On 03/07/2013 01:28, Stephen Furley wrote:


"Peter Lawrence" wrote in message
eb.com...

On 01/07/2013 18:09, Robin9 wrote:

I don't remember the triangular arrangement. That may have been before
my
time. I seem to recall a straightforward junction. If the route towards
Kentish
Town was filled in, can that be reversed or has the land been built
on/put to
other use? Presumably the tunnel was not filled in even though, I
imagine, the
entrances were bricked up.


The line used by the Kentish Town - Barking trains ran across what is
now a builders depot to reach Mortiner Street junction. Reinstating
the route would split the depot in two, leaving half of it
rail-locked, and is probably not feasible. (The depot incorporates
some of the former Kentish Town engine shed.)

I'm somewhat puzzled by what Robin9 wrote. There doesn't seem to have
been any tunnel on the closed section of route. Was he possibly
thinking of the other route to St. Pancras? I don't know if there was a
tunnel on that.

The route taken by the Kentish Town - Barking trains can be clearly seen
on Google Earth, though it's clearer on the 2002 images than on the
latest ones. While correct, your description of the area as a 'builders
depot' could be somewhat misleading to somebody who hasn't seen it. It
suggests a small area of land, with something like a couple of JCBs and
a concrete mixer on it. Murphy's yard is huge, and has some very large
plant on it. It would be difficult to find somewhere to re-locate that.
Pre-Olympics Stratford might have been a possibility, but not now.

The missing section of line was very short, but tightly curved. If I
remember correctly it was in shallow cutting, which has now been filled
in. Google Earth shows several strange looking buildings on the East
side of the line, including a large square one which seems to have one
corner cut, where the line would have been. There's also a small square
building which I think may have been built partly on the alignment of
the trackbed.

I cannot see Murphy wanting to move; it might be possible to excavate
the cutting to a greater depth (give the contract to Murphy?) and then
cover it over to restore access to the South Eastern part of the site,
but it would be very expensive, and probably very unpopular.

There's also the problem that with today's fragmented railway the
Thameslink and Goblin routes are operated by two completely different
companies. I don't know if there would be enough demand to make say a
Southend to somewhere on the Southern viable, but if the route had
remained in a state where it could have been re-instated, and Network
South East still existed then it might have been worth investigating the
possibility. if the South Tottenham - Tottenham Hale curve was also
re-instated then it would have been possible for Thameslink to serve
Stanstead in addition to Luton and Gatwick. Again, I don't know if the
demand would have made it worthwhile.

Incidentally there was a second route from Kentish Town eastwards. It
left the Midland line on its west side and then crossed it on a bridge
to reach a junction east of Gospel Oak. The route may still exist but
is useless for sering Thameslink! (The line was used mainly by St
Pancrasd - Tilbury boat trains.)

I can't remember exactly where this route was; I think it's long gone,
but if it still existed why couldn't it have served Thameslink if it
went to Kentish Town?

Using the route as it was, all trains between TL and GOBLIN would have
to cross the line into St Pancras on the level which seems unacceptable.