Ongar Railway Preservation Society

‘Epping Forest Railway’

Chairman: John S Glover

 

 Outline History of Epping to Ongar Line

 

 

 

 

 

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Date

 

1856

Stratford – Loughton section opened by ECR

1859

Epping Railway Act passed (Loughton – Ongar)

1862

GER formed

1862

Work starts (contractor Thomas Brassey) on Loughton - Ongar

1865

Loughton – Ongar section opens (24th April)

1888

Interlocked Signal boxes built & block working introduced

1892

Loughton – Epping section double tracked

1893

Epping engine shed opened

1917

Ongar turntable removed

1935

Leyton – Ongar planned as part of LT New Works program

1939

Liverpool St. Ongar peak hours only, Epping – Ongar shuttle other times

1941

Push Pull introduced Epping - Ongar

c.1943

Ongar engine shed demolished

1947

Transferred to LT

1947

May - LT tube to Leytonstone, steam shuttle on rest of line

1947

December – LT tube to Woodford

1948

LT tube to Loughton

1949

Central Line tube trains run to Epping, push-pull shuttle Epping - Ongar

1949

Second platform built at North Weald as crossing point

1949

LT signal cabin opened at Epping

1949

Blake Hall box replaced by ground frame

1949

Epping engine shed rebuilt

1952

AVC Diesel railcar tried on Epping – Ongar branch

1957

Epping – Ongar electrified & colour light signals introduced

1957

Epping shed closed

1964

North Weald goods closed

1966

Blake Hall & Ongar goods closed

1966

Ongar ‘shed’ closed?

1969

Ongar box closed, control transferred to North Weald

1970/1

1st closure attempt

1976

North Weald box unstaffed & loop disused

1978

North Weald box closed & loop removed

1980/1

2nd closure attempt

1981

Blake Hall closed

1982

Monday - Friday peak hours service only

1994

3rd closure attempt – Epping Ongar closes 30th September

1994/5

LUL chooses Pilot Developments Ltd as preferred bidder and they are given access to the line

1996

Epping signal cabin closes

1998

Epping – Ongar line sold to EORL (Pilot Developments ltd) by LUL

2000

EORL fails to reopen line by due date & publicly abandons commuter service

2001

ECC starts negotiations to buy Epping – Ongar line

 


 

Known locos used

 

1865-1941

GER 2-4-2T (F5 &6) 0-4-4T, N7

1941

GCR F2 2-4-2T

1942

Push-pull F7

1944

NER G5

1948

F5

1949

Push-pull F5, J15

 

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