The Anonymous Widower

Lines Through Hampstead And Harringay

This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of railway lines through Hampstead.

I believe that it is a network that will be changed dramatically in the next few years.

In the west of the map, there is a triangular junction to the north of Cricklewood station, which connects the Dudding Hill Line to the Midland Main Line.

Also to the North of Cricklewood station is the old Cricklewood TMD (traction maintenance depot), which is now being developed as Brent Cross Cricklewood with houses, oficces, an extension to the Brent Cross Shopping Centre and a new station called Brent Cross Thameslink.

In the east of the map, Gospel Oak station is prominent and if you take a close look you can see how a double track spur connects the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBlin) at Junction Road Junction to the Midland Main Line at Carlton Road Junction. This short length of line, which is used by freight trains, is also being electrified, so that freight trains can be electric-hauled from Barking and then up the Midland Main Line.

From Carlton Road Junction, freight trains can sneak up the western side of the Midland Main Line and either go North to freight depots like the proposed Radlett or take the Dudding Hill Line to connect with the West Coast Main Line or the Great Western Main Line. You can see the tracks that freight trains would use is this image taken looking south from the bridge at West Hampstead Thameslink station.

The tracks that freight trains will use are to the far right.

Transport for London’s Transport Plan for 2050 talks about improving the Overground, by using existing lines to create a circular railway based on the GOBlin. It could be routed via the Dudding Hill Line to Hounslow.

Looking at the above image, it would appear that it could be fairly easy for trains from the GOBlin to stop at West Hampstead Thameslink on their way to the Dudding Hill Line. This Google Map shows the station.

It would appear that there may even be space for an island platform, but I suspect a bi-directional platform sharing with the current Platform 4, will be much easier to create and more affordable.

The extended GOBlin would then call at Cricklewood station, from where it could either go straight down the Dudding Hill Line or perhaps via a reverse at the new Brent Cross Thameslink station.

This Google Map shows the area between Brent Cross and the Midland Main Line.

Note the large area of the current Cricklewood TMD to the North East of the triangular junction with Cricklewood station south of the area. The development will be partly on the northern part of the TMD.

The advantage of the indirect route, would be that the Shopping Centre and all the new development in the area, gets good connections from Hounslow and Acton in the West to Holloway, Tottenham and Walthamstow in the East.

If the trains run at the current four trains per hour of the GOBlin, then this line would be a valuable link across North London connecting to the Midland Main Line and Thameslink at either Brent Cross or West Hampstead stations.

It is an interesting proposition.

But it might get even better!

London’s two big problems are housing and transport, so look sat this Google Map of the area to the East of Gospel Oak station.

There is a large site around the triangular junction formed by the GOBlin in the North, the Midland Main Line in the South and the link between the two lines in the East.

It could be used for much-needed housing and other developments in the future. At the present time, it is owned by J. Murphy and Sons, who by chance are the contractors working on the electrification of the GOBlin.

Look at the map and I think that there is enough space to put a new station on the eastern side of junction.

So trains from Upper Holloway station to the Dudding Hill Line could go through.

• Junction Road if that station is built.
• Murphy’s Town
• West Hampstead Thameslink
• Cricklewood
• Brent Cross Thameslink

I think that some of the out-of-the-box-thinkers at Transport for London will come up with some extensive knitting in North London.

Look at this Google Map, which shows the GOBlin through Harringay.

The GOBlin is or could be very well connected.

• The connection to the East Coast Main Line is being electrified.
• Harringay Green Lanes station sits on top the Piccadilly Line.
• Seven Sisters station will be connected to South Tottenham station by Crossrail 2.
• It is linked to the Lea Valley Lines south of Tottenham Hale station.

Who knows what Transport for London will do with the GOBlin?

I wonder if in conversations in the pub near TfL’s offices, they wish that they still had the Palace Gates Line to play with. You can see it’s line on the map above as it goes away to the North West from Seven Sisters station.

I do find it strange however, that the route of Crossrail 2 from Seven Sisters to New Southgate, very much follows the route of the Palace Gates Line.

So can we assume, that the Victorians got that one right too?

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2016 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Brent Cross, Dudding Hill Line, Gospel Oak And Barking Line, Shopping, Trains