When the Metropolitan Railway was extending out of London
towards Aylesbury, one of the reasons given to justify the expansion was
the potential of freight services that could be operated. Goods yards were
provided at nearly all the stations north of Harrow to Verney Junction. In
cooperation with the Great Central Railway and latter London North Eastern
Railway and British Rail, quite a lot of freight was carried. Chesham sent
quite a lot of manufactured goods and shoes to London by rail and Chalfont
at one time had an oil depot by the station.
Taken on the day of a special running
of the heritage 1938 stock, this view of Amersham station shows the
NHBC offices and car park in the background (with houses further on)
which now occupied the area of the old goods yard. The wide track bed
on the right is the site of the former goods loop created when the
line was electrified in 1960. Today the car park has been
extended and the NHBC office block replaced by a newer block.
Freight facilities lasted at Amersham into the 1960s and I have some
memories of freight trains at Amersham. When the line was electrified a
new freight siding was introduced at the far side of platform 1.
In addition to goods and freight, Amersham had a parcel service and as ate
as the 1980s British Rail trains (often ordinary multiple units not in
passenger use) would call to pick up and drop off newspapers and mail.
Picture Courtesy of Frank Phillipson a
picture of the freight yard taken in 1971
In the book "London's Metropolitan Railway" by Alan A Jackson (David
& Charles - 1986) some interesting information is given about
freight and goods at Amersham.
Much of the early freight carried by the Metropolitan was related to the
building boom along the route of the line. Other freight traffic included
milk and coal and there was quite a lot of paper sent to Aylesbury for the
printers Hazel Watson and Viney. Interestingly, a minute from the 1930
Board meeting of the Metropolitan Railway notes that coal was being bored
for near Great Missenden with "satisfactory results so far". Just imagine
how things would have been if they had struck coal.
Picture Courtesy of Dave James, the
freight shed taken in 1981
Interestingly, the goods shed surrounds seem to be a lot tidier in 1981
than they were in 1971 when the picture below was taken.
Picture Courtesy of Frank Phillipson,
the freight shed taken in 1971
Total tonnage at Amersham had increased from 14704 in 1915 to 34331 in
1925 and necessitated two of the existing sidings and a cart road to be
extended along with the shunting neck to accommodate 28 wagons. The
sidings were on a hill which made shunting very difficult. When stabled,
all wagons had to be secured.
Picture taken by Richard Hardy and
reproduced here with his kind permission. Copyright Richard Hardy.
Further details - The Transport Treasury
A 1937 view of a freight train arriving at Amersham. The
train will reverse into the refuge and then the trucks will be marshalled
into the yard on the left.
Picture courtesy of Bill Davison www.anorakheaven.com
This picture taken from the signal box shows a British Rail D.M.U. bound
for Aylesbury entering Amersham down road platform number 1 in 1969. Note
the goods loop line still in place and the old goods shed in the
background.
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