Watford Metropolitan Underground station

Watford tube station.

Before we get started... I know that Watford is not in London. But, neither is Warner Bros Studios Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. Nor are Gatwick, Southend, Stansted or Luton Airports, but they all have London in their name. There are countless more examples of this.

However, Watford is served by National Rail, the Lioness line and the Metropolitan line. It is also the station from where the majority of my trips to London begin.

So let's delve into its history.

Two different types of train at Platform 2.

By the early part of the 20th century, the Metropolitan line had already extended from London, through Hertfordshire, to Buckinghamshire, terminating at Verney Junction, Buckinghamshire.

In 1912 Parliamentary approval was granted for a branch line, between Sandy Lodge and Rickmansworth, that would serve Croxley and terminate at Watford.

However, clashes with Watford Borough Council and the outbreak of World War I delayed construction of the 2.5 mile branch line, with work finally beginning in 1922. As work progressed Sandy Lodge was renamed Moor Park and Sandy Lodge.

On November 2, 1925, Watford Metropolitan Railway station opened, and, in the first few months, was served by Metropolitan electric trains, to Baker Street, and LNER steam trains to Marylebone.

As the station was situated 1 mile from Watford Town Centre, the Metropolitan Railway operated a bus service from Watford High Street, in an effort to bring in more customers. This bus service ran for many years.

Celebrating 'Steam on the Met'.

The original 1912 plans, for the branch line, were to have continued the line through Cassiobury Park with a terminus on Hempstead Road, where West Herts College now stands. But, Watford Borough Council, having just bought part of the Cassiobury Estate, objected to trains running through the park and gardens.

RATs on the London Underground

A C69/77 stock train converted to be a Rail Adhesion Train (RAT) on the Metropolitan line.

Every now and again I see these Rail Adhesion Trains, usually in the Autumn/Winter months and usually at Watford Metropolitan line station, but I never understood what they did.

Coming back from London, last Sunday evening, a Rail Adhesion Train was in the sidings, so I took a photograph and decided to do so some research to find out what this train actually does.

Metropolitan line

Metropolitan 1 steam locomotive, celebrating 150 years of the Met line, in 2018.

Living in Watford, which is the largest town in Hertfordshire, I have access to excellent transport links to London, as well as other areas of the country. Just 16 miles from Central London I have a choice of National Rail, London Overground services or Transport for London's Metropolitan line service. It is the latter that I invariably use.

Trains at Watford Metropolitan station awaiting the morning rush hour.

The Metropolitan line station is just a 15 minute walk from my home and will get me to central London in just 40 minutes. I can also change to a different line like the Jubilee, while enroute, and end up in east London in a little over an hour.

Watford Metropolitan station decorated in celebration of 150 years.

As this is the line that I most commonly use, and it being the first of its kind in the world, I thought I would do a blog about its history.