Opened - 8.9.1856
Closed to passengers - 10.9.1962
Closed to goods - 13.7.1964

Stations
-West Drayton 2nd (opened 1884) r/n 1895 West Drayton & Yiewesley r/n 1974 West Drayton
-West Drayton 1st (opened 1838, closed 1884)
-Cowley (opened 1904)
-Uxbridge r/n 1907 Uxbridge Vine Street

Motive Power Depots Uxbridge one-track shed (closed 1897).

History
Uxbridge lies 16 miles west of the centre of London and the first railway to reach the market town was the Great Western & Uxbridge Railway (GW&UR) in 1856. Laid to the broad gauge the single line left the Paddington - Reading main line at West Drayton. The GW&UR was absorbed by the GWR the following year; they converted it to standard gauge in 1881 and doubled it in 1880. In 1950 the Western Region ran a shuttle service of about two trains and hour with the 2_ miles covered in seven minutes. Passenger services were withdrawn in September 1962 and the following month it was re-singled. Goods traffic only lasted a further two years and it closed to all traffic in 1964 with track lifted within twelve months.

Route - when open
The bay platform at the west end of West Drayton station (GR061801) was used by both Uxbridge and Staines branch trains with both branches diverging NW from the Paddington - Reading line immediately west of the bridge over High Street. The two branches then parted company after a short distance with this line turning north to pass over the Grand Union Canal, over High Road (A408) and under Station Road at Cowley station. It continued north alongside Cleveland Road and then Whitehall Road to reach the terminus station at Uxbridge Vine Street (GR056839).

Route - today
Earthworks have been removed and little of the trackbed remains. The cutting alongside Brunel University has been infilled for use as gardens and playing fields but a section has been left as a nature reserve and this contains a relaid section of GWR broad gauge trackwork.

Relics
West Drayton station (2nd) - still open (Paddington - Reading line)
West Drayton station (1st) - demolished: no trace
Cowley station - demolished: no trace
Uxbridge Vine Street station - demolished: site occupied by a new block of offices.
Bridges - all bridges removed or infilled.
Uxbridge loco shed (GR056839) on east side of Vine Street station - demolished

(The above text courtesy of Ralph Rawlinson. ©2005.)

Platform 5 at West Drayton, no longer used for passenger trains, only for the goods trains taking materials on the Staines line for the Terminal 5 works at Heathrow. (Aug 2006)

Looking westward at the main line west of West Drayton station. The right hand branch line can be seen veering off to the right. This is the route of the lines to Staines and Uxbridge Vine St. The two split not far from here: the Staines line returning in a southerly direction to run under the main line at a 90° angle to it, the Uxbridge Vine St line continued northward via Cowley. (Aug 2006)

There is so little left of this line that a walk of its route is a disappointing trudge along housing estates, some of them none too salubrious. This is one of the few indications of a lost railway line; an otherwise inexplicable hump in Peachey Lane. The railway route beneath the road is infilled. (Mar 2005)

Looking north from Peachey Lane along the route of the line. (Mar 2005)

Cowley, the only intermediate station between West Drayton and Uxbridge Vine Street was opened in 1904, fifty years after the line opened. Shown here is the hump in Station Road. The station was situated on the right of this photo, with access to the platforms gained via footpaths. There are no remains of the station in existence now, its site is taken by housing. The small remaining stretch of track bed on the line is located to the left of this photo (see below). (Mar 2005)

Station Road but no station. (Mar 2005)

The small section of track bed parallel with Cleveland Road that has been retained as a nature reserve. This view is southward, toward the (infilled) bridge carrying Station Road over the top of the line. (Mar 2005)

Northward view. (Mar 2005)

South view of some reinstated track (with longitudinal sleepers!) and unknown wooden object. According to Charles Weaver "It's the bottom of a wooden pile. Large pointy post driven into the ground/riverbed to support a structure. This one has been cut off." The reason for its placement here is unknown. (Mar 2005)

Westward view of The Greenway at the road hump caused by the railway running beneath it (to the rear of the approaching 4x4). (Mar 2005)

Looking northward from the Greenway at the route of the line adjacent to Whitehall Road. The cutting has been utilised here to provide low level car parking. (Apr 2008)

Looking northward at the platform area of Vine Street station. A comparison with old detailed OS maps reveals that the platforms were located where the yellow brick Hertz building is, in a more or less direct line from the camera's position. The southern end of the platform area has been cut through by the Uxbridge by-pass (Hillingdon Road), as seen here. (Apr 2008)

Chris Totty's 1965 photograph of the rear of the station. Compare with the photograph above it. It's not taken from the same position but it is possible to make a comparison. The photo above: #1 - is the block of the flats seen in the photos below #2 - is the goods yard #3 - the station itself #4 - the buildings between the station and Cricket Field Road.   The goods yard, the station, and the buildings between the station and Cricket Field Road each occupy about a third of the distance between Whitehall Road (as it was) and Cricket Field Road. The new Hertz building occupies the middle third.

An aerial image courtesy of Google Earth, showing the station's area: #1 - is the block of the flats seen in the photos below #2 - is the original alignment of Whitehall Road #3 - Cricket Field Road #4 - the buildings between the station and Cricket Field Road #5 - the platform area

Vine Street station building as photographed by Chris Totty in 1962. Move your cursor over the image to see the same view in August 2008. The only reference point between the two photos is the block of flats in the centre-right. Chris Totty's photograph also appears on the Uxbridge Vine Street station page of Nick Catford's Disused Stations website.

A view the opposite way showing Hertz House. This was built on the site of the platforms. The Uxbridge by-pass (Hillingdon Road) is to the right of the photo, out of shot. (Aug 2008)

More Uxbridge Vine Street station photos:   Ron Fisher (bottom of the page)