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Vernon Drive, STANMORE, HA7 2BW

Dismantled railway lines are normally associated with rural locations, but this one is in London. This branch line ran from Harrow and Wealdstone railway station to Stanmore with one intermediate station, at Belmont, and was originally financed by a wealthy landowner who owned Stanmore Golf Club and other land in the area. The railway was closed in 1964, a victim of Dr. Beeching's cuts. One of the possible factors in its downfall was the geometry of the connection at Harrow and Wealdstone where trains from Stanmore ended up facing northwards away from London. This view was taken looking southwards at the point where the railway crossed the east end of Vernon Drive.

In the 1880s the village of Great Stanmore attracted the attention of the London hotel and restaurant magnate Frederick Gordon. In 1882 he bought the Bentley Priory estate with the intention of converting it into a country resort for his London hotel guests. He realised the project would not prosper without some improvement in railway communication. The Harrow & Stanmore Railway was authorised in 1886 from a junction with the up slow line at Harrow. The first train left Harrow for Stanmore on 18th December 1890. However, there was no sign by the early 20th century of any traffic potential. Gordon's enterprise at Stanmore failed and the line's business was very light. A few houses appeared near the station but the Bentley Priory hotel failed and Gordon moved in with his wife and 11 children. Gordon died in 1904. The country between Harrow and Stanmore remained almost entirely open until well into the 1920s. In response to house builders, a wooden halt was opened on 12th September 1932 called Belmont where the branch passed under Kenton Lane. With the building of low cost housing in the area Belmont became and remained the main traffic generator for the branch. The station was rebuilt by 1937. Sunday trains were permanently withdrawn from 27th July 1947. After 13th September 1952 the station at Stanmore saw only a daily freight train and these continued until August 1964 - track lifting started soon afterwards. Ordinary bookings from Belmont faded away almost completely from the early 1960s. Closure of the line from Belmont to Harrow & Wealdstone was included in the Beeching report and the last passenger train ran on 3rd October 1964. Belmont station was demolished in July 1966. The trackbed between Christchurch Avenue and Vernon Drive has now been made into a path called the Belmont Trail. For more information see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/belmont/ This is just south of Vernon Drive.

In the 1880s the village of Great Stanmore attracted the attention of the London hotel and restaurant magnate Frederick Gordon. In 1882 he bought the Bentley Priory estate with the intention of converting it into a country resort for his London hotel guests. He realised the project would not prosper without some improvement in railway communication. The Harrow & Stanmore Railway was authorised in 1886 from a junction with the up slow line at Harrow. The first train left Harrow for Stanmore on 18th December 1890. However, there was no sign by the early 20th century of any traffic potential. Gordon's enterprise at Stanmore failed and the line's business was very light. A few houses appeared near the station but the Bentley Priory hotel failed and Gordon moved in with his wife and 11 children. Gordon died in 1904. The country between Harrow and Stanmore remained almost entirely open until well into the 1920s. In response to house builders, a wooden halt was opened on 12th September 1932 called Belmont where the branch passed under Kenton Lane. With the building of low cost housing in the area Belmont became and remained the main traffic generator for the branch. The station was rebuilt by 1937. Sunday trains were permanently withdrawn from 27th July 1947. After 13th September 1952 the station at Stanmore saw only a daily freight train and these continued until August 1964 - track lifting started soon afterwards. Ordinary bookings from Belmont faded away almost completely from the early 1960s. Closure of the line from Belmont to Harrow & Wealdstone was included in the Beeching report and the last passenger train ran on 3rd October 1964. Belmont station was demolished in July 1966. The trackbed between Christchurch Avenue and Vernon Drive has now been made into a path called the Belmont Trail. For more information see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/belmont/ This is looking south from the northern end of the Belmont Trail at Vernon Drive.

In the 1880s the village of Great Stanmore attracted the attention of the London hotel and restaurant magnate Frederick Gordon. In 1882 he bought the Bentley Priory estate with the intention of converting it into a country resort for his London hotel guests. He realised the project would not prosper without some improvement in railway communication. The Harrow & Stanmore Railway was authorised in 1886 from a junction with the up slow line at Harrow. The first train left Harrow for Stanmore on 18th December 1890. However, there was no sign by the early 20th century of any traffic potential. Gordon's enterprise at Stanmore failed and the line's business was very light. A few houses appeared near the station but the Bentley Priory hotel failed and Gordon moved in with his wife and 11 children. Gordon died in 1904. The country between Harrow and Stanmore remained almost entirely open until well into the 1920s. In response to house builders, a wooden halt was opened on 12th September 1932 called Belmont where the branch passed under Kenton Lane. With the building of low cost housing in the area Belmont became and remained the main traffic generator for the branch. The station was rebuilt by 1937. Sunday trains were permanently withdrawn from 27th July 1947. After 13th September 1952 the station at Stanmore saw only a daily freight train and these continued until August 1964 - track lifting started soon afterwards. Ordinary bookings from Belmont faded away almost completely from the early 1960s. Closure of the line from Belmont to Harrow & Wealdstone was included in the Beeching report and the last passenger train ran on 3rd October 1964. Belmont station was demolished in July 1966. The trackbed between Christchurch Avenue and Vernon Drive has now been made into a path called the Belmont Trail. For more information see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/belmont/ This is looking towards Vernon Drive.

Looking south towards Belmont and Harrow & Wealdstone, this part closed in 1952 to passengers and 1964 to freight.

Between Vernon Drive and Wemborough Road, crossing the route of the LNWR Stanmore branch, which here was in a cutting. The road and housing layout here, which post-dated the railway, appears to have been set out to bridge the railway, but the plan was evidently dropped. The drive to the synagogue on the left has completely filled in the railway cutting, the path partly so. The railway was closed in 1964, this part north of Belmont being freight only since 1952.

Looking northwards along the track towards Stanmore Village. This section still saw an occasional goods train at the time of the photograph.