Last freight service?

Think most of the goods yards had gone by the mid 60s.

The last use of the Leyton Station Junction - Loughton Branch Junction line was in 1970, for early morning DMUs, but I believe the last goods trains ran 18.4.1966. Certainly the track in the yards (Ongar, Loughton etc) that retained it was rusty and o-o-u in 1967. The BR manager that closed this freight operation was one Ron Gow, later a respected local councillor in Epping Forest....

There was also freight services on the Met Main. They had all finished by the time I worked on the Met in June 1973.

There was also a daily trip from Lillie Bridge to Olympia BR until the end of steam on Lt to take coal empties and collect loaded coal wagons. This was operated by one of the LT pannier tanks. They finished in 1971.

Wasn't there also BR freight from the link at Ilford to Newbury Park to serve Hainault and other goods yards on the loop? I remember seeing Brush type 2s in the loop goods yards while bunking off school!

I have seen very few photos of freight trains on the central perhaps because most ran at night although a former train driver I once knew based at Stratford said coal trains sometimes ran during the day hauled by class 15 or 16 locos which he drove he said they did give him any trouble despite the problems they had with them. But it still would nice to see some photos during shunting operations but I suspect they would have surfaced by now.

I recall in the 1950s that there was a number of coal merchants (one was called Cades Coals) scattered along the the line between Rayners Lane and Ruislip, with coal staves fronting onto the running line. These later became station car parks. The non-electrified siding at Rayners Lane was certainly in situ between the down line and the car park a few years ago - is it still there? I always imagined that the coal was delivered by rail; does anyone have any definitive information?

I understand that Ilford emu depot is built across the trackbed.

That is quite true. The old Ilford MPD and various allotments and sidings were taken for the London end sheds, but the coup de grace was the large "carriage repair shed" built at the country end after 1956, hard up to the houses in Aldborough Rd. The junction for the Seven Kings Curve was approx 50 yards on the London side of that bridge, just by where the water tower is now

Aladdin Pink Paraffin was the best-known alternative to Esso Blue.
Regent Green was less well-known.

I'm afraid I beg to differ here - I am familiar with these trains and as I posted earlier, they ran from Brent (LMR) to either West Ken or High Street goods yards via Acton Lane Jn, Picc at Turnham Green to holding loop between Picc and DR thence to the depots. The interesting thing so far as the 1950s an 60s are concerned was that Gunnersbury and Acton Lane boxes, although LSWR boxes and still worked by SR signalmen, never saw revenue earning non-passenger trains, only the occasional engineer's train (which did come from Richmond direction). Come to that, Gunnersbury and Bollo Lane Jn only saw DR or LMR (North London Line) trains so far as passenger workings were concerned. These coal trains last ran in mid-1965, and as per District Line WTT No 84, from 12th June 1961, they were booked as follows:-

UP
4.40am (MO) Brent to West Ken (Acton Lane pass 5.10am) Runs as required.
5.0am (MX) Brent to West Ken (Acton Lane pass 5.23am) Runs as required.
8.45am Brent to High Street (Acton Lane pass 9.30am).
9.45am Brent to West Ken (Acton Lane pass 10.19am).
10.40am Brent to West Ken (Acton Lane pass 11.18am) Runs as required.
12.25pm Brent to High Street (Acton Lane pass 1.3pm) Runs as required.

DOWN
10.29am West Ken to Brent (Acton Lane pass 10.38am) Runs as required.
12.13pm West Ken to Brent (Acton Lane pass 12.22pm) Runs as required.
2.23pm High Street to Brent (Acton Lane pass 2.36pm).
3.58pm West Ken to Brent (Acton Lane pass 4.6pm).

(Edited to shew booked timings).

Oil fired central heating made good progress though, until the oil crisis in the 70's. Big tank outside your back door and oil deliveries a few times a year. There was a distribution depot in Garston I think that covered the Rayners Lane area.

This source says the curve closed in 1965.

I'm afraid I am working on my personal memory

I remember the double junction at Richmond was quite well used.

Even in the 50s, the Gunnersbury North chord was well rusted and looked as if it hadn't been used for years

But memory is all that I have, neither photographs nor documentation

Quite correct, NF; passenger use by mainline stock to Loughton outlasted goods

Thanks for clearing that up as to the closure of the Ilford-Newbury Park line. I'd been working at Newbury Park for a few weekends this year and seeing the trackbed disappearing under the A12 made me wonder.

It was the Clean Air Act that saw the rapid demise of coal fires in London, not central heating. nobody could afford it in those days. And thinking back to the Esso Blue jingle, the joke was "what has four bums and keeps you warm? Bum bum bum bum, Esso blue". Only those from that age will appreciate the joke.