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Ealing, LONDON, W10 9DH

The sorting office serves the W13 postcode area. Originally known as Ealing Dean Sorting Office, it was built in 1904 almost certainly to the designs of architect Jasper Wager. Wager worked for the London section of the Office of Works, the Government department responsible for the design of post office buildings. Similar buildings most probably designed by Wager, not all functioning as delivery offices, may be found in East Finchley, Hanwell, Kentish Town, Lee Green, Streatham, Tooting, Upper Edmonton, Walthamstow and Winchmore Hill.

What is this Chiltern Railways diesel multiple unit doing at West Ealing Station - nowhere near its usual route into Marylebone? It's the weekly 'Parliamentary train' to West Ruislip. The service has been through a number of permutations over the years. At the time of writing it was running on Wednesdays only at 1117 non-stop from West Ealing to West Ruislip. The aim is to familiarise Chiltern drivers with working the Greenford branch line in case regular services to and from Marylebone have to be diverted to Paddington in an emergency. Before 2018 the service started at Paddington and ran the entire length of the Acton to Northolt Line (then known as the 'New North Main Line'), but when the line was severed for HS2 construction, the ghost train was diverted to start from West Ealing instead. The weekly train ran non-stop to High Wycombe before being reduced to terminate at West Ruislip in December 2021. 'Parliamentary trains' began in the 1840s as statutory minimum services providing inexpensive transport for less affluent passengers. The Railway Regulation Act stipulated that at least one such service be run each day on each route. These days the term describes services that continue to run - typically once a week - to avoid the cost of formally closing a route or station. These 'ghost trains' have acquired a cult following among rail enthusiasts.

Originally known as Ealing Dean Sorting Office, it was built c.1904 almost certainly to the designs of architect Jasper Wager. Wager worked for the London section of the Office of Works, the Government department responsible for the design of post office buildings. Similar buildings most probably designed by Wager, not all functioning as delivery offices, may be found in East Finchley, Hanwell, Kentish Town, Lee Green, Streatham, Tooting, Upper Edmonton, Walthamstow and Winchmore Hill.

This parade of shops is directly opposite to the entrance to the Elizabeth Line station at West Ealing.

In 2021 this building in Manor Road replaced the earlier station frontage of 1987 in Drayton Green Road in readiness for the inauguration of the full Elizabeth Line service in 2022.

The station was opened in 1871 as "Castle Hill and Ealing Dene" by the Great Western Railway, which had opened its broad gauge tracks between Paddington and Taplow on 4th June 1838. The last broad-gauge services were operated in 1892. The station was located next to the London Co-operative Societies main creamery, and so was equipped with a dedicated milk train platform. The milk depot was closed long ago but the derelict platforms still remained in 2014. They are seen here from platform 4 which is the up stopping platform. The houses of Manor Road can be seen behind. However, as part of the Crossrail proposal, services from the Greenford Branch Line will terminate at West Ealing and this will be enabled by converting the former LCS milk train bay into an extra bay platform.

A pair of the Class 360 electric multiple units used for Heathrow Connect services meet at West Ealing. There are 5 of these units of the Siemens 'Desiro' family allocated to Old Oak Common for the route of which 4 are in service on any given day. This is the semi-fast service, not to be confused with the Heathrow Express. If you look back along the platform you can see a pilot with all his bags waiting to board.

The station facilities were extensively rebuilt in readiness for the start of the full service on the Elizabeth Line in 2022. Seen here are the GWR main line tracks (far left), Elizabeth Line platforms 3 and 4 (centre) and platform 5 (far left) which serves the GWR branch to from West Ealing to Greenford.