Camden Bank — Up Empty Stock Tunnel

[Dr_Paul]

Years back, when travelling from Willesden Junction through to Camden Road via Primrose Hill (I think it was when the NLL wasn't working), I noticed a rusty single line on the north side of the line just after leaving the tunnel from South Hampstead, which went down into a tunnel. I later discovered that this was the Up Empty Stock Tunnel which ended up on the western side of the lines into Euston. I presume that it must have gone under the Regents Canal as well as under all the tracks on Camden Bank. The track has since been removed.

Does anyone here know anything of the history of this line, when it came into use and when it was abandoned?

 

[dggar]

If you can find an out of print book:-"The Great British Railway Station EUSTON", Irwell Press ISBN 1-871608-28-7 you can find some information there.

 

[swt_passenger]

There’s a diagram of the before and after track layout at the bottom of this post from 2011:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/euston-downside-carriage-maintenance-depot.45798/#post-679609
That post includes a description of how it all worked. Can’t help with the dates, but “up empty carriage line” seems to be the more accurate name, which might help with any searches.

 

[Ianno87]

I believe it suffers from quite bad flooding.

 

[Bald Rick]

The rathole. Wet, cramped, suffered terrible track creep. Drivers didn’t like it down there, and pway even less!

I think last use was around 1990/91, but the junctions to it weren’t removed officially until the remodelling in 1999/2000. (By me, and many others).

 

[edwin_m]

There’s a diagram of the before and after track layout at the bottom of this post from 2011:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/euston-downside-carriage-maintenance-depot.45798/#post-679609
That post includes a description of how it all worked. Can’t help with the dates, but “up empty carriage line” seems to be the more accurate name, which might help with any searches.

Thanks for that. Someone explained it to me once but I've forgotten the details. This has allowed me to find the north portal here: https://binged.it/2QLMNK0
The south portal is here, to the left of the signal gantry or OLE support that's heavier than all the others (I think, it's all pretty overgrown): https://binged.it/2A7zf6h
You can see the ramp down to the south portal from the left-hand side of a train leaving a low-numbered platform at Euston, heading for the fast lines.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Thanks for all the information about the 'Rat Hole' above and via the link, and fascinating to hear from someone who actually worked in it.

Having been told its official title, I did a search and there are quite a few photographs taken by people who have unofficially explored it and the nearby horse tunnels in the Camden Town catacombs. I've attached one of their photographs, taken when it still had track in it; it looks very narrow and must have had very little clearance.

 

[XDM]

I have been taken through it & it was bone dry.
There is a ladder shaft running up to a small brick flat roofed building south of Primrose hill station & adjacent to the most easterly up line.
It allowed daylight to penetrate the gloom.

The building was still there this morning when I took London Midland Euston to Watford!

Our guide told us that BR had spent a lot of 1960's money widening the cut & cover tunnel for the ac wires.

It should have been kept.
Our civil engineer guide said it could have been used as a flyunder for up slow Euston bound trains leaving primrose hill tunnel to continue without stopping while a container train crossed above from the North London line to the down slow at the entrance to primrose hill tunnel.

That seems very feasible, the up slow train would emerge on the west side of the layout at Park Street tunnels, but if needed could continue to the east side of Euston via the diveunder just outside the station.
An intricate journey from west to east & back to east side without getting in any other train's way.

 

[a good off]

I have been taken through it & it was bone dry.
There is a ladder shaft running up to a small brick flat roofed building south of Primrose hill station & adjacent to the most easterly up line.
It allowed daylight to penetrate the gloom.

The building was still there this morning when I took London Midland Euston to Watford!

Our guide told us that BR had spent a lot of 1960's money widening the cut & cover tunnel for the ac wires.

It should have been kept.
Our civil engineer guide said it could have been used as a flyunder for up slow Euston bound trains leaving primrose hill tunnel to continue without stopping while a container train crossed above from the North London line to the down slow at the entrance to primrose hill tunnel.

That seems very feasible, the up slow train would emerge on the west side of the layout at Park Street tunnels, but if needed could continue to the east side of Euston via the diveunder just outside the station.
An intricate journey from west to east & back to east side without getting in any other train's way.

I wouldn’t fancy evacuating a train down there! Far from passenger standard.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

The rathole. Wet, cramped, suffered terrible track creep. Drivers didn’t like it down there, and pway even less!

I think last use was around 1990/91, but the junctions to it weren’t removed officially until the remodelling in 1999/2000. (By me, and many others).

The only site where bicycle clips were mandatory PPE (Former Watford ACE Relayer).

 

[Beebman]

I travelled through it on this railtour in 1982: https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/820904wi.htm

It used a pair of Longsight-based Class 303s which were permitted through the tunnel in passenger service as they were sliding door EMUs.

 

[Elecman]

The only site where bicycle clips were mandatory PPE (Former Watford ACE Relayer).

I know @ few others on LNW

 

[Bald Rick]

The only site where bicycle clips were mandatory PPE (Former Watford ACE Relayer).

True!