Epping Ongar Railway

 



  1. Epping Ongar Railway News
  2. Epping Ongar Railway Map
  3. Epping Ongar Railway Events
  4. Epping Ongar Railway Christmas
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About

Epping Ongar Heritage Railway winds its way through some of Essex's finest countryside, tackling steep gradients as it goes. Each of our stations and stops is unique, and serve great rural locations. What's more, you can enjoy it all from your seat aboard your train, experiencing what it would have been like for passengers to travel on the line all those years ago...

  1. We love illuminations, and we double love trains, so we're thrilled about a new event coming to the Epping Ongar Railway this Christmas. Epping Ongar Light Fantastic is a chance to ride a special.
  2. History of the Epping and Ongar Railway The Great Eastern Railway built the branch from Loughton Junction to Ongar and it opened in 1865. Before World War II, plans existed for London Transport to take over the branch as an extension to the Central Line from the terminus at Liverpool Street.

It may be the end of our line, but could be the start of your journey. For those coming in via London Underground, we operate vintage buses from right outside Epping Station, which whisk you away to pick up the train at one of our beautifully restored stations.

Epping Ongar Railway, Chipping Ongar. 21,256 likes 413 talking about this 17,027 were here. Closest heritage railway to London and the longest in Essex, running steam and diesel engines between. Epping Ongar Railway has an affinity with electric multiple unit (EMU) preservation, as the branch used LT's electric stock from 1957 until 1994. There was talk of the line being electrified by the LNER with overhead electrification before the Second World War intervened. Epping Ongar Heritage Railway winds its way through some of Essex's finest countryside, tackling steep gradients as it goes. Each of our stations and stops is unique, and serve great rural locations.

Meanwhile, with just 100 metres between the end of our running line and the end of the Central Line, our trains terminate in nearby rich woodland, which boasts a diverse selection of wildlife. An extension project is realistic and achievable, and the EOR is keen to work with other stakeholders to enable a new platform to be built to the immediate north-east of the existing station, and to be a viable and attractive interchange both for visitors and local people to use our services.

The return train journey travels through the woodland, and passes wide open fields and the village of Coopersale. It also runs beneath the M11 Motorway; when built in 1973, it only allowed clearance for the Tube trains which operated the branch. When heritage operations wanted to commence, the track needed to be lowered by three feet to accommodate the change in rolling stock.

This 'shuttle' journey is usually operated by one of our heritage Multiple Units, but during the summer months you can enjoy a steam-hauled trip into the forest. See our timetables for more information.

Epping Ongar Railway

North Weald is the main operating hub of our railway and where our workshops and motive power depot are based. Once in a state of disrepair, our volunteers have worked hard to restore the station to 1940s LNER condition, complete with period lamps, footbridge and signage. The original 1888 signal box and lever frame, located on Platform 1, has also been attended to and restored.

Break your journey here and enjoy a light bite in the “Anglia Buffet” coach, or browse the well-stocked gift shop and find that perfect souvenir of your visit.

Alternately, jump aboard one of our many vintage buses and travel out to Epping, Ongar or Shenfield in vintage style and comfort.

Join the public footpath and take a stroll through the beautiful Essex countryside

Nearby North Weald Bassett is small village, with local amenities and pubs serving a wide range of fine food and drink. The Airfield Museum is located a short walk away, and also hosts a weekly Saturday car boot market - one of the largest in the country.

At the opposite end of the line is our award-winning and Grade II listed Great Eastern Railway station, believed to be the only original operating station to retain GER colours. During restoration, the colours were painstakingly researched and scientifically measured to ensure an exact match was produced. LU features have been removed, exposing the original architectural features, and modern fittings have been suitably designed and sourced so as to blend in to the 1880s atmosphere as seamlessly as possible.

Inside the building is situated the “Buffer Stop” buffet, which offers a selection of hot and cold drinks and confectionaries to enjoy between trains. There is also a small gift shop you can peruse, which offers a selection of books, toys, model railways and more!

At the other end of the platform is an original GER signal box, which was previously sited at Spellbrook. This houses the original Ongar lever frame, which is back doing it's intend work of controlling train movements into, out of and around the station.

Meanwhile, Chipping Ongar itself is a historic market town, with good selection of shops, pubs, restaurants and historic buildings; the high street still contains many small independent shops.

Also nearby is the ‘Essex Way’ footpath, which covers 82 miles between Harwich and Epping. Along its route, it passes through vast woodland, fields and picturesque historic villages.

Did you know - all distances on the Central Line are still measured from Ongar? There's a LU distance marker mounted by the buffer stops showing the starting distance of 0.0km.

We also run frequent vintage buses on all operating days. These connect Epping Underground and Shenfield Main Line Stations to our own Ongar and North Weald.

Route 339 is the primary route, operating majoritarily between Epping and North Weald via the B181 (Epping Road), with some services running on to Ongar via Blake Hall Gardens and Zinc Arts Centre, before terminating outside 'The Two Brewers' pub.

In addition to this, we have also started running services on to Shenfield Station, making getting to our railway even easier for visitors travelling long distances. This route passes Brentwood High Street, and passengers can board and alight from all bus stops along the way.

During the summer months we run route 381, which also connects North Weald and Epping, travelling out via Blake Hall and Toot Hill. Check our timetables and leaflet for information on when this service is operating.

Ongar

The buses can also be used by non-railway visitors for a single fare; check with the conductor for the cost of this, which is dependant on your destination.

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Epping Ongar Railway
LocaleEssex
Commercial operations
Original gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 81⁄2 in) (Standard gauge)
Preserved operations
Owned byEpping Ongar Railway Ltd.
Length10 km (6.2 mi) Single track throughout except a passing loop in North Weald
Preserved gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 81⁄2 in) (Standard gauge)
Commercial history
Opened1865
Closed1994
Preservation history
2004Re-opened

The Epping Ongar Railway is a preserved railway. It runs along the last section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London UndergroundCentral linebranch line. The line runs between Epping and Ongar. There is also an intermediate stop at North Weald. The line was reopened in late 2004 after 10 years of being closed. It runs a Sunday and Bank Holiday service using a Class 117diesel multiple unit. The service runs between Ongar and Coopersale. The service is provided by volunteers who take care for the line as well as run the trains. The land and infrastructure are owned by Epping Ongar Railway Ltd.

Changping train station

Early workings[change | change source]

The Epping to Ongar branch, which travelled though the Essex countryside, was one of the London Underground's more rural routes.

The branch line to Ongar was built in 1865 by the Eastern Counties/Great Eastern Railway. The eastern section of the line, between Epping and Ongar, was single track. There was one passing loop at North Weald station. Around 14 trains went as far as Ongar station each day. The rest finished at Epping or Loughton.[1]

The trains continued to finish at Epping or Loughton until 1949.[2] At this time the London Passenger Transport Board's New Works project extended the Central line to Epping using electric trains. The Central Line would take over the railway from British Rail. As part of this change, the Epping-Ongar branch line had its through trains to London removed. Instead, a shuttle service between Epping (to connect with trains to London) and Ongar was used. At one stage, it was possible to see the unusual sight of steam trains and London Underground electric multiple units side-by-side at Epping.[3] The steam shuttle was hired by the London Transport Executive from British Rail. This was because it was felt that the cost of electrifying the line to Ongar could not be justified because of the low passenger numbers on this part of the branch.

In the 1950s, there were attempts to improve the service on the branch line. Over time, permission was given to electrify the line in 1957.[3] However, because the electrification did not cost much, the branch was only able to have special two- or three-car trains running on it. This was because the power supply was not strong enough to support trains that had more cars.[4] Another problem was that the stations on the line had short platforms. This would mean that the normal 8-car trains would not be able to stop at them. Because of this, the Epping-Ongar branch line was normally operated separately from the rest of the Central Line. However, for two days each year, trains did run through from London. These trains would terminate at North Weald for the airshow on the Saturday and Sunday of its opening. The normal Epping-Ongar service would get around this extra service by passing the train on the other line at North Weald station whilst it headed towards Epping. The train from London was run as an extra train on the normal Central Line timetable. However, this extra train was only four carriages long instead of the normal eight.

Epping Ongar Railway News

Cutbacks and closure[change | change source]

Epping Ongar Railway
Ongar
Blake Hall(closed 1981)
North Weald
M11 motorway
Coopersale Halt
Former LU (closed 1994)
Epping
Central line

During the late 1960s it became clear that the number of people using the line had not become as high as people thought that it would. Not a lot of new development was allowed because the land was now Green Belt land. The number of people using the line peaked in 1971, and it was still only 650 people every day. This meant that the line did not make very much money.[4] London Underground tried to close the whole line in 1980,[5] but they were not able to. Instead, fewer trains were run on the line and they also closed Blake Hall tube station on Sundays.

Blake Hall was permanently closed in 1981.[6] Before the station closed it only had six passengers a day.[7] The station building still survives as a private residence. However, the platform was removed, but recently (2015) partially reinstated to a very high standard.[6]

North Weald station's platform one was closed in 1976. The passing loop and westbound tracks were lifted in 1978.[8] Until this time, access to the two platforms was controlled from the original Eastern Counties Railway signal box. This signal box is still on the southbound platform. North Weald was the last section of the London Underground network to be signalled using semaphore signals.

The line was making a loss of seven pounds for each passenger journey. It was also in need of some expensive maintenance work.[4][9] On 30 September 1994, the line was closed to the public, with one months notice. From this time on, the Central Line terminated at Epping station. When the line closed it was carrying just 80 passengers a day.[4] Local lore said that the line was being kept open in case the Cabinet needed to be evacuated to the nuclear bunker at Kelvedon Hatch.[1]

Ongar

Cravens Heritage Trains have preserved a three-car unit of 1960 stock. This was the train that ran the final London Underground service on the line.[10][11]

Epping Ongar Railway Map

Purchase and reopening[change | change source]

The line was bought by Pilot Developments in 1998.[12] Pilot Developments is now known as Epping Ongar Railway Ltd. The Ongar Railway Preservation Society also entered an offer to buy the line. Their offer was for £339,500. However, Pilot Developments matched the offer and got London Underground to accept it.[13]Martin Bell, an independentpolitician, said that this was 'the most controversial land deal in the constituency for years'. He said that there was a conflict of interest with local politicians.[12]

Epping Ongar Railway Events

The line reopened on Sunday 10 October 2004. It is being run by the Epping Ongar Railway Volunteer Society. An hourly service between Ongar and North Weald was operated. Shortly after opening the line was extended to Coopersale. However, it is currently not possible to get off the train there.[14]

Between 22 January and 9 April 2006 the line was closed for engineering works. The works included general station maintenance, rolling stock maintenance and track maintenance. Ongar station remained closed for engineering works and general maintenance and reopened on Sunday 28 May 2006 to passengers. At first though it was not possible to use the station buildings.[15]

At the end of 2007, the railway was sold to a new private owner. This was because planning permission for the Ongar residential development had been given. The new owner wants to bring steam locomotives back to the line.[14]

In early 2008, the line was closed to passenger trains. This was to allow the railway to be able to have major engineering works. The work will mean that steam locomotives will be able to run on the line again. To make this happen run-round loops and signalling, amongst other things, must be built.[14]

Heritage railway operations[change | change source]

Passenger services on the heritage line were operated throughout 2006 and 2007 by a Class 117 diesel multiple unit. This unit is currently being restored along with a class 205 DEMU. Class 37029 is in operation along with 03170. There are a selection of British rail Mk1 and Mk2 coaches on the line. The line also has some small diesel shunters; a Drewry shunter (works number 2566, current number D1995), named 'Heather' by the railway,[16] and two Ruston 88 shunters (RH 512572 is in service, RH 398616 is being used for spares and as a static display).[16] The line employs a Harsco tug unit ('Badger') for engineering work.[16] The EOR's fleet also includes a small works trolley, a Shark brake van, a Dogfish ballast hopper, and a box van for permanent way duties.[16]

At one point the line owned two trains of 1962 tube stock. Units 1616 and 1491 (formed as an eight-car train) were purchased in 1996, and unit 1744 was purchased in 1998. These units were taken away to be cut up for scrap in 1998 and 2003, respectively, after they were destroyed by vandals.[17]

Epping Ongar Railway Christmas

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.01.1J Graeme Bruce & Desmond F Croome (1996). The Central Line. Capital Transport. ISBN1-85414-297-6.
  2. ↑Institution of Civil Engineers (1987). Moving people in tomorrow's world. Thomas Telford. p. 42. ISBN0-7277-0391-9.
  3. ↑ 3.03.1Taylor, Sheila; Green, Oliver (2002). The Moving Metropolis: A History of London's Transport Since 1800. Lawrence King. p. 281. ISBN1-85669-241-8.
  4. ↑ 4.04.14.24.3Bowen, David (1995-07-09). 'There's life in the old track yet'. The Independent (London). Retrieved 2009-11-24.
  5. ↑'Blake Hall poster advertising proposed closure'. Abandoned Stations. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
  6. ↑ 6.06.1Catford, Nick. 'Subterranea Britannica: SB-Sites: Blake Hall Station'. Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  7. ↑'Epping to Ongar railway line, Essex'. urban75. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  8. ↑The Holden F5 Trust. 'The Railway to Epping & Ongar'. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  9. ↑Cravens Heritage Trains. 'Railways to Epping and Ongar'. Archived from the original on 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  10. ↑Cravens Heritage Trains. 'Cravens Heritage Trains: 1960 Train Stock'. Archived from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  11. ↑'Cravens Heritage Trains'. District Dave's London Underground Site. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  12. ↑ 12.012.1'Brentwood: Candidates in rail row'. Clacton and Frinton Gazette. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  13. ↑Lawhor, Anna (17 February 2004). 'Train line could be back on track'. Ongar Guardian. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  14. ↑ 14.014.114.2'Epping Ongar Railway – History'. Epping Ongar Railway. Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
  15. ↑'Epping Ongar Railway – News Archive'. Epping Ongar Railway. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  16. ↑ 16.016.116.216.3'Epping Ongar Railway – Carriage, Wagon & Locomotive Department'. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  17. ↑'1962 tube stock'. Squarewheels.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

Other websites[change | change source]

  • Media related to Epping Ongar Railway at Wikimedia Commons
  • 'Epping Ongar Railway – Official Website'. Epping Ongar Railway. Retrieved 2010-03-29. – More information can be found at the official site

Epping Ongar Railway

Coordinates: 51°42′40″N0°11′06″E / 51.71108°N 0.18505°E

Epping Ongar Railway

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