Drayton Park depot

Couldn't find anything of substance on this recently. What's the deal with Drayton Park depot?

Most of the unused land is just idle. The depot building is still there, for what purpose unknown. Clearly this land is of interest to Network Rail or it would likely have been filled in and the developments next to Arsenal stadium extended over it; maybe even on top of Drayton Park station to make it subsurface.

It seems sad that it's just left to weed over, looking highly unattractive as you pass through the station. Even a couple of stabling sidings for Moorgate stock would improve the area (if they could be appropriately secured), though nothing like that is clearly needed or it would have been done.

I'm amazed that it's still there; I thought it would have been sold off and redeveloped years ago. I was on the Ffestiniog Railway volunteer team over 40 years back that lifted all the rails in the depot and loaded them onto a bogie bolster wagon which eventually made its way up to Wales.

SteveOfTheStow said:

Couldn't find anything of substance on this recently. What's the deal with Drayton Park depot?

Most of the unused land is just idle. The depot building is still there, for what purpose unknown. Clearly this land is of interest to Network Rail or it would likely have been filled in and the developments next to Arsenal stadium extended over it; maybe even on top of Drayton Park station to make it subsurface.

It seems sad that it's just left to weed over, looking highly unattractive as you pass through the station. Even a couple of stabling sidings for Moorgate stock would improve the area (if they could be appropriately secured), though nothing like that is clearly needed or it would have been done.

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The surviving building is a substation, which remains in operational use.

No doubt one day someone will devise a scheme to use the area, quite possibly raising the level up to that of the surrounding streets.

I suspect that the reason that this hasn't happened already is that it would be a substantially expensive and difficult operation.

How would significant amounts materials get onto the site? The cutting is quite deep.

There does appear to be some kind of access (a lift?) at the end of the Bryantwood road on the corner of the cutting, but hardly sufficient to get plant down. Assuming a tower crane was erected in the cutting, there's nowhere obvious on the local residential streets to operate a lorry unloading area, nor site welfare facilities - unless these were craned into the cutting as well. The options would either be Bryantwood road - built over the tunnel and on the cutting edge - so likely with severe weight limit constraints - or Drayon Park - with a live railway line between it and the site.

Also possible would be Queenland Road, another residential street, possibly on top to the Emirates podium. Not a lot of room to manoeuvre there, either, and it appears to provide access a service area under the stadium. The existing building we assume to be the substation is immediately in the way.

If this were ever going to happen, it would have been during the emirates development when adjacent land was free for access. It didn't.

A simple, relatively cheap option, would be to build a multi storey car park either for passengers or users of the Emirates. Cars could enter at the top and go down rather than the traditional up. Given the odd shape this would be little issue for a car park. And simple cladding could hide it's actual purpose from the passing trains.

Lee_Again said:

A simple, relatively cheap option, would be to build a multi storey car park either for passengers or users of the Emirates. Cars could enter at the top and go down rather than the traditional up. Given the odd shape this would be little issue for a car park. And simple cladding could hide it's actual purpose from the passing trains.

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I think getting rid of cars rather than encouraging them into central london is the main idea

Lee_Again said:

A simple, relatively cheap option, would be to build a multi storey car park [...]

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It would never get planning permission, as it's contrary to the local authority's development plan.

Used to live round there, and often wondered about it. Given the price of housing in Islington, you'd imagine it would have been developed, if it weren't an expensive, logistical nightmare to do it