Royal Docks Heritage Railway
Encyclopedia
The Royal Docks Heritage Railway, endorsed in 2006 by Newham London Borough Council
, was proposed to open during 2007, taking over the North Woolwich Old Station Museum
and the closed section of the North London Line
between and railway stations. Rather than concentrating on the Great Eastern Railway
, it would have shown the heritage of local and suburban National Rail
lines in London and the south east.
The idea was to re-double the track between stations and run heritage train services and training trains. At closure, North London Line services used only one track, but the second track was in place for much of the route. The line might have been Britain's first mainline electric preserved railway. The 1980s station building was to be the public entrance to the museum site. The official website includes details of the visions for the museum plus pictures of the line, taken from a special train run the day after the last public service ran.
diesel locomotive
No. 50033 Glorious was to be lent to RailSchool by Swindon Steam Railway Museum
.
project, due to open in 2017 and re-using most of the proposed heritage railway route, has effectively killed the scheme.
Newham London Borough Council
Newham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Newham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of...
, was proposed to open during 2007, taking over the North Woolwich Old Station Museum
North Woolwich Old Station Museum
The North Woolwich Old Station Museum was a small railway museum in East London. It was housed in what was the original Great Eastern Railway terminal station building at North Woolwich railway station. The building was in use as a ticket office until 1979 when it was replaced by a more austere...
and the closed section of the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
between and railway stations. Rather than concentrating on 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...
, it would have shown the heritage of local and suburban National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
lines in London and the south east.
The idea was to re-double the track between stations and run heritage train services and training trains. At closure, North London Line services used only one track, but the second track was in place for much of the route. The line might have been Britain's first mainline electric preserved railway. The 1980s station building was to be the public entrance to the museum site. The official website includes details of the visions for the museum plus pictures of the line, taken from a special train run the day after the last public service ran.
RailSchool
The Royal Docks Heritage Railway was associated with a separate training organisation called RailSchool. The British Rail Class 50British Rail Class 50
The British Rail Class 50 is a diesel locomotive built from 1967-68 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. Fifty of these locomotives were built to haul express passenger trains on the, then non-electrified, section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe,...
diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
No. 50033 Glorious was to be lent to RailSchool by Swindon Steam Railway Museum
Swindon Steam Railway Museum
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway, also known as Swindon Steam Railway Museum, is located at the site of the old railway works in Swindon, England – Wiltshire's 'railway town'...
.
List of Stations along Royal Docks Heritage Route
- Custom House
- Connaught (Halt)
- Silvertown
- Albert Road (Halt)
- North Woolwich
End of the project
Later approval of the CrossrailCrossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
project, due to open in 2017 and re-using most of the proposed heritage railway route, has effectively killed the scheme.