Willesden Junction station

Willesden Junction station stands at the crossing of the North London and Watford DC lines in Harlesden, north-west London. It is an interchange where the Bakerloo line of the Underground meets the Overground’s Lioness and Mildmay lines. The station sits close to the Old Oak Lane conservation area in the East Acton ward. Three separate sites grew together to form the present layout. The West Coast Main Line station opened in 1866, replacing an earlier station built in 1841 half a mile away. Passenger trains on the main line ended in 1962 when platforms were removed during electrification. The high-level station opened in 1869 for Richmond and later Shepherds Bush services, crossing the main line at right angles. By 1897 it handled 199 passenger trains and 47 goods trains each day. A combined high-level station with an island platform was built in 1894 and still survives. The low-level Watford DC station opened in 1910 with two through platforms and two bay platforms at the London end. In 1896 the staff numbered 271 and issued over a million tickets. A freight terminal opened in 1967 on an 18-acre site beside the depot, able to handle 2,000 containers a week. Today the high-level station has an island platform rebuilt in 1956 serving the North London and West London lines. The low-level station is an Edwardian island platform with outer faces for Bakerloo line trains and a northern bay. Platforms 1 and 3 carry Bakerloo line services that began in 1915, while Overground trains run to Euston and Watford Junction. The station signs remind passengers that Harlesden town centre is nearby. The motive power depot once housed steam locomotives for the West Coast Main Line before becoming a traction maintenance depot after electrification.