Hainault Loop

The Loop was double track and all six original stations had two 600 ft (183 m) platforms: the 1936 station at Roding Valley had 500 ft (152 m) platforms. Hainault station re-opened in 1948 with a third platform[7] It is today used by terminating Central line trains. A fork at the northern end at Woodford Junction let trains leave or join the Ongar branch. A triangular junction at the southern end gave access to the main line, the site now occupied by Ilford carriage sheds and a maintenance depot run by Bombardier. The apex of the triangle was Newbury Park Junction (just south of Vicarage Lane), the western side was Ilford Carriage Sidings Junction, and the eastern side was Seven Kings West Junction.

Grange Hill Tunnel looking east towards western portal.

The topography challenged engineers.[8] The line was on the surface but 260 yards (238m) of tunnel was bored immediately north of Grange Hill. The line between Roding Valley and Chigwell was on an embankment, and a three-arch viaduct was built over the River Roding. Further east, the embankment was bisected by the London end of the M11 motorway in 1977,[9] a concrete bridge carrying the line over the road. Chigwell and Grange Hill were built in cuttings, Hainault and Fairlop on embankment, and most of the route south of Barkingside including Newbury Park was in a cutting. Only the platforms at Roding Valley and Barkingside (eastbound only) are accessible from street level. Works for accessibility to each of the platforms at Roding Valley were completed in 2009; hitherto there were a couple of steps to street level.

Goods yards were at Grange Hill (closed 1965), Hainault (closed 1908), Fairlop (closed 1958), Barkingside and Newbury Park (both closed 1965).[10] One of the former sidings at Newbury Park is now the eastbound through line, with the former eastbound line normally used only for reversing, though it retains the connection facing Barkingside. The sidings at Grange Hill now form part of the north-facing access from Hainault Depot. They extend parallel to the station platforms, and there are also sidings at the southern end of the depot next to the platforms at Hainault. East of Chigwell a short siding served Chigwell Nursery in GER days, but this was closed, probably before Grouping into the LNER (the nursery was sold in 1922[11]).

The line between Leytonstone and Newbury Park is of standard twin-bore construction, with the three intermediate stations all having central platforms. The route diverges from the Ongar branch east of Leytonstone at Leytonstone Junction, with the tracks passing either side of the latter and immediately diving underground. The route heads mostly beneath the A12 Eastern Avenue as far as Gants Hill. East of here it turns southeast along Perth Road, then east to pass beneath Ley Street to the alignment of Wards Road, before curving northwards beneath Glebelands Avenue to reach the surface just south of Newbury Park, with the tracks passing to either side of the trackbed of the former line to Ilford: this explains the relatively long tunnel between Gants Hill and Newbury Park. The tunnels were essentially completed when the Second World War broke out in 1939, and between March 1942 and the end of hostilities they were used as an underground munitions factory, complete with its own 18 in (457 mm) railway, by Plessey,[12] based in Ilford for many years. The factory extended almost 5 miles with about 300,000 sq. ft. of space.[13] Redbridge is the shallowest "deep-level" station on the Underground, 26 feet (7.9 m) below street level,[14] necessitating just a short of flight of stairs for entry. Gants Hill and Wanstead, due to their greater depth, have escalators, with additional ramps or stairs at the former.

From north-west to south-east

• Woodford, opened 22 August 1856 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), closed briefly, re-opening 14 December 1947.[2]

Fairlop Loop diverges from the Ongar (now Epping) Branch at Woodford Junction

• Roding Valley, opened 3 February 1936 as Roding Valley Halt by the LNER, closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 21 November 1948.[2]
• Chigwell, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 21 November 1948.[2]
• Grange Hill, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 21 November 1948.[2]
• Hainault, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 1 October 1908 to 3 March 1930. Closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 31 May 1948.[2]
• Fairlop, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 31 May 1948.[2]
• Barkingside, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 22 May 1916 to 30 June 1919. Closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 31 May 1948.[2]
• Newbury Park, opened 1 May 1903 by the GER, closed 29 November 1947, re-opening 14 December 1947 as part of the Central line.[2]

Former connection: Fairlop Loop joins Great Eastern Main Line via westward curve between Newbury Park Junction and Ilford Carriage Sidings Junction

• • Ilford, opened 20 June 1839[15] by the Eastern Counties Railway. Operated by the Elizabeth line. Connection closed 30 November 1947.[2]

Former connection (freight-only): Fairlop Loop joins Great Eastern Main Line via eastward curve between Newbury Park Junction and Seven Kings West Junction

• • Seven Kings, opened 1 March 1899[15] by the GER. Operated by the Elizabeth line. Connection closed 19 March 1956.[2] (not served by scheduled Fairlop Loop passenger trains)

Remainder of Fairlop loop connects with Central line tube from Leytonstone (nowadays both parts referred to as the "Hainault Loop")

• Gants Hill, opened by LTE 14 December 1947.[2]
• Redbridge, opened by LTE 14 December 1947.[2]
• Wanstead, opened by LTE 14 December 1947.[2]

re-joins the Ongar (Epping) Branch at Leytonstone Junction

• Leytonstone, opened 22 August 1856 by the ECR, closed briefly, re-opening 5 May 1947.[2]

Most of the surface stations on the Fairlop loop and the underground stations on the Hainault loop are notable for their architecture, dating from Edwardian to the London Transport style of the 1930s/1940s. The bus station shelter at Newbury Park won a Festival of Britain award in 1951, and both it and Barkingside station are Grade II Listed buildings.[16][17] The interior of Gants Hill was heavily inspired by the Moscow Metro.[12] Gants Hill lacks a proper station building, being directly underneath the busy A12 roundabout. Due to bomb damage to Grange Hill in 1944,[18] and expansion of the A12 Eastern Avenue at Newbury Park in 1956,[19] the original station buildings were demolished. They were almost identical to that at Chigwell. Newbury Park was meant to receive a replacement building but it was never built, and the only entrance is via the bus station. Hainault's original structure, prior to rebuilding due to the addition of Hainault Depot, was very similar to that at Fairlop.[20] Roding Valley had rather basic buildings on opening, with a wooden shelter on the Woodford-bound side, replaced by more substantial structures when transferred to the Central line. Notable architects included Oliver Hill for Newbury Park bus station and W. N. Ashbee for the original six stations from Chigwell to Newbury Park (though the Listing authorities credit William Burgess for Barkingside, possibly erroneously). Renowned London Underground architect Charles Holden designed the three new underground stations that opened in 1947.[21]

• 
  Roding Valley (new building 1949)
• 
  Chigwell
• 
  Grange Hill (new building 1949)
• 
  Hainault (new building 1949)
• 
  Fairlop
• 
  Barkingside
• 
  Newbury Park bus station
• 
  Gants Hill
• 
  Gants Hill interior
• 
  Redbridge
• 
  Wanstead

Typical off-peak service pattern (as of 2007):[22]

• Through trains central London - Leytonstone - Hainault via Newbury Park: every 6-10 mins until c. 01:00.
• as above but additionally Hainault - Woodford: every 20 mins until 24:00.
• additional trains from White City to Newbury Park, every 20 mins.

Typical service pattern by 1933 (LNER):[23]

• Half-hourly during the day, circular service typically London Liverpool Street - Stratford - Ilford - Woodford - Stratford - London Liverpool Street.

• Standard tube stock 1947-1963 (final withdrawal)
• 1959 tube stock 1960-1964
• 1962 tube stock 1962-1995 (final withdrawal)
• 1992 tube stock 1993–present
• Hainault - Woodford shuttle service saw a variety of stock from the early 1960s in conjunction with experimental Automatic Train Operation (ATO), such as 1960 tube stock[24] and trials of both 1967 tube stock[24] and modified 1973 tube stock,[25] prior to introduction of the 1992 trains.

• Steam locomotives included Holden 2-4-2T tank engines and Hill 0-6-2T tank engines built by the GER, and carriages were usually of the short wheelbase type, up to 16 per train.[26]

• Connor, J E (2007). Branch Line to Ongar. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-05-5.
• Jackson, Alan A (1999). London's Local Railways. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-209-7.
• Brennand, Dave (2006). Ilford to Shenfield. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-97-4.
• Bruce, J Graeme; Croome, Desmond F (2006). The Central Line. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-297-6.