Acton: Former North & South Western Junction Railway

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 25 Sep 2011

It now appears as an empty curved scar across the map, but when it was first built in 1858 this, the Hammersmith Branch of the North & South Western Junction Railway (NSWJR), was the only main man-made feature in an otherwise rural and agricultural landscape. The NSWJR was originally built to connect the London and North Western Railway at Willesden Junction with the London and South Western Railway at Old Kew Junction. This Hammersmith branch from Acton was never a success, and whatever traffic it was designed to take rapidly disappeared as other railway lines built better connections to the centre of London. The passenger service was withdrawn during the First World War, at the start of 1917, and never reinstated. Freight services lingered on, serving a coal and asphalt depot, until 1965, when the track was lifted. Today this section of the old route is a secure private car park. For a view in the opposite direction, from a point in the distance, please see Alex's Image

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