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Old May 12th 04, 10:45 AM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

"Nigel " wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 May 2004 00:56:49 +0100, "Marratxi"
wrote:

Wembley Stadium Statium Station has disappeared completely, though
some of the trackbed of its loop line might still be evident. Does
anyone have an old map showing the exact line of rail, they could let
me have a scan of? or is there anything on a website?


The best I can offer is a scan (131 KB) of an OS map from 1963:

http://www.martinunderwood.f9.co.uk/Wembley%20loop.jpg

Compare with the modern-day OS map:

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...03&scale=25000




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Old May 12th 04, 10:59 AM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

On Wed, 12 May 2004 10:45:02 GMT, "Martin Underwood"
wrote:

"Nigel " wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 May 2004 00:56:49 +0100, "Marratxi"
wrote:

Wembley Stadium Statium Station has disappeared completely, though
some of the trackbed of its loop line might still be evident. Does
anyone have an old map showing the exact line of rail, they could let
me have a scan of? or is there anything on a website?


The best I can offer is a scan (131 KB) of an OS map from 1963:

http://www.martinunderwood.f9.co.uk/Wembley%20loop.jpg

Compare with the modern-day OS map:

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...03&scale=25000


Martin,

That's Wonderful ! & Quick. Thanks very much indeed.

Nigel
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Old May 12th 04, 11:10 AM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

"Nigel " wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 May 2004 10:45:02 GMT, "Martin Underwood"
wrote:

"Nigel " wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 May 2004 00:56:49 +0100, "Marratxi"
wrote:

Wembley Stadium Statium Station has disappeared completely, though
some of the trackbed of its loop line might still be evident. Does
anyone have an old map showing the exact line of rail, they could let
me have a scan of? or is there anything on a website?


The best I can offer is a scan (131 KB) of an OS map from 1963:

http://www.martinunderwood.f9.co.uk/Wembley%20loop.jpg

Compare with the modern-day OS map:


http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...03&scale=25000


Martin,

That's Wonderful ! & Quick. Thanks very much indeed.


I've jsut remembered that there's also a chapter on it in "Lost Lines:
London", Nigel Welbourn, Ian Allan, 1998, ISBN 0-7110-2623-8 - the chapter
is called "A Loop to a Lost Empire".



Here's a scan (181 KB) of the photos of Wembley Stadium station:

http://www.martinunderwood.f9.co.uk/...m%20photos.jpg


The captions a

Right: Crowds depart from a train at Wembley Stadium station on 24 April
1948. On this occasion Manchester United and Blackpool were playing the FA
Cup Final at Wembley. British Railways

Below right: A view of Wembley Stadium station from the west end on 24 April
1948, showing the distinctive concrete design. The station was known as
Wembley Exhibition until 1928. The single platform on the loop line was
traversed in a clockwise direction. British Railways


And here's an OCR of the text in the chapter:

12: A Loop to a Lost Empire

History has seen the rise and fall of many empires. The British Empire, at
one time or another, held sway over a quarter of the world's land mass and
London was its centre. The Empire was at its fullest extent in 1919, and
Wembley Stadium was one of many buildings erected in the 1920s in connection
with the British Empire Exhibition which ran from 1924-5. In 1924 the LNER
opened Wembley Exhibition station specifically for the Empire Exhibition.

The huge Palace of Engineering at the exhibition, was linked to a new loop
line by a series of sidings. The exhibits included a number of the latest
railway developments ranging from Sentinel railcars to the Gresley Pacific
locomotive Flying Scotsman. This latter locomotive was billed by the LNER as
the most powerful passenger engine in Great Britain. This statement was
challenged by the GWR, which on their adjoining stand exhibited the smaller,
but higher boiler-pressured Caerphilly Castle.

Wembley Exhibition station was built in concrete to a 1920s modern 'art
deco' style to reflect the design of other buildings erected for the
exhibition. It had a single platform capable of holding eight coaches and
was located on a 1-mile loop that diverged from the Northolt line just west
of Neasden. The loop together with the line to Marylebone was equipped with
stateof-the-art three-aspect electric colour-light signalling, the first use
of such signalling on a main line. The loop also enabled services to run out
and back to Marylebone without the need for reversal.

The station was extensively used for the exhibition and again, after a
change in name to Wembley Stadium, in 1948 when the Olympic Games used
Wembley Stadium. It was also used for other events at Wembley, such as
football Cup Finals. These events could generate 100,000 spectators and most
would use public transport. To meet this level of demand at peak times
trains would leave Marylebone every 8min for the 12min trip to the Stadium
station. This would require the services of eight trains and nine
locomotives. The line would not be used when events were not in progress,
apart from turning locomotives.

The line served a useful purpose in carrying passengers to special events,
but the service did not appear in timetables by virtue of the fact that
regular daily services were not provided. As such this is probably why it
did not appear in the Beeching Report for closure. Nevertheless, the loop
had a brief history of just over 50 years. The last train ran to the station
in May 1968, although official closure was not until September of the
following year.

Today, one of the concrete bridges on the route is still visible, but in the
30 years or so since closure there has been much rebuilding over the line
and the route is hardly discernible. Just as the station has gone, so has
the British Empire. India became independent in 1947 and from 1956, one by
one, the states of Africa achieved their freedom. In 1997 Hong Kong passed
from British rule.


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Old May 12th 04, 01:05 PM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

Nigel wrote:

I've not been back there since 1972, so much will have changed since
my recollections of this place.

Nigel


Here's a 1950s A-Z scan, the site splits across the page.

http://www.piccadillypilot.co.uk/bits/Wembley.gif


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Old May 13th 04, 12:18 AM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

"Piccadilly Pilot" wrote in message
...

Here's a 1950s A-Z scan, the site splits across the page.

http://www.piccadillypilot.co.uk/bits/Wembley.gif


I've just realised that North End Road used to stretch down to Fourth Way.
When I visited North End Road last year, it ended at the river just
northwest of the abandoned railway loop, and the part southeast of there had
been renamed to be part of Fourth Way. Despite having a fair look around, I
gained no inkling that the river had ever been bridged here. I wonder why
and when the bridge was completely removed? Visiting again last week, a new
bridge has been built over the river, and is already available for
pedestrians, although it will be a few weeks before cars are allowed over
it. As soon as it is fully opened, North End Road will be severed further
west, so it will not become a through route (the purpose of the new bridge
is to divert lorries heading for the industrial estate away from North End
Road and into Fourth Way instead).

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes




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Old May 21st 04, 09:01 PM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

In article ,
Marratxi wrote:

"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
I would love a copy. Please send me the avi and the mpeg. Thanks.

Clips sent as requested. In addition to the firms already mentioned I seem
to recall that Strand Electrics, who supply a lot of the lighting for films
and theatre, had a place there.


I'd be really interested to see them too, I've often read of this railway !

I was looking for more pics of it and I found that it
is named on Brent Council's Schedule of Listed Buildings,
http://www.brent.gov.uk/planning.nsf...8?OpenDocument
(near the bottom of the page under "Wembley"). But... what is there
left of it to be scheduled ?

Nick
--
"And we will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is
neurotypical anyway. Thank you".
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Old May 21st 04, 10:44 PM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

"Nigel " wrote in message
...

Just along Empire Way. close to its junction
with Wembley Hill, was/still is a building with
a half-domed shape on the side of it. This was,
I believe, one of the first semi-circular cinema
screens. The building was later used by
Columbus Dixon the firm that made floor
polishing machinery.


It's still there, but it's surrounded by hoardings and its demolition must
be imminent.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes


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Old May 22nd 04, 08:03 PM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley


"Nick Leverton" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Marratxi wrote:

"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
I would love a copy. Please send me the avi and the mpeg. Thanks.

Clips sent as requested. In addition to the firms already mentioned I

seem
to recall that Strand Electrics, who supply a lot of the lighting for

films
and theatre, had a place there.


I'd be really interested to see them too, I've often read of this railway

!

I was looking for more pics of it and I found that it
is named on Brent Council's Schedule of Listed Buildings,

http://www.brent.gov.uk/planning.nsf...b00379168?Open
Document
(near the bottom of the page under "Wembley"). But... what is there
left of it to be scheduled ?

Nick
--

Ditto Wembley Stadium !!
Cheerz,
Baz


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Old May 23rd 04, 09:55 AM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

On Fri, 21 May 2004 23:44:50 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

"Nigel " wrote in message
...

Just along Empire Way. close to its junction
with Wembley Hill, was/still is a building with
a half-domed shape on the side of it. This was,
I believe, one of the first semi-circular cinema
screens. The building was later used by
Columbus Dixon the firm that made floor
polishing machinery.


It's still there, but it's surrounded by hoardings and its demolition must
be imminent.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped


Thanks for that John,

I suppose much will change within the entire area once the new stadium
is built and up-and-running, I suppose its surprising so much has
actually survived as long as it has.

I can remember the 'Wally Kilminster' sports shop on the Wembley
Triangle that sold all sorts of wonderful things, including chemistry
apparatus and chemicals, as a little boy you can imagine what I
concocted with that lot.

Later the Green Man on Wembley Hill became my local and I once lived
in Manor Drive. Could see the entire Stadium and its surronding
complex from my upstairs window. I remember those little Chinese
Lakes being infilled. Would have been around 1973(ish).

I was one of the first youngsters to use the Wembley Bowl when it
first opened. Twas all new and very exciting in those days.

Nigel


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Old May 26th 04, 09:56 PM posted to uk.transport.london
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Default Abandoned railway loop in Wembley

"Nigel " wrote in message
...

Thanks for that John,


Your'e welcome. Incidentally, I just stumbled on this wonderful image...

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/MOL...xhibits/1920s/

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes




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