London and Blackwall Railway facts for kids

The London and Blackwall Railway (L&BR) was an important railway line in east London, England. It was first called the Commercial Railway. This railway connected central London, starting from Minories, to Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs. It was very useful for linking London to its busy docks.

The L&BR carried passengers from 1840 until 1926. It carried goods until 1968. The railway closed because the docks in London became less busy. Today, much of its old route is used by the modern Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The L&BR was rented by the Great Eastern Railway in 1866. It later became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923. A new branch line, called the Millwall Extension Railway, opened in 1871.

History of the Railway

This is an original bridge on the London and Blackwall Railway at Limehouse. It now carries a branch of the DLR. The open iron fence was popular with passengers. It made the ride quieter than other railways with brick walls.

The idea for the railway was approved by a special law on 28 July 1836. This law was called An Act for making a Railway from the Minories to Blackwall, with Branches, to be called "The Commercial Railway". The railway was planned to be about 3.25 miles (5.2 km) long.

The first engineer for the project was John Rennie the Younger. However, the people funding the railway wanted Robert Stephenson to be the engineer. They hoped to also get advice from his famous father, George Stephenson. Robert Stephenson had to follow Rennie's planned route. He also had to use an unusual track width of 5 feet 0.5 inches.

Robert Stephenson chose a unique way to move the trains. He decided to use cables pulled by stationary steam engines. This was similar to how trains were pulled up a steep hill on the London and Birmingham Railway.

Most of the railway was built on brick arches. This was true for the part leading to the West India Docks. After that, it ran on a raised bank of earth. Near the Blackwall station, it went into a shallow dug-out area. The Blackwall station had an iron roof and offices designed by William Tite.

The railway opened on 6 July 1840. The company changed its name to the London and Blackwall Railway in 1841. This happened when the line was extended to Fenchurch Street, which was closer to the city centre.

In 1848, the railway changed from using cables to steam locomotives. This was partly because the ropes wore out faster than expected. They even tried steel-wire ropes, but these twisted badly. The change also happened because new extensions were planned for 1849.

A new line opened in 1849. It connected Stepney (now Limehouse) to the Eastern Counties Railway at Bow. This was called the London and Blackwall Extension Railway (LBER). At this time, the railway also changed its track width to 4 feet 8.5 inches. This is the standard width used by most railways today.

At first, the L&BR and the Eastern Counties Railway could not agree on how to run trains. So, the actual connection between the lines was not finished. An interchange station called Victoria Park and Bow was opened. However, the Eastern Counties Railway stopped very few trains there. Most trains ended their journey at Bromley and Bow. Services to Victoria Park and Bow stopped on 6 January 1851.

By 1854, the two companies got along better. The connection between the lines was built. The LBER then became part of the new London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) route to Fenchurch Street. The Eastern Counties Railway also started running trains from Loughton into Fenchurch Street.

In 1858, the LBER was connected to the new direct line from Barking of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. This connection was made at Gas Factory Junction.

In 1852, the North London Railway connected with the L&BR at Poplar. Fenchurch Street became the end station for that line. This lasted until Broad Street station opened in 1865.

In 1871, another branch line opened. This was the Millwall Extension Railway. It ran from Millwall Junction to Millwall Docks. This helped to serve the West India Docks better. A year later, the line was extended to North Greenwich. This was near where the Island Gardens DLR station is today.

End of Passenger Services

In 1893, the line from Fenchurch Street to Stepney was made wider to have four tracks. But by the early 1900s, fewer people were travelling to Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs. To save money, the railway started using special railmotors in 1922. These were smaller trains.

However, passenger services east of Stepney to North Greenwich and Blackwall stopped on 3 May 1926. This was because of competition from electric trams.

John Betjeman (1906–1984), a famous writer, wrote about a journey on the L&BR. He probably took this trip just before the line closed. He described the trains as "frequent and quite empty." He said they "rumbled past East End chimney pots, wharves and shipping." They stopped at "empty black stations" until they reached Blackwall. When he got off, he saw "nothing to see beyond it but a cobbled quay and a vast stretch of wind whipped water."

Some smaller stations, like Leman Street and Shadwell, closed in 1941. This was done to save money during wartime. The connection at Stepney was removed in 1951. This meant the only way to reach the Blackwall Branch was from the LBER. This route was also abandoned in 1963.

Occasional goods trains continued to Blackwall and North Greenwich until 1968. But with the docks closing, the line was finally abandoned. Only the Fenchurch Street–Stepney part of the original Blackwall branch is still used today.

When the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) opened in 1987, it used much of the old L&BR line. This was between Minories (now Tower Gateway) and Westferry Road. Part of the old viaduct (a long bridge) for the line to North Greenwich was also used. However, some of this section was later abandoned again. This happened when the DLR was extended to Lewisham. New underground stations replaced the old ones.

How the Cable System Worked

This picture shows Minories station around 1840. You can see the large winding drums and an early telegraph machine. Notice the brake lever used to keep the cable tight.

When it first opened, the railway was about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long. It had two separate tracks. At first, only one track was ready. The second track opened a month later. Each track used a very long rope made of Manila hemp. As an engine pulled the rope from one end, the same length of rope was let out at the other end. This meant 14 miles of rope were needed! Metal swivels were put in the ropes to stop them from getting tangled.

Trains leaving the station were sent in two groups. The first group had four cars for the three stations furthest away. The main stations got two cars per trip. The second group was for the three closest stations. Each car at the back was unhooked as the train passed its station.

When the line was extended to Fenchurch Street, cars for that station were unhooked at Minories. But the brakes were not used. The cars rolled up a small slope to the new platforms using their own speed. Unhooking and attaching cars was done from an open platform at the front of each car. Levers were used to control iron grips that held the cable. The carriages were joined by simple link-and-pin couplings. The pin was pulled out to release each carriage.

The railway offered first and second class seats. Second class seats were not thought necessary because the journeys were so short.

It was too dangerous to pick up cars using the reverse method on journeys to the main station. So, all cars were attached to the cable at their stations. They all started at the same time as the train leaving the main station. An early Cooke and Wheatstone telegraph system was used to make sure the timing was perfect. The cars arrived at the main station one after another. A new train was then put together. The two cars from the far end became the front cars for the return trip. The timetable was very simple: a train left every 15 minutes.

Eight large steam engines provided the power. Four were used at a time, and four were kept for maintenance. The Minories winding house had four engines, each with 110 horsepower. The engines at Blackwall were smaller, at 75 horsepower. This was because the line sloped downwards from west to east.

The line changed to use steam locomotives in 1848. This was partly because the ropes wore out faster than expected. They even tried steel-wire ropes, but these twisted badly. The change also happened because new extensions were planned for 1849. A light roof was built over parts of the line near timber stores or ships. This was to prevent fires from locomotive sparks. After the change, trains could travel directly between stations without going to the end of the line.

Stations on the Line

Here are the main stations that were part of the London and Blackwall Railway:

The London and Blackwall Extension Railway was a branch line from Stepney to Bow. It opened in 1849 and was shared with the Eastern Counties Railway. Its stations included:

• Burdett Road (opened 1871, closed 1941)
• Bromley and Bow (1849–1850)
• Bow Road first station (1876–1892) then closed and replaced by second station to provide interchange with Bow (North London Railway station) and on site of original Bromley and Bow station (opened 1892, closed 1949)
• Victoria Park & Bow (opened 1849, closed 1850, interchange with Eastern Counties Railway - not to be confused with Victoria Park or Bow stations)

The Millwall Extension Railway was a branch line from Millwall Junction to North Greenwich. Its stations included:

• South Dock (opened 1871, closed 1926)
• Millwall Docks (opened 1871, closed 1926)
• North Greenwich (opened 1871, closed 1926; not to be confused with North Greenwich Underground station)