The West London Line : Mitre Bridge Junction, Kensington and Clapham Junction....

[Rugd1022]

I know we had a thread on Kensington Olympia, but don't think we've had a dedicated thread on the rest of this fascinating cross London route so I thought I'd start one with a couple of youtube clips to kick things off....

 

 

 

 

 

It's a route I sign and work over regularly and it's always been a favourite despite being very short. Much has changed (and gone forever) over the years but it was such a bust route back in BR days. Any and all contributions are welcome .

Edited February 5, 2021 by Rugd1022

[Fenman]

30 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

I know we had a thread on Kensington Olympia, but don't think we've had a dedicated thread on the rest of this fascinating cross London route so I thought I'd start one with a couple of youtube clips to kick things off....

 

 

 

 

 

It's a route I sign and work over regularly and it's always been a favourite despite being very short. Much has changed (and gone forever) over the years but it was such a bust route back in BR days. Any and all contributions are welcome .

 

For many years my local station was West Brompton, so I knew this line well -- from BR days to TfL. Waiting on the platform there was always the chance of a fascinating freight coming through -- occasionally a massive 92, thrumming with power, crawling through the station then inexorably accelerating.

 

I have mixed views about the passenger service: in Silverlink days it was terribly run down, but I've always had a soft spot for 313s and the route was so poorly used that you were guaranteed a seat on the hourly train.

 

Everything changed under TfL -- swanky new trains, fresh paint everywhere and working platform lights, too, with hugely increased frequency. But so over-rammed that in peak hours you often couldn't even board an already-packed train. The majority of times I travelled (for some years it was every day), there was no chance of a seat. So I can see how it was all nominally fabulously better but, as a punter, it was strikingly worse for me! It was also mysteriously slow. And some odd decisions were taken: the changeover from 3rd rail to OHL was some way North of Shepherd's Bush instead of doing it in the station where all trains anyway had to stop (just like they do at Farringdon). So you'd leave the station then, a minute later, grind to a halt while various loud bangings and thuddings would take place, then slowly start off again. 

 

The contrast with the ELL is interesting: the WLL is always the Cinderella service (at least, for passengers). New equipment goes first to ELL, and gets lengthened first there, and they have all the frequency improvements -- WLL is still stuck with TfL every 15 minutes, the freight routes preventing any further increase.

 

I agree with you, though: it is a fascinating route.

 

Paul

 

 

[acg5324]

I’m currently compiling a book for Amberley Publishing on the WLL. It will cover Clapham Jct to Willesden and Old Oak Common. Photos are mainly from the 1970s and 80s but will include images from the 1950s to current(ish).