Abandoned stations: Watford west 

Before writing a critical feedback comment please read the others first so as to see if the matter has already been raised, if it has why do it again?

Whilst I applaud you for making this video, I find this hard to watch as you don't leave the captions on long enough for people to read. I had to hit rewind and pause a lot (especially watching on TV) and that makes it not very friendly.

Acquaintance of mjne runs a car repair business next door to the station site. Incidentally, the bridge that was removed for the road widening was supposed to have been reinstated on completion of the road improvements, but this was not enforced!

I lived near Watford some 20 yrs ago and the talk then was the reopening of this line. With all the new house building it would have been a blessing. The authorities would have a going concern now just like the line from Okehampton to Exeter who’s in profit.

In the late sixties I did a Saturday turn in the booking office there as a favour for Barry Holbrook the Station Master for Watford High Street and Watford West. The telephone rang in the booking office and there was no external phone in there, you had to go outside and answer it in the public phone box, it was a train enquiry and I had to go back into the office to fetch the relevant timetable. There was a completed jigsaw framed on the wall and an armchair. The was no tea making stuff so I phoned Croxley Green to ask about tea making and was told to meet the next Watford train where upon the guard handed me a bone china cup and saucer of tea made at Croxley Green and sent up. I took less than £2.00 all day and over thirty bob of that was for a weekly season. Happy days gone for ever. Edward

I like the idea of Watford West being the gateway to the continent on the booking office advert.

This station is still here but it’s completely overgrown and the track and iron and sleepers are all still there

The big problem with the move of the Met Line from Watford to Watford Junction was that the plan was made and then people in central government claimed it was "too expensive". You can't really get the Mayor of London to use tax from Londoners to fund something outside Greater London, so we got into a silly situation where the people of Watford want something and Londoners would also benefit, but nobody is willing to pay for it. We are not going to get anything done with that sort of attitude. But, now we have a new government, maybe they will actually fund some useful stuff...especially stuff that has benefits across local political borders. I think the key thing of the rail plan is that it would put Watford Hospital onto a working railway. I like the tweaked plan that would see National Rail trains from North of Watford go to Watford Junction too. I would even like them to tunnel below the lines into Watford Junction and bolt onto the line to St Albans Abbey. It is a shame they are not planning to bring Watford West back into service, as it seems like it was built in a sensible place and would just need to have a second platform added.

In the mid-1980s, during a rare visit to London, I made my way out here just to take a picture of the by-then rare maroon enamel sign. It felt doomed even then and the guard seemed surprised that anyone would want to get on his train to Croxley Green!

Symbolic of our declining society slowly falling into disrepair and chaotic scruffiness.

Such a waste. The Croxley link should have been up and running now.

2:12 Has some graffiti vandal been transported in time from 1968? 😅

If the Croxley met extension go ahead they would’ve added another bridge over the road and would use the old Croxley green line and call at Watford high street and Watford junction But there’s a problem Watford tube station on the metropolitan line would’ve been closed and no longer serves And now it’s not happening and that ends that

Between 1959 and 1967 I passed that station twice a day on my RT London Transport green 'bus. There was a large black square painted on the high 'cliff' wall as the station was on an embankement. It stated that at this LMS station one could get to London. Beyond was a scrap yard with a small LMS sign board. Occasionally a Cl 4 Stanier tank would come with a few wagons. I never had occasion to use the line though I once had a special train (LMS 2P) to Rickmansworth Church Street which branched off from High Street.

Are we supposed to be able to read the captions, and look at the video!? You must be joking!

I used this station twice a day to get to Victoria school between 63/69. On the way back to Watford High St. in the afternoon the Ticket officer would often leave the wooden parcel/sacks slide in place down the stairs. We would slide down the wooden planks which over years of use were mirror smooth. Some of the girls would have a go clutching their skirts…. Happy days!

A better idea would be to re-open it for tram use.

Shame the old route couldn't be used as a cycle route.

Fascinating

Music needs improving.

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