Hounslow West (WX)

[Deleted]

Are there any diagrams available of the track layout at the terminal platforms?

Also, why was a short section of platform and platform canopy retained while the rest of the platforms were demolished?

Finally, how many trains did the District run in peak hours?

[Oracle]

www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/lu/track_schematics/piccadilly.jpg
shows the present-day Uxbridge layout and as I have said before, I used the station on-and-off until my Nanna died in '65 to got to London when we lived in Feltham, and then we moved to Hounslow West. So I recall seeing the outside DISTRICT and PICCADILLY LINES become just PICCADILLY LINE when the peak-hour workings ended. I then commuted to school to Osterley for a while on and off from September 1966 and then to work in Holborn July 1973, and then Piccadilly Circus until December 1981. I just cannot recall the exact layout, but believe that it was a mirror image flipped south to north of the Uxbridge layout as P.1 was the one next to the Car Park, then there was P.2 and then P.3, which was swallowed up in the Hatton Cross extension works. I am not sure though whether the cross-over between P.1 and P.2 was there as per Uxbridge, but I do recall that P.1 EB workings were relatively wrong line for a time before crossing over to the EB line.

Why was there a retention? Well from what I can recall behind the train stops between the platforms 1 and 2 was a wall, and there were toilets and as staff room? There was also a small waiting hut on P.1 and I suspect that it was retained for staff purposes, as the platforms were filled in but the hut and its small sign about Turnham Green I think remained for ages afterwards. I suspect therefore it was because it kept the station staff dry!
See:
www.pendar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Tube/Hounslow_West_station.html

You can just see down in one of the photos next to the bottom of those stairs where the loos and staff room was.

I am not sure how many Districts ran in the Peaks until that fateful day, 9th October 1964. I have seen a photo of Northfields Dept west end taken in 1963 or thereabouts and a red District is shown stabled which I found interesting. I seem to recall that even though the service had been withdrawn the car maps still showed the Hounslow branch but eventually sticky labels covered up the error.

The last "District train" to Hounslow per se was to Central on the D Stock Metroliner Tour. I still fail to see why the two new bridges over Lampton Road and Kingsley Road were built to tube gauage only. It makes the apparent retention of the SSL gauge detectors west of Central pointless, if they are still there of course!

If anyone has a definitive track map I shall be very interested to see it. HW was a wonderful station and no-one ever knew of the loos or the part under the station building , or what the Passimeter was! It was of course used for weekly seasons on Mondays.

photos.ltmcollection.org/images/max/19/i0000219.jpg

is from 1957..note the ODEON CINEMA in Bath Road in the background. Films changed Saturday nights when it was opened, so it was a different film Sunday nights. There was a lovely theatre organ in the Odeo which was always covered over, until one day there was an amazing recital.

Nostalgia!!

[Tom]

I think I've got one just before the stageworks for the Hatton X extension. If I have I'll get it CADed and pdf'd.

[tubeprune]

There is a diagram of Hounslow West in 1927 in "Handling London's Underground Traffic" by JP Thomas (1928) Fig. 27 opp. p. 62.

There were 4 District tph to Hounslow. There were 6 stablers at Northfields and 2 or 3 Piccs used to stable at EC Dt.

The toilet was at the end of Plat 3. One day, a train came in a bit too fast, hit the stops and struck the toilet wall. There was a member of staff inside at the time and, it was alleged, the incident cured his constipation.

[agoodcuppa]

tubeprune said:

There is a diagram of Hounslow West in 1927

Here is that very diagram!! i17.tinypic.com/44zzq6d.jpg

It includes Kennington.


Thanks for the prompt TP. I knew I'd seen it somewhere but couldn't recall where.

[Oracle]

Thanks! I guess it was indeed a mirror image of Uxbridge now! P1 was the most interesting of the routes because of the longer wrong-road move. I cannot say that I have ever seen three trains in at the same time post-October 1964. There may have been when the green line ran in. May I just add that there was of course a "NEXT TRAIN" indicator, which was operated it seems when the green starter was given. However, we all went by which train had the green, as the driver would probably be walking along the platform with his tea even though it was time to move. I know we always hoped for a 1938 Stock train, with the gentleman's club atmosphere, the wood and the creaking and groaning from the suspension. Mind you, the 1956 Stock also had more wood inside than the 1959 Stock.

[frankpick]

I am sure someone will be able to confirm this - WX was a tall signal cabin at the end of Platform 3. When the Hatton X extension was started, as far as I know the old frame from Bank was used and placed in the middle of Platform 1.

Anyone know if this is correct?

[Oracle]

I don't remember, which I find amazing, but according to Mike Horne, the original box closed after 25th March 1972, and the new temporary one with 11 levers opened the next day and closed 10th July 1975. It was located on the embankment behind P1.

[hobbayne]

They have cut back the trees at Hounslow West and the old track bed is visible from the left hand side when heading west! ;D