13/270 - Epping

Epping Station,
11th May 2017

As promised last week, a blog post would be updated on the 12th May for you all. Epping is my thirteenth London Underground station review. Thirteen is unlucky for some, and unlucky for me. Epping is the furthest out of London I have travelled so far, with the station being in zone 6. Although I visited yesterday, Epping was due to be the last station on my trip as I visited the stations south of Epping first. However, my camera, which I usually use for taking photos, ran out of battery. Fear not, I used my iPad, hence why some of the photos are not the same quality as usual.

Roundel on platform 2,
11th May 2017

Epping started running London Underground services in September 1949, however, like most of the Central Line stations in East London, Epping has had a longer history with railways. The Eastern Counties Railway opened a double-track railway between Stratford and Loughton in 1856. This railway saw a transfer of services to the Great Eastern Railway, who, in 1865 opened a single-track extension from Loughton to Ongar, which led to Epping opening in 1865. The line was very popular, so the line was converted to double-track between Loughton and Epping in 1892, with a single-track still continuing out to Ongar. The double-track section between Loughton and Epping was converted to London Underground Central Line services in September 1949, with British Railway services stopping in 1957. 

Twenty three years as the last station on the Central Line

I have chosen my words carefully here, not to give the illusion that trains did not terminate at Epping before 1994, but it was not until 1994 that Epping became the final station on the Central Line. The section between Epping and Ongar could only be used by two trains at one time, and they had to be reduced to four cars in length. Until only one train was able to use the line at one time. Coupled with low passenger numbers, and the infrastructure was not able to cope if there was more demand, the section between Epping and Ongar closed on 30th September 1994. The same day that Aldwych closed. 

Train to Ongar please,
11th May 2017

Signage that mentions Ongar

Despite the line closing nearly twenty three years ago now, there is still ample signage throughout the London Underground that still features the Ongar section on them, albeit covered up. This is where I need YOUR HELP. If you see any signs that have the Ongar section covered up, please send them in. I will start you off by showing you an image of the signs at Gants Hill which still have the Ongar section covered up. I have seen signs at Holborn and Liverpool Street like this too. 

'London' Underground

Platform 2,
11th May 2017

I could not produce a post about Epping without mentioning that the station is not actually in London. Or is it? I now suggest you watch a video produced by Londonist called 'Do you live in London?' as this video illustrates my point better than I can. We all define London as something different, but Epping is outside of the M25 (a contemporary definition of London), not in the Great London Area, but is in zone 6. Roding Valley is also not in London, but is within the M25. Just five of the 270 London Underground stations are outside of the M25, Epping being the only one not on the Metropolitan Line. The other four are; Amersham, Chalfont & Latimer, Chesham and Chorleywood, all on the Metropolitan Line. 

Footbridge at Epping,
11th May 2017

It is now the time in my post to point out the little things people may have missed at Epping. The first thing I would like to point out is the fact there is a waiting room. I find this quite amusing, because Epping is a terminus. The chances are you will never have to wait that long before you can board a train at Epping. In fact, on my visit, the train I arrived on was the exact same train I got to leave Epping. The train was stopped for several minutes which gave me enough time to explore the station. Like many others east on the Central Line, Epping features a lovely footbridge to allow passengers to move between the two platforms. I particularly like the roundel fixed to the footbridge, and perhaps my favourite aspect of the station is if you walk to the northern most part of the station, you can see where the tracks continue out towards Ongar. 

Seriously, can I get a train
to Ongar?
11th May 2017

Epping Ongar Railway

I have saved my favourite aspect of Epping station for last. If you want to ride the old track out to Ongar, you still can. Sadly not from Epping, but from Epping Forest to Ongar, via. North Weald. I suggest getting the Central Line to Epping, getting the 339 vintage bus to North Weald, and you can then ride the line between Epping Forest and Ongar. More information is provided on the Epping Ongar Railway website, including information about refreshments, a gift shop and other ways of visiting the Railway. 

Epping is a lovely, stylish and classic railway station with lots of little details to look out for. Why not visit the Epping Ongar Railway if you are interested in London Underground and also railway history? 

More photos

View from the footbridge,
11th May 2017

If you have not already followed my Instagram, please do. Follow tubespottingdan for more pictures as I travel the network to visit all 270 London Underground stations. If you have any questions, please do leave them in the comments bellow or send them privately to me on Instagram. 

Questions & Answers

Will you be going to Amersham and Chesham?

One of the most common questions I have been asked recently is will I be going to Amersham and Chesham? The answer is yes. Just because they are in zone 9, far beyond 'London' does not mean I will not be visiting these stations at some point. Perhaps, I may be visiting these stations very soon, in the coming weeks, perhaps.