We're on episode six of the Lost Railways of London.
I've come out to there in the sunshine,
the rear entrance of West Drayton.
And for today's episode, we're going to need a tape measure.
(birds chirping)
So we're walking West Drayton to Uxbridge,
trying to find and follow the path of the old railway,
which used to cross the canal,
shortly after leaving West Drayton,
which is why I'm starting my walk on the Grand Union.
I think we could do with a summary though,
like an overview and a map.
The map here is really pertinent
because in the previous episode,
we walked the line that went up
from Staines to West Drayton,
and the curve of track that is still there
and used by freight trains at West Drayton,
also used to be used by this,
the line that we're following today.
This time heading North
with one station called Cowley en route
and terminating at Uxbridge Vine Street.
Sadly, almost all of it has been obliterated
by housing with just paths and loads of alleyways
in between them where the line used to be.
But that's something you can clearly see
if you look on Google map 3D view.
So I've walked up the canal
to get to a point where the railway used to cross the canal
on a bridge on the other side of a park.
So the park is over there.
That would have been a bridge right here
above my head crossing the canal that is here.
And then it would have gone through this point here,
which is now a gate, goes past a big shop,
and then follows the alignment.
There's loads of places on this line
which are now dead, straight roads or alleyways.
And I'm gonna walk along them all.
So this carpet warehouse,
railway would have run right through here.
This narrow footpath between houses leading
through St. Clement close railway would have been here.
This back street alley with the shopping trolley.
It's not even shown on the map on my phone
is the path of the railway.
But you do eventually stumble upon something which indicates
that there was an old railway line here.
This is Peachy L ane
and you can see here where the road very gradually rises
and was a little bridge over,
well there's nothing now just some allotments
but this is where the line ran.
And then off to the North, there's a foot path.
And ... ah! look what they've named it.
Does that ring any bells?
I think it does.
And a clue to what's coming up next.
And so you walk down the footpath,
yet again in a straight line,
the alignment of the old railway.
So this is just a long straight path.
And sadly there's no like gradient markers.
There's no like electricity poles ,
no kind of like railway paraphernalia stuff
left behind them.
I can sense your disappointment.
So I'm gonna spice up the video a bit
by having a quick map insert.
Here's a map I've made to accompany this series
showing all the places in London, which I've visited.
There's a link in the description.
We can go in and download it as a high res PDF.
Enjoy.
Oh, and whilst you've been doing that.
I've got to Cowley Station.
This is Cowley Station.
If we do a 360 or 180,
you can see that there's nothing left to see here.
We're standing in Huxley Close.
I was hoping that this house here
and I just got chatting to the lady that lives here.
It might've been called the Old Station House or something
but no, but she confirms and assures me
that this is the location of where Cowley Station was.
You keep following the footpath North
and you get to another clue.
That's when you get to a road with another raised hump
which the railway used to run under.
Oh, and actually it's even called Station Road,
even though there's now obviously
not a station here anymore.
And all this is just seconds away
from the pièce de résistance of this whole walk.
And the moment
that you've been needing your tape measure for.
Off of Cleveland Road find the entrance
to Brunel University.
Yes, named after Isambard.
Within which there was a small garden nature reserve area.
It's in the exact spot where the railway cutting
would have been now infilled , and look,
they've placed some broad gauge track inside, just fabulous.
So it's not original track, but it is broad gauge track.
It's replica, broad gauged track
which they've subsequently laid here.
And it's the reason that I've brought my tape measure.
'Cause I just wanna check that they have laid it
to the right gauge.
While Stevenson standard gauge is four feet,
eight and a half inches, Brunel's wide gauge
is seven feet and a quarter inch.
Although originally it was specced out exactly seven feet
but then a quarter inch was later added on.
And hey, that's pretty much spot on here
with my tape measure.
I will take that.
The broad gauge on this line only lasted 15 years
between when it opened in 1856 until 1871
when it was converted down.
I do wonder though, if that wider gauge allowed
for faster 100 mile an hour trains
to speed up and down the line towards Uxbridge.
Leaving Brunel behind,
I spotted this one cutting behind a fence.
And then it's just more back alleys.
Oh, look, another shopping trolley and cycle paths
until you get to the end at U xbridge Vine Street.
And that is the site.
That large office block there, Hertz House
is the site of where U xbridge Vine Street Station was.
Again, if you look on Google 3D views.
You can spin round through the large footprint
that the station and the goods yard next door to it
would have taken up a large space.
It's all gone obliterated by modern buildings nowadays.
It is worth mentioning that there's been
two Metropolitan Line tube stations here in Uxbridge
along with Vine Street
and another fourth station Uxbridge High Street.
I could do that as another lost railway that heads North
off in towards the Chilterns .
Might do that in a future episode.
In the meantime, press subscribe.
There's a playlist.
This is number six, number seven, coming up next.