Beckton railway station
Encyclopedia
Beckton railway station was a railway station in Beckton
, London
, on the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
. It originally opened in 1874 and was owned by the Gas Light and Coke Company
, to serve the recently-built Beckton Gas Works
. The line was opened for freight in 1872 and to passengers in 1873. It was leased to the Great Eastern Railway
from 1874.
Beckton was the only station on the Beckton branch of the railway, which left the EC&TJR at Custom House
, heading initially east by north-east before levelling out to due east once it crossed what is today the Woolwich Manor Way. The station shut to passengers in 1940 after bombing in the Blitz
cut it off from the rest of the network. Passenger services were not resumed when the line reopened as by now the works was better served by bus services using the Barking by-pass. The branch survived as a freight line, with the last trainload of pitch from the works leaving in December 1970.
Today, most of the line to Beckton has been taken up and is now a public footpath, known as the "Beckton Corridor". A short stretch of the line east of Woolwich Manor Way has been reused as the final part of the Beckton branch of the Docklands Light Railway
. Beckton DLR station
is located several hundred yards west of Beckton railway station; "eastbound" trains from Gallions Reach
loop back round over the old line in the reverse direction, entering the station from the east.
Beckton
Beckton is part of the London Borough of Newham, England, located east of Charing Cross.Its boundaries are the A13 trunk road to the north, Barking Creek to the east, the Royal Docks to the south, and Prince Regent Lane to the west. The area around Prince Regent Lane is also known as Custom House...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway
The Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway in east London connected the Royal Docks with the Eastern Counties Railway . Authorised in 1844, it opened in 1846, and was absorbed by the ECR in 1847...
. It originally opened in 1874 and was owned by the Gas Light and Coke Company
Gas Light and Coke Company
The Gas Light and Coke Company , was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The Company was located on Horseferry Road in Westminster, London...
, to serve the recently-built Beckton Gas Works
Beckton Gas Works
Beckton Gas Works was a major London gas works built to manufacture coal gas and other products including coke from coal. It has been variously described as 'the largest such plant in the world' and 'the largest gas works in Europe'. It operated from 1870 to 1969, with an associated by-products...
. The line was opened for freight in 1872 and to passengers in 1873. It was leased to the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
from 1874.
Beckton was the only station on the Beckton branch of the railway, which left the EC&TJR at Custom House
Custom House station
Custom House for ExCeL station is in the Custom House area by the Royal Docks, east London. It is served by the Docklands Light Railway , and is in Travelcard Zone 3...
, heading initially east by north-east before levelling out to due east once it crossed what is today the Woolwich Manor Way. The station shut to passengers in 1940 after bombing in the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
cut it off from the rest of the network. Passenger services were not resumed when the line reopened as by now the works was better served by bus services using the Barking by-pass. The branch survived as a freight line, with the last trainload of pitch from the works leaving in December 1970.
Today, most of the line to Beckton has been taken up and is now a public footpath, known as the "Beckton Corridor". A short stretch of the line east of Woolwich Manor Way has been reused as the final part of the Beckton branch of the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
. Beckton DLR station
Beckton DLR station
Beckton DLR station is the eastern terminus of the Beckton branch of the Docklands Light Railway in the Docklands area of east London. It is located in Travelcard Zone 3. The DLR branch from Poplar was opened on 28 March 1994...
is located several hundred yards west of Beckton railway station; "eastbound" trains from Gallions Reach
Gallions Reach DLR station
Gallions Reach DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway in the Docklands area of east London.The station is located on the DLR's Beckton branch, between Cyprus and Beckton stations...
loop back round over the old line in the reverse direction, entering the station from the east.