I lived in Romford until 1985 after moving from Southend in 1971. My parents are buried at Upminster Cemetery and I spent 12 of my 35 years London Transport career at Upminster Depot. Great memories of the branch! I last travelled on it in dmu days. Thank You for the presentation.
Thank you so much for the feedback. Really appreciated. Hoping to do more videos like this so feel free to subscribe to the channel to be notified of when new ones are posted 👍
I can remember when it was a steam hauled pull and push train. Fun line. I occasionally use it to travel to Upminster in order to ride into Fenchurch Street for a change from Liverpool Street
Back in the day you could sit behind the driver of the class 101 and see where you were going. I took a similar opportunity to do the same on the Goblin Line.
When I was a teenager and started travelling on the Southminster branchline in the mid 80s, I had the same experience before they electrified. However, when they used 310/312s, they would sometimes leave the blinds up at the front on them and you could watch the journey at the front, though it wasn't as common as on the DMUs
You could have got the bus back to Romford station - the 165 or 370. In fact the 370 also serves Upminster station and duplicates the line. Emerson Park was Emerson Park Halt until taken over by London Overground, giving even more of a country branch line feel!
I knew you could get a bus, just not which one. It is a funny little line because given the amount of buses in the are it seems almost redundant. But if you commute by train each day then it probably makes more sense as gets you to the mainline
@@thebritishrailroader Yes there is the bus but the train is faster, more reliable as no traffic congestion - and better if you want train connections. When the train is not running the 370 bus - and the 248 which serves Upminster and Romford but not Emerson Park - are advertised as the 'Rail Replacement'. The 370 also covers Ockendon and Chafford Hundred/Lakeside on the Grays branch from Upminster.
@@a99swc cheers mate. The feedback is much appreciated. I am really pleased you enjoyed it. Another video should be on the way at the end of the week weather permitting
Emerson Park as a suburban station might look sleepy and "period" but it was notorious for gangs of yobs around the nineteen eighties as I understand. Some drivers refused to work evening shifts because of the ongoing disturbances here. In addition, if you walk from Emerson Park station and head towards Gidea Park station you may walk down Northumberland Avenue. This had an incredible escape in the latter months of the second world war when a V2 rocket (the ones that travelled faster than the speed of sound with a ton of explosive in the warhead) arrived without warning (as no siren could warn of their speedy approach) and FAILED TO DETONATE. An amazing piece of good luck because although the rocket would have caused several broken windows and dislodged tiles by its supersonic impact the houses all remained largely intact. You look at Emerson Park station in your clip and it is virtually as the Edwardians would have known it and tales of yobs and supersonic rockets would have seemed fanciful in the extreme. A nice clip. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for the comment. Glad you liked the video. I have learnt so much about the line just from what people like your good self have been telling me. You don't get this kind of information from Wikipedia!
@@benbrist sounds great. I have always fancied doing it properly, passed through once years ago. Might wait till the summer, though I am going to Edinburgh in December 😆
Although a stand alone line as you mentioned it is connected to the Liv St line and empty trains run to and from Romford to Ilford sidings before starting or ending services.
Oh no! Well that just means I will have to do a return trip 😁👍 Cheers for the advice. Is it the Queens Theatre you are talking about? I used to go there as a kid
@@thebritishrailroader it runs from Cranham Road to Osborne Road on the other side of the tracks or viceversa. It is easier to get to it from Romford than Emerson Park. Especially if you know Romford and the footbridge over the line to Victoria Road(avenue?) From Emerson Park you have to dog leg to Cranham Road which is quite a walk
@@thebritishrailroader my father along with a few others on our "terrace" bought land off of BR and had allotments on the trackside. Last time I was in Upminster was 1994 and the allotment was still in use then. I lived in Cranham and worked initially in Dagenham then Romford so that 30 minute service was ideal for me as it only took 8 mins by DMU in those days rather than about by 248 bus or longer if you got the 248 via Upminster Park Estate
Sadly I missed out on riding one of those along the line, though I would see them in the bay platform quite often when I passed Romford station on a train
Shame you didn't walk another 100 metres further south as then you would have chanced upon the Hop Inn which even for those who don't consume alcohol would have made a very pleasant diversion.
@@kroome111 ah but if you listen carefully, at the end of the video I say Elm Park instead of Emerson Park 😄. At least my mistake was in the right borough
@@thebritishrailroader I grew up living about 1/3rd the way between Elm Park underground and Romford stations. Just around the corner form the Cardrome.Used to pass Emerson Park station every day on my way to and from Havering Technical College. Also used to cross one of the foot crossings on the line to visit a school friend. Never ever traveled on the line though. Live in Norfolk now though, having stayed here after my time in the RAF. Was glad to see that the Chequers is still there, and still a pub.
Usage for the secret branch has been helped by inclusion on the tube map. Emerson Park serves wealthy commuters, go in either direction then into London. You downplayed the connectivity between two lateral lines, more than just halves of one borough. Please tone down the music mix volume.
Thank you for your comments. I am aware that there are issues with the music, I am sorting for future videos, I am still pretty new to this. I am still starting on my RUclips journey and still learning about format etc so hoping that future videos will be a bit more well rounded in the future. Thanks again for the feedback though, it is useful to know.
Depends on your definition. They have not been in the ceremonial county of Essex since the late 60s but have been part of the London Borough of Havering. When I was a kid growing up there, we always thought of Romford as being in Essex but was taught at school that it was now part of London. So strictly speaking, Romford and Upminster are within the boundaries of London and administered as such, but people still think of them as being part of Essex.
@@thebritishrailroader Many people confuse the layers of local government administration. While they may fall in a “London” borough, they are classified as Essex geographically
@@Vtr1781249 I will not argue with you as indeed they do sit within the boundaries of the old county of Essex. However, they also sit within the current boundary of Greater London so both are correct
I lived in Romford until 1985 after moving from Southend in 1971. My parents are buried at Upminster Cemetery and I spent 12 of my 35 years London Transport career at Upminster Depot. Great memories of the branch! I last travelled on it in dmu days.
Thank You for the presentation.
Thank you Dave, glad you enjoyed both the videos
Just happened to stumble across this. Nice little video that's also informative. Thank you
Thank you so much for the feedback. Really appreciated. Hoping to do more videos like this so feel free to subscribe to the channel to be notified of when new ones are posted 👍
I can remember when it was a steam hauled pull and push train. Fun line. I occasionally use it to travel to Upminster in order to ride into Fenchurch Street for a change from Liverpool Street
My mum remembers the old push pull. She used to use it to get to the Fenchurch line to go on day trips to Southend
They didnt run the locomotive around at each terminus ?
@@starbarrothschild6597 they did before about 1934, after that it was push pull operated, then DMU, then EMU
I quite like Emerson Park as it’s quite peaceful and quiet. And I’ve been on the Class 710.
It is peaceful isn't it. I really love it. The place feels like it's in the middle of the countryside rather than in a city.
Back in the day you could sit behind the driver of the class 101 and see where you were going.
I took a similar opportunity to do the same on the Goblin Line.
When I was a teenager and started travelling on the Southminster branchline in the mid 80s, I had the same experience before they electrified. However, when they used 310/312s, they would sometimes leave the blinds up at the front on them and you could watch the journey at the front, though it wasn't as common as on the DMUs
You could have got the bus back to Romford station - the 165 or 370. In fact the 370 also serves Upminster station and duplicates the line. Emerson Park was Emerson Park Halt until taken over by London Overground, giving even more of a country branch line feel!
I knew you could get a bus, just not which one. It is a funny little line because given the amount of buses in the are it seems almost redundant. But if you commute by train each day then it probably makes more sense as gets you to the mainline
@@thebritishrailroader Yes there is the bus but the train is faster, more reliable as no traffic congestion - and better if you want train connections. When the train is not running the 370 bus - and the 248 which serves Upminster and Romford but not Emerson Park - are advertised as the 'Rail Replacement'. The 370 also covers Ockendon and Chafford Hundred/Lakeside on the Grays branch from Upminster.
@@thebritishrailroader LOvely video by the way!
@@a99swc I haven't travelled on a bus in Romford since I was a teenager. My Grandparents lived in Collier Row and I used to travel on the 252 a lot
@@a99swc cheers mate. The feedback is much appreciated. I am really pleased you enjoyed it. Another video should be on the way at the end of the week weather permitting
Emerson Park as a suburban station might look sleepy and "period" but it was notorious for gangs of yobs around the nineteen eighties as I understand. Some drivers refused to work evening shifts because of the ongoing disturbances here. In addition, if you walk from Emerson Park station and head towards Gidea Park station you may walk down Northumberland Avenue. This had an incredible escape in the latter months of the second world war when a V2 rocket (the ones that travelled faster than the speed of sound with a ton of explosive in the warhead) arrived without warning (as no siren could warn of their speedy approach) and FAILED TO DETONATE. An amazing piece of good luck because although the rocket would have caused several broken windows and dislodged tiles by its supersonic impact the houses all remained largely intact. You look at Emerson Park station in your clip and it is virtually as the Edwardians would have known it and tales of yobs and supersonic rockets would have seemed fanciful in the extreme.
A nice clip. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for the comment. Glad you liked the video. I have learnt so much about the line just from what people like your good self have been telling me. You don't get this kind of information from Wikipedia!
Nice wee station. Looks like the Paisley Canal line, specifically Dumbreck station in Glasgow/Renfrewshire.
It is pretty. I haven't really done the lines around Glasgow. Worth a visit?
@@thebritishrailroader Definitely! You can get a roundabout ticket for ~£8 that lets you travel all around suburban Glasgow and on the Subway all day!
@@benbrist sounds great. I have always fancied doing it properly, passed through once years ago. Might wait till the summer, though I am going to Edinburgh in December 😆
Although a stand alone line as you mentioned it is connected to the Liv St line and empty trains run to and from Romford to Ilford sidings before starting or ending services.
I didn't realise that. So are the EMUs used on the line based down at Ilford?
Is there more than one train on this line? I just thought the same train shuttled back and forth.
@@starbarrothschild6597 it is just the 1 train used all day
And the Upminster to Grays trains via Ockendon
You missed so much, walk past that pub and you have a theatre and beyond that Hornchurch High Street!
Oh no! Well that just means I will have to do a return trip 😁👍 Cheers for the advice. Is it the Queens Theatre you are talking about? I used to go there as a kid
I used to live in Cranham Road. The line runs right behind my old house. There is a foot crossing just passed my parents old house
I heard about the foot crossings. I might go back in the spring and explore these
@@thebritishrailroader it runs from Cranham Road to Osborne Road on the other side of the tracks or viceversa. It is easier to get to it from Romford than Emerson Park. Especially if you know Romford and the footbridge over the line to Victoria Road(avenue?) From Emerson Park you have to dog leg to Cranham Road which is quite a walk
@@michaelcampin1464 thanks for the info. I will check it out
@@thebritishrailroader my father along with a few others on our "terrace" bought land off of BR and had allotments on the trackside. Last time I was in Upminster was 1994 and the allotment was still in use then. I lived in Cranham and worked initially in Dagenham then Romford so that 30 minute service was ideal for me as it only took 8 mins by DMU in those days rather than about by 248 bus or longer if you got the 248 via Upminster Park Estate
I used this line once when they were using 317s.
Sadly I missed out on riding one of those along the line, though I would see them in the bay platform quite often when I passed Romford station on a train
I like the Offenbach as background music.
Thank you. It works well and keeps it all a little whimsical
I remember seeing dragonflies there.
It is the kind of place you would see them 👍
If you walked down past the pub you could have got to the Queens Theatre then Hornchurch High Street
Shame you didn't walk another 100 metres further south as then you would have chanced upon the Hop Inn which even for those who don't consume alcohol would have made a very pleasant diversion.
If I had known that, I would have popped in for a pint. I might have to go back
Did you bump into Geoff whilst you were at Upminster?
😅no I didn't, but would have been fun if I did, though I think I would have bent his ear asking for some tips from the master
@@thebritishrailroader You didn't say Barking to Upminster so you got him on that bit
@@kroome111 ah but if you listen carefully, at the end of the video I say Elm Park instead of Emerson Park 😄. At least my mistake was in the right borough
@@thebritishrailroader I grew up living about 1/3rd the way between Elm Park underground and Romford stations. Just around the corner form the Cardrome.Used to pass Emerson Park station every day on my way to and from Havering Technical College. Also used to cross one of the foot crossings on the line to visit a school friend. Never ever traveled on the line though. Live in Norfolk now though, having stayed here after my time in the RAF. Was glad to see that the Chequers is still there, and still a pub.
@@AlanEvans789 glad the video brought back some memories for you
Usage for the secret branch has been helped by inclusion on the tube map. Emerson Park serves wealthy commuters, go in either direction then into London. You downplayed the connectivity between two lateral lines, more than just halves of one borough. Please tone down the music mix volume.
Thank you for your comments. I am aware that there are issues with the music, I am sorting for future videos, I am still pretty new to this. I am still starting on my RUclips journey and still learning about format etc so hoping that future videos will be a bit more well rounded in the future. Thanks again for the feedback though, it is useful to know.
Strictly speaking both Romford, and Upminster are in Essex, not east London
Depends on your definition. They have not been in the ceremonial county of Essex since the late 60s but have been part of the London Borough of Havering. When I was a kid growing up there, we always thought of Romford as being in Essex but was taught at school that it was now part of London. So strictly speaking, Romford and Upminster are within the boundaries of London and administered as such, but people still think of them as being part of Essex.
@@thebritishrailroader Many people confuse the layers of local government administration. While they may fall in a “London” borough, they are classified as Essex geographically
@@Vtr1781249 I will not argue with you as indeed they do sit within the boundaries of the old county of Essex. However, they also sit within the current boundary of Greater London so both are correct
@JusSain-nu1nh Er no, the county is Essex, but the local government borough is part of the Greater London region.