Tag: Watford

Special Post: Watford and Watford Junction

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the latest post in my series “London Station by Station“. I hope that you will enjoy it and that some of you will be encouraged to share it.

WATFORD AND WATFORD JUNCTION

The Bakerloo line reached Watford Junction in 1917, by way of a connection at Queens Park to an existing mainline railway. The service was cut back to Queens Park in 1982 and subsequently restored as far as Harrow and Wealdstone. The Metropolitan line’s Watford branch opened in 1925. The current terminus is in a residential area called Cassiobury Park and various plans to extend it into the centre of Watford have been mooted.

Here are a few pictures showing various plans…

The Colne Valley Transit proposal, from "West of Watford" by F W Goudie and Douglas Stuckey
The Colne Valley Transit proposal, from “West of Watford” by F W Goudie and Douglas Stuckey
A 1994 London Underground Map showing proposed developments at that time.
A 1994 London Underground Map showing proposed developments at that time.

I mentioned my own speculative notions in this area in a previous post in this series. However, looking again at the Colne valley proposal above I am slightly changing tack – incorporating that as it stands as the Watford – St Albans section of Orbital Railway scheme. The Bakerloo returns to play in this scheme by being re-extended to Watford Junction and taking over the St Albans Abbey service, thereby connecting it into the scheme.

I finish this brief post with some more map pics…

The Watford area as shown on the Diagrammatic History
The Watford area as shown on the Diagrammatic History
A closer up view of the key area.
A closer up view of the key area.
A Beck style map showing London underground as it was in 1920
A Beck style map showing London underground as it was in 1920
A Beck style map showing London Underground as it was in 1930.
A Beck style map showing London Underground as it was in 1930.