R.o.B Railways
The GWR Brentford Docks Line
Introduction: Brentford is a town in the west of London between Chiswick and Hounslow. It contains Modern accommodation, a major through road, a canal, business offices, and was once an important junction for the grand union canal and the river Thames. Because of this importance the GWR wanted to build a connection from Southall on its main line from Paddington to Brentford dock to share in the freight distribution pie.
History: The line was built in 1855 and was the last to be built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the last to be constructed to Broad gauge (7'). The town of Brentford is and was already served by the London and South Western Railway on their line to Hounslow from Waterloo in the east and Richmond in the west and forms part of the Hounslow loop. The GWR line carried passengers and had a separate mixed gauge line added for the carrying of freight therefore allowing for more traffic. The whole of the line being converted to standard gauge in 1875. When the A4 was built a girder bridge was constructed to carry the railway over, but the line from Brentford New yard, approximately behind pc world and where a large Peugeot retailer is now, to the docks was closed in 1964 after the docks and transfer of goods at the docks became un-economical. The goods yard however remained in use until the 1970s.
Today: The line is still in situ though to just north of the old goods yard and serves London cement and a refuse transfer station regular freight services using the line. The Piccadilly underground line passes over the line just a little further up from these sites on a large viaduct. Alternatively just south of Southall on the line there is the curious site of the 'Three Bridges'. These are bridges carrying the road, at the top, then the canal in the middle and the railway in a cutting beneath the two. At the lost part of the line, there are still plenty of architectural remains. There are bridge buttresses which can be seen on trains to and from Hounslow on the ex London and South Western railway line from Waterloo. But also on the high street there is still visible the viaduct buttresses that carried the line over the high street, and towards the docks a road has been built on the railway bridges. The site of the docks has now been built on with large blocks of flats but the area still warrants a look around as there is quite a lot of railway remains visible.