Watford
Photographic Locations on the WCML between
Wembley and Watford Junction
Photographic Locations on the WCML between Wembley and Watford Junction
The bearing of the WCML between Wembley and Watford is on a south-east/north west axis. During the summer months the sun will be behind you until around 1100hrs when standing on the east side of the formation and after 1200 noon you need to move over to the west side. Unfortunately, most of the best photographic locations are on the west side, so there are less opportunities for a variety of morning shots. Here is a list of locations I have used starting from Wembley and moving north, but please bear in mind that it is not always the wisest practice to be out on some remote platform for hours on your own. For your own security I will say here that two’s company and three’s certainly not a crowd!
Wembley Yard is off limits to the public, however, there is a pedestrian footbridge south of Wembley Central Station. Take A404 High Road and then take A4089 Ealing Road. Turn left into Lyon Park Avenue and about 500 yards down the footbridge is on the left side, very near the point where the DC lines burrow under the WCML. A telephoto lens is recommended for views of locomotives at the north end of the yard.
The south end of Wembley Central Station offers limited scope for views of northbound freight departures. There are no decent shots available on the station itself because it is a bit on the gloomy side.
There are no shots available along the formation between Wembley Central and North Wembley because the entire area is in the middle of a dense conurbation. However, if you happen to be lucky enough to know anyone who owns a house on the west side of the line then you would be able to get a shot from their back garden!
The next location is South Kenton which can be accessed either from the west side via Norval Road or from the east side via Windermere Avenue. Excellent shots of northbound and southbound trains are available from the island platform serving the Bakerloo Line but there have been a few times when I have had my view blocked by tube trains from Harrow & Wealdstone or Class 313 or 508 units working south from Watford Junction.
About 600 yards north of South Kenton Station is a very handy pedestrian footbridge linking Northwick Park with Conway Gardens. Road access is only from the east side via Windermere Avenue, Lulworth Avenue and Conway Road. The best shots are of northbound workings as there is catenary interference when viewing southbound trains.
About 500 yards further north there is another pedestrian footbridge linking Northwick Avenue with The Ridgeway but again the only shots available are of northbound workings because there is a catenary gantry sited immediately behind the north side of the bridge.
300 yards further north is Kenton Station which offers views only of northbound workings because the substantial station building completely obscures any head-on view of southbound traffic.
The next location is Harrow and Wealdstone Station which offers a wide range of photo opportunities but you need to know the workings for the fast and slow lines in order to be on the right platform to get the right lighting for your shot. Platforms 5 & 6 serve the ‘slow’ lines on which most of the freight traffic passes, although there have been many occasions when freight has worked on the fast lines. Platforms 3 & 4 are for the fast lines but some 321 and 319 units can be seen stopping here. If the light is strong then afternoon shots of fast northbound workings have to be taken from Platform 3, from where some great shots of southbound fast trains can be recorded, advisedly at no slower than 1/500th second. However, things have changed at Harrow & Wealdstone because Platforms 5 & 6 have now been extended to accommodate 12-car units. Nevertheless, two new photographic locations have been opened up here. The northbound extension of platforms 5 & 6 have made it possible to capture entire freight consists, as opposed to the limited view of the rake passing under the station footbridge. More exciting through, is the southbound extension of Platform 5 which will has passed under the A409 road overbridge at the south end of the station. This now provides views never seen before through the photographers lens, specifically of trains emerging from the bridge at the south end of the station.
The next location is on the east side of the line along the perimeter fence of the Tudor Industrial Estate which is accessed via Cecil Road, Wealdstone. Steps are required to gain clearance of the palisade fencing and the best spot is by the mini-cab office at the bottom end where you can get some great shots of early morning freight and the sleeper trains from Scotland. Again if the light is strong then this is no good for afternoon shots because the sun is on the wrong side, but if the light is suitably diffused then you can get some very good shots of northbound traffic coming out from Harrow & Wealdstone Station.
About 800 yards further north there is another pedestrian footbridge linking Carmelite Road with Courtenay Avenue, Harrow Weald. This offers good views of northbound trains but, almost immediately north of this footbridge the line passes under a massive concrete overbridge which creates some difficulties when photographing southbound workings because you get very little warning of what is coming on the up lines.
About 600 yards further north is Headstone Lane Station which is served only by 313 or 508 units between Euston and Watford Junction. However, unlike South Kenton, this location offers unobstructed views of the up and down fast and slow lines, but, because this location is entirely on the west side, if the light is strong in the morning then it is not worth taking shots of northbound traffic. This, again, is a very popular location but the only risk is that a nice shot of a freight on the slow lines could possibly be obscured by a passenger working on the fast lines.
200 yards north of Headstone Lane Station is another pedestrian footbridge linking Chantry Place on the east side with the sports ground on the west side. Proceed north from the station along Headstone Lane itself, and then turn left into Chantry Place for a location which offers good views in both directions, although you have to have your wits about you when looking out for northbound traffic as the view towards Harrow is restricted by the overbridge and the buildings of Headstone Lane Station.
Half a mile north is Hatch End Station, served only by the 313 and 508 units on the dc lines between Euston and Watford Junction. The remnants of the old main line platforms are almost an industrial relic, overgrown with moss and grass and, unfortunately, off limits to photographers. So, the only shots on here, are of southbound trains and, as the track bed is so wide here (a legacy of the expansive site of the former main line station that just survived into the 1960s) it is advisable to use a telephoto lens if taking shots of southbound freight. Needless to say, you rarely find photographers spending any time here, although I have managed to get a few good shots.
About 400 yards north of Hatch End Station is another pedestrian footbridge which offers views in both directions, however, it is a ‘caged’ bridge and the gauge of the steel mesh may be two small for finding a clear view through the lens. However, the smaller diameter of the lens of some of the digital cameras may be a solution to this problem.
About a mile and a half further north is Carpenders Park Station which is an island platform formation similar to that at South Kenton, with exactly the same limitations. However, this location is on almost a north/south bearing and during the summer months some very good shots can be taken in both directions from 1100 hrs onwards. As with South Kenton be prepared for the possibility of a 313 or 508 unit getting in your way, although you don’t have to worry about tube trains as they have already terminated at Harrow & Wealdstone.
About another mile and a half further north is Bushey Station which is set on the east side of the formation, having a platform for the up slow and an island platform, either side of which are the down slow and up fast lines. Again on a north/south bearing, some very good shots can be taken in both directions and there is no chance of a 313 or 508 unit getting in your way because the dc lines are right over the other side of the WCML. Some interesting views can be captured at Bushey but, because it is situated at the north end of a deep cutting, one has to be careful sometimes when the camera is pointing south. The view looking north offers the sight of trains snaking their way across the curved viaduct which brings the up line from Watford.
Our final location along this particular section of the WCML is Watford Junction which provides good views of traffic on the up and down fast lines, much of which stops in the station. Southbound traffic on the up slow poses no problem for photography, however, it can be difficult to get a good angle for shots of northbound trains on the down slow line. On the southern approach to the station, on the east side, are the stabling sidings for e.m.u and departmental stock, whereas on the west side are the platforms for the dc-units which had parted from the main formation at Bushey to work the loop via Watford High Street.
As a postscript here, whilst one might not consider this a ‘photo-location’, there is an expansive car park for the Tesco Supermarket situated in the retail park on the west side of the WCML midway between Watford Junction and Bushey. From this location it is possible to get some quite panoramic broadside shots of trains on the high embankment.
Notes compiled by Bernie Holland (RCTS 20448)