Forum Topic

Great West Road railway bridge

https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-great-west-road-brentford-middlesex-a-steam-train-crosses-a-railway-164117017.htmlDoes anyone know what railway is shown crossing the Great West Road next to the Firestone factory. I have been travelling along here since the 60s & don't remember seeing it

Jo Vaughan ● 25d11 Comments

In the forties and fifties the was a regular train from Oxford to Brentford docks carrying new cars to be loaded on boats for export. There was a link link into the AEC works at Southall in order to allow the early GWR railcars to be tested on the branch. Goods trains were operated by class 57XX pannier tanks I remember with a considerable amount of timber freight. I remember travelling on a special to Firestone junction on a train run by the GWR preservation society in the ex Southall railway depot, sadly now closed.

Nicholas Beard ● 24d

There is a project in Brentford called the Brentford Beeline which is looking at the former line of the railway. This section runs from just south of the A4 to Brentford High St. It is on an embankment and has been completely inaccessible for years, probably decades. The plan is to slightly restore it, make it accessible and becoming perhaps a nature conservancy or a quiet place for local people. Early days and decisions to come later.https://brentfordvoice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/24-11-18-Beeline-Project-Update-Community-Meeting-1.pdf

Guy Lambert ● 24d

Definitely gone by the mid 1960's.

N V Brooks ● 24d

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brentford_branch_lineThe southern section of the branch closed at the end of 1964, so presumably the bridge was removed soon afterwards.

Richard Greenhough ● 24d

What year was the bridge removed?

Jo Vaughan ● 24d

IIRC it was not all all dependent upon GSK but Sky who wanted a more eefficient way to transport the 20,000 who work on their complex (yes, I couldn't believe the figure either) rather than a procession of shuttle buses.  If we await DaFT/TfL to do anything it will never happen given their woeful record of delivering anything on time or on budget.

N V Brooks ● 24d

Most of the 'residual waste' ie wheelie bin waste from Hounslow, Richmond and some of Ealing and Brent are taken by what I think is a weekly (or maybe more frequent) train to the incinerator near Bristol.There has been talk for some time of a Great West Road ststion to link to the network and in particular the Elizabeth line at SOuthall. WHether that will ever happen depends on the Dept for Transport I think. Argument not helped by the disappearance of GSK and other commercial enterprises, though no doubt in due course they will be replaced, largely by residential development

Guy Lambert ● 24d

There has long been talk of the reinstatement of a Southall-Brentford shuttle to serve both Sky and the thousands who will move into the new developments at the Tesco and Homebase sites. In the meantime thereare (very) occasional heritage runnings on the old lines.

N V Brooks ● 24d

That old Great West Road bridge was part of an important Great Western Railway branch line from Southall (Main Line) to Brentford Docks.For some years it ran a passenger service with platforms at Trumpers Way (Hanwell) and Brentford Town (on the London Road).But it was significantly an industrial railway with a huge web of tracks at the busy Brentford Docks... where Barges loaded and unloaded freight ... coal, timber and more.It was much a Brunel  project.Once the docks closed the Great West Road bridge became redundant but remained in situ for many years afterwards.A single line track is still in use,importantly as well, from the Main Line at Southall to the West London Waste Authority's Depot in Transport Avenue... just short of the Great West Road.Once upon a time the railway had short branches to the rear of the Firestones factory ... and the neighbouring biscuit factory too.You can today walk across the line at the bottom of Trumpers Way ...en route to Warren Farm's open fields.

Jim Lawes ● 24d

The branch carried on down to (and over) Brentford High Street, where you can still see the arches in the embankment close to the canal basin.

Richard Greenhough ● 25d

I IRC it was the goods branch, Brentford  Goods station was adjacent to Transport Avenue,that ran up through Hanwell through to Southall and joined the SR between Brentford and Syon Lane .

N V Brooks ● 25d