IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Hilgrove Road, LONDON, NW6 4TN

The North London heavy rail suburban network is now operated by London Overground Rail Operations Ltd as a Transport for London concession rather than as a franchise awarded by the Department for Transport. Although still part of the National Rail system, it is now also integrated with the rest of London's public transport infrastructure, so the TfL roundel appears on station nameboards as here. Note the successive attempts to paint out graffiti from the retaining wall.

Looking along the up platform (towards Euston) from under the Loudoun Road bridge.

South Hampstead station has now been given the London Overground branding - compare with this picture taken just over a year earlier when the station was operated by Silverlink: Image This very basic building was a standard design adopted by British Rail for its stations on the North London network - originally access was through a turnstyle adjacent to the ticket office window. For many years stations such as this have only been staffed during the busiest periods, but under Transport for London's high profile new policy the station is now staffed at all times when trains are running.

South Hampstead Station entrance.

Stairs at South Hampstead

The roundabout where Loudoun Road, Belsize Road, Hilgrove Road, Fairfax Road and Fairhazel Gardens all meet is dominated by a large weeping willow. The insignificant looking sign to Swiss Cottage Underground station (via the eastern end of Belsize Road) looks like an afterthought, however, and clearly needs refixing.

A work weary class 82 takes an empty coaching stock train north through South Hampstead. The last members of this class were withdrawn in 1987. Cuttings along this section of the Euston main line are brick lined and here the engineers have built large buttresses to prevent collapse. Platforms on the fast lines here are no longer in use.

Approaching the roundabout at the junction of Fairfax Road with Belsize Road, as seen from Fairfax Road.