North Weald railway station

North Weald
North Weald
Station on heritage railway
General information
Location	North Weald, Epping Forest ; England
Coordinates	51°42′42″N0°09′42″E / 51.71167°N 0.16167°E
Grid reference	TL496036
Operated by	Epping Ongar Railway
Platforms	2
History
Original company	Great Eastern Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
24 April 1865	Station opened
25 September 1949	Transferred to Central line
18 November 1957	Line electrified
6 January 1964	Goods yard closed
30 September 1994	Closed
November 2004	Reopened in preservation
2007	Closed
May 2012	Heritage services opened

Last updated January 29, 2025

North Weald railway station is on the Epping Ongar Railway, a heritage railway, located in North Weald, Essex.

History

North Weald station was opened by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on 24 April 1865, serving principally as a goods yard, taking agricultural produce from the nearby farms into London. During World War II it was frequently used by airmen travelling to and from the nearby North Weald Airfield. Steam locomotives operated by British Rail for the London Underground ran a shuttle service from Epping to Ongar (stopping at North Weald) from 1949 to 1957, when the track was electrified and taken over by the Central line.

While the Epping to Ongar branch was normally operated as an isolated section of the Central line, for two days every year trains were run from London to terminate at North Weald: these trains served the North Weald Airshow on the Saturday and Sunday of its opening at the aerodrome almost adjacent to the station. The normal Epping to Ongar shuttle dovetailed with this service passing the terminating train on the adjacent line during its southbound journey.

The line from Epping to Ongar is a single-track railway apart from at North Weald, which functioned as the only available passing loop for trains travelling in opposite directions. In 1888, however, the eastern end of the loop was severed and it was used only as a siding. The loop was restored in 1949 after transfer to London Transport, and a second (westbound) platform was built at this time, and both platforms were used from 1949 until 1976, the westbound track being lifted in 1978. Until this time, access to the two platforms was controlled from the original Eastern Counties Railway signal box still sited on the southbound platform to this day. Until this occurred, North Weald was the last section of the Underground network to be signalled using mechanical semaphore signals. Although disused, the illuminated track diagram in the signal box continued to show the progress of trains until its closure.

Closure

The Epping to Ongar branch was not heavily used and became increasingly unprofitable. The service was further undermined when the Greater London Council removed the running subsidy for the line because it was not within the boundary of Greater London, and no comparable subsidy was forthcoming from the local government agencies in Essex, which meant that fare levels were much higher than on the rest of the Underground network. Initially, the Sunday service was dropped, and then the Saturday service. Subsequently, the service was restricted to a peak-only service of seven trains in each direction per day (three in the morning and four in the evening). London Transport (later London Underground Ltd) had made repeated representations to the government to close the line, but each was refused as there was no alternative mode of transport between Epping and Ongar.

A final request was made in 1994 with a proviso that the line was to be sold to a private organisation which would continue to run the services.^[2] With the promise of continued services, the government finally agreed to London Underground closing the line. The line, including North Weald station, was closed on 30 September 1994. Because of the intention to continue services, the line was left largely intact, although the two electric conductor rails were lifted. However, the promised service did not immediately materialise, and it was not until 2004 that a volunteer force restored a partial service as a heritage railway. Because London Underground would not provide platform space at Epping, North Weald is currently the westernmost terminus of the line. A shuttle does run further west as far as Coopersale, but there are no station facilities there. It is intended to run to a separate station facility near Epping station in the future.

Current ownership

North Weald station, as with the rest of the 6.5-mile branch reaching to the outskirts of Epping station, is undergoing significant improvement and infrastructure works in connection with its use as a heritage railway. These works are designed with the long-term future of the branch and to enable the use of locomotive-hauled trains (hauled by steam and diesel locomotives).

The station itself has been extensively restored with all the rooms being restored to their original uses. The original GER signalbox dating from 1888 is being restored, complete with its original lever frame, as part of the works to signal the passing loop which has been reinstated through the station. The westbound platform has been restored, with a new accessible ramp installed, and an original GER latticework footbridge (formerly from Woodford) is in the process of being installed to replace the British Rail concrete structure.

The branch once again runs locomotive-hauled trains between Ongar and North Weald, with a diesel shuttle towards Coopersale and connecting heritage buses to Epping.

Connections

Local bus routes 62, 380, 381, 396, 501 (Sundays only), SB06 and Vintage Route 339 serve the station (and North Weald village).

Trivia

The station was used as a filming location for a scene in the Heartstopper Netflix show.^[3]

Related Research Articles

The Central line is a London Underground line that runs between West Ruislip or Ealing Broadway in West London and Epping in Essex or Woodford via Hainault in East London, via the East End, the City, and the West End. Printed in red on the Tube map, the line serves 49 stations over 46 miles (74 km), making it the network's longest line. It is one of only two lines on the Underground network to cross the Greater London boundary, the other being the Metropolitan line. One of London's deep-level railways traversing narrow tunnels, Central line trains are smaller than those on British main lines.

Blake Hall is a disused former station on the London Underground in the civil parish of Stanford Rivers, and south from the village of Bobbingworth in Essex. It was latterly on the Central line, between North Weald and Ongar, but was originally served by the Epping to Ongar shuttle service branch line.

Ongar railway station is a station on the Epping Ongar Railway heritage line, and a former London Underground station in the town of Chipping Ongar, Essex. It was opened in 1865 by the Great Eastern Railway, and became part of London Transport in 1949. Until its closure as such in 1994, it was the easternmost point of the Central line and the eastern buffers remain the point from which all distances on the London Underground are measured.

Stratford is a major multi-level interchange station serving the town of Stratford and the mixed-use development known as Stratford City, in the London Borough of Newham, East London for London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Elizabeth line services. National Rail services also operate on the West Anglia Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line, 4 miles 3 chains (6.5 km) from Liverpool Street.

Leytonstone is a London Underground station in Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London. It is on the Central line, on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. Towards Central London, the next station is Leyton, while going east from Leytonstone, the line divides into two branches. On the direct route to Woodford and Epping the next stop is Snaresbrook, and on the Hainault loop it is Wanstead. The station is close to Whipps Cross University Hospital. It is a terminus for some services and returns westbound.

Loughton is a station on the Central line of the London Underground, serving the suburban town of Loughton in the Epping Forest District of Essex. It lies between Buckhurst Hill and Debden, in Travelcard Zone 6. The station is entirely above ground, and platforms are accessed by staircases which rise from ground level.

Greenford is a London Underground and National Rail station in Greenford, Greater London, and is owned and managed by London Underground. It is the terminus of the National Rail Greenford branch line, 2 miles 40 chains down the line from West Ealing and 9 miles 6 chains measured from London Paddington. On the Central line, it is between Perivale and Northolt stations while on National Rail, the next station to the south on the branch is South Greenford.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a heritage railway in south-west Essex, England, run by a small number of paid staff and a team of volunteers. It was the final section of the Great Eastern Railway branch line, later the London Underground's Central line from Loughton via Epping to Ongar, with intermediate stations at North Weald and Blake Hall. The line was closed by London Underground in 1994 and sold in 1998. It reopened between 2004 and 2007 as a preserved railway, offering a volunteer-run Class 117 DMU service between Ongar and Coopersale. A change of ownership in 2007 led to the line being closed for restoration to a heritage steam railway, which opened on 25 May 2012.

Epping is a London Underground station in the suburban town of Epping in Essex, England. The station serves as the north-eastern terminus of the Central line. Located in Travelcard Zone 6, it is one of eight London Underground stations in the Epping Forest District. The station before Epping is Theydon Bois, which is about three minutes' travelling time away.

Newbury Park is a London Underground station in Newbury Park, Ilford, East London. It is between Barkingside and Gants Hill stations on the Hainault loop of the Central line, in Travelcard Zone 4. The station was initially opened by the Great Eastern Railway on 1 May 1903 and subsequently transferred its services to the London and North Eastern Railway due to the amalgamation. Underground trains only started serving the station on 14 December 1947, operating via the Gants Hill tunnel. The line was extended to Hainault on 31 May 1948. The Grade II listed bus shelter designed by Oliver Hill opened on 6 July 1949. Lifts were fully installed at Newbury Park in November 2018 to provide step-free access to the station, approximately 10 years after TfL abandoned the project.

Hainault is a London Underground station in Hainault, in London, England. The station is on the Central line between Fairlop and Grange Hill stations. The station is in Travelcard Zone 4. and is home to one of the three Central line depots.

North Weald Bassett, or simply North Weald, is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area.

The London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in Greater London, England between 1948 and 1962. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.

Gallions was the name of two distinct railway stations that adjoined the River Thames by Gallions Reach in Beckton, east London.

Hardingham railway station is a railway station in the village of Hardingham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is periodically served by heritage services operated by the Mid-Norfolk Railway on the line from East Dereham to Wymondham.

The Hainault Loop, originally opened as the Fairlop Loop, is a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) branch line of the Great Eastern Railway (GER). It once connected Woodford on the Ongar branch to Ilford on the Main Line, with an eastward connection for goods, excursions and stock transfers to Seven Kings. The loop opened to freight on 20 April 1903 and to passengers on 1 May 1903. In 1923, the GER was "grouped" into the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), who provided passenger services until December 1947. After this date, the route was electrified for London Underground services from both the Woodford and Leytonstone directions and the link to Ilford closed on the Central line, having been served by Tube trains since 1948.

Debden is a station on the Central line of the London Underground, serving the Debden area of Loughton in the Epping Forest District of Essex. The station is between Loughton and Theydon Bois. It is located in Station Approach off Chigwell Lane (A1168) and is in Travelcard Zone 6.

Epping is a market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, it is 17 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is surrounded by the northern end of Epping Forest, and on a ridge of land between the River Roding and River Lea valleys.

Clatterford End is hamlet in the civil parish of Stanford Rivers, and in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The hamlet is situated between the parish villages of Toot Hill and Stanford Rivers. It should not be confused with Clatterford End, Fyfield or Clatterford End, High Easter.

The Enfield Town branch is a branch of the Lea Valley Lines, running from Enfield Town to the West Anglia Main Line at Hackney Downs. It is a combination of the original Enfield branch built by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) in 1849 and a later line built by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) from Hackney Downs to Edmonton in 1872. The line is currently a double-tracked suburban railway with services running between Liverpool Street station and Enfield Town as well as services running from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt via the Southbury Loop. Part of the original branch is closed and little visible remains today.

References

↑ Hardy, Brian, ed. (March 2011). "How it used to be - freight on The Underground 50 years ago". Underground News (591). London Underground Railway Society: 175–183. ISSN 0306-8617.
↑ Source: Epping Ongar Railway Ltd.
↑ "Here are all of the real life filming locations from Heartstopper, and an episode of Armstrong and Miller". The Tab. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.

External links

Heritage railways
Epping Forest		Epping Ongar Railway	Ongar
Historical railways
Epping Line closed, station open		Great Eastern Railway Loughton-Ongar	Blake Hall Line open, station closed
Preceding station	London Underground		Following station
Epping Terminus		Central line Epping-Ongar branch	Blake Hall towards Ongar

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[UN591-1] Hardy, Brian, ed. (March 2011). "How it used to be - freight on The Underground 50 years ago". Underground News (591). London Underground Railway Society: 175–183. ISSN 0306-8617.

[2] Source: Epping Ongar Railway Ltd.

[3] "Here are all of the real life filming locations from Heartstopper, and an episode of Armstrong and Miller". The Tab. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]