Before Overground – Seven Sisters
Rabbits Would Be At Home Here – Rating 4/10
Seven Sisters station is a bad station, that was made a lot worse by tacking a Victoria Line station on with all the subtlety of the worst of 1060s-architecture and design.
I approached the station on a 76 bus from near where I live.
The first time, I did this, I entered the station from the Tottenham High Road end and went down and up escalators and steep staircases to get to the platform for Enfield Town and Cheshunt.
This time, I stayed on the surface and walked up Seven Sisters Road to the southern entrance of the station.It is a route that is almost as tortuous.
The station itself has some problems that are easily fixed and others like the narrow down platform that aren’t!
I should say that Seven Sisters is a station I avoid, as for me Hackney Downs is an alternative, that although it has long staircases, it wasn’t built for rabbits.
London Overground will have fun, making a customer-friendly station out of this one.
Before Overground – Class 317 Trains
The Class 317 trains are the workhorse of the suburban services out of Liverpool Street. Wikipedia says this about them.
The British Rail Class 317 electric multiple units (EMUs) were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981–82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 body-shell.
So they’re no spring chickens, but like actresses of a certain age, they scrub up well, as this picture of the interior shows.
Class 317 Interior
Being based on Mark 3 coaches, they also have a good body underneath, that rides better than many of the much more modern trains.
Plans are possibly afoot to refurbish and fit new traction equipment to some of these trains, but London Overground have said they will be replacing them in 2017.
But whatever happens on the Overground, these Class 317 trains may well be refurbished and find gainful employment somewhere else.
Having seen the superb way that South West Trains’ sister fleet of Class 455 trains have scrubbed up, I would be happy, if the Overground got a refurbished fleet of 317 trains. One of the Class 455 was involved in this incident at Oxshott. I wonder how some of the modern aluminium trains would survive the dropping of a 24 tonne cement truck on top from a height of several metres.
Before Overground – St. James Street
A Station With Potential – Rating 5/10
St. James Street station, is one of those that with a deep clean and a good paint job could become an acceptable station.
But of course, in the long term, it would need lifts to make the access step-free.
I know the station has a florist, but someone is maintaining a good floral display at the entrance to the station.
Before Overground – Highams Park
A Station With A Garden – Rating 7/10
Highams Park station, is one of those that doesn’t need a great deal of work to make it one of the best stations on the Overground.
It is one of the few stations, where because there are three ways to cross the tracks, step free access isn’t the greatest of problems. Although, when the new trains come, it might not be a bad idea to make sure that the platform edge is matched to the train.
Before Overground – Clapton
Another Station For Those Not In The First Flush Of Youth – Rating 2/10
Clapton station is another with access problems for the disabled, buggy-pushers and the elderly.
Unfortunately, the station also seems to have a touch of the Japanese Knotweed, although this could be one of the few stations in the Lea Valley Lines, where simple gardens could make the station much more pleasant.
I’ve been trying to imagine this station in a few months after a deep clean and a good painting, London Overground double orange handrails, some better standard seating and some tidy foliage at the far end of the platforms.
It will be much better than it is now.
Before Overground – Hackney Downs
Could Be A Great Station With Imagination – Rating 3/10
Hackney Downs station is rather a dump at present, as the pictures show.
But because it is four platform station with rooms all over the place, it could with imagination be turned into the Crystal Palace station of the North.
The pictures show how the bridge over Dalston Lane has been restored, so at least a good start has been made. As the station has a lot of ironwork, I wonder if a Leadenhall Market solution could be applied. Instead of using expensive painters for all the ironwork, the City of London laid down the scheme and paid art students to do it. Hackney Downs obviously isn’t as grand, but if some of the ironwork in the station and others on the Lea Valley Line were to be properly painted, it might liven up a series of otherwise drab stations.
I also think that the large island platform, may be a suitable place to put a nice bronze sculpture that is deemed to be too valuable to display, as it might get nicked.
The station is a bit like one of those large rambling Victorian houses with umpteen rooms, that are advertised with tremendous potential.
Before Overground – London Fields
A Station With an Excellent Bakery/Cafe – Rating 3/10
London Fields station is another station on the Lea Valley Lines with no decent access.
As I arrived a Japanese lady was struggling down the stairs with her three-year-old, a buggy and a scooter.
The reason she was coming was to visit the E5 bakehouse and cafe. It was so full, that I couldn’t get my intended cup of tea.
As you can see from the pictures, Network Rail have done a superb job in creating a series of small workshops in the railway arches.
It’s just a pity, that the access at the station wasn’t fixed at the same time.
As the station has only had a frequent service since 2005. was this one of those stations that British Rail hoped would quietly die?
Before Overground – Stoke Newington
A Dreadful Station To Avoid – Rating 2/10
Stoke Newington station was built when people weren’t disabled, pushed buggies or grew elderly and it shows.
In my view it’s one of those stations, that with a creative surface makeover, lifts and perhaps a light-controlled crossing to access buses going north, could be turned into one of the better stations on the line. The station forecourt has what looks to be a decent cafe, so selective development around the station could probably improve matters.
Before Overground – Silver Street
A Disgraceful Station By An Important Hospital – Rating 1/10
These are pictures taken at Silver Street station.
It is not one of the better equipped stations, as it has no lifts, escalators, no open ticket office or cafe.
The stairs are also long and precipitous. They would be impossible for anybody with a baby in a buggy!
What makes this a lot worse, is that the station is close to the North Middlesex hospital. So if you have access problems and are visiting the hospital, steer clear of this station. You’d be better going to Edmonton Green and ordering a taxi.
All hospitals should have very easy step-free access from the nearest transport interchange.
Before Overground – Edmonton Green
A Prototype Station For The Lea Valley Lines – Rating 8/10
This is the first of a series of posts, where I post pictures of the stations on the Lea Valley Lines before the takeover by the London Overground in May next year.
Edmonton Green station is one of the better stations on the line and the lifts that are being installed, should be fully working in a month or so.
I’ve used quite a few stations on the Lea Valley Lines, but this must be one that needs the smallest amount of work to bring it up to a high standard. It’s got lifts, a cafe, tasteful shelters and seats.
It also has good bus connections, so it is one of those stations, where if you were in a wheelchair or pushing a buggy, you might swap your mode of transport.
The Anonymous Widower 