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Stratford-North Woolwich Branch Questions

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221101 Voyager

221101 Voyager

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Hi, don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but I wonder if anyone had any details about or any photographs of the stations between Stratford Low-Level to North Woolwich stations?

This is because first of all I'm interested in it's history as I've never seen it as I was only 6 years old when the line shut and also I'm asking because I'm planning to recreate the route in Train Simulator 2021.

If you have any photos I'd love to see them and any interesting stories about anything on the line will be nice too!

Also, If you don't have any photos but know anywhere I can find photos online to help me potentially build the route in the simulator that would be great also.

I'm specifically talking in the Silverlink era for any photos but stories from other eras are welcome too!

Thanks in advance! :D ;)
 
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Ianno87

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Video 125 do a cab ride DVD/Download - filmed not long before closure: https://www.video125.com/products/north-london-line

Richmond to North Woolwich

The North London Line was unique in being the only Network Rail route to be consistently featured on the London Underground map. 2006 was the last year of operation into North Woolwich by the class 313 EMUs. To record this for posterity,the train operator at the time, Silverlink Trains, allowed Video 125 cameras unrestricted access to train cab and stations along the route.

We start our journey in South West London at Richmond, where North London Line trains run interspersed with those of the LUL District line as far as Gunnersbury. Here we branch off towards South Acton for the North London Line proper. At Acton Central we see the raising of our pantograph and the switch from third rail to overhead current collection.

The route was electrified at 25KV overhead to allow vital freight movements around the capital. One of the most unusual stations is that at Willesden Junction, the platforms being positioned above the West Coast Main Line and the affiliated “DC lines” from Euston to Watford.

North London stations such as Hampstead, Camden Town and Hackney come and go in quick succession before we arrive at the modern Stratford (low level) station where 2 of the 4 hourly trains used to terminate. We continue on the section alongside the Jubilee line and Docklands Light Railway to Canning Town – a 2 mile section of line now converted to DLR operation. At Custom House we travel over a section of line that has been lost to rail altogether, from Custom House to North Woolwich.

The history of the route is complex but totally fascinating, details of which are related en route by Rob Curling.
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221101 Voyager

221101 Voyager

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Ianno87 said:
Video 125 do a cab ride DVD/Download - filmed not long before closure: https://www.video125.com/products/north-london-line
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Oh yes, I have that it's great to watch, I've watched it twice.

I've made a start on building North Woolwich and Silvertown, but require photographs of details of the stations themselves things such as signage, information boards and so on. These little details will really give the stations a proper authentic look and feel.

swt_passenger said:
The “Disused stations” website has info on the line, this link is to North Woolwich, but includes links to other intermediate stations, such as Silvertown:

Click to expand...
I've used some these shots before but some of them aren't much good for smaller details as the resolution isn't great, but some have helped a lot though.
 
pdeaves

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I have some pictures of Silvertown (in the background) and the adjacent tramway on Flickr:
www.flickr.com

Silvertown dereliction

The former Silvertown tramway still present. Silvertown station in the background
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
www.flickr.com

Silvertown dereliction

The former Silvertown tramway still present
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
www.flickr.com

Silvertown dereliction

Level crossing over the former Silvertown tramway still present
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
 
221101 Voyager

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John Webb

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Several sources available. First try https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TQ4379 - this contains a number of photographs of North Woolwich station and its surroundings. The line can be followed to Stratford from grid square to grid square, with photos over a number of years.
Secondly the Middleton Press book "Branch Lines around North Woolwich" (by J E Connor, published 2001, ISBN 1 901706 65 6) contains maps and photos of all the stations over many years together with much useful information.
If modelling the line before 1970 then you need to include the connections to the PLA (Port of London Authority) railway system which closed down in 1970. A good book on the dock railways is "London's Dock Railways Part 2 - The Royal Docks, North Woolwich and Silvertown" by Dave Marden (Kestrel Railway Books, 2013).
Another source is "Return to North Woolwich" compiled by the Great Eastern Society (another source of information?) and published by them with the Passmore Edwards Museum Trust in 1987 (ISBN 0 0906123 09 7).

I knew the line quite well - in the late 1950s I was allowed as a young teenager to cross over from the south part of Woolwich (where I lived) on the old steam-powered ferry paddle boats and catch a train to Stratford to spot trains on the main line from Liverpool Street to East Anglia. The N Woolwich line at that time still had steam-drawn passenger trains, often with "Quad-Art" coach sets, before being replaced by DMUs in the early 1960s. I used the line regularly 1967-69 to get via Stratford to Ilford for my first-ever job. Regret that I only took a limited number of photos on the line as I saved film for the main-line trains! There are a few mid-1960s pictures of mine on the Geograph website.
 
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EnriqueEspaña

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Incase the OP finds it useful this route has already been recreated in train simulator to a good degree of quality. It can be found on backdatedtrainsim.com
 
221101 Voyager

221101 Voyager

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EnriqueEspaña said:
Incase the OP finds it useful this route has already been recreated in train simulator to a good degree of quality. It can be found on backdatedtrainsim.com
Click to expand...
Yes, I am aware of that route, but that is set in the mid-80's, whereas I'm setting mine in the mid-2000s instead and I plan to recreate it as realistically as I possibly can. I thought it would be good as I know of no other route that is specifically set in the Silverlink era, so thought I'd set mine in that era to put my Silverlink trains to some good use. :)

I'm actually using the Backdated Trainsim North London line as a base and are making several major changes to bring it into the 2000's, once I've completed it (which won't be for at least another 12 months I imagine as I have a tonne of work to do yet), I shall approach backdated trainsim and see what they think. If they like it, maybe they could host it along side their 1980's variant to offer players more choice perhaps.
 
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eastwestdivide

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John Webb said:
Sounds interesting, but on trying to access this gallery I am told that "You do not have permission to view". Do I have to sign up to RMweb to gain access?
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Sorry. The rest of RMWeb is viewable by non-members, so I thought the gallery would be too. It's free to join.
Like you, I used to occasionally use it as a route to a day's spotting at Stratford from home in Kent. But via the foot tunnel rather than the ferry, and in the early 80s.
 
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