The LNER Encyclopedia

I thought I might post this as I was sent the following link by a very good friend of mine, and I think it would be a most interesting read for you fellas who are familiar with the North London area, and for everyone else, for that matter - I mean, it's all LNER innit? Well, almost.

The piece is from The Railway Magazine, August 1939 edition, and deals in some fascinating detail about the branch that left the main line just north of Finsbury Park going westward over to Highgate and beyond to High Barnet and Edgware. Some interesting notes, too, about the old Ally Pally branch.

I had fun reading the article in conjunction with Google Maps, shunting back and forth tracing what remains. I hope you'll enjoy the trip, also.

Here's the link:
http://www.ukrailarchive.org/lul/rm1939-85-109.PDF

Deleted

...and Finsbury Park would have had 12 platforms, above ground.

G'Day Gents
My favourite bit of closed railway, would have been my second fav, after the 'Cross' if it had still been open. For a railway to look like a country branch line, but to be only five miles from central London is remarkable, I've walked it a number of times, Finsbury Park to Highgate and Ally Pally to Cranley Gardens, both with and without track in place, what a wonderful walk, the trees blocking out nearly all of London's noise.
But it was a bit of railway that should never have been shut (Damn you Adolf) but who knows, there have been calls to reopen the branch!
I'm still working on my Edgware branch station, so if anyone finds some pics of Edgware station, please pass them on, Thanks
manna

Thanks for that. Very interesting

manna wrote:G'Day Gents
My favourite bit of closed railway, would have been my second fav, after the 'Cross' if it had still been open. For a railway to look like a country branch line, but to be only five miles from central London is remarkable, I've walked it a number of times, Finsbury Park to Highgate and Ally Pally to Cranley Gardens, both with and without track in place, what a wonderful walk, the trees blocking out nearly all of London's noise.
But it was a bit of railway that should never have been shut (Damn you Adolf) but who knows, there have been calls to reopen the branch!
I'm still working on my Edgware branch station, so if anyone finds some pics of Edgware station, please pass them on, Thanks
manna

The NRM have 4 nice shots of Edgware taken in August 1920 in the Rutherford Collection, refs GN4-7

Regards

Andy

2562 wrote:Thanks for that. Very interesting

[ Hmmm. I see you're at Thatcham, 2562 : One of the first 'Boxes where I 'cut my signal operating teeth' (unofficially). - Good times! ]

G'day Gents
Here's a couple more pics, not the best, but they give you an idea
manna

Thank you very much for that Stevenage photo, Manna. That must have been taken well before my time as I don't remember that structure, trolley shed(?), at the near end of the down platform, nor that low structure adjoined to the main building up on the embankment. I don't think I've seen that in any other photograph. The pic is definitely a 'keeper' for me. Much appreciated.

That Stevenage photo.: Has anyone got any 'gen.' on any date of minor track alteration at the north end of the station?

Why? .....
The only down lines track layout arrangement at Stevenage North 'box that I knew of, (apart from a Down Main-Up Fast crossover), had two running crossovers : Down Fast-Down Slow (Goods) just north of the road bridge IIRC, then the Down Slow-Down Main.
That required the four home signals (upper quadrants in every photo I've seen) that gazed down from on high, onto thousands of passing trains for several decades until the mid-'70s resignalling ; including the well-known (1930s?) event when one of the latest A4s + train, and a GN Single were photographed side-by-side just north of that bridge. But the photo here has only three Homes, of somersault type, and which, as I read them, only catered for a DF-DG crossing move.
So do we know when the second crossover was added?

Perhaps the pic is of a genuine GNR scene.

G'Day Gents
Thought you would like that one 'giner' I think that pic was about 1910, BIT before your time, here's another! I have a bunch of photos of the Northern Heights, but there all 900kb or over 1mb, and I don't know how to make them smaller
manna

StevieG wrote:That Stevenage photo.: Has anyone got any 'gen.' on any date of minor track alteration at the north end of the station?

Why? .....
The only down lines track layout arrangement at Stevenage North 'box that I knew of, (apart from a Down Main-Up Fast crossover), had two running crossovers : Down Fast-Down Slow (Goods) just north of the road bridge IIRC, then the Down Slow-Down Main.
That required the four home signals (upper quadrants in every photo I've seen) that gazed down from on high, onto thousands of passing trains for several decades until the mid-'70s resignalling ; including the well-known (1930s?) event when one of the latest A4s + train, and a GN Single were photographed side-by-side just north of that bridge. But the photo here has only three Homes, of somersault type, and which, as I read them, only catered for a DF-DG crossing move.
So do we know when the second crossover was added?

Perhaps the pic is of a genuine GNR scene.

Lens of Sutton lists quote this view as 'pre grouping'

Don Anderson in the Great Northern Railway Society may be able to help regarding the altered track layout. He can be found at: don.m.anderson@bt.com

Regards

Andy

Andy

G'Day Gents

Here's a couple of Mill Hill (the Hale) not a very well know station.
manna

Micky wrote:Yes the northern heights it's a great pity that WW2 intervened otherwise we would have had an electric service across to Edgware and up to Ally Pally. Micky GNR/L.N.E.R.

And London Underground would have run it. The other bit of the Northern Heights project to remember is London Transport's proposed Northern Line extension from Edgware to Bushey Heath.

That was killed off in two stages. First the Brockley Hill - Bushey Heath part was abandoned in the early 1950s before construction work had resumed after the wartime disruption (I've always thought it was actually sacrificed to the buses, because the car sheds at Aldenham had become a temporary bus overhaul works and LT was in a panic, after getting planning permission turned down for a new works at Ickenham, about where it was going to overhaul all the new vehicles it had flooding in ). Then about three years later the Edgware - Brockley Hill bit got the chop, again without construction work ever resuming.

G'Day Gents
The line north of Edgware was abandoned because that area was made into 'Green Belt' so why build a railway when there will be nobody to use it.

Adlenham was used to build bombers during the second world war.

Edgware station was to be a through station! the line was to extended through to Watford, but the GNR let the powers lapse.

LT did build a flyover at Edgware(LT) to join there line to the LNER line (Edgware to Mill Hill) but was never used, demolished in the '90's'

Edgware station was used as a goods yard from 1939 until 1964, the area now is a shopping center.

Mill Hill (now LT owned) use to have a large Gas works, and saw a couple of coal trains a day.

Finchley/Highgate LT car sheds use to be GN later LNER Wellington carriage sheds, the coal yard was the other side of the line, this was also Park Junction, the line to Alexandra Palace, curved off to the right.

manna