a big deal about wooooo nearly missed the train but I didn't. I get back on, I go to the next small, twee but inevitably boring stop and tell you some history about which train company used to manage the track!

This got very bloody tedious with page after page of this! I was actually reading the odd chapter before bed to put me to sleep! It worked!

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I wanted to like this book, but I'm afraid that having cracked page 100, I decided that it just wasn't worth the effort. This was supposed to be a book about railway stations throughout Britain that are request stops. The point of a request stop is that it is a little-used station, so to save time, I suppose, the train will only stop if requested to, either by a passenger on the train, or a passenger on the platform. The other problem is that there is generally nothing much at these stops, which seems to have given the author some trouble, since he just appeared to ramble on about whatever came into his head. The was very little about the stations, and I got got fed up with the rambling text. Sorry.

[Nofar Spalter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice, comforting, light-weight book. If you like Michael Palin's travel writing, then you'll like this - except Dixe is busier trying to be funny than to have too many insights about the places he goes to, the people he sees or what can be gleaned about the period from his visits to the Tiny Stations. It sweats too much this book, and not in the right direction. You aren't allowed a truly human moment, a connection throughout the piece (even Verena is kept more than an arm's length away). It's as if he's so afraid of showing any true human emotion, that he simply cannot have a "dhow moment".
It did comfort me when I was ill, though, so there's that.

[Peter Coomber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read some of the reviews about this book I was worriedly expecting a book full of painful jokes and no photographs, but the photographs are there - albeit quite small B&W ones, and the humour was pain-free. The photographs are probably small because - let's face it - they are just records of fairly empty, uninteresting (to the eye) stations. The author supplied some interesting facts about each of the stations and added his humorous thoughts too.
An enjoyable book. But don't think so just because a review says so (especially one of my reviews): read it and decide for yourself.

[Sarahjoy Maddeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these books are for dipping into, looking up, gaining inspiration. This is one you can easily read from start to finish, as Wills' journey round Britain provides a narrative that ties all his musings together. His descriptions of stations and adventures told along the way are told in his usual amusing style, mixed in with philosophic reflections and tips on mindfulness before the term became so trendy and over-used. Though some of his adventures are a little disturbing - watch out for the vivid, stomach-turning description of the head-splitting incident towards the end of the book.

[Morag Forbes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to work on the railway, I love travel and I’m a history graduate so I was looking forward to this book. But I am afraid I can only describe it as dull. There were way too many descriptions of not very interesting things and the fact it the reason these stations are request stops only is, mostly, there isn’t anything near them to do. Plus unlike if you were taking trains through different countries all his trains are kind of the same just with different views from the windows. There were some amusing stories and interesting facts that bring it up from a 1 to a 2.

[Grand Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is entertaining. It documents a journey through the United Kingdom's many request stops. A railway enthusiast will find this book disappointing, as it is clear that the author lacks in more advanced knowledge of the British railway network. But, even though I am more on the anorak side, I found this enjoyable, however it does sometimes become pompous and self centred, but the peculiar characters he meets often overshadow the author, allowing for us to take a break from what is occasionally self congratulating twoddle. Overall an entertaining read.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange one this, could easily have been four stars as when it was interesting it was really interesting but then other parts seem to have been clamped on. The station stuff was great but I don't see the need for pages on Welsh language and how to speak it (not because it's not interesting but not relevant to this book). The chapter on Brian and his house was again out of context with the rest of the book. Overall worth a read

[Rona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, and certainly not for everyone, I found this a fascinating mix of history and sociology. There were some interesting stories, but I didn't always get on with Dixie's style of writing. I was glad I read it just for the long final chapter on Altnabraec where we have been. We got on at the request stop Kildonan and I found the whole line so interesting. The number of Stag, in the herds which we saw was breathtaking.

[David Moth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do like to read books where the writer travels around Britain and this one is one of the most enjoyable. And the final chapter regarding his experience right at the tip of Scotland was quite chilling.

[Ronald Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with an open mind on holiday, unlike a previous reader
found Dixe's humour spot on for me, it was a bit of a travelogue come history lesson of parts of the railway system and British Isles which was just what was needed on holiday! And what happened to Verena? feel like e mailing him to find out
and maybe I will!

On the back of it read Tiny Histories and was disappointed not half as good.

[Stuart Nottingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiny Stations

This is a most well written and amusing book. The author describes his adventures whilst travelling the whole of the U.K. in search of request stop stations. The way he writes is brilliantly humourous. Highly recommended.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally I was going to only give it three stars as I found it only mildly interesting.the penultimate chapter saved it,to say anymore would spoil it.an interesting concept which I had forgotten had be used by Paul Merton mirroring the book.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and could hardly put it down. Very interesting anecdotes that were laugh out loud funny at times and Wills has a real gift for conjuring an image with a clever use of words.

[Skord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice bit of light reading until the shock at the end. Well worth a few of your tea times.

[Schopflin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets four stars although it's definitely in the slightly twee category of railway books, largely for the last story in it. Otherwise it is entertaining and likeable.

[Ivor Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and amusing book. The author describes his adventures whilst travelling the U.K. in search of request stop rail stations. Recommended.

[Stephen Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this intelligent and funny account of a tour round Britain visiting some of the many railway request stops - while I knew there were some, and I've used a small handful, I had no idea there were so many, and Wills picks only a selection. Some get a long visit and description, a few only a mere mention. This is a travel book, not a book about railways, though.

The style is witty and charming, managing to stay (though only by a whisker in places) the right side of pretentious, but it's still good to see a writer of a humorous book aiming to be populist while not being afraid to stretch the reader's vocabulary.

The stations are an eclectic mix and the stations and the very existence of these historic relics, the people he meets, the places he visit, and a chunk of his own slightly quirky personality, together illustrate the delightful eccentricities of our islands. There are favourable comparisons to be drawn with Bill Bryson's, "Notes From A Small Island".

I'm definitely putting Wills' "Tiny Islands" on my to-read list.

[Gretel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As somebody who is a bit of a closet train nerd, I loved this. I want to talk trains with Dixe Wills over a vegan pizza.

Starting in Cornwall and ending at the tip of Scotland, Dixe Wills takes the road - or track - less travelled, visiting request stop railway stations. You have to hail these trains as you would a bus or a cab, and if you want to get off at one of these stations, you have to inform the conductor who will then inform the driver. I love Wills's sense of humour and enthusiasm in this book and it is a joy to read. He divulges a bit of history about each station and I can tell he has definitely had fun doing his research, especially on the list of Welsh names. In this book at times the truth is stranger than fiction; there's even a man who has family tombs in his basement! However, I am slightly disappointed that he didn't visit the UK's most quiet train station Teesside Airport, and I can't give the full five stars because I feel as if a poor, innocent thesaurus has been abused too much in the making of this book.

[E A M Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the British rail system there are a number of request stops in places too small and unused to have a permanent one but too useful to be left completely stationless. Mr Dixe decided to visit all of them – there are dozens.
Armed with a bicycle (for the bits without stations), camping gear, a copy of Boethius' "Consolation of Philosophy" and a ukulele, he traveled to many places I'd never heard of and a few I've passed on my way to somewhere else and wondered about. En route he had the kind of encounters that travel writers have, most of which are amusing and some outright funny.
His musings and adventures are interesting and sometimes insightful.
I shall probably read this book in the future if only for the offbeat look at the further reaches of the British Isles.

[Cath De Zwaan NY · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book's originality and the author's quirkiness. It was a very pleasant read without being anything extreme. It certainly offered me a different take on Cambridgeshire in the UK as I was reading a mystery thriller by M C Jacques which is set there! There are many astute obsevations by Wills right through this book and even an OMG and slightly eerie climax as well.
If you are interested in the British countryside (and that's one thing I love about visiting these islands!), out of the way places and/or, naturally, trains and railways, then give this book a go!
Cath

[Ade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably lacking in detail for the hardcore railway enthusiast - there being only a limited amount one can say about obscure railway stations in the middle of nowhere, making this more of a travelogue and inner monologue - but a gently engrossing book for the casual reader.