back to article Finally a platform for train puns: IBM Halt station derailed

As if its financial woes weren't bad enough, IBM is suffering the further indignity of having a Scottish rail operator halting services to a station named after everyone's favourite mainframe maker. Scotrail has announced that IBM Halt station, a single platform stop on a sleepy country branch line running past Greenock, west …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Watch for more UK jobs being shunted into a siding.

    1. Semtex451

      That's no way to speak about Ireland.

    2. MyffyW Silver badge

      I hope they issued shutdown -h under appropriate change control.

  2. This post has been deleted by its author

  3. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Coat

    I was think more along the lines of ...

    an IBM Halting Problem

    I'll get me coat

    1. Commswonk

      Re: I was think more along the lines of ...

      IBM no - platformed.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I was think more along the lines of ...

        The 'Train now arriving is the Last Train to Armonk'

    2. hammarbtyp

      Re: I was think more along the lines of ...

      An IBM DoS

  4. Alister

    So it will no longer be IBM's Platform-as-a-Service...

  5. Julz

    Halt and Catch Fire...

  6. DJV Silver badge

    IBM Station caught on camera here as part of last year's All The Stations: https://youtu.be/Oe3y1RMhbRM?t=183

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The timetable for this station is intentionally left blank.

    EOM

    1. Flywheel
      Unhappy

      Re: The timetable for this station is intentionally left blank.

      Someone issued the final pend command.

  8. Ian Johnston Silver badge

    A list of stations with fewer passengers than IBM in 16/17:

    Barry Links

    Tees-Side Airport

    Breich

    British Steel Redcar

    Kildonan

    Reddish South

    Golf Street

    Havenhouse

    Buckenham

    Elton & Orston

    Stanlow & Thornton

    Denton

    Sampford Courtenay

    Shippea Hill

    Scotscalder

    Acklington

    Thorpe Culvert

    Coombe

    Sugar Loaf

    Pilning

    Beasdale

    Duncraig

    Clifton

    Altnabreac

    Kirton Lindsey

    Culrain

    Locheilside

    Nethertown

    Achanalt

    Kinbrace

    Wressle

    Lakenheath

    Portsmouth Arms

    Lochluichart

    Chapelton

    Loch Eil Outward Bound

    Hensall

    Rawcliffe

    Llangynllo

    Falls Of Cruachan

    Roman Bridge

    Broome

    Whitley Bridge

    Bearley

    Pont-y-Pant

    Invershin

    Ardwick

    Llanbister Road

    Achnashellach

    Springfield

    Dunrobin Castle

    Duirinish

    Attadale

    Braystones

    Garth (Powys)

    Cynghordy

    Gainsborough Central

    Dolgarrog

    Hoscar

    Thornton Abbey

    Ince & Elton

    Pegswood

    Berney Arms

    Hubberts Bridge

    Stromeferry

    Spooner Row

    Polesworth

    New Clee

    Eccles Road

    Tal-y-Cafn

    Hopton Heath

    Eastrington

    Balmossie

    Kildale

    Sandplace

    Broomfleet

    Georgemas Junction

    Arram

    Barrow Haven

    Dolau

    St.Keyne

    North Llanrwst

    Tulloch

    Battersby

    Lochailort

    Cilmeri

    Brigg

    Causeland

    Llandecwyn

    Tygwyn

    Finstock

    Pen-Y-Bont

    St.Columb Road

    Saltmarshe

    Bynea

    Rogart

    Llangammarch

    Combe

    Forsinard

    Abererch

    Salwick

    Armathwaite

    Snaith

    Llanwrda

    Lapford

    Llanaber

    Quintrell Downs

    Luxulyan

    Thurgarton

    Corpach

    Thornford

    Ffairfach

    Ruswarp

    Chetnole

    Tonfanau

    Chathill

    Moss Side

    Newton St.Cyres

    Harling Road

    Llangennech

    Achnasheen

    Maesteg (Ewenny Road)

    Claverdon

    Gilfach Fargoed

    Dalwhinnie

    Pensarn

    Widdrington

    Penychain

    Roy Bridge

    Glan Conwy

    Garve

    Knucklas

    Swineshead

    Commondale

    Dolwyddelan

    St.Budeaux Ferry Road

    Bescar Lane

    Pantyffynnon

    Dovey Junction

    Langwathby

    Peartree

    Loch Awe

    Lazonby & Kirkoswald

    Roche

    Sleights

    Llandanwg

    Invergowrie

    Hawarden Bridge

    Wennington

    Swale

    Bugle

    Upper Tyndrum

    Grimsby Docks

    Morar

    Ascott-Under-Wychwood

    Dove Holes

    Dockyard

    Doleham

    Styal

    Bodorgan

    Fearn

    Little Kimble

    Llangadog

    Penally

    Ardlui

    Ty Croes

    Castleton Moor

    Tyndrum Lower

    Bucknell

    Pontarddulais

    Rolleston

    Lamphey

    Lairg

    Brora

    Dalmally

    Bridge Of Orchy

    Golspie

    Helmsdale

    Carrbridge

    Monifieth

    Banavie

    Menheniot

    Okehampton

    1. Alister

      @ Ian Johnston

      Well going by that list, most of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland should have their rail services discontinued as well...

      Shhhh, don't give them ideas!

      1. Commswonk

        Well going by that list, most of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland should have their rail services discontinued as well...

        Reading that list brought back memories of this from Flanders & Swann:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OHD2uCpfU

        1. Alister

          There's some great place names in that song.

          "At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street"

          1. Dabooka

            Chester le Street is my 'local'

            But no sodding trains to anywhere stop there. Tees-Side Airport (now Durham Tees Valley Airport) is quite a way from the airport if I recall and only has a train-a-day or something equally pathetic; about the same as the amount of planes that now depart form the airport itself.

            Anyway I thought the point of a 'halt' is the train only stopped if someone wished to alight or disembark, so it could theoretically continue to serve it even if it didn't actually stop, unless there dismantling the station entirely.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Chester le Street is my 'local'

              "[...] unless there dismantling the station entirely."

              The article says the new timetable will make a timing allowance in case the station's service is ever reinstated.

              Presumably the economies are in not having to provide ticket machines or lighting etc.

              1. Dabooka

                Re: Chester le Street is my 'local'

                Good point, but typically halts are nothing more than a platform anyway, tickets being bought onboard. Think Trainspotting and you have a good idea.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

      That's a long list, totally knackered my scrolling finger, thank you.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Loch Eil Outward Bound"

      Intriguing. So why are a lot more people travelling to Loch Eil Inward Bound? Is it the start of a tourist boat tour?

    4. katrinab Silver badge

      6032 passenger visits per year, which would be about 23 return journeys per working day in the first half of the year, when there were still people working there, and zero in the second half, other than a couple of trainspotters who want to visit every station in an area.

    5. defiler

      A list of stations with fewer passengers

      Am I the only one who looked through that with The KLF's It's Grim Up North running in my head?

    6. Phil55494

      Some of those even have more than 1 train service a week

    7. Velv
      Boffin

      Chester-ale-Street

      Chester-Le-Street must not have been hosting an England Cricket Test that year.

      It once had a bangin’ SKA club, sadly no more.

  9. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    I seriously doubt that IBM will be the big corpo that they once were.

    Only time will tell.

    And all the good puns have been taken, lets conduct an orderly exit to our houses instead.

  10. Edberg

    No point in visiting...

    The only building left there is the old call centre so all the manufacturing parts are leveled now.

    There's tons of YouTube videos and images online of it before it was all knocked down. A good start is here > https://imgur.com/gallery/SZZ5z

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    More IBM appropriate

    We'll rename it Ginni ...Always looking towards the future, because the present really sucks.

  12. TRT Silver badge

    IBM HAL t?

    Sounds like it all started going wrong in 2001.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Run out of steam?

  14. jake Silver badge

    ::sighs::

    Yet another hard ABEND from IBM.

  15. Patched Out

    I hope people won't ...

    mind the gaps ... in service.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Even though the network doesn't run to IBM, it runs on IBM

    By all accounts, Network Rail is a keen IBM customer , not sure if still for mainframes - although they certainly once were - but definitely for big-blue middleware.

  17. Ken 16 Silver badge
    Pint

    I'll raise a pint to the people I worked there with

    I wasn't there long (by old time IBM standards) but it was a nice posting and I enjoyed walking to the train in the evening, seeing the rabbits hop around the bowling green.

  18. RadioEngineer

    Now flattened

    I worked at this site for 32 years (apart from 2 x 1 year trips to North America) - there was a great atmosphere here with 5500 people on-site at its peak.The buildings are now just rubble - I pass it fairly regularly still but luckily the site is now pretty well masked from the road so I don't need to avert my eyes...

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