Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Neasden
After Cricklewood, I got a bus to Kilburn and then went on to Neasden to continue my search.
I actually caught sight of the Dudding Hill Line as I approached Neasden station and once I had exited the station onto Neasden Lane, it is not difficult to spot.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Cricklewood Again
My trip to Cricklewood yesterday, was just an outdoor cold bath. But I got these pictures of the Dudding Hill Line this morning.
Note that I have included the pictures of the Midland Main Line at Cricklewood to show how wide the railway is, with seven tracks through the station.
It would appear that both the North and South curves to the Dudding Hill Line are double-tracked.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Cricklewood
The Dudding Hill Line starts at a triangular junction at Cricklewood, where the line joins the Midland Main Line.
Unfortunately, due to the weather and the speed of the 32 bus I was travelling on, I didn’t a decent picture of the line, but I did get one of the junction on the Cricklewood bus map.
The Dudding Hill Line On A Bus Map
You can see the junction in the top left of the map.
The one thing that I did ascertain is that from North to West and vice-versa it is double-tracked, but the turn from South to West is single-tracked. So it is reasonable that trains can move in any direction, between any of the three tracks; north, south and west.
I shall have to go back to get some pictures.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Craven Park
I took the Overground to Willesden and then I took an 18 bus to Craven Park.
The bridge-cum-tunnel obviously has a low height, but it doesn’t look to be the worst to increase the headroom to allow container trains to use the Dudding Hill Line.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line
This is an index of the various posts about searching for the Dudding Hill Line.
They will run from Cricklewood to Acton, for no logical reason, except that I’m a North Londoner, so I would choose from North to West.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – North Acton
After I’d walked down Victoria Road, I took a photograph of the North London line, where it crosses the Central line on a high bridge. I then took a bus to Acton Central station, from where I took a train back to Hackney. As I crossed the bridge I took another photo, followed by another as the Dudding Hill line broke off to the left, to cross Park Royal and the Grand Union Canal.
Again the last picture, gives the impression that it is well-maintained railway.
Note the picture of the maps at Acton Central station. They show what a tortuous web London’s railways were in the Victorian era. And I suspect, it’s not just London, that was covered by such an intricate pattern of lines.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Victoria Road, Acton
After photographing the bridges over the canal, I retraced my step[s back to Old Oak Lane and followed it towards North Acton station.
The Dudding Hill Line crosses the road on a bridge.
In fact one feature of the line is several nice bridges.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Willesden And Park Royal
I took the Overground to Willesden Junction and walked down Old Oak Lane towards Acton.
According to the map, it appeared that the Dudding Hill Line crossed the Grand Union Canal somewhere to the west of the road. So I went for a look.
As the pictures show, I found the line where it crosses the canal on a massive brick bridge. The blue bridge beside it would appear to be curve enabling trains to come down the West Coast Main Line and turn south to Acton.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Harlesden
After Dudden Hill Lane, I took a bus to Kensal Rise station, from where I took the Overground to Harlesden station.
You don’t have to walk far to find the Dudding Hill Line, where it crossed Acton Lane
The Dudding Hill Line Crosses Acton Lane
But I couldn’t see the rumoured bridge-cum-tunnel.
Searching For The Dudding Hill Line – Dudden Hill Lane
I stated my thoughts on the Dudding Hill Line here and so I thought I’d better go and see if the line was capable of what I suggested.
I took the Jubilee line to Dollis Hill station and walked up to the bridge in Dudden Hill Lane, where it crosses the Dudding Hill Line.
What surprised me was that to my untrained eye, it looked like a well-maintained railway line.
Not some badly rusted and overgrown line, which hadn’t been seriously used in years.
The Anonymous Widower 