Handforth station is well-known for its variety of station name signs. This is our documentation 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)
These signs 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
These two signs illustrate the local Metrolink branding - top branding used until 2008, bottom branding used since then.
Iarnrod Eireann is Irish Rail. This logo was current in the late 1990s but, sice the donation of this sign, their logo has been updated.
This sign was donated by the London Underground section of London Transport. Believed to be the only London Underground sign in the North West of England.
Deutsche Bahn is the national railway service in Germany.
NI Railways (the formal name) serves the remaining province-wide stations in Northern Ireland.
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
This DLR sign was donated in
The literal translation of Stashoon Aah Hannah is in doubt.
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 ... but we are gravely concerned that the translation of the Chinese is not even an approximation to Handforth.
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.
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, made of wood and plastic, 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, made of wood and plastic, 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 visible at its original station. It can be seen from halfway down the steps to the northbound 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, drawn by a steam locomotive, was on its way to 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 Northbound progress.
Commissioned from Jack Chai, then manager of the Handforth Chinese Restaurant, in 2014, this gets as close as possible to a phonetic rendering of Handforth: "Hanfu".
This sign was donated by Ela, of the local Hellas Taverna, in 2020. It represents the Greek transliteration of Handforth.
Signs elsewhere
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.
When we get a new photograph, it will show this 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 screen is made of burnished aluminium, 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 and the artist Chris Waygood, and mounted in early 2000 to commemorate the Millennium.
This screen is made of burnished aluminium, 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