The former Primrose Hill station London.

[jakkenton]

Great historical video, thanks for uploading!

[Jammz1054]

The way out sign is about to fall off...

[f1baker]

these used the Graham road curve i presume...

[citytransportinfo]

@f1baker Only when travelling to / from Liverpool St stn.

[f1baker]

@citytransportinfo i see, I've heard a proposal that the station could reopen if the Overground service from Watford to Euston is withdrawn and the section from Willesdon Junction to Watford Junction being transfered back to the Bakerloo line. Aparantly Overground services would terminate at Willesdon Junction's bay platform, the route becoming a branch of the North London line.

[ManiacalMessiah76]

do you have any footage of the west croydon to wimbledon line??

[citytransportinfo]

@ManiacalMessiah76 sorry, with two exceptions only as Tramlink... not when BR were running their trains at a bizarre frequency of 44 minutes.

I have a very poor super 8 view taken at a level crossing in the Merton area plus a telephoto view somewhere in Croydon of what was probably one of the trains in the Wandle Park area. Neither have been digitised.

Of course with hindsight I should have filmed all the railway lines which eventually became Tramlink - and former NLL which became DLR.

[D78stock]

No, change that idea. Instead you could make the NLL go to Euston again! That way the LO will still be at a London Terminus. Either that or go back to Liverpool St.

[citytransportinfo]

@D78stock But since when did the NLL ever go to Euston?

From Watford Junction trains went to Euston plus Broad St via either Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath.

Nowadays changing at Highbury & Islington is the only way for passengers to get to the City, trains from here will go to Stratford as existing services to here are barely able to cope with passenger demand.

[D78stock]

@citytransportinfo Oh yes. I accidently added the 'again'. H&I has other connections to Central London. And Stratford has connections to Liverpool St.

[D78stock]

I hope it Primrose Hill will get re-used. If the bakerloo line goes to Watford. There could be a Willedsen Junction to Stratford service!

[No1RailwayEnthusiast]

Ive heard that in late 2011, the plan is to enable the bakerloo to once again call at headstone lane, hatch end, carpenders park, bushey, watford high st and Watford junction.

[citytransportinfo]

@No1RailwayEnthusiast

Where did you hear that?

I've always been told that when BR resignalled the line they did it in a way which reduced route capacity so much that a more frequent service is no longer possible and that the 'elf 'n' safety plus disability / accessibility regs no longer allow 'new' instances of track sharing between differently sized trains.

The existing services are different as they were operating at the time of rly privatisation so have 'grandfather' rights.

Simon

[No1RailwayEnthusiast]

@citytransportinfo Someone I know works for London Overground, and he said the 4th rail will once again be used, enabling Bakerloo Line trains to serve Watford. Lets hope it happens and that we aren't all disappointed!

[unknownperson95]

0:24 love the broken sign, very good video. Don't worry too much about the closure of the line because quite frankly, you have stacks of railways in London and I am so jealous. Railways in London are like a heaven compared to the railways in Melbourne.

[citytransportinfo]

@unknownperson95

erm, London is a big city and actually there are many areas which the railways do not serve at all well, so we need more, not to close what we have simply because the routes are 'inconvenient' for the railway company to provide a service!

Melbourne also need more railways, and trams. But the population density is much lower and that makes railways more expensive to operate.

[unknownperson95]

@citytransportinfo true true, ive been to london just lats year and you are right, it is absolutely massive!

[citytransportinfo]

@unknownperson95 something like 40 miles wide and 35 miles north-south.

[456013matt]

Forgive my ignorance, but can it not be used by the existing Euston Watford Service?

[citytransportinfo]

@456013matt no - the line splits south of South Hampstead with one route going towards Euston and the other towards Camden Road via Primrose Hill.

[fkfj16]

So why was it so disused that led to its closure?

[flmabhwd]

Superb archive footage. What a missed opportunity for the travelling public too eh? Do you have any plans of how/where the lines from Primrose Hill connected with the Euston to Watford DC lines? Was/Is there a junction in the tunnel?

Simon.

[citytransportinfo]

@flmabhwd Thanks.

The connection is in the tunnel, so is not able to be filmed.

Simon

[villageorganist]

There are other stations which are similarly humiliated: for example Brigg Station in Lincolnshire which receives trains on Saturdays only, and Denton and

Reddish South, in Greater Manchester, which have only one train a week in one direction only!

Primrose Hill could be a useful facility if London Overground could get their act together.

[f1baker]

never seen a train standing in the bay platform at wilsden junction before...

[citytransportinfo]

@f1baker oh I have, even did in the days of the 501's (and photographed it...)

[f1baker]

@citytransportinfo maybe I'm always there at the wrong time of the day, apparantly trains only start or finish there first thing in the morning and last thing at night

[citytransportinfo]

@f1baker Well I the train seen in this film was photographed at 16:40 / 4.40pm.

Simon

[CoachAlex1996]

This station looked like a dump in the 90's! And I see why it was closed.

Nice catch of the sector trains and the NSE trains :)

[citytransportinfo]

@CoachAlex1996 yes it was a mess, but rather than provide through trains direct to central London BR wanted to make passengers change trains at Willesden Junction and again at Highbury & Islington.

Thats why they timetabled the morning trains to arrive when it was too late for people to get to work on time and evening trains to leave before it was 'going home' time.

In the 1950's there were 7 trains an hour in the rush hours (plus more from Euston and the Bakerloo Line)

Simon