Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

Hi all,

In South Way, the place where the abandoned loop crossed the road is clearly
visible - just west of Second Way, the road seems to pass over a slightly
humped bridge, although the bridge isn't over anything. However, I was
confused by viaducts on the correct alignment either side of the road, at
road height. The most plausible explanation was that these viaducts carried
the railway, and that the bump in the road was actually a level crossing,
not a bridge. But the viaducts don't look like railway viaducts, and I can't
see why the railway would be so high up, when the remaining railway through
Wembley Stadium station is in such a deep cutting. Any clues? TIA.

--
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

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:22:59 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

Hi all,

In South Way, the place where the abandoned loop crossed the road is clearly
visible - just west of Second Way, the road seems to pass over a slightly
humped bridge, although the bridge isn't over anything. However, I was
confused by viaducts on the correct alignment either side of the road, at
road height. The most plausible explanation was that these viaducts carried
the railway, and that the bump in the road was actually a level crossing,
not a bridge. But the viaducts don't look like railway viaducts, and I can't
see why the railway would be so high up, when the remaining railway through
Wembley Stadium station is in such a deep cutting. Any clues? TIA.

--
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


Having grown up in the Wembley area, I can tell you Wembley did have
Five Stations.

Wembley Stadium Station was indeed on a loop line and was built to
serve the British Empire Exhibition in 1927. The track was a
single-line loop leaving the GCR rails just past Neasden sidings. The
loop would have been about one-mile in length, returning back upon
itself. I have vague recollections of the station buildings and small
platform all being build of wood. I never journeyed from there and it
was not an easy station to find unless you knew where it was, within
the huge Business and Industrial estate which surrounded it. In
itself a rather remote place. Trains using the branch could also have
joined the cross-London freight line at Brent Sidings or was it
Silkstone Junction?

Certainly the station survived until well into the 1970's, though the
single track had been lifted by then. During the early 1970's quite a
few buildings left over from the Empire Exhibition still survived and
were used by such companies as Firestone Tyres & Columbus Dixon floor
polishers. British Communications (Racal) had a factory and offices
right at the end of Fourth Way and thier site backed directly onto the
tracks from Marylebone to Wembley Hill. The Palace of Engineering and
those little decorative lakes behind the Empire Pool were still there
in 1974 and parts of the huge old scenic railway, much of it left in
bits could still be found in places.

Nigel

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"Nigel " wrote in message
...

The Palace of Engineering and those little
decorative lakes behind the Empire Pool
were still there in 1974

The Palace of Engineering is still there now!

--
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

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"John Rowland" wrote...
"Nigel " wrote in message
...

The Palace of Engineering and those little
decorative lakes behind the Empire Pool
were still there in 1974

The Palace of Engineering is still there now!


One of the extras on the "Doctor Who: Dalek Invasion of Earth" DVD is a
documentary about the locations used in filming. The usual then-and-now
stuff, including the Empire Exhibition site at Wembley. It also features
the old White City station. Might be worth a look if you like that sort of
thing.

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
"Nigel " wrote in message
...

The Palace of Engineering and those little
decorative lakes behind the Empire Pool
were still there in 1974

The Palace of Engineering is still there now!

--
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



The Palace of Engineering was a rug warehouse of the expensive kind when we
visited it. We still have the (very high quality) chinese rugs we bought.
Can't remember exactly when without consulting the oracle, but it was
probably 8 years ago. If I'd known beforehand exactly where we we were
visiting I would have taken my camera!

Peter Corser

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"Peter Corser" wrote in message
...
"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
The Palace of Engineering is still there now!
John Rowland - Spamtrapped

The Palace of Engineering was a rug warehouse of the expensive kind when
we
visited it. We still have the (very high quality) chinese rugs we bought.
Can't remember exactly when without consulting the oracle, but it was
probably 8 years ago. If I'd known beforehand exactly where we we were
visiting I would have taken my camera!
Peter Corser

The rug people were called Eastern Khayam but their business folded (sorry
!!) some years ago, there were about five enormous areas filled to the
gunwales with piles (sorry !!) of rugs worth up to £24,000 each. It is
strange that there are/have been quite a lot of rug importers & wholesalers
on that estate. I have a very brief (3 secs) video clip of the Never-Stop
Railway which was on the site during the Empire Exhibition. In original
(avi) form it is 1.75Mb, in mpg form it is 585Kb and as a very poor quality
wmv clip its only 26 Kb - if any body wants a copy let me know.
Cheerz,
Baz

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"Marratxi" wrote in message
...

It is strange that there are/have been quite a lot
of rug importers & wholesalers on that estate.

I noticed that and wondered about it on the day I was there.

I also noticed the "Middlesex Meat Company" - I would have thought meat
products should always bear a brandname which suggests they are less than 40
years old.

I have a very brief (3 secs) video clip of the
Never-Stop Railway which was on the site
during the Empire Exhibition.

I would love a copy. Please send me the avi and the mpeg. Thanks.

--
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

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"John Rowland" wrote in message
...
"Marratxi" wrote in message
...
It is strange that there are/have been quite a lot
of rug importers & wholesalers on that estate.
I noticed that and wondered about it on the day I was there.
I also noticed the "Middlesex Meat Company" - I would have thought meat
products should always bear a brandname which suggests they are less than
40
years old.

I have a very brief (3 secs) video clip of the
Never-Stop Railway which was on the site
during the Empire Exhibition.

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.
Cheerz,
Baz

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

"Marratxi" wrote in message
...

I have a very brief (3 secs) video clip of the
Never-Stop Railway which was on the site
during the Empire Exhibition.

Clips sent as requested.

Thanks, that made my day! I'm sure the bevy of ladies must be models rather
than Josephine Public.

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.

Now moved to Londonderry, it would appear.

--
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

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

On Wed, 12 May 2004 00:56:49 +0100, "Marratxi"
wrote:


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.
Cheerz,
Baz

The entire site of the Empire Exhibition, was once quite interesting.
With the sands-of-time passing and the redevelopment of the Stadium
the entire area has undergone major development and has seem many
changes over the years.

The site was once an 18-hole Golf Course before becoming the grounds
for the Empire Exhibition.

The Empire Stadium, as it was originally known, was built by
architects Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayerton, and the engineer Sir
Owen Williams. It took just 300 days to complete at a cost of 750,000,
and was built from 25,000 tons of ferro concrete, 1000 tons of steel,
and over half a million rivets.

The Empire Exhibition was a remarkable event, with fountains, lakes,
gardens and many pavilions, each representing the architectural style
of the countries exhibiting. It was opened by King George V on 23rd
April 1924, and was an immediate success. It even re-opened between
May and October the following year which lifted the final attendance
to 27,102,498. There were 4,500,000 admissions to the Empire Stadium
alone.

The 'Flying Scotsman' locomotive was exhibited there.

Many odd bits of the exhibition centre and grounds did hang around for
a long time after 1927.

The Empire Pool has seen hundreds of uses over the years, though its
initial construction was as an Olympic swimming and diving pool.
Better known as an ice stadium. There is a huge cavernous vault
underneath the building, that housed amonia tanks etc, for the ice
rink. Behind the Empire Pool were once three lakes, these weren't
filled-in until the early 70's. and were crosed by several little
arched bridges. I believe the elevated endless railway ran close-by
to these lakes.

Can anyone remember that enormous ski-jump that was erected inside
Wembley Statium on the early 1960's?

Associated Redifusion moved into studios there sometime in the late
50's early 60's.

One of the buildings/palaces just off Olympic Way, was once used by
Firestone Tyres and was a dreadful mess and eyesore in 1972.

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.

Right at the end of Fouth Way, which was once a very quiet part of the
estate, was British Communications (Racal) and between Fourth Way and
what is now the Stadium Business centre was 'Dancers Hall' used as a
paint and sprayshop by BCC.

The railway station now named Wembley Statium, was formerly called,
Wembley Complex and before that Wembley Hill. This was an almost
rural and very little used station in the 1960's, it hardly saw any
passenger traffic at all except when the Stadium was being used for a
major event. I remember it something rather like a 'timewarp' with its
little dimly lit ticket office fronting onto Wembley Hill Road. The
huge tower block hotel next door to this station was named the Esso
Hotel when initially built.

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?

Two structures always dominated the Wembley skyline. The GEC Tower at
North Wembley and the twin towers of the Stadium, both have now
disappeared for ever.

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

Nigel

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

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

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.

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

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

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".

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

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

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

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

Abandoned railway loop in Wembley
 

In message , John Rowland
writes

I just stumbled on this wonderful image...
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/MOL...xhibits/1920s/

And as a rather late contribution to this thread, I have just placed a
scan of a detailed plan of the Wembley site (including the loop) from
Bartholomew's 1925 Handy Reference Atlas of London on the WWW at

http://www.musonix.demon.co.uk/test/Wembley.JPG

This is quite large (400K) but shows how the site was laid out for the
1924 exhibition. An even more detailed plan of the main area is
available in the PDF at:

http://tinyurl.com/3c9tu

--
Paul Terry