please empty your brain below
Brilliantly nerdy morning read - thanks!

Kevin | 28.06.16 - 7:31 a.m. | #

@Kevin. I second that.

GA Annie | 28.06.16 - 7:37 a.m. | #

There have been various on off proposals to convert this line into light rail/ tram operation. IIRC one proposal even envisaged small extensions at either end.

http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/.../abbeylinerail/

Lorenzo | 28.06.16 - 8:10 a.m. | #

There was a massive fight over plans for a rail-freight interchange on greenbelt land to the east of Park Street/Frogmore, filling most of the space to the west of the main line. The site was formerly the location of Handley Page at Radlett Aerodrome (not to be confused with the airfield still running at Elstree nearby). The developers won. If/when it is completed, it will add more slow traffic to the main line, and dump hundreds of lorries per day onto the A414.

Presumably the "priory" was the nunnery at Sopwell. The visible remains are of a Tudor house built on the site after dissolution.

If you had visited a couple of weeks later, you could have come to see the giant puppets in the annual pilgrimage procession to St Albans.

Andrew | 28.06.16 - 8:30 a.m. | #

As a Hertfordshire-based reader, I am truly astonished that you were able to find that amount of QI stuff to write about Park Street, which - if only there was a horse - would most likely form my personal template for a "one-horse town".

Frank F | 28.06.16 - 9:21 a.m. | #

If the NR status site is to be believed, the Abbey Line appears to spend a lot of its time with buses replacing the trains.

Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but "No service" / "buses replace trains" due to staff shortage / job up the wall / broken down train/ etc. is something that sticks out on the page.

Not knowing the line, I got the impression that it was just a little country halt line that NR didn't care about. Obviously it's a bit more than that.

Rogmi | 28.06.16 - 9:58 a.m. | #

Curiously, when I click on the first picture, the train disappears

@Lorenzo
The problem with converting to tram use, or any other way of increasing the frequency, is that it would require the expense of signalling and/or doubling the track - you cannot drive trams "on sight" on a single track with passing places. At present there are no signals at all - one train can simply be "locked in" for the day.

timbo | 28.06.16 - 10:04 a.m. | #

A fascinating read. Doubtless much relief for the "no more politics" crowd. Which I am not one of: I am a great fan of the eclectic mix, meaning I don't know whether I'm going to get trains, referendums, walks, modern art, East London buses, Olympic legacy, Norfolk homes, workplace sociology, or one of a myriad other topics when I make my morning visit.

Malcolm | 28.06.16 - 10:23 a.m. | #

This is why I read DG.
Nerdy Information that I couldn't get anywhere else.

Michael | 28.06.16 - 2:43 p.m. | #

The Ver-Colne Valley Path continues south to Watford, but, south of St. Albans, it is now promoted as the Abbey Flyer Trail.
A short distance down Watling Street from Park Street station, there is a disused bridge abutment. When the main line from St. Pancras was built, the contractors put in a connecting line from the Abbey line for delivery of materials, etc. The formation of this spur (but not the track) remained intact until Radlett Airfield was built.

Stephen Bird | 28.06.16 - 4:45 p.m. | #

@ Stephen Bird Always interesting to see the remnants of what once was. Looking at Google Earth, the site of the junction from what is now How Wood station can be clearly seen, together with about the first third of the track path

The full path (marked Old Railway) is shown on the 1892 / 1905 OS map, with the junction on the St Pancras branch labelled as Parkstreet Junction:
http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/index.cfm#zoom=16&lat=51.7189&lon=-0.3427&layers=168

And, of course, the map shows the now disappeared GNR St Albans Branch from St Albans to Hatfield.

Rogmi | 28.06.16 - 6:24 p.m. | #

Rogmi: there's another reason why the line is closed a lot. Each year before the leaves fall, it's closed a couple of weekends to allow driver training on how to deal with "leaves on the line"!

James Webber | 28.06.16 - 7:57 p.m. | #

That a station in a comparatively built-up area lags behind Bayford for passenger numbers shows the power of regular through trains to London.

Sprout Eater | 28.06.16 - 8:12 p.m. | #

You didn't mention the nearby famous Naturist club, the Sun Folk Society in nearby Hazel Road!

Lurpak O'Rierdon | 01.07.16 - 6:24 a.m. | #

Grew up a few stops down the line in Garston, and lived and went to school literally right next door to the Abbey Line. Even though I've since moved further afield, I have a great fondness for this little stretch of track. It's crying out for better frequency, through services to Euston and inclusion in the TfL portfolio, but such ideas seem to have been floating about for decades with little traction (rather like the line itself in autumn!).

Fond of it though I am, I wouldn't want to rely on it for a commute, as it does seem to be beaten only by the Marston Vale line for failed trains, especially recently, as the "new" 319s experienced all manner of problems.

And yes, if you're not starting at Watford Junction, it's entirely possible (even likely) that you can ride for free. There are now at least ticket machines at most stations.

Phil | 05.07.16 - 8:46 p.m. | #











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