Ayot & Harpenden East

[Mickey]

Ayot signal box was located between Welwyn Garden City & Harpenden East signal boxes on the Hatfield-Luton & Dunstable branch line. The box was closed in early in January 1966 but wasn't dismantled until 1971.

http://www.ourwelwyngardencity.org.uk/w ... x_Ayot.jpg

http://www.rail.co.uk/images/1109/origi ... r-ayot.gif

A railway friend and myself both walked the branch line from Welwyn Garden City to Chaul End which was just west of the former Luton Bute street station and the onetime site of Chaul End s/box & level crossing in 1969. The track was still laid in between WGC and Blackbridge sidings for the Ashburton Grove 'rubbish trains' from north London that ran on most week days and from memory the track heading west from Ayot towards Wheathampstead had been lifted several hundred yards west of Ayot where it curved around into the Blackbridge sidings dump. From memory where the track curved around into the Blackbridge sidings dump the track had all been lifted through the former sites of Wheathampstead station, Harpenden East station and Luton Hoo station until approaching the Vauxhall sidings on the outskirts of Luton where it was still laid in passed several sidings belonging to Vauxhall motor cars and the redundant Luton East signal box which from memory had been reduced to a ground frame status by the late 1960s. The track westwards from Luton East s/box (where there was a connection with the Midland main line at Luton South s/box) was still laid in and ran through the site of the former Luton Bute street station and then ran in a north westwards direction towards Dunstable where I believe an occasional oil train use to run along it towards the Dunstable direction anyway my railway friend and myself never encountered any oil train(s) while walking along the line and after arriving at the former site of Chaul End s/box to the west of Luton town we both decided that was as far as we were going to go and turned around and headed back towards Welwyn Garden City again by walking along the route of the old branch line.

Here are several photographs of Ayot apparently taken in 1970 and about a year before I walked the branch with a railway friend and shows the redundant Ayot signal box that we both visited and several redundant signal posts that were still standing as well.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ay ... )old.5.jpg Looking west towards Harpenden East and showing the redundant Ayot signal box.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ay ... )old.6.jpg Looking east towards Welwyn Garden City.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ay ... )old.8.jpg Looking west and showing the Up loop with the redundant Ayot signal box just visible.

[Mickey]

Harpenden East station was two stations west of Ayot with a s/box and a passing loop although the next station west of Ayot was the single line platform at Wheathampstead that served a small village. From memory the B.R. regional boundary between the Eastern region and the London Midland region was just to the west of Harpenden East station.

A Brush type 2 is seen at the head of a few wagons and a brake van either standing in the station or passing through it possibly around 1965 the year the branch line was officially closed to passenger traffic.

https://www.rcts.org.uk/cache/photograp ... 13.780.jpg

A Cravens DMU heads eastwards from Harpenden East station possibly on the last day of the passenger service in 1965. From memory the s/box seen in the photograph could be 'switched out' if not required to be open and the running signals in both directions could be 'cleared' for trains running in either direction along the single line branch (obviously the loop couldn't be used with the box being closed) although the block section would be lengthened with Harpenden East s/box being switched out and would then be between Ayot & Luton East s/boxes with a possible distance of between 8-10 miles between both s/boxes?.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/ha ... t_old9.jpg

[Mickey]

Back to Ayot...

A type 1 diesel (latter day class 20) heads a train of mineral wagons west passed Ayot's somersault starting signal in the early 1960s.

http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... -2/28a.jpg

A nice colour photograph of Ayot s/box and it's surrounds during 1963 looking eastwards towards Welwyn Garden City.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ay ... )old12.jpg

A eastbound Brush type 2 diesel hauling a rake of 'block ender' inner suburban coaching stock through the Up loop passes a westbound freight standing on the Down line in 1965 possibly days or weeks away from the branch officially closing.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ay ... )old11.jpg

[R. pike]

Back to Ayot...

A type 1 diesel (latter day class 20) heads a train of mineral wagons west passed Ayot's somersault starting signal in the early 1960s.

http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... -2/28a.jpg

Are you sure this is Ayot Mickey? I can't justify five point roads at the Harpenden end of the layout..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/ ... ist-uU8qRe

If it's not Ayot where is it? Can i just see another somersault arm as an advanced starter?

[Mickey]

Are you sure this is Ayot Mickey? I can't justify five point roads at the Harpenden end of the layout..

If it's not Ayot where is it? Can i just see another somersault arm as an advanced starter?

The honest answer Richard is I am not 100% sure but the view looking west from Ayot that is depicted in the picture did look like that and the picture it's self appeared amongst a number of other pictures that I found of Ayot although I know that doesn't definitely mean to say it was taken at Ayot(?) also another indication that it could be at Ayot was the B.R. type 1 diesels did work over the branch during the early 1960s.

[Mickey]

Wheathampstead station located between Ayot & Harpenden East station.


Wheathampstead station looking east towards Ayot on possibly the last day of the passenger services over the branch in 1965.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wh ... )old14.jpg


Wheathampstead station looking west towards Harpenden East possibly taken a year or two before the complete withdrawal of passenger services over the branch in 1965.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wh ... s)old2.jpg


The derelict former Wheathampstead station looking east towards Ayot taken at about the same time that myself and a railway friend both walked the route of the former branch line together from Welwyn Garden City to Luton sometime during 1969 with the former station at this time having been closed about four years earlier.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wh ... 969)14.jpg


The derelict former Wheathampstead station looking west towards Harpenden East taken at about the same time that myself and a railway friend
both walked the route of the former branch line together from Welwyn Garden City to Luton sometime during 1969 with the former station at this time having been closed about four years earlier.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/wh ... 969)26.jpg

[R. pike]

http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... s-3/31.jpg

Harpenden East.

[R. pike]

Back to Ayot...

A type 1 diesel (latter day class 20) heads a train of mineral wagons west passed Ayot's somersault starting signal in the early 1960s.

http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... -2/28a.jpg

Are you sure this is Ayot Mickey? I can't justify five point roads at the Harpenden end of the layout..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/ ... ist-uU8qRe

If it's not Ayot where is it? Can i just see another somersault arm as an advanced starter?

Mickey, the photo of the class 20 and minerals is rather important as it implies the rubbish train may have gone to Harpenden to run round and then head back towards Ayot and then set back into Blackbridge Siding. I'd say rubbish is even trapped in one of the doors..

[Mickey]

Mickey, the photo of the class 20 and minerals is rather important as it implies the rubbish train may have gone to Harpenden to run round and then head back towards Ayot and then set back into Blackbridge Siding. I'd say rubbish is even trapped in one of the doors..

Funny that you should say that Richard the photograph several posts above showing a Brush type 2 diesel loco with what looks like seven 'rubbish wagons' and a brake van in tow standing in Hrpenden East station mite give credence to your theory of the Blackbridge sidings rubbish trains doing just what you suugest arriving in Harpenden East station and then running round and heading back to the Backbridge sidings connection.

Shunting that one brake van around and putting it on the other end of the train must have involved a bit of messing about but it could have been done fairly easy by the train crew although having a brake van at either end of the train would have made things a little simpler for the train crew.

[R. pike]

Ayot to Harpenden East was a key token section. The siding at Blackbridge would have been released by the section keys. I've not seen any evidence of an intermediate instrument enabling a train to be shut away. Does anyone have a matching pair of freight and passenger working timetables that can be studied to see if this was the case?

[Mickey]

I did at onetime vey many years ago (circa 1968/69) have a copy of a BR (ER) WTT for 1965 for the Kings Cross suburban area that included the Welwyn Garden City-Luton Bute street branch the last year of the passenger service over the branch but unfortunately that WTT was 'lost' nearly 50 years ago.

From memory I have a vague feeling from trying to recall what sort of passenger service was provided over the branch between WGC & Luton Bute street and return from around 50 years ago from the afore mentioned WTT for 1965 that the passenger service was quite a sparse service with maybe at least a 2 hours gap between each train during the day with possibly the last passenger train running over the branch around 10:00pm in the evening also there may not have been a Sunday passenger service either but again this is just speculation from myself trying to recall what sort of the service was provided from nearly 50 years ago.

[Mickey]

Three photographs taken at Harpenden East shortly after closure of the branch line in 1966.

A view looking west approaching the closed Harpenden East station in 1966 note the redundant somersault signal post in the foreground.
http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... -2/28b.jpg

A 1966 view looking west shortly after closure from the redundant Harpenden East s/box which was located on the Down (westbound) station platform.
http://www.harpenden-history.org.uk/ima ... /01191.jpg

Another 1966 view of the closed Harpenden East station looking west towards the Luton Bute street direction showing the lifted track west of the station.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/ha ... t_old8.jpg

[Mickey]

Three photographs featuring N7s at various locations along the branch line.

N7 no.69704 at the head of a local passenger train heads west passed Ayot s/box towards Luton Bute street circa 1960.
http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... s-0/07.jpg

An unidentified N7 with a brake van is seen heading east through Harpenden East station with one of the loco crew about to give up & exchange the single line token with the Harpenden East signalman circa 1960.
http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... s-2/29.jpg

A few miles west of Harpenden East station in London Midland region territory in BR days was Luton Hoo station which was a simple single platform with station buildings with a minor road level crossing immediately beyond the west end of the station and shows another unidentified N7 at the head of a local passenger train heading westwards towards it's next stop at Luton Bute street circa 1960.
http://dersu4krvz7v7.cloudfront.net/wp- ... s-3/38.jpg