Poplar Dock Railways 60's/70's/80's

[BritishRail83]

I live near the modern DLR Depot in Poplar(used to be Harrow Lane Sidings) and I am interested in the Local recent history of the Poplar Dock Branch from Victoria Park Junction particularly when the BR class 03's were in charge in it's last 20 years. I am interested to know if anyone has any memories and/or pictures of the line and it's trains in these years? I have also been told that a class 105? DMU visited the Branch on a Railtour in 1981? Just before Final BR closure of the Line?

Many Thanks

 

[John Webb]

It may be worth looking at www.middletonpress.co.uk - I have one of their books on the line from Victoria Park to North Woolwich. It lists books on the North London Line and on Branches around East London. It's possible one of those may have the information you are after.

 

[QJ]

The railtour mentioned in the thread ran on 6th June 1981 and was named the East London No. 5 Railtour organised by the R.C.T.S. (London Branch).

Details and an interesting photograph of the tour on the branch can be found on the sixbellsjunction website. The photograph shows how far the train managed to get along the branch so should be of interest in working out where this was in relation to the DLR that now occupies the trackbed thereabouts.

The train also visited North Woolwich and then ran to Liverpool Street station bypassing Stratford station. A very enjoyable Sunday afternoon I almost missed trying to fit in the first open day shuttle from Crewe to the Crewe Electric Depot Staff Halt. Fortunately a relief train showed up when I got back to Crewe and I managed to get to Liverpool Street with a minute or two to spare. Not a clever move in hindsight given that the RCTS railtour was the last to visit the Poplar branch before it closed.

 

[Taunton]

Last I remember is driving up the Blackwall Tunnel approach one evening in what must be 1982/3 and seeing a Class 31 sat on the line at Bow, so main line locos used it to the end.

Bit further to the east, 1984, and a Class 47 one morning was at the scrapyard (for wagonload goods, not for locos!) at Silvertown, it must have gone through the tunnel under the Royal Docks and then reversed in there. By then the northern track through the tunnel was passenger to North Woolwich and the southern was occasional freight.

 

[BritishRail83]

It may be worth looking at www.middletonpress.co.uk - I have one of their books on the line from Victoria Park to North Woolwich. It lists books on the North London Line and on Branches around East London. It's possible one of those may have the information you are after.

thanks for that, i will order a copy at the end of the month!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The railtour mentioned in the thread ran on 6th June 1981 and was named the East London No. 5 Railtour organised by the R.C.T.S. (London Branch).

Details and an interesting photograph of the tour on the branch can be found on the sixbellsjunction website. The photograph shows how far the train managed to get along the branch so should be of interest in working out where this was in relation to the DLR that now occupies the trackbed thereabouts.

The train also visited North Woolwich and then ran to Liverpool Street station bypassing Stratford station. A very enjoyable Sunday afternoon I almost missed trying to fit in the first open day shuttle from Crewe to the Crewe Electric Depot Staff Halt. Fortunately a relief train showed up when I got back to Crewe and I managed to get to Liverpool Street with a minute or two to spare. Not a clever move in hindsight given that the RCTS railtour was the last to visit the Poplar branch before it closed.

thanks for sharing that. i went on that website and saw the photographs with the DMU about 50yds from my House!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Last I remember is driving up the Blackwall Tunnel approach one evening in what must be 1982/3 and seeing a Class 31 sat on the line at Bow, so main line locos used it to the end.

Bit further to the east, 1984, and a Class 47 one morning was at the scrapyard (for wagonload goods, not for locos!) at Silvertown, it must have gone through the tunnel under the Royal Docks and then reversed in there. By then the northern track through the tunnel was passenger to North Woolwich and the southern was occasional freight.

a class 31! i wish it was all still like that, they would make a nice change from all those DLR units!! I can vaguely remember as a child walking along silvertown way with my family and seeing railway wagons in a siding and the crossing near the church at sillvertown station.

 

[306024]

As a new kid in a Liverpool St Control I was allowed out one day for a ride on the freight down to Poplar Dock. Unusually a class 47 was allocated, which had difficulty gripping the track on the sharp curves in the dock. I was told it was to be the last working, but this was in 1980 so probably not.

Travel on the DLR from Stratford to Canary Wharf today and it is difficult to imagine Devons Road Depot and the old docks.

 

[BritishRail83]

As a new kid in a Liverpool St Control I was allowed out one day for a ride on the freight down to Poplar Dock. Unusually a class 47 was allocated, which had difficulty gripping the track on the sharp curves in the dock. I was told it was to be the last working, but this was in 1980 so probably not.

Travel on the DLR from Stratford to Canary Wharf today and it is difficult to imagine Devons Road Depot and the old docks.

Thanks, i bet that was good, i would have loved to have seen a duff down there!

 

[306024]

Memory can play tricks, but I recall the speedo getting up to 60mph with the wheels spinning, while in reality we were barely doing 2mph. The 47 was too powerful and not particularly suited for this working.