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Old February 29th 08, 12:27 PM posted to uk.transport.london
Mizter T Mizter T is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: May 2005
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Default Construction News Photograph - Where is it?

On 29 Feb, 11:37, wrote:

"Bill Hayles" wrote:

The second platform closed in 1928.
The track was removed soon after through services to Liverpool Street
ceased in 1966.


Source: "East London Line" by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith.


I can remember the track being used by through freight in "F" stock
days.


Was freight ever carried on the London Underground, even if it was in off
hours?


Yes, it certainly was! I'll leave others to fill in the details, but
freight was carried on the East London line and on other subsurface
lines. Back in years past the subsurface lines had many more links to
the mainline railways, and there was far less of a clear distinction
between Underground and mainline railways.

Freight trains travelling via the East London line used to run on in
to a platform at Liverpool Street station before being reversed out to
travel along the main lines (or vice versa).

Freight operations certainly weren't planned for peak hours, though I
have read a story somewhere of disgruntled morning commuters being
less than pleased to find a steam-drawn goods train trundling through
the platforms instead of the (clean, electric) train they wanted to
catch to work.

It should be noted that it is incredibly unlikely that the new ELLX
will carry any freight from south to north London - the new incline
that the line will take up from north of Whitechapel, where the line
is in a cutting, to south of Shoreditch High Street station, where the
line will be sat atop a viaduct, will be very steep and is likely in
itself to rule out freight train operations. That said, AIUI at some
point over the next couple of years there will be works trains (for
construction materials) that will make this journey, though that's
still a little way of yet.