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Post by wanstead on Dec 12, 2020 19:03:57 GMT
Being from the area but either not being alive or only just born when the major events happened, I am curious if the construction of the M11 link road affected the Central Line in any particular way. I understand Leyton used to have a second entrance/exit which had to be removed, but was there anything else that changed? Were there any days when the service had to be suspended due to the protests and/or construction work? Surely the cut and cover tunnel for the road under George Green in Wanstead was fairly close to the running tunnels, ditto the shallow Whipps Cross tunnel under the Green Man roundabout. Also, did the infamous Claremont Road cross the alignment before it was demolished into the stub that remains today? Presumably there was a bridge or a short tunnel before Leyton station? I very much struggle to visualise the area before the road was built. Not sure if this should go in the Central board or be moved to Historical (though the thought of the early 1990s being considered historical makes me feel a bit old!). Daniel  |
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Post by Chris L on Dec 12, 2020 19:18:17 GMT
The canteen and driver facilities at Leytonstone had to be demolished and a new building erected at the opposite end of the platform..
The canteen was one of the best on the system.
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slugabed
Zu lang am schnuller.
Posts: 1,480
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Post by slugabed on Dec 12, 2020 21:47:01 GMT
Claremont Rd was a loop off of Grove Green Rd.
There were terraced houses on one side,and I recall a chain-link fence at the top of the embankment down to the railway on the other (think Harecourt Rd in Highbury,but with smaller houses).
I seem to remember a footbridge in the area,but looking at old maps,I think this may have been the northern end of Langthorne Rd.
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slugabed
Zu lang am schnuller.
Posts: 1,480
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Post by slugabed on Dec 12, 2020 21:49:37 GMT
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Post by revupminster on Dec 13, 2020 7:25:12 GMT
Presumably the second entrance at ground level was replaced by the steel staircase up to High Road Leyton. When Orient reach the premier division the entrance will be sorely tested.
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Post by billbedford on Dec 13, 2020 12:23:06 GMT
I've heard stories of contractors piercing the Central line tunnels while they were building the Green Man roundabout.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,255
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Post by roythebus on Dec 13, 2020 16:55:09 GMT
Contractors pierced the tunnels under the A12 towards Gants Hill. Not sure about the Green Man roundabout.
A late friend who was rather high up in LT around that time had a daughter who was also high up in station management on the Central Line at the time. He was not impressed when she joined what were described as the "tree hugging protestors" in that area.
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Post by spsmiler on Dec 13, 2020 22:46:53 GMT
Leyton also lost its car park.
When I was young my parents often used that car park for 'park and ride' travel to the West End. I was peeved though because this was where the line came to the surface and therefore it was possible actually see something out the window!
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Post by Chris L on Dec 13, 2020 23:06:08 GMT
Contractors pierced the tunnels under the A12 towards Gants Hill. Not sure about the Green Man roundabout. A late friend who was rather high up in LT around that time had a daughter who was also high up in station management on the Central Line at the time. He was not impressed when she joined what were described as the "tree hugging protestors" in that area. It was actually the Redbridge roundabout and the work was in preparation for the north circular road flyover. They were doing test bores in the roundabout and drilled into what they thought was a void. The drill hit a train. The workers removed the drill and left the site. The tunnel was inspected and no source of damage to the train was found. Services resumed. The workers returned to site and drilled another bore and hit another train. A few weeks later I saw one of the trains at Acton Works. The damage to the cab was significant and it was fortunate that it was not on the driving side. |
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Post by stapler on Dec 14, 2020 8:19:38 GMT
The country end booking office and entrance (open peak hours only by the 90s) were accessed from the road overbridge. Don't forget Leyton was an area in decline at the time, and the Central Line service was hardly one of continuous improvement. The whole Grove Green Rd - Ruckholt Rd are was one saturated by heavy traffic through residential streets.
I don't remember the service being unduly disrupted.
The original 1856 Low Leyton station house, behind the down platform, was demolished, leaving only the facade to the platform.
The route for the Chelsea Hackney line was protected.
The long wall of the new road cutting along the west of the line provided the longest whiteboard in Europe for grafittists. LU came and planted leylandii along its who length; but then forgot to water them. You will see about 3 trees today, thus emphasizing the survival of the 2% fittest.
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Post by routew15 on Dec 14, 2020 18:53:27 GMT
There is a very interesting set of pictures in this flickr stream. You can get a very good idea of Leyton / Leytonstone area looked before demolition for the M11 Link Road. |
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Post by stapler on Dec 14, 2020 21:49:36 GMT
There is a very interesting set of pictures in this flickr stream. You can get a very good idea of Leyton / Leytonstone area looked before demolition for the M11 Link Road. That is a superb set of photos, and it shows how run down everything really was, including the graffitised 62TSs. Why on earth did they run them in that state? Leyton was then a deeply unfashionable place. Some really nice memories including the old GPO E11 sorting office and the Leyton Board School just next to the subsidiary station exit |
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Post by jimbo on Dec 14, 2020 22:56:43 GMT
Presume there was a planning blight for maybe ten years until works started. No one would spend money on their place knowing it was only a matter of time before it was pulled down!
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Post by stapler on Dec 17, 2020 22:14:39 GMT
There was an element of blight, but the Central Line itself was also really run down; falling usage, decrepit and very worn trains the 1987 proposals to "tramwayise" everything north of Woodford, closure of exits and entrances, Epping to Ongar, strikes....
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vincenture
Quiz tryhard, and an advocate for simpler, less complicated rail routes
Posts: 843
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Post by vincenture on Dec 20, 2020 18:22:33 GMT
Interesting pictures, I have a slight intrigue that Leyton would have had its eastbound platform remained step-free back in the 80s.
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Post by stapler on Dec 21, 2020 14:05:30 GMT
Interesting pictures, I have a slight intrigue that Leyton would have had its eastbound platform remained step-free back in the 80s. Of course, when opened in 1856, all platforms at Low Leyton station were entirely step free! |
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Post by superteacher on Dec 25, 2020 12:44:00 GMT
The east end of the Central line was always busy during the peaks, even in the run down 80’s. The off peak service was around a train every 6 minutes running through Leyton. As for decrepit trains, the 62 stock were around the same age as the 92’s are now!
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Post by stapler on Dec 25, 2020 22:14:23 GMT
"As for decrepit trains, the 62 stock were around the same age as the 92’s are now..."
And not held together with adhesive tape
What made the 62TS look decrepit more than anything was the graffiti, and where staff had valiantly tried to remove it, thus etching the aluminium. Agreed it was busy, and falling usage was reflected in reductions of tyhe number of TPH, especially at the extremities.
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Post by spsmiler on Dec 27, 2020 0:21:24 GMT
The east end of the Central line was always busy during the peaks, even in the run down 80’s. The off peak service was around a train every 6 minutes running through Leyton. As for decrepit trains, the 62 stock were around the same age as the 92’s are now! I remember Gants Hill having a train every 12 minutes - and no electronic train describers! |
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