Ongar tube station
Encyclopedia
Ongar tube station is a former London Underground
station in the town of Chipping Ongar
, Essex
. Until its closure in 1994, it was the easternmost point of the Central line
, and from 1961 until closure, it held the distinction of being the London Underground
station farthest from Central London
.
on 24 April 1865, serving principally as a goods station taking agricultural produce from the nearby farms into central London. On 29 September 1949, London Underground services took over the operation of the station from British Rail
ways when services were extended from Loughton
.
Although the rest of the branch was electrified
by London Underground before operations were taken over from British Railways, trains on the section north of Epping
continued to be hauled by steam locomotive
s as a separate shuttle service. The service was operated by British Railways for the Underground until 18 November 1957, when the line was electrified and electric trains took over from steam. A shortage of power prevented the Epping to Ongar section being fully integrated into the line and it continued to operate as a shuttle service.
The entire Epping to Ongar branch was a single track
line with one passing place
at North Weald station, although this loop was taken out of service in 1976. Until then two trains could use the branch, although they were limited to four cars in length because of the restriction on the available traction current. The service was reduced to one train after the southbound track at North Weald was lifted. It was therefore never suitable for heavy use, and the line was reportedly never profitable. For much of its latter years, the service only operated during Monday to Friday peak hours, and London Transport closed Blake Hall station
, the least used on the entire system, in 1981. The line itself continued in use and there was a brief re-introduction of all day services in 1990. However, a system wide cost-cutting exercise saw the service return to peak hours soon afterward, with an even more skeletal service than before. The line was under threat of closure for many years, and it was finally closed on 30 September 1994.
Ongar Station, as with the rest of the 6.5 mile branch reaching to the outskirts of Epping station, is currently undergoing significant improvement and infrastructure works. These are designed with the long term future of the branch and to enable the use of locomotive hauled trains (hauled by steam and diesel locomotives), all in keeping with its use as a heritage railway.
The station itself has been extensively restored by the teams of volunteers, with all the rooms being restored to their original layouts, opening up bricked up doorways and windows, and restoring the station back to Great Eastern Railway colours (believed to be the only original operational GER station in its original colours). Within the station the former Parcel's Office will be a museum and educational display.
In addition an original GER signalbox (originally from Spelbrook) has been rescued and placed to replace the original signalbox which was demolished by LU in the 1980's, and the platform is being improved to facilitate access.
and featured in a 1979 episode of the BBC
's Wildlife on One
. They had been released there by the station foreman who was a keeper of exotic pets.
Although the station is no longer owned by London Underground, all distances on the network are still measured from Ongar.
The Royal Navy's Tigerfish torpedo
was known as Project ONGAR during development. It was named after the station as the engineers hoped their new weapon would be "...the end of the line for torpedo development".
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}
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station in the town of Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Until its closure in 1994, it was the easternmost point of the Central line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
, and from 1961 until closure, it held the distinction of being the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station farthest from Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
.
History
The station was opened by the Eastern Counties RailwayEastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
on 24 April 1865, serving principally as a goods station taking agricultural produce from the nearby farms into central London. On 29 September 1949, London Underground services took over the operation of the station from British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways when services were extended from Loughton
Loughton tube station
Loughton is a London Underground station, some two miles north of the Greater London boundary, in the Epping Forest district of Essex.It is served by the Central Line and lies between Buckhurst Hill and Debden...
.
Although the rest of the branch was electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
by London Underground before operations were taken over from British Railways, trains on the section north of Epping
Epping tube station
Epping on the London Underground is the north-eastern terminus of the Central Line. The station before Epping is Theydon Bois, which is about three minutes travelling time away. Epping station is in the Epping Forest District of Essex...
continued to be hauled by steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s as a separate shuttle service. The service was operated by British Railways for the Underground until 18 November 1957, when the line was electrified and electric trains took over from steam. A shortage of power prevented the Epping to Ongar section being fully integrated into the line and it continued to operate as a shuttle service.
The entire Epping to Ongar branch was a single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
line with one passing place
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
at North Weald station, although this loop was taken out of service in 1976. Until then two trains could use the branch, although they were limited to four cars in length because of the restriction on the available traction current. The service was reduced to one train after the southbound track at North Weald was lifted. It was therefore never suitable for heavy use, and the line was reportedly never profitable. For much of its latter years, the service only operated during Monday to Friday peak hours, and London Transport closed Blake Hall station
Blake Hall tube station
Blake Hall station is a disused station in Essex, formerly on the Central Line of the London Underground between North Weald and Ongar. It was named after Blake Hall, a country house located a mile or so to the north east of the station in the village of Bobbingworth, and inhabited by a family of...
, the least used on the entire system, in 1981. The line itself continued in use and there was a brief re-introduction of all day services in 1990. However, a system wide cost-cutting exercise saw the service return to peak hours soon afterward, with an even more skeletal service than before. The line was under threat of closure for many years, and it was finally closed on 30 September 1994.
Epping Ongar Railway
The station and the line are now in the ownership of a private company, the Epping Ongar Railway Ltd who, at time of purchase, publicly stated their intention to run commuter services again, but the claimed lack of platform availability at London Underground's Epping station at the west end of the line has to date proven an insuperable obstacle to this. The Epping Ongar Railway Volunteer Rail Society ran heritage trains on Sundays over the former Epping and Ongar line from 2004 until 2007.Ongar Station, as with the rest of the 6.5 mile branch reaching to the outskirts of Epping station, is currently undergoing significant improvement and infrastructure works. These are designed with the long term future of the branch and to enable the use of locomotive hauled trains (hauled by steam and diesel locomotives), all in keeping with its use as a heritage railway.
The station itself has been extensively restored by the teams of volunteers, with all the rooms being restored to their original layouts, opening up bricked up doorways and windows, and restoring the station back to Great Eastern Railway colours (believed to be the only original operational GER station in its original colours). Within the station the former Parcel's Office will be a museum and educational display.
In addition an original GER signalbox (originally from Spelbrook) has been rescued and placed to replace the original signalbox which was demolished by LU in the 1980's, and the platform is being improved to facilitate access.
Other information
The sand drag at the very end of the rails — intended to help slow trains that overshot the stopping mark — was said to be home to a breed of harmless scorpionScorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
and featured in a 1979 episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Wildlife on One
Wildlife on One
Wildlife on One was the BBC's flagship natural history programme, first broadcast in 1977. Each programme ran for half an hour. The narrator was Sir David Attenborough. When repeated on BBC2, the programmes were retitled Wildlife on Two. The programme was terminated in 2005.The 2003 season...
. They had been released there by the station foreman who was a keeper of exotic pets.
Although the station is no longer owned by London Underground, all distances on the network are still measured from Ongar.
The Royal Navy's Tigerfish torpedo
Mark 24 Tigerfish
The Mk 24 Tigerfish torpedo was a heavyweight acoustic homing torpedo used by the Royal Navy for several years. The early Mod0 and Mod1 variants were unreliable and unsuccessful, and were issued to the RN even though they failed Fleet Weapon Acceptance...
was known as Project ONGAR during development. It was named after the station as the engineers hoped their new weapon would be "...the end of the line for torpedo development".
External links
Epping Ongar Railway's Official Website}
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