More of the West Anglia Main Line! With a tricky little footbridge!

Indexed: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]We have made it to Stansted Airport.

[00:00:06]An old Network Southeast sticker.

[00:00:08]There's so many non-stoppers that they keep taking me by surprise. I'm sorry, Brian. They saw a bridge and it was worth it.

[00:00:18]That is officially my favorite shot of the day. Anyway, it's now time for us to head off to our next station of the day, which is going to be Harlow Mill.

[00:00:48]Next stop will be Harlow Mill.

[00:01:19]We've made it to Harlow Mill. I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say that that used to be a signal box.

[00:01:27]So, Harlow Mill station was opened in 1842 by the Northern and Eastern Railway on their line to Bishop's Stortford. The station name was originally just Harlow, but it was changed in 1960 to Harlow Mill after a mill on the River Stort just to the north of the station. Um you need the differentiation because there is another Harlow station which we're going to visit in a little bit. Let's have a little look round and see what's here at Harlow Mill today. So, there are two platforms at Harlow Mill, but they are staggered, unlike the other stations we've been to today. There is a waiting room that is new. It was built in 2023.

[00:02:09]See, this poster just looks like somebody's zapping Harry there. So, out here we do have the station car park. And it'll come as no surprise to anyone that the car park and beyond was the location of the goods yard and cattle pens. And the weekend daily rate is £3.15.

[00:02:26]So, contrary to what I said about getting closer to London, but the price got cheaper.

[00:02:32]I don't know.

[00:02:35]I'm just now taking a wander over to the Bishop's Stortford bound platform.

[00:02:41]Um there was a sign about the other platform being over the footbridge.

[00:02:46]I assume that means the ramp that brings you up to the road, cuz I couldn't see a footbridge as such. It's a noisy road.

[00:03:00]Okay, so this noisy road is what you've got to get across to get to the other platform, and there isn't a pedestrian crossing in sight.

[00:03:09]Okay, I think Sarah's made a boo-boo here. I'm going to have to have you go ahead and ignore everything I just said about going across the road.

[00:03:18]That is the step-free way, but there is in fact a footbridge.

[00:03:23]It was just cleverly disguised behind the road bridge. This is said footbridge, although I didn't see it for some reason from the London bound platform. So, the platforms are only actually sort of partially staggered, if you want to put it like that.

[00:03:39]Which I don't know why. I just could not see this bottom end of the platform beyond the road bridge, which was concealing the footbridge. I think the safest thing to do here is just to chalk it up to me being a bit of an idiot and not looking properly to find the footbridge. Let's have a quick look round and see what's here on the Bishop's Stortford platform aside from that footbridge. So, we've got the good old bus shelter style waiting shelter and in here is a plastic McDonald's drink cup, a Monster can, and some scarves.

[00:04:16]I don't think those are permanent features. So, we've just got a few minutes until our next train to Harlow Town. So, let's head back across the line.

[00:04:41]See, if you stood under the road bridge, it's really obvious.

[00:04:55]The acoustics of a 745 under the road bridge, that's pretty good. Not as good as the class 68 at Moor Street, but pretty good.

[00:05:46]Welcome to this service for Stratford.

[00:05:51]We will be calling at Harlow Town, Roydon, Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Enfield Lock, Northumberland Park, Tottenham Hale, Lea Bridge, and Stratford.

[00:06:07]The next stop will be Harlow Town.

[00:07:09]We've made it to Harlow Town. Harlow Town hasn't always been called Harlow Town, though.

[00:07:14]When it was first opened in 1842 by the Northern and Eastern Railway, it was called Burnt Mill after the village it served. However, the station was rebuilt between 1959 and 1960 to serve the town of New Harlow, which was a post-war developed town.

[00:07:35]And they needed to differentiate between the other Harlow station, known as Harlow Mill, and this Harlow station. So, it's called Harlow Town.

[00:07:44]There's a train coming through. Who knew?

[00:07:48]So, we do have a total of four platforms here at Harlow Town.

[00:07:53]The most served ones are these ones, platforms two and three.

[00:07:57]They're for the fast services, and platforms one and four, they are for slow services and also get used as a loop for freight trains. The building that you can see there is obviously the 1960 building, and that is actually grade two listed. When it was built, it was actually praised by architect and building news for its beauty. I can't say that I agree, but it's all down to personal taste, and I'm sure in the '60s that sort of style had a different impact on people. It's probably very modern at the time. Access between the platforms is either a stepped footbridge or there's a lift to provide level access up to the concourse. I don't know what's going on with my hand. We haven't had a lift today. Let's go and try out the lift.

[00:08:52]Doors closing.

[00:08:55]Bridge link.

[00:09:00]Doors opening.

[00:09:22]So, I'm now waiting for the train to take me to Roydon, but I'm a little bit concerned. The previous train heading in that direction that calls at Harlow Town was actually canceled due to an issue under investigation. Now, I wouldn't know idea what that means.

[00:09:39]I'm just hoping it's not something that's going to have an impact on the other services.

[00:10:06]Welcome to this service for Stratford.

[00:10:11]We will be calling at Broxbourne, Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Enfield Lock, Northumberland Park, Tottenham Hale, Lea Bridge, and Stratford.

[00:10:25]The next stop will be Broxbourne.

[00:10:33]We've made it to Broxbourne.

[00:10:35]Now, this is the kind of view I like to see from a railway platform.

[00:10:40]That's lovely.

[00:10:43]We've even got some birdsong.

[00:10:46]Yeah.

[00:10:47]Harlow was a It wasn't busy busy, but there was a lot going on.

[00:10:52]My first train journey of today going between Norwich and Stansted was so busy. I feel like I need this little bit of tranquility, little bit of birdsong, bit peace.

[00:11:07]Yeah.

[00:11:08]As well as the peace and tranquility, I do also need some history.

[00:11:12]The station here was opened in 1844 by the Northern and Eastern Railway, and the building was designed by the architect Francis Thompson. We have come across him before, but I'm racking my brains to remember where.

[00:11:27]The stations in question are Flint, Conwy, and Bangor, as well as possibly Cambridge, Great Chesterford, and Audley End. Although those last three have also been attributed to another architect, Sancton Wood. The station became Grade II listed in 1971. Unfortunately, in 1978, British Rail abandoned it.

[00:11:48]Interestingly, this is the only station on the West Anglia Main Line that's only served by the services between Stratford and Bishop's Stortford.

[00:12:18]Really is a lovely view from this platform.

[00:12:22]That's because the platforms are staggered. The Stansted-bound platform is on the other side of the level crossing. Oh, these white daffodils look like they've seen better days. I think they could do with a drink or something.

[00:12:34]This waiting shelter here is on the site of the old ticket office that was demolished in 2016. The foundations from the ticket office were used to create this waiting room.

[00:12:45]Just nipping into the waiting room because I have seen we have got a little bookshelf.

[00:12:54]I don't know if these are free to take or if it's a little lending library.

[00:12:58]But I think that's really cool to have in a waiting room.

[00:13:14]So, on the other side of the level crossing, you can probably see that signal box.

[00:13:19]That dates from 1876 and is one of only two surviving examples of a Great Eastern Railway type one signal box.

[00:13:50]I'm loving the look of that station building. It's putting me in mind of one of the stations I went to in my 20 video.

[00:13:57]I can't remember the name of it.

[00:14:03]To get onto the platform, we just got to go this way. Just looking at the building with the yellow frontage from the other side is absolutely beautiful.

[00:14:12]Equally lovely station frontage. I don't know what's going on with this building, whether it's being turned into a home or what, but there's definitely work going on inside. I don't know what's going on with these old gatehouses either, but something seems to be happening.

[00:14:29]We do have another old railway building here, too. Apparently, that's for sale.

[00:14:33]It would seem that if you want an old goods shed, just come to Roydon.

[00:14:38]Although that sign does seem to be quite old, so whether it's still for sale, I don't know. It is also labeled as an unsafe structure.

[00:14:48]So, it'd be a fixer-upper. Now, hidden down this way is the station car park, confusingly with a no parking, please sign nearby.

[00:15:00]Yes, I know that's for the gate. Don't worry, I'm not that daft. And the weekend daily rate here at Roydon is £2.75, getting cheaper.

[00:15:23]Already, the level crossing is down again.

[00:15:44]Also, just to say the bridge over the river next to Roydon Station is absolutely lovely.

[00:15:51]I think that's some beautiful architecture.

[00:15:54]Ah, freight.

[00:16:33]Didn't wonder why our train was showing up as being about 3 minutes late.

[00:16:38]3 minutes late for freight, for me, that's a good thing. For other people, it may not be.

[00:16:45]Actually, for me at this precise moment in time, it isn't strange thing because it reduces the time I've got at Broxbourne, and I didn't have that much to begin with.

[00:17:24]>> Welcome to this service for Stratford.

[00:17:30]We will be calling at Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Enfield Lock, Northumberland Park, Tottenham Hale, Lea Bridge, and Stratford.

[00:17:42]The next stop will be Broxbourne.

[00:17:50]We've made it to Broxbourne.

[00:17:52]So, as we haven't got very long here at Broxbourne, I'm going to hand over to narration Sarah for a bit of info about the station while I go and have an explore.

[00:18:01]The original station at Broxbourne opened in September 1840 as Broxbourne and Hoddesdon on the Northern and Eastern Railway's proposed line from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge.

[00:18:13]The line from London was opened in sections, meaning that Broxbourne was briefly the terminus until the section to Harlow opened in 1841.

[00:18:22]A branch line to Hertford East was opened in 1843 with the Buntingford branch railway, which opened in 1863, splitting off from this. Known colloquially as the Bunt, the branch was recommended for closure in the Beeching report with passenger services being withdrawn in 1964 and goods in 1965.

[00:18:44]After the line to Bishop's Stortford was electrified in 1959, the original Broxbourne station was demolished and the station we see today was opened in 1960, about 100 yd north of the original site. As you can see, the current station is in the Brutalist style typical of the 1960s.

[00:19:04]This was designed by H. H. Powell of the British Railway's Eastern Region Architect's Department. Like Harlow Town, it's now grade two listed.

[00:19:14]The station was renamed to Broxbourne in 1970.

[00:19:18]So, I was just outside the station agonizing as to whether I should skip a station and just stay here a bit longer. I decided I was going to not skip that station. I was going to go ahead and get on that train that's due to go in about 2 minutes. Went into the station, looked at the departure board, it's been cancelled. So, decision has been taken away from me.

[00:19:39]I'm here for an extra half an hour. I think I can live with that. This is really nice. I've sort of been going a bit like station, station, station today because of the frequency of the trains.

[00:19:51]And it's nice just to take a little step back and slow down for a minute and try not to think about the fact that this means I'll be getting home later than planned.

[00:20:03]It's fine.

[00:20:05]It's all fine.

[00:20:10]>> [music] [music] [music] >> So, we're now back at Broxbourne ready to get our train to Bishop's Stortford cuz it turns out I don't actually have to cross out a station in this plan at all. I can still go to my intended final station [music] of the day, Bishop's Stortford.

[00:20:46]Let's go.

[00:20:47]Well, when the train gets here, we will.

[00:21:13]>> Welcome to this service for Cambridge North.

[00:21:19]We will be calling at Harlow Town, Bishop's Stortford, Audley End, Little Hadham Parkway, Cambridge, and Cambridge North.

[00:21:46]We've made it to Bishop's Stortford.

[00:21:48]This station was opened in 1842 by the Northern and Eastern Railway and was temporarily a terminus station. That was until 1845 when the line was extended up to Norwich.

[00:22:00]It was also a junction with a cross-country line going to Braintree and Dunmow, which opened in 1869, but sadly closed to passengers in 1952.

[00:22:10]It continued in operation for freight and occasional excursion trains until the 1970s when it was completely closed.

[00:22:19]The station did have a goods yard, but this is since been turned into a car park. There was also a turntable and engine shed to the east of the station.

[00:22:28]Bishop's Stortford had two signal boxes, one to the north and this one to the south.

[00:22:34]In 1843, they had a speed record here on the services between London and Bishop's Stortford. They were booked on the timetable to run at 36 mph, faster than anything else on the network at the time.

[00:22:48]Admittedly, there wasn't that much competition.

[00:22:52]Unfortunately, there has been a serious accident here at Bishop's Stortford in 1926 on the last day of the general strike, a goods train heading south being operated entirely by volunteers crashed into the back of an earlier train sitting at platform two.

[00:23:09]Unfortunately, this caused the canopy on the building to collapse and a passenger who was waiting on the platform was killed.

[00:23:20]So, I'm now waiting for my train back to Stansted Airport. I really hope you've enjoyed this video. If you have, please do all the usual stuff and I'll see you all next time for another railway adventure.

[00:23:32]Bye.

[00:23:35]As always, an extra special thank you to all of my patrons and channel members whose names are on screen now, as well as everybody who donates to me on Coffee. You all keep this channel going.