Ongar branch reconnected

Cravens Heritage Trains have announced, via their facebook group, their 1960 tube-stock will visit the Epping Ongar Railway 'End of Tube' event in September. This unit formed the last train when the line was closed in 1994. Since the branch is no longer electrified the unit will be top and tailed with LUL Schoma diesel locomotives (a rare public appearance). The rail connection at Epping will be restored to enable delivery access (outside normal traffic hours) from the Central Line onto the Ongar branch.

 

This sounds like it will be a great event. I look forward to reports and pics after it has taken place. Good that LUL are co-operating with the connection.

 

LUL seem to have really got into the spirit of the whole heritage movement in the last couple of years

 

Aye in a very good way.

Who know's, steam on the Central line, from Ongar ?

The EOR is a pretty unique railway, in that it feels part underground.. theirs subtle LUL presence in many places.

 

They have a Heritage Committee. The steward in my coach for both the Hammersmith and Chesham trips is a member. She told me on the Hammersmith trip that she would like to see steam on the District Line going through Victoria. I told her on the Chesham trip that it is the District Lines 150th in 4 years time.

 

Steam on the Central would be a dream come true for me but might be scuppered by the current signalling. Even the Cravens unit cannot now work on the Central except in Engineering hours.

 

Surely steam could only operate over the ex GER section, they wont fit down the tube.

 

Three steam locos were built to tube-gauge and all of them worked on Central Line construction trains. But the last one was scrapped in 1949 so I doubt we'll be seeing 'Steam through the Pipe' anytime soon.

 

how many tunnels are there between Epping and say, Stratford ?

 

The only tube tunnel on that section is between Leyton and Stratford. The original Leyton to Stratford connection was lifted in the 1970s and is probably now permanently blocked by the A12 (there is a very narrow strip of land left but ....... ). The A12 also bridges over the Central at Leytonstone and I don't know what clearance was left.

Steam on the Central between Epping and, let us say, Woodford might be physically possible but the ATO/ATP signalling probably rules it out in the forseeable future. Hope I'm wrong, as usual!

 

Well, you could get Alfred and Judy out of cornwall again

 

So now we know what will be the next new build project in preservation!!

 

I'll start the Facebook page!

 

Quainton also have a squashed down Peckett known as the Flying Buffer Beam!

 

Many a true word ...

 

What is the signaling problem? could this be overcome by a mobile set of equipment that allows the signals to work with an steam hauled train ,does it need some kind of transponder that reads the lineside equipment for in cab signalling of something?

 

Martin - Without going in depth on LU's signalling systems, and in a nut shell. Yes. However in terms of how Automatic Train Operation / Control and Protection works, I doubt you'll see a steam engine with equipment installed. Just looking through one of the standards, how you incorporate the regulator and brake to facilitate the functionailty requirements of ATO / ATC and ATP would be a nightmare I guess. Only thing I could see, is dispensation and approval on the use of manual operation, which does happy regularly if there is a failure of the train itself or signalling failures.

Anyway, a colleague told me about this thread. I thought I would attached a picture I took two years ago showing the condition of the route towards Epping, when I was out on an inspection for work.

The link to the central line exists, in the distance is a pair of fixed red lights. At the country end of Epping station you have another set. The LU property boundary is pretty much at the tree line, however a few pipe crossings have LU asset codes beyond.