Emerson Park - Least Used Overground Station 

I used to go through Emerson Park Halt every day on my way to school in mid 1970s. Some not very interesting things I remember: The service was then known as the "Push and Pull" The trains were rather smelly diesels that left a thick greasy black deposit on the sleepers at both Upminster and Romford where the train waited between journeys. The driver's cab had a glass back wall so you could watch the driver do his driving thing and watch the track ahead. There was a first class compartment but no first class service - it was always full of us school kids. Before electrification the trees grew much closer to the track and sometimes brushed against the carriage. It was like being in the countryside. Being single track it was exhilarating but quite safe to stick your head out the window - except for those trees! Being slam-door trains it was de rigueur to open the door as soon as it drew level with the platform and jump out as soon as you dared. You had to run quite fast or fall flat on your face. The slope down to the Emerson Park platform is quite steep. It was hilarious watching Emerson Park kids fly down it but still miss the train. Oh how we laughed and jeered at them!

Least used station on Crossrail: All of them.

3:20 That is what call crossing the railway in stile!!

I live in Texas, yet I can't stop watching your videos! It is great hearing people talk about their passion.

We need a Least Used Waterloo & City...

It's almost ironic that that particular branch of the London Overground connects Romford and Upminster, yet Emerson Park Station itself is closer distance-wise to Hornchurch than to either of termini! Also Hornchurch Station I think is worth it's own segment, from the Abandoned platforms to the general story of the RAF base there and how the station was used throughout WWII...

My part of the world. Born in Gidea Park, Nan lived 200 yds from Emerson Park. I give that station loads of love.

So the second foot crossing that I encouter really IS NOT on www.openstreetmap.org - as in, the alleyways either side that lead up to it, are just not shown! Who'd like to add them in?

Hey Geoff Since I went to check out the foot crossings in September this year, I decided to post an update on them here. The first one is still there, unchanged, with the gates and everything still in place. The two others have been closed by Network Rail in June 2022. The narrow and rather overgrown alleyways leading to them are still there, but the crossings themselves have sadly been closed with pedestrians being redirected via the nearby road bridge and the footbridge respectively.

7:05 "Oh look. It's that man that likes to go to stations, where they have lawn mowers. What have we got that he can listen to here?"

I used to live in a flat overlooking Emerson Park station and commuted to Canary Wharf via Upminster from there. It may be a least used station but the service was always reliable and really handy to easily connect to other services. I’m glad it has survived and now part of TfL.

it’s weird seeing my local area on this video especially as i’ve walked loads of these exact paths

I remember this when it was Emerson Park Halt and had a ticket collector and probably a station master. I even remember steam trains running on this route in the late 50's and being fascinated by the driver catching a metal loop from the man in the signal box at Upminster. I always wondered what would happen if he didn't catch it or he dropped it! It never occurred to me that there is no Emerson Park!

Wow. This is my hometown. Also I remember going over the last foot crossing when you posted the video about the one in London closing.

I love your site! All the video's are great, informative, funny, ironic at times, but always interesting and well made. I live in Toronto we can only dream of having a transit system even a 1/4 as good as the you have. Fantastic work.

Excellent video (as always) on my old 'manor'. Yes, TGA, I remember the Upminster spur as a kid. Thought it had long gone. Great trip down memory lane!

I live in Canada but can’t stop watching these interesting videos. It reminds me of the time I had lived in London. I still visit it when I can. What fantastic improvements have taken place in Public transportation over the years. Thanks for showing it. Good work ; keep it up, Geoff.

You're in my neck of the woods! Despite that, I have to confess I think I've only used this line maybe once or twice in my life. You should note that there isn't a Gidea Park at Gidea Park either! (It was the Gidea Hall estate, It got bought out by Herbert Raphael, who was the town planner for what would become Gidea Park. He demolished the Hall and turned a chunk of the estate into a park... but it's called Raphael Park)

I used the Romford to Upminster line to go to work in Leytonstone and Rush Green Collage between 1969 - 1974. My granddad used to take me to London from Emerson Park Holt when he lived in Hornchurch. This video brings back good momories. Thank you.

Years ago I used to play? on the track with my school friends on crossing 4 - there was then a 6 hour gap on Mondays to Fridays when it was a push and pull service. Thanks for your incredibly interesting videos Geoff.

I'm happy that in the comments of one of your earlier videos I guessed, correctly as it turns out, that Emerson Park would be the least used station on the Overground. I've always thought that Emerson Park would be an excellent name for a band. Though that thought was probably heavily influenced by there already being the group Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Thanks for this. I have so many great memories of this line from the mid sixties when i was a wee lad. I used to cross it over the Cattle Bridge (crossing 3) with my mum going to Langtons school in Hornchurch. As i grew my mates and I would cross the rails and sometimes put coins on there and let the train squash them.

I grew up in Hornchurch and this used to be my local station, I'd get it up to Romford when I was working there or on to the Docklands later (I live up north now though!) Emerson Park is the name of the quite nice fairly-new-built housing estate to the direct north of the station, named after the lead developer/architect's son, as I understand.

Always enjoy your videos like these walking tour ones as I get to see parts of London I'm in Australia and never have visited London so these are my "travels"

Thanks for doing that little explore as well as talking about the station itself. (Geoff Explores?) How strange, seeing as foot crossings of rail lines at grade are so rare, there are 3 of them just on this little stretch of line. I note that, while you were doing All The Stations, on Fri 21 Jul, you had an easy day of it, and ticked off just one station, Emerson Park. The only station to get a day all to itself. PS Parallelograms.

This was an interesting rendition of the “least used” series. Thank you for mixing it up. 🙂

A good reason to use this branch is that if you buy a return to Fenchurch Street (London Terminals) on the C2C, that ticket is accepted at Liverpool Street in the week since C2C run trains there at the weekend. So This and the Jubilee Line at West Ham are a great way to go to a Terminal with way better connections for no additional fare. Why you'd take this branch instead of the Jubilee Line? Well if you have ever been on the C2C at Rush Hour you'd be well aware of the fact about 50% of the passengers are using the train to get to Barking and Upminster so you're very lucky to get a seat if you go to West Ham.. Whereas if you go to Upminster, it's actually quite likely, albeit at the expense of a regular travel time since you need to gamble that the train will be at Romford when you get there. Then again if it isn't there's some great opportunities to watch the trains go by at Romford while you wait a half hour. I'm weird ok, and I like having a seat for a journey even if getting that seat makes the journey take longer!

Managed to get to the one between Osborne Road and Cranham Road recently - very pleasant indeed.

I used to take the train from Gidea Park to Romford and then Upminster to go to school, over thirty years ago: the local authority paid for our British Rail season tickets! Eventually they cut costs and asked us to use the bus instead. Glad that the service is still running as it is the only connection between the two London/ Southend lines.

The station front of Burgess Hill still has its NSE sign! Never been updated... You should visit and talk about why there's two stations within a mile of each other and in the same town, too.

According to hidden-london.com, the name comes from Emerson, son of William Carter who developed this area in the 1890s. I guess the 'park' was just an attempt to give it a suitably elevated quasi-rural name, as lampooned by Bill Vaughan ("Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them").

As I kid I'd spend hours playing on the train tracks at cranham foot crossing, so weird stumbling across it in a random video.

Wonderful! In theory people might think it's a boring subject but in fact it's very interesting. I love exploring old railways although I don't live in the UK any more. Every time I go to Paris for work a morning walk sometimes throws up some interesting old railway looking location to be explored!

I went on this line today into London via Romford. Instead of my normal Upminster to Fenchurch Street. You inspired me Geoff.

Welwyn Garden City Station has NSE flash logo on the platforms. Kind regards, Peter Skuce, St Albans. Hertfordshire.

I remember Craven DMUs on that line prior to it being electrified

Hello There, this is an interesting and decent episode, thank you for sharing this, it's much appreciated. Cheers Peter :)

No Emerson Park? There probably isn't an Emerson Lake either...

One of my local stations - we call the line 'the push-pull'. Romford to Upminster was in fact proposed for closure in the Beeching Report but escaped the axe - it's had a major increase in passenger numbers in the last decade or so. The 8-minute journey between Romford and Upminster is a good alternative to the bus if you're there at the right time.

Brilliant review of the branch line Geoff! And how London has more foot crossings than you think. By the way I was at the London transport museum and I noticed you were in a video about the thameslink program. I just wanted to know if you had any association with the transport museum as it was a surprise to see a video of you in the museum. Thanks Geoff. 👍😀🚆

wow i live right near emerson park/gidea park/romford/upminster etc and it’s always extra interesting to see videos about the stations near me.

Who else remembers the Emerson Extraction during All the Stations...all the Stations except Emerson Park!

Brilliant Video Geoff. i live in this area and worked at this station quite a bit believe or not as a Maintainance contractor for the TOC and Network Rail

My favourite so far. I love that style.

At 1:27, your map, above the red arrow, is the street Hill Crescent, where I used to live. The water that you cross, is the River Ravensbourne, which flows to join the River Rom, to become the Beam River. before flowing into the River Thames. I got my first ever cabride in 1969 on board a Cravens Class 105 from Upminster to Romford. The line was electrified in 1986, and first operated with Class 305/1 as they were 3 car EMUs. Then the platform at Emerson Park was lengthened to 4 car, to enable 315s, 321s, 360s and now 710s to use it. Emerson Park use to have a south facing bay platform, a wooden ticket office, and gas lighting. Hard to believe now, but the line used to boast 17 car trains from St Pancras to Tilbury Riverside. West of Emerson Park (so named because the chap that built the housing estate, was Mr. Emerson) there used to be a passing loop, hence it was known locally as the Push Pull. The line is currently signalled One Train Working without Train Staff. It used to be One Train Working with Train staff, and before that Electric Token Block. The tokens were the Railway Signal Company design, and inscribed Romford to Upminster West (after the old signalbox of the same name). I remember the token machine at Upminster being located under the stairs on Platform 6, for many years, now gone.

What about, "Least used station on the Heathrow Express"

My local station .. trains used to stop at 8pm and not run Sunday’s but now run to 10pm and everyday. Amazing considering your facts

You're in my old town where I grew up! Now I live in Canada. This is so exciting to see you there. I lived so close to the first foot crossing you are on. The last one is where all the college kids hide and smoke... haha

I so remember the chevrons I was gutted when they disappeared. In the late eighties when the last week of diesel they ran old green trains lovely to see from my garden. Plus in Sunday used to be a public footpath, obviously not now

Fun fact....there was another station just north of Upminster right up until 1971 called Laymer. Because it was so close to Emerson Park, British Rail proposed to create a new station replacing both, called Emerson Park and Laymer. Alas, delays meant that by the time funding was available, the project had been demoted to a rather formulaic progressive rock band with a slight name change and Laymer was simply removed.

Geoff! The final foot crossing is where I used to smoke wee with my friends between college lessons at Havering Sixth Form, I just knew somewhere deep in my soul that one day this day would come when you and I coalesce (albeit you arrived about a year ago).

why do I love these videos....still havent worked it out

still so strange seeing you in places i am everyday lol, the past couple years i've been going past emerson park stop nearly daily on the bus and i always marvel at how tiny it is

Hi Geoff love your content. It would be great if you could do a history, documentary / tour of every underground station, behind the scenes, hidden areas and so on. Keep up the good work!

Absolutely bizarre hearing you mention places around where I live. Great vid as always Geoff!

Although I have lived in the area for almost 50 years, I only discovered the Osborne Road crossing 15 years ago. And the other foot crossings are news to me!

I really enjoy watching you do videos on stations I have no interest in ;)

Also, I love all the secret rivers in London's suburbs... Always wanted to live next to one...

That was interesting Geoff. Emerson Park is the name of the area and there is no Park perse. I was surprised at the number of people that use the line. I live in Hornchurch area so again thanks for the video!

A good film. Worth comparing to the article on Romford to Upminster in Modern Railways about 1978, in the 'London's Branch Lines' series by John Glover, 40 years earlier. Then the Eastern Region 2-car dmus were used, offering the same frequency.

Wow, I went to school just around the corner, I remember an Italian Ice Cream Parlor just on the Hornchurch site, mind you this was 60 years ago. Looks like things gave changed a lot.

It's almost like this route was the unforeseen afterthought that TFL were obliged to take over with Crossrail (eventually) taking over, but as Romford to Upminster is not part of the Crossrail plan but Romford station is, still at least it provides flexibility for travelers to and from London to either Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street or the District Line

Hi Geoff just picked up on you video the footpath down Burnway we used to put Farthings on the line and wait for the train (steam) to turn them into halfpennys and the Bridge at the top of the road ihave all ways known as the Cattle Bridge used to run the cattle down to Romford Market.

Fun fact: the network southeast "logos" on the platforms are still in place at Welwyn Garden City [WGC] on the East Coast Main Line

I love bin bags in thr breeze at Emerson Park

A 315! Gorgeous trains

Omg ive used it many times and ive never noticed that footcrossing before!!!

Great video. I'd never even heard of Emerson Park! No wonder it's the least used station on the Overground network.

One of my favourite railway stations in London! One Sunday they should run a steam service with two loco top and tailing a few carriages!

0:27 I drove that exact bus on the 496 yesterday

Cool - loved that. Check out the garden shed at the end of the platform...! (10:09)

One of those foot crossings is hidden behind a road I passed every day for two years going to and from college. I wish I'd have known that then could have investigated it!

I enjoyed 11 minutes of bin bags swaying at Emerson Park , when I saw the title. I had to click :-)

Following the original video I had a trip to Emerson Park and it's a fantastic little station The idea of a shuttle service is something we will take on board for the Brigg Line as the demise of Arriva Northern gathers pace.

Wouldn't it make more sense to incorporate this line as part of Crossrail because it's actually connected to Crossrail, and it's not connected to the rest of the Overground. All you'd need to do is change the signing, paint the handrails purple and get a Crossrail train running on it. If you wanted to be really lazy, you could just paint that current train purple and not bother with the Crossrail Aventras. It would certainly look nicer on the map than a random line of orange separated from the rest!

Just got back from town and saw one of the new sexy London orangey Overground units pulling into platform 1. Not sure how long this has been on the Upminster branch but such an improvement on the tired old 315s

I recognised that crossing in the cutting from one of Morthen's videos. Never been to Londonshire although I've got a list of places I want to see.

This station is a good way to dodge ticket inspectors if you're going to Romford/Upminister.

Geoff, if you go to the overground platform at Romford, there is a rainbow overground roundel

You can actually see a patch of slightly lighter concrete bricks to the left of Geoff's superimposed lozenges, from where the actual ones were removed. ;)

Lived in Hornchurch for 18 years, never used the Romford to Upminster line lol

1:22 your pronunciation was spot on first time!

The ordanance survey maps i can access through my university show the crossings very clearly

You finally come to the east!!

Have you guys ever thought of making a video (or videos) about the remnants of London's original tram system?

Trains are now Elizabeth line style with orange plus there is a crossing down wood hall hall crescent too

I love Emerson Park It is probably my favourite station in London! Since TfL took over they have built a little hut for the "Station Guardian" As for many years previous the station was unmanned.

Geoff, for a sense of TfL completeness you should also do least-used bus stop, least-used river boat stop, and least-used cable car stop (presumably equal, as you can't really do one without the other!)

The NSE sign was the NSE Flash. The ones that were on the platform here (like many others) were made by using different coloured bricks that made up the platform surface!

We were waiting and it's here!! (Now we need a least used DLR station!)

Hello Geoff, great to meet you on the plane on Monday. In this video, you walk past my parents house at 2:34 (where the red car is over your left shoulder) Keep up the good work and I'm sure we'll bump into each other again somewhere! Cheers, Stephen.

Drive past most days! But walking from Gidea Park to Emerson Park is something I've never done and I'm a local!!

I don't live in london but i have a small tube map collection but what is the red cross on the tube maps on Emerson park?

It shows on the Carto Metro map tho P.S. thanks for the mention of the map in the Leicester Square - Covent Garden video :) it's very detailed

This is all very local to me! The bridge is known as the cattle bridge, no prizes for guessing why historically. Love this little line, it is basically the havering line.

Is this video important? Yes: it's a reminder in this world of strife, that beauty can be found around us. Thanks Goeff

I concentrated hard, but I just brought Tinksrbell back to life.

I used to work at Emerson Park school and I had to travel in from Greenwich it took 75 minutes each way lol 😂 I also wondered why the station was mikes away from the school with the same name.

Could you do least used station in zone 1?

those seat covers, the same as Yorkshire bus, haven't seen them in like years xD