Fenchurch Street to Stratford

[the Rat]

I was wondering whether it is possible to travel from Fenchurch Street to Stratford (and beyond) on a direct service, using the connection between Gas Factory Junction and Bow Junction? I assume the line is only used for freight / ECS, if at all.

 

[Zomboid]

Pretty sure I've done it on a diversion, but that would have been several years ago.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Vary rarely is it used for passenger services on diversion. It was becoming increasingly frequently used before COVID (having had no passenger service at all for decades) , but I don't recall any passenger trains going that way since then.

 

[NSEWonderer]

-redacted-

 

[Harpo]

There have been weekend diversions post-Covid but much less frequent than in the past.

There’s no LTS freight between Barking and Fenchurch Street other than RHTT. Upton Park goods depot was the final flow on that section with traffic arriving from the Barking direction.

 

[alholmes]

There were a few Sundays last year when it was used for regular service during engineering works. And very occasionally will get used for short-notice diversions to get around obstructions / signal failures in West Ham area, but these are very rare, and very short notice.

 

[the Rat]

Interesting, many thanks!

 

[swan12]

I have been on diversions in both directions along the line, to pass blockages between Gas Factory and Barking.

There have also been a few 'Last of class' specials. Where a special service has run over all the lines served by the LTS/C2C fleet, including through depots and the train wash. The slam door fleet and the blue livered 357's come to mind.

 

[Harpo]

Not a service train, but UK Rail will use the route on 28 June on its ‘Baker’s Dozen - Revisited’ railtour, one of many visits by a 4TC.

 

[peter.owen]

According to this timetable there are scheduled trains between Shoeburyness and Liverpool Street at weekends.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

According to this timetable there are scheduled trains between Shoeburyness and Liverpool Street at weekends.

That's a different line though; the question is about the Bow Road Curve that takes the diverted trains back into Fenchurch Street... i.e. Barking - Stratford - Fenchurch Street.

 

[peter.owen]

Sorry. I misread the original question.

 

[Horizon22]

One reason it’s less common - even on weekends - is the more intensive Elizabeth line service which no doubt causes issues trying to timetable it in. Of course the late evening services to Liverpool St run but it’s not a high frequency.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

I was wondering whether it is possible to travel from Fenchurch Street to Stratford (and beyond) on a direct service, using the connection between Gas Factory Junction and Bow Junction?

I'm guessing this may be a track bash question perhaps(?), and if so I can not comment on the here and now situation, but that area holds many fond memories for me, including my former railway career, and so just wanted to point out the journals of the 'London Railway Record' which include much detail about the route should you be interested in the wider history thereof.

 

[dk1]

Ive often thought about taking a spin on a diversion over the years when I’ve had a decent PNB at Liverpool St but have always bottled out incase something goes wrong.

 

[cle]

If Liverpool St has been closed, has this ever taken up trains to eg Norwich and Ipswich?

 

[dk1]

If Liverpool St has been closed, has this ever taken up trains to eg Norwich and Ipswich?

Never as far as I know. Definitely not in the last 50 years.

 

[Zomboid]

Fenchurch Street only has the 4 platforms, doubt there'd be space for anything off the GE.

 

[Chiltern006]

Would be worth checking Passenger Services over Unusual Lines (PSUL). Lists the engineering works in advance and was able to do the line in December 2023

 

[boiledbeans2]

Checking my records, I attempted this route on 10th July 2022.
I did Fenchurch Street - Stratford - Barking.
It's likely Liverpool Street GEML platforms were closed on that day.

Interestingly, trains were also doing the regular Fenchurch Street - West Ham - Barking route on the same day.
The diversion took an extra 20 mins compared to the regular route IIRC, so was effectively an enthusiast train.

 

[Harpo]

If Liverpool St has been closed, has this ever taken up trains to eg Norwich and Ipswich?

Roughly - For most of it’s life until 1948 Fenchurch Street was a GE station and serving Epping, Ongar, Ilford & (earlier) North Woolwich. It got electrified in the aborted LNER scheme to run a Stratford shuttle. Only under BR did Fenchurch St. become ‘LTS’ only.

When the 1953 east coast floods closed the LTS east of Benfleet peak specials ran from Southend Victoria via the GE to Fenchurch St., mostly steam but latterly some EMUs (Shenfield sets) also. So far as I know for F. St., the only post 1948 GE service, the only use of of tender locos into F. St. and only public service EMUs there before LTS electrification in 61/62.

For completeness, Shenfield sets did odd ECS wire cleaning runs to F St. via Bow until LTS electification.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Ive often thought about taking a spin on a diversion over the years when I’ve had a decent PNB at Liverpool St but have always bottled out incase something goes wrong.

That makes me laugh. That's the sort of thing I would have tried in my time on the job, only to find that on the day I chose to do it, the S.H.ONE.T would hit the fan....

If Liverpool St has been closed, has this ever taken up trains to eg Norwich and Ipswich?

No, as others have said. It's not only about pathways or platform availability (at Fen St), but also about safety. With so few potential paths and plats available, as soon as a through service (to London) is advertised, the world and his wife who would normally travel to Liv St, from Norwich inwards, will try to board what would be a very limited service to Fen St and cause mass overcrowding and potentially a very dangerous pubic order situation. Hence such things in all TOC areas, will be avoided, where there isn't sufficient capacity.
I've had personal experience of trying to deal with crowd control issues at certain stations, when the location was completely overwhelmed, and it can be bloody frightening for those on duty, and potentially very dangerous for members of the public, who seldom understand the risks involved.

 

[All platforms]

I have done the line between Gas Factory Junction and Bow Junction both into and out of Fenchurch Street, but as has been said elsewhere this is a bit of track not normally timetabled.

It was on Sunday 10/12/2023 and i used the line both ways with Greater Anglia on an engineering day .

 

[D.K.TAYLOR]

That's a different line though; the question is about the Bow Road Curve that takes the diverted trains back into Fenchurch Street... i.e. Barking - Stratford - Fenchurch Street.

They do use the bow curve l did it before Christmas last year rarely used .
When l did it we had a points failure stopped at the old Bow Station had to reverse back to Stratford next 2 diagrammes cancelled.
Finally did it after 3 hours later came back out of Fenchurch Street back to Stratford at 16-15

 

[Fenchurch SP]

I have done the line between Gas Factory Junction and Bow Junction both into and out of Fenchurch Street, but as has been said elsewhere this is a bit of track not normally timetabled.

It was on Sunday 10/12/2023 and i used the line both ways with Greater Anglia on an engineering day .

Greater Anglia went into Fenchurch Street?
I unintentionally did the line around the same time on a Sunday whe I was travelling to Barking and decided to change from the District line at Tower Hill to c2c without noticing the trains were diverted via Stratford so I wasted about 30 mins compared to staying on the District.

 

[Alfie1014]

If Liverpool St has been closed, has this ever taken up trains to eg Norwich and Ipswich?

Not quite the same but after devastating East Coast floods in 1953 when much of the LTS route was closed a shuttle service using 306s was run between Stratford and Fenchurch Street using the bay platform at Stratford (4)? which was originally intended for a regular shuttle to Fen St

 

[All platforms]

Greater Anglia went into Fenchurch Street?
I unintentionally did the line around the same time on a Sunday whe I was travelling to Barking and decided to change from the District line at Tower Hill to c2c without noticing the trains were diverted via Stratford so I wasted about 30 mins compared to staying on the District.

I have doubled checked my source records and of course it was C2C that did the moves that day. Managed to copy the wrong TOC onto my online stuff. Apologies.

 

[Harpo]

using the bay platform at Stratford (4)? which was originally intended for a regular shuttle to Fen St

The Fenchurch St bay at Stratford became the DLR’s original Stratford terminus and finally got regular trains.

DLR also used the formation of the ‘Fenchurch Street single line’ that ran beside the up E line from the west end of Stratford station through to Bow Jn and my first trip on a diversion (302 days) trundled up it. It also got occasional use holding standby EMUs and originally had an unwired intermediate crossover.