![Epping Ongar Railway Line Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Epping_Ongar_Railway_Line_Map.svg)
The Epping Ongar Railway is a
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
in south-west
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, run by a small number of paid staff and a team of volunteers. It was the final section of the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
branch line, later the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
's
Central line from
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
via
Epping Epping may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Epping railway station, Sydney
* Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
to
Ongar, with intermediate stations at
North Weald
North Weald Bassett or simply North Weald is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area.
A market is held every Saturday and Bank Holiday Mo ...
and
Blake Hall
Blake Hall is a country house and gardens in the village and civil parish of Bobbingworth, near Chipping Ongar, Essex.
The house incorporates an original fabric dating from the 17th century or older, but was largely rebuilt in the 18th century ...
. The line was closed by
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
in 1994 and sold in 1998. It reopened between 2004 and 2007 as a
preserved railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
, offering a volunteer-run
Class 117 DMU service between Ongar and
Coopersale
Coopersale, also termed Coopersale Common, is a village in the civil parish of Epping, within the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 1019.
History
In the 1870s the settlement of Theydon Garnon ...
. A change of ownership in 2007 led to the line being closed for restoration to a heritage steam railway, which opened on 25 May 2012.
Early workings
The line to
Ongar was opened in 1865 by the Great Eastern Railway, as an extension to its line from
Stratford to Loughton that had been opened in 1856 by its predecessor, the
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
. The extension was single-track, but whereas the Loughton to Epping section was doubled in the 1890s, the section between Epping and Ongar always remained single, apart from a passing loop at North Weald on opening. The eastern end of the loop was severed in 1888, converting it into a siding. About 14 trains each day went to Ongar; the rest terminated at Loughton or Epping.
This remained the case until 1949, when the
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Lond ...
's
New Works scheme extended the Central line to Epping using electric trains, taking over the railway from British Railways. The Epping-Ongar branch lost its through trains to London, and there was a shuttle service between Epping (to connect with trains to London) and Ongar; for eight years, there was the unusual sight of
steam trains
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the Tractive force#Rail vehicles, force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rar ...
and London Underground
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
s side by side at Epping. The steam shuttle was hired by London Transport from British Railways, as it was felt there was no justification for
electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...
to Ongar unless patronage of the branch rose. Upon taking over the branch in 1949, London Transport re-converted the siding at North Weald into a passing loop and built a second platform to serve a new westbound track.
In the 1950s, there were attempts to improve the service on the branch, and it was electrified in 1957. Due to the low-cost electrification, although the branch could support eight-car trains as far as North Weald, a maximum of four
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
s could run to Ongar. The voltage drop along the end-fed line was too great to support full-length trains,
[ ] and the short platforms were not long enough to support eight-car trains. Hence the Epping to Ongar branch was normally operated as an isolated extension of the Central line, with a few through workings south to Loughton. However, for two days every year there were through trains from London to North Weald, for the North Weald
airshow
An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited.
They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground.
The largest air show m ...
, on the Saturday and Sunday of its opening at the aerodrome almost adjacent to the station. The normal Epping to Ongar shuttle dovetailed with this service, passing the terminating trains on the adjacent line during its westbound journey. The through trains were operated as extra trains on the normal weekend Central line timetables, only four cars long due to the restricted platform length at North Weald.
Cutbacks and closure
![Blake Hall station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Blake_Hall_station.jpg)
From the late 1960s, it became clear that the line's patronage was not growing as had been expected, mainly due to restriction of development in what was now designated
Metropolitan Green Belt
The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...
land. Even at its peak in 1971, the 650 passengers daily hardly made the line an economic proposition.
London Underground tried to close the entire line in 1980, but a reduced service was implemented instead, along with the closing of
Blake Hall
Blake Hall is a country house and gardens in the village and civil parish of Bobbingworth, near Chipping Ongar, Essex.
The house incorporates an original fabric dating from the 17th century or older, but was largely rebuilt in the 18th century ...
on Sundays.
North Weald's platform one was closed in 1976; then the passing loop/westbound track was lifted in 1978.
Until that time, the station was controlled from the original
Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an English Rail transport, railway company incorporated in 1836 intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then extend to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth.
Construction began in 1837 on t ...
signal box, which is still sited on the westbound platform, now fully restored. North Weald was the last section of the London Underground to be signalled with mechanical semaphore signals.
[Epping Ongar Railway Ltd.]
When Blake Hall was closed in 1981,
it was said to be handling only six customers a day. The station building survives as a private dwelling.
On 30 September 1994, the line was closed. It was making a loss of
£7 for each passenger journey and was in need of some expensive maintenance work.
At the time of closure the line was carrying a mere 80 passengers a day.
Local
lore
Lore may refer to:
* Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs
* Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions
Places
* Loré, former French commune
* Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in Lau ...
had it that the line was being kept open in case the
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
needed to be evacuated to the
Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker
The Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch, in the Borough of Brentwood in the English county of Essex, is a large underground bunker maintained during the Cold War as a potential regional government headquarters. Since being ...
at Doddinghurst.
The track was left intact along with the stations, but not maintained.
The last Underground train used on the branch, a three-car unit of
1960 stock, has been preserved by Cravens Heritage Trains. It made a return to the reopened heritage railway in 2014, to mark the 20th anniversary of the line's closure by London Underground.
One unusual feature of the line is its continuing nominal importance to the London Underground. In 1971/72 the London Underground was remeasured in kilometres. The then most easterly point, Ongar, was chosen as the zero point, and remains so to the present.
Purchase and reopening
The line was purchased by Pilot Developments (later Epping Ongar Railway Ltd) in 1998.
The Ongar Railway Preservation Society entered a £325,000 offer for the line, but Pilot Developments convinced London Underground to accept its slightly higher offer after the bidding deadline. Independent politician
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, (born 31 August 1938) is a British UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton from 1997 to 2001. He is sometimes known as " ...
described the deal as "the most controversial land deal in the constituency for years", alleging a conflict of interest with local politicians.
The line was reopened by the Epping Ongar Railway Volunteer Society on Sunday 10 October 2004, providing an hourly service between Ongar and North Weald. The line was shortly after extended to
Coopersale
Coopersale, also termed Coopersale Common, is a village in the civil parish of Epping, within the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 1019.
History
In the 1870s the settlement of Theydon Garnon ...
, although there are no boarding or alighting facilities there.
Between 22 January and 9 April 2006 the line was shut down for engineering works. This involved general station maintenance, rolling stock maintenance and track maintenance. Ongar station remained closed for engineering works and general maintenance and reopened on 28 May 2006 without the use of the station buildings.
On Easter weekend 2007, the railway had the most visitors on a single day since reopening, on the Sunday and Monday. The Teddy Bears' Picnic, Anniversary of Reopening and Halloween events are also popular.
At the end of 2007, as a result of the awarding of planning permission for the Ongar residential development, the railway was sold to a new private owner who was committed to bringing steam back to the line.
Following the change of ownership in 2007, it was decided to suspend train operations and to concentrate on improving the track. This was done in order to undertake the major engineering works to secure its long-term future and facilitate the return of steam to the line, including restoration of station buildings, run-round loops, full signalling, and coal and water facilities. There have been major changes to the Ongar and North Weald stations.
Ongar
![Ongar Station Booking Office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ongar_Station_Booking_Office.jpg)
The goods yard area (derelict since the 1960s) was purchased by David Wilson Homes, which has built a small collection of houses. The Cattle Dock remains, as does the main station building, which has been repainted in GER colours (1900–1930s). Ongar is the only operational GER station in GER colours. Shop and refreshment facilities are available in the main building.
The milk dock is being restored into a bay platform, which will become Platform 2.
All the track has been lowered to accommodate
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
mainline
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
, and a new signal box has been installed at the end of platform 2 in the style of the original and incorporating the original signal frame, which was saved when the original box was demolished. Most of the points and signals are now connected to this.
North Weald
![North Weald stn building 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/North_Weald_stn_building_2012.JPG)
North Weald has been repainted in LNER/BR (E) (1940s–1960s) colours, Brunswick green and cream.
The track height has been lowered to accommodate UK standard stock, and the track has been relaid through the loop and into the bay platform, making three operational platforms; the new signalling allows bi-directional working, gives access to improved siding facilities, and enables safer shunting.
Epping Forest
![Boundary (104857493)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Boundary_%28104857493%29.jpg)
The rail service has been extended from Coopersale to within a few hundred metres of the London Underground station. It is impossible to alight at Epping, but the EOR intends to build a platform at the site.
Resumption of passenger services
In March 2012 Epping Ongar Railway announced a resumption of services from 25 May 2012, coinciding with the 150th year since the Great Eastern Railway was formed.
On the weekend starting 25 May the railway operated a special service. It now runs train services every weekend and bank holiday in the summer; during the Olympics in July–August 2012 at nearby Stratford, the line operated daily.
EOR runs steam- and diesel-hauled trains between Ongar and North Weald, a diesel shuttle from North Weald to Coopersale Lane, and heritage bus services connecting with surrounding towns and the Central line at
Epping Epping may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Epping railway station, Sydney
* Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
.
Heritage railway operations
![GNR Class N2 No 1744 Ongar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/GNR_Class_N2_No_1744_Ongar.jpg)
During 2004–07 the line ran an hourly service on Sundays and Bank Holidays, on the hour from
Ongar, arriving at North Weald at 13 minutes past the hour before departing for Coopersale, and returning to
North Weald
North Weald Bassett or simply North Weald is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area.
A market is held every Saturday and Bank Holiday Mo ...
at 33 minutes past the hour, then leaving for Ongar. The first train left Ongar at 11am, with the last returning at 3:50pm (4:50pm between April and September).
Since reopening in 2012 there have been trains on Saturdays, Sundays, Bank Holidays and some school holiday weekdays. The standard timetable has both a steam hauled train and DMU service in the operation, with trains running from approximately 10 to 16:30.
Current rolling stock
Reference:
Plans of the EOR
![London Underground Overground DLR Crossrail map + EOR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/London_Underground_Overground_DLR_Crossrail_map_%2B_EOR.svg)
*Epping Glade: It is intended to extend trains to a new platform called Epping Glade near the London Underground's
Epping tube station
Epping is a London Underground station in the market town of Epping in Essex, England. The station serves as the north-eastern terminus of the Central line. Located in Travelcard Zone 6, it is one of eight London Underground stations in the ...
. This will require significant investment and discussions on this project are ongoing.
*Coopersale Halt: The possibility of building a halt at Coopersale village is under consideration, subject to securing sufficient investment from outside sources and consultation with residents.
*North Weald: As part of the infrastructure works the railway is restoring the former goods yard, giving much-needed siding space, and putting back full signalling with both semaphore and colour-light signals. This enables locomotive-hauled trains and gives operational flexibility, enabling increased service frequency. The former Woodford GER latticework footbridge has been completed, replacing the condemned LU concrete structure, which has been demolished and removed.
*Ongar: With the track now relaid, works are progressing to restore the station and install signalling. Focus has turned to helping increase flexibility and service frequency, restoring the former cattle and milk platforms, all as part of the works towards running passenger trains to Epping.
*Steam: The EOR is likely to be home for the new-build F5 for some time after completion, being a prototypical engine of the former Great Eastern branch. Guest locomotives, both steam and diesel, have appeared (with the reopening of the EOR in May 2012) from time to time.
*Class 483: On 24 November 2020, the London Transport Traction Group announced that it had secured a
British Rail Class 483
The British Rail Class 483 electric multiple units were originally built as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished between 1989 and 1992 by Eastleigh Works, for use on services on the Isle of Wight's Isl ...
EMU
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
for preservation which it planned to base on the railway with an onboard power supply to facilitate movement on the non-electrified rails. The 483s, an example of converted
London Underground 1938 Stock
The London Underground 1938 Stock was a London Underground tube stock design. A total of 1,121 cars were built by Metro-Cammell and Birmingham RC&W. An additional 173 cars were added to the fleet by the end of 1953, comprising 91 new bui ...
that had been modified to run on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
's
Island Line Island Line or Island line may refer to:
* Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong
* Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England
** Island Line (brand)
Island Line is a brand of the ...
in the late 1980s, is units 483006 and 483008. Both were one of the last 483s in operation, with all of them retired in January 2021 and replaced with new
Class 484 units in November 2021.
References
External links
*
Epping Ongar Railways Official Youtube Channel EORtv1Epping and Ongar Railway History– Photographs of the Epping-Ongar line between 1977 and 1981
The Tube map in 1990, in which the EOR was still present*
ttp://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/photo/photo.html?_IXSR_=DrUNJMgOhvq&_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=1998/75659&IXsummary=results/results&IXsearch=epping&_IXFIRST_=48 Epping station in 1953
{{coord, 51.71108, N, 0.18505, E, source:placeopedia_type:landmark_region:GB-ESS, display=title
Heritage railways in Essex
Transport in Epping Forest District