Handforth station is well-known for its variety of station name signs, which have been donated or sponsored by the supporters of the Friends of Handforth Station.
This page documents of all the signs on display at the station. Tap/click each one to to enlarge it and see some more information.
Signs on the up platform (southbound to Wilmslow and Crewe)
Most of the signs on this platform are ‘foreign signs’ – ie not in Northern Trains’ style. Following personal contacts, they were designed and donated by the relevant Train Operating Company, naming “Handforth” but using their standard branding.
All of the signs on this platform are visible in this order, starting from halfway down the steps and moving down towards the end of the platform.
Société nationale des chemins de fer français - the French National Railway Company. This was our first totem, provided through a contact during a Winston Churchill Traveling Fellowship to European railways.
Top to bottom, these TfGM signs are: original Metrolink livery, Metrolink livery since 2008, Bee Network (2025).
All three signs have been donated by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) - even though formally Handforth Station is not part of the Greater Manchester network. The top two represent Manchester Metrolink, and the bottom one represents the rebranding of all TfGM transport (including Manchester Metrolink) to The Bee Network in 2025.
The bottom two signs were presented by Danny Vaughan, when working for TfGM from 2013 onwards. Danny, when working in Dublin in the 2000s, also presented the Friends of Handforth Station with the LUAS sign, which can be seen further down the platform.
This sign commemorates the twinning of Handforth Station and Malahide Station.
The two stations were twinned in 2018. Handforth Station sports 5 signs commemorating this fact: one on the station concourse and two on each platform.
Iarnród Éireann is Irish Rail. This was the second sign donated to the Friends of Handforth Station, and its logo was current in the late 1990s. Since the donation of this sign, Iarnród Éireann's logo has been updated and can be seen on the twinning signs on both of Handforth's platforms and up on the station concourse.
This sign was donated by the London Underground section of London Transport. We believe it to be the only London Underground sign in the country outside London.
Deutsche Bahn is the national railway service in Germany.
NI Railways (the formal name) serves the remaining province-wide stations in Northern Ireland.
This sign commemorates the twinning of Handforth Station with Malahide Station.
The two stations were twinned in 2018. Handforth Station sports 5 signs commemorating this fact: one on the station concourse and two on each platform.
Merseyrail manages nearly all the stations in Merseyside. Its services link Southport, Ormskirk, Liverpool South Parkway, Chester and the Wirral to Liverpool City Centre.
Operated by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), the nickname Glasgow Subway was officially adopted in 2003 - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway .
With thanks to a personal contact of the Friends of Styal Station.
This DLR sign was donated in
This Isle of Man Railway (IMR) sign was procured With thanks to a personal contact of the Friends of Styal Station.
Nedrailways were founded in 2004, to run the national railways in the Netherlands. They later became Abellio. This is an old format of their station signs. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abellio_(transport_company)
This one is in the style of Hong Kong's Mass Transit system, was donated by the London office of MTR. When spoken in Chinese, it approximates to Hanfu Hal.
This is an original BR "Running In" board. Typically placed at the end of a platform, it was large enough to be deciphered as the train "ran in" to the station. This historic sign was designated (noted as historically important) by the Science Museum Group in 2015.
Luas is the Irish Gaelic word for "speed". The modern tram network in Dublin has been operating since 2004. This sign was presented by Danny Vaughan in about 2010 - Danny was then running the LUAS Infrastructure Business in Dublin.
Danny moved to Stockport in 2013 to work for TfGM, and in 2024 became TfGM's Chief Network Officer. While working for TfGM, he has presented us with two more signs - see the three signs representing Manchester trams.
From their website here https://menssheds.org.uk/ : The Men's Sheds organisation exists to support "Happy & Healthy Men. Connection, conversation and creation – that’s what joining a Men’s Shed is all about. Men’s Sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, supporting projects in their local communities. Improving wellbeing, reducing loneliness and combating social isolation."
This sign is a replica of the LNWR (London and North Western Railway) style, as seen is early photographs of the station. It is made of wood and plastic and was erected in 2017. Mirroring its partner, it is angled towards an oncoming train, making identification of the station even easier than with a standard Running In Board.
From their website here https://menssheds.org.uk/ : The Men's Sheds organisation exists to support "Happy & Healthy Men. Connection, conversation and creation – that’s what joining a Men’s Shed is all about. Men’s Sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, supporting projects in their local communities. Improving wellbeing, reducing loneliness and combating social isolation."
This sign is a replica of the LNWR (London and North Western Railway) style, as seen is early photographs of the station. It is made of wood and plastic and was erected in 2017. Mirroring its partner, it is angled towards an oncoming train, making identification of the station even easier than with a standard Running In Board.
Signs on the down platform (northbound to Stockport and Manchester)
These signs are visible in this order, starting from halfway down the steps and moving down towards the end of the platform.
This sign, bland as it may seem, is rare - being one of the very few UK Regional Railways signs, from the 1982-1997 period, that is still on display at its original station. It can be seen from halfway down the steps to the northbound (down) platform.
Possibly the sign of which we are most proud, this commemorates the visit to Handforth Station of HRH the Prince of Wales on the 4th of February 2010. It is positioned at the bottom of the steps.
The Royal Train, hauled by A1 class locomotive steam train Tornado, was on its way south from Manchester and made a special stop on a dark late winter evening at Handforth. His Highness descended and spoke for a few minutes with Mike Bishop (founder of the Friends of Handforth Station), before the train then resumed its Southbound progress.
Handforth and Malahide (Mullach Íde) Stations are - as far as we know - the only twinned stations in the UK and Ireland. The two stations were twinned in 2018. Handforth Station sports 5 signs commemorating this fact: one on the station concourse and two on each platform.
Designed and sponsored by Jack Chai, then manager of the Handforth Chinese Restaurant, in 2014, this sign is best translated as "Hanfu Station".
Sponsored by Giuliano's Restaurant (England's Favourite Restaurant in 2024), this sign shows the Italian version of Handforth ==> Hanna's Ford ==> Guado di Anna. This is the closest translation of Handforth into Italian that we could find.
This sign was designed and donated by Ela, of the local Hellas Taverna, in 2020. It represents the Greek transliteration of Handforth : "Hantforth".
The FoHS call this one "The Connolly Sign", after its donor. See also this separate page devoted to this historic Running-In Board (opens in new tab).
Signs on the station concourse
These signs are visible in this order, starting from the far left (eastern) side of the station and panning across to the far right (western) side.
This British Railways sign is visible on the far left of the concourse (eastern side), next to the Millennium sign.
It is an original 1950s "running-in board".
This screen is made of burnished stainless steel, into which the intricate designs have been cut. Gaps and spaces and lines are cut out and the backing board of bright red is allowed to show through, creating a stunning effect.
This screen was designed by Handforth Youth Club - including their images of Handforth in 2000 -and the artist Chris Waygood, and mounted in early 2000 to commemorate the Millennium.
Malahide (Mullach Íde) is a station in Co Dublin, Ireland, about 15 Km north of Dublin City.
Twinning between Handforth and Malahide was confirmed in 2018. This sign is one of 5 at Handforth Station; there are 2 on each platform.
Sign has been temporarily removed, pending lift installation.
This screen is made of burnished stainless steel, into which the intricate designs have been cut. Gaps and spaces and lines are cut out and the backing board of bright red is allowed to show through, creating a stunning effect.
This screen was designed by artist Paul Pickford, after consultation and workshops with local schools and elements of the local community. It was mounted and unveiled in November 2021 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Friends of Handforth Station by Mike Bishop (current President) and others.
Videos on youtube
See also these videos, publicly available on youtube:
The Railway Codes web-site
Note that this web-site also maintains (independently) their own list of our signs: http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/stations/handforth.shtm