Hemel Hempstead Bay Platform

[ah-media]

Hello all.

Out of interest, when was the bay platform at Hemel used? I see it every day but having only lived here for a couple of years, I've never seen anything in it.

Can anyone give me some idea when it was last used for? Is it part of the old Lickey line to St Albans or was it in regular use post - Beeching?

Thanks

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Hello all.

Out of interest, when was the bay platform at Hemel used? I see it every day but having only lived here for a couple of years, I've never seen anything in it.

Can anyone give me some idea when it was last used for? Is it part of the old Lickey line to St Albans or was it in regular use post - Beeching?

Thanks

Used to be used for special parcels traffics - via Euston and to the rest of the country. Not prepared to divulge what. Last used in the late 1980's for that.

 

[elstreepilot]

I wonder if it was used for the distribution of Royal Mail postage stamps, which I believe used to be produced on the HH industrial estate?

 

[AM9]

Hello all.

Out of interest, when was the bay platform at Hemel used? I see it every day but having only lived here for a couple of years, I've never seen anything in it.

Can anyone give me some idea when it was last used for? Is it part of the old Lickey line to St Albans or was it in regular use post - Beeching?

Thanks

I think that it was originally the southwestern end of the Nickey line which went form the LNWR at Hemel Hempstead (Boxmoor) station via Redbourn to Harpenden on the Midland Railway. It's nearest point to St Albans was Redbourn, - nearly 4 miles away. The Nickey Line as a walking route now starts at the site of the station at the junction of Adeyfield Road and Lower Adeyfield Road, previously it continued through what is now HH hospital, across the A414 somewhere near the magic roundabout and across the water meadows to the WCML just southe of Boxmoor station. I'm not involved with them but the Friends of the Nickey Line are organising a walk over the route of that part of the line on 7th August. See here: http://www.nickeyline.org/home/whats_on/?news_id=201
Hope that helps, and yes I do know that the OP was about the most recent use of the bay.

 

[whhistle]

<snip>

I appreciate a bit of history. Very informative post

 

[John Webb]

The Nickey line did not reach the former LNWR goods yard at Boxmoor while it was still connected to the Midland main line at Harpenden. The intention was there, but agreement with the LNWR was never achieved. It was only in August 1959 that a connection was made to the goods yard at Boxmoor to allow coal delivery to continue to Boxmoor gas works. This was a short-lived traffic, finishing in April 1960! The line was used only from Harpenden to Claymore Sidings for the company making "Hemelite" building blocks from 1964 onwards until closure of the line in 1979.
Passenger traffic was "temporarily suspended" in June 1947 but was never resumed.
The Train Staff for the line is now on display in St Albans South Signal box.

 

[wildcard]

I understand the Hemel bay was used as a turnback siding for the local Euston stopping service in the days before Tring became the end point. I don't have a date .The bay is now too short for 8 car trains and when used had a flat crossing over the up line - so not that useful . Occasionally Hemel is still used as a turnback - but from the opposite direction as the southern terminus during the odd Euston engineering blockade . The large station forecourt being suited for rail replacement services to Watford and Stanmore.They built an extra staircase down to carpark level for use on these days - presumably to alleviate overcrowding in the subway when a whole train was decamped . Seems a bit of waste as it sees hardly any use . It would be possible to reinstate the bay - but not in its current position. The delapidated goods loading bay ( now used by a run down tool hire business ) would have to go and a strip of land would have to come from the carpark. I have seen the odd maintenance train / tamper parked in the sidings - but the bay itself sees no traffic.

 

[vic-rijrode]

The Nickey line did not reach the former LNWR goods yard at Boxmoor while it was still connected to the Midland main line at Harpenden. The intention was there, but agreement with the LNWR was never achieved. It was only in August 1959 that a connection was made to the goods yard at Boxmoor to allow coal delivery to continue to Boxmoor gas works. This was a short-lived traffic, finishing in April 1960! The line was used only from Harpenden to Claymore Sidings for the company making "Hemelite" building blocks from 1964 onwards until closure of the line in 1979.
Passenger traffic was "temporarily suspended" in June 1947 but was never resumed.
The Train Staff for the line is now on display in St Albans South Signal box.

The first Act authorising the Hemel Hempsted (sic) and London & North Western Railway Company was passed in 1863 just for a line between Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead - but the LNWR refused any cooperation with the small company - so it turned for help to the Midland Railway and eventually after several Acts, the line between Hemel and the Midland was built but with the junction facing towards Luton - only later was it remodelled to face Harpenden but joining the down main line in the up direction!

The passenger service never reached Boxmoor, running from (first Luton then) Harpenden to Heath Park Halt (next to the pub of the same name). It was a rare example of a branch line passenger service ending at a Halt. Incidentally the Hemelite trains referred to above were hauled for a time in the early 70s by Clayton Type 1 D8568 - now the only preserved Clayton and on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway.