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Post by whistlekiller2000 on Oct 20, 2014 18:52:31 GMT
Over the last few days I've developed a taste for a spot of nostalgia regarding the East End of the Central line. Now, I turn 50 next May so a lot of this is prior to my time but it's still an interest, largely due to my Dad and my late Grandad (who worked on the LNER). Having spent the formative first 20 odd years of my life in Woodford prior to moving to North Lincolnshire in the late 80's I thought I'd start off with this picture of Woodford Station on the last day of steam, presumably at the end of the 40's. The steam train is in platform 2, either on its way to Liverpool Street via Loughton junction at Leyton or having arrived from Hainault, whilst platform 3 sports a Standard Stock tube train on its way North.  This picture is from the Holden F5 trust site. Here's a view of the aforementioned Loughton Junction looking towards the tunnels south west of Leyton. The twin main line to Liverpool Street diverges in the centre between the tube tracks and the siding. This area is now taken up with the A12.  This one from Signalbox.org I can just about remember this junction, mainly from the rattle of the points as the 1962TS ran down towards the tunnels. Any other old pictures of this area would be most welcome!  |
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Post by theblackferret on Oct 20, 2014 19:46:47 GMT
Many thanks for sharing this.
Hainault had 'the juice turned on' wef 31.5.1948, Buckhurst Hill & Loughton on 21.11.1948 a Sunday, so the last date a steam shuttle would have had to start or terminate at Woodford was either that or Saturday 20 November.
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Post by whistlekiller2000 on Oct 20, 2014 20:11:34 GMT
Many thanks for sharing this. Hainault had 'the juice turned on' wef 31.5.1948, Buckhurst Hill & Loughton on 21.11.1948 a Sunday, so the last date a steam shuttle would have had to start or terminate at Woodford was either that or Saturday 20 November. Actually, now I think more about it, it's probably unlikely the steam train is going towards Liverpool Street unless out of service, bearing in mind the presence of the tube stock. It'd be more likely to be to going towards Hainault or Ongar depending on the date the picture was taken. Thanks for filling in a bit of history there! |
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Post by theblackferret on Oct 20, 2014 20:40:28 GMT
Yeh, and, incidentally, the juice came on at Epping on 25.9.1949, so the last steam shuttle was Epping <====> Ongar up until November 1957, hope you might have photos of that, too?
After Nov 1957, anybody was free to experience the surreal effect you so accurately portrayed in passing through Blake Hall in a Tube train.
Apparently, before closure, up to six people a day used that station.
Wonder if there was a hole in the space-time continuum on the Central Line there, and these six were wretched souls who had escaped the curse of The Flying Dutchman, only to now be eternally condemned to commute from Blake Hall to Liverpool Street for their sins.
Luckily, LT intervened in 1981. So they probably now have to commute from somewhere Crossrail 2 was meant to go, but never will.
Well, that's enough metaphysics and philosophy for one post!
Like the GER valancing on the platform canopies, too.
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Post by whistlekiller2000 on Oct 20, 2014 20:51:13 GMT
Yeh, and, incidentally, the juice came on at Epping on 25.9.1949, so the last steam shuttle was Epping <====> Ongar up until November 1957, hope you might have photos of that, too? After Nov 1957, anybody was free to experience the surreal effect you so accurately portrayed in passing through Blake Hall in a Tube train. Apparently, before closure, up to six people a day used that station. Wonder if there was a hole in the space-time continuum on the Central Line there, and these six were wretched souls who had escaped the curse of The Flying Dutchman, only to now be eternally condemned to commute from Blake Hall to Liverpool Street for their sins. Luckily, LT intervened in 1981. So they probably now have to commute from somewhere Crossrail 2 was meant to go, but never will. Well, that's enough metaphysics and philosophy for one post! Like the GER valancing on the platform canopies, too. There's quite a few pictures of Epping Ongar steam shuttles in circulation but before they all make an appearance, this one is quite interesting. A Standard Stock and a 1962 (although it might possibly be a temporary 59TS) at Buckhurst Hill in the early sixties.  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 21:18:31 GMT
Wow, at least at a first glance it's quite remarkable how little has changed at Buckhurst Hill - from this angle at least.
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Post by theblackferret on Oct 20, 2014 21:26:14 GMT
Yes, it's not that much of a blast from the past, but still quintessentially 1960's somehow, even without the standard stock clue.
Thanks again!
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Post by superteacher on Oct 20, 2014 21:54:54 GMT
Great pics there.
EDIT:. Note the 25mph speed limit sign just after leaving Leyton. It was very liberally interpreted was that one! Charging down the ramp and entering the tunnel at nearly 40 mph is still one of my best memories from yesteryear.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 22:48:09 GMT
Great pics there. EDIT:. Note the 25mph speed limit sign just after leaving Leyton. It was very liberally interpreted was that one! Charging down the ramp and entering the tunnel at nearly 40 mph is still one of my best memories from yesteryear. ATP is for wimps!  |
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Post by stapler on Oct 21, 2014 7:53:13 GMT
Over the last few days I've developed a taste for a spot of nostalgia regarding the East End of the Central line. Now, I turn 50 next May so a lot of this is prior to my time but it's still an interest, largely due to my Dad and my late Grandad (who worked on the LNER). Having spent the formative first 20 odd years of my life in Woodford prior to moving to North Lincolnshire in the late 80's I thought I'd start off with this picture of Woodford Station on the last day of steam, presumably at the end of the 40's. The steam train is in platform 2, either on its way to Liverpool Street via Loughton junction at Leyton or having arrived from Hainault, whilst platform 3 sports a Standard Stock tube train on its way North. This picture is from the Holden F5 trust site. Here's a view of the aforementioned Loughton Junction looking towards the tunnels south west of Leyton. The twin main line to Liverpool Street diverges in the centre between the tube tracks and the siding. This area is now taken up with the A12. This one from Signalbox.org I can just about remember this junction, mainly from the rattle of the points as the 1962TS ran down towards the tunnels. Any other old pictures of this area would be most welcome! Very nice pics. The junction in the lower one isn't Loughton Jc, it's Leyton Station Junction. Loughton Branch Junction was half a mile south of this, where the 1856 Loughton line left the Northern and Eastern (West Anglia) main line. The ECR had a habit of so naming its junctions (eg the still extant Shepreth Branch Junction) Loughton Jc was the divergence between the 1856 Loughton line to its original terminus at the Lopping Hall, and the later (1865) Epping line. The line on the right of the pic is the Leyton Goodall Rd goods and coal depot. |
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Post by whistlekiller2000 on Oct 21, 2014 8:05:02 GMT
Thanks for the correction there Stapler. I've misread the source material!
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Post by abe on Oct 21, 2014 8:50:38 GMT
Interesting - I thought that the second picture was Draper's Fields Junction. Or was that another junction in the area? I'm sure that there was a temporary works depot called Draper's Fields in this area used for the electrification of the line prior to the extension of Central line services.
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Post by bassmike on Oct 21, 2014 11:22:07 GMT
That siding was where they parked some of the standard stock that was pulled out ot the tunnels after the collision in 1953.I watched that happening at about 2 am from the steam staff/;late train from stratford plat 11 to Epping we were held about by the third or fourth pole on the right and I had a good view of I think a J69 right down the ramp near the tube mouth dragging some of the collision vehicles (which had obviously been manoeuvered to the tunnel mouths) up the ramp and then reversing them into this siding. I used to use this train regularly on my way back to Buckhurst Hill (for RAF Chigwell)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2014 14:14:18 GMT
Great pics there. EDIT:. Note the 25mph speed limit sign just after leaving Leyton. It was very liberally interpreted was that one! Charging down the ramp and entering the tunnel at nearly 40 mph is still one of my best memories from yesteryear. I well remember going westbound from Leyton in the 60's and early 70's ears popped everytime !! AFAIK there is space big enough to re-lay a single track between the Central line as it drops to the tunnels and the A12 so the connection to BR (National Rail) could be put back if needed |
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Post by stapler on Oct 22, 2014 15:12:11 GMT
Great pics there. EDIT:. Note the 25mph speed limit sign just after leaving Leyton. It was very liberally interpreted was that one! Charging down the ramp and entering the tunnel at nearly 40 mph is still one of my best memories from yesteryear. I well remember going westbound from Leyton in the 60's and early 70's ears popped everytime !! AFAIK there is space big enough to re-lay a single track between the Central line as it drops to the tunnels and the A12 so the connection to BR (National Rail) could be put back if needed The route is supposed to be safeguarded, but double track would be a real engineering problem to confront, unless you roofed over the A12 |
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