Croxley Green Light Maintenance Depot was a
traction maintenance depot
The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...
located in
Croxley,
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, England that provided storage and light maintenance for electric multiple units working the
Watford DC line.
The depot was near the triangular junction where the line to the since closed
Croxley Green station branch line branched off from the former
Watford and Rickmansworth Railway
The Watford and Rickmansworth Railway (W&RR) ran services between Watford and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, England. The company was incorporated in 1860; the line opened in 1862. The Rickmansworth branch was closed in 1952, and the remaining ...
, and both branches met the
Watford DC line.
The depot tracks left the depot in the westward direction, so empty stock workings from Watford and London would carry along a headshunt before reversing into the car shed. The
River Colne flowed under the railway line on two bridges carrying the main line and the depot throat tracks.
History
The depot opened in 1917, around the time of the DC electrification of the line to Watford, Rickmansworth and Croxley Green.
Before its closure in 1985, the depot's allocation consisted of
Class 313 and
Class 501 EMUs, and the depot was also used for stabling
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 counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
stock while the
Bakerloo line
The Bakerloo line () is a London Underground line that goes from in suburban north-west London to in south London, via the West End. Printed in brown on the Tube map, it serves 25 stations, 15 of which are underground, over . It runs partl ...
ran to
Watford Junction
Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), 17 miles 34 chains from London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between 16 ...
. These trains would run empty along the branch line to the depot.
The depot should not be confused with a proposal to build a depot for the
Metropolitan line
The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between in the City of London and and in Buckinghamshire, with branches to in Hertfordshire and in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the lin ...
along the
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
between Moor Park and Croxley stations, on a different site.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Disused Stations gallery(photos by Nick Catford and David Pearson)
London Underground depots
Transport in Watford
History of Watford