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Railfanning London‘s Railways

Visitors to London who are also transport enthusiasts (‘railfans’) sometimes ask for advice as to the ‘best’ things to see on London’s railway network. This page is part of a guide which aims to answer that question.

If this is the first time you have reached these pages then it is best to go to the Opening Page which sets the scene, explains the difference between the small and the large profile trains, offers advice on the best type of ticket to buy and photography tips.

Alternatively, it is possible to view everything on one page

Local Light Railways

London also has two rail networks which provide local transport within relatively small parts of the greater London area. In virtually any other British town these networks would be large enough to form excellent cores serving large parts of the entire conurbation; its only because London is so big that they seem so 'small'.

Many people who live in regional towns outside of London look upon London's transports with envy, wishing that similar investments could be made in their home areas as well. For lower capacity routes trolleybuses (which share the same clean air attributes) would also provide a discernable 'step change' improvement on diesel buses. The core issue here is that the Treasury wants people driving cars so that it can receive high levels of income from the taxes imposed on motoring fuels.

The Docklands Light Railway

Click map to see larger version in a new window!

At present all DLR services are formed of two or three 'two section' trainsets which when coupled together leave some wasted space at the internal train ends. However this situation is set to change - because in circa 2024 a new fleet of fully walkthrough DLR trains will begin replacing the oldest trains which date from the 1990s. The new trains will be approximately the same length as present-day triple unit / six section trains.

Whilst most of the DLR system is elevated on modern or historic viaducts, some sections are at ground level and there are also some tunnels - in both single track 'tube train' and twin track configurations.

Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia when in tunnels.

Not all sections of tunnel on the DLR are actually underground. Some of the tunnels are surface routes which have been been built over, for instance: just north of Stratford station.

* Stratford - Stratford International
* Bow Church - Devons Road
* Cyprus - Gallions Reach - Beckton (two short tunnels)
* The entrance to Woolwich Arsenal station

* King George V - Woolwich Arsenal (passes below the River Thames)
* Mudchute - Greenwich (passes below the River Thames)
* The entrance to Lewisham station
* Bank - near the junction with the route to Tower Gateway station

The DLR uses GoA 3 Driverless train operation (DTO), which includes there always being a human member of staff (a passenger service agent / PSA) on every train. In addition to closing train doors at stations and initiating station departure the duties of the PSA include checking that passengers have valid tickets and offering travel advice.

DLR stations are mostly modern with glass shelters, although exact architecture will vary depending in when they were built or rebuilt. One of the most modern stations is Langdon Park which is on the route served by Stratford - Canary Wharf trains. This is on a north-south alignment and if you wish to photograph the station name this is best attempted in the morning.

When it first opened the DLR comprised three main branches. These included newly built track on viaducts in the former docks area which was (at that time) being repurposed as London's second financial district (Crossharbour - Delta Junction near Poplar) and converted ‘heavy’ railway lines, (Stratford - Poplar, Tower Gateway - Poplar and Crossharbour - Island Gardens). Mostly the converted railway lines were routes which opened over 100 years ago but for various reasons had later closed. Some of the route between Tower Gateway and Shadwell was still being used by passenger trains operated by British Railways who were forced to give up this section of railway so that the new railway could use it.

The section between Stratford and 'near to' Bow Church (via Pudding Mill Lane station) is located alongside the mainline railway out of Liverpool Street station and especially at busier times you will see many types of train, including Greater Anglia Stadler Flirt InterCity trains and Crossrail line 1 / Elizabeth line trains. The section between Limehouse and where trains for Bank go underground / Tower Gateway stations is alongside the route used by C2C electric multiple-unit trains from Fenchurch Street station.

The routes to Bank, Lewisham, Beckton, Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International - Stratford - Canning Town were built as extensions to the system. The Bank route is wholly underground. The Lewisham extension required the elevated Island Gardens station to be replaced with a new underground station so as to access the new tunnels under the River Thames. Also wholly underground is Cutty Sark station.

The Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal extensions are largely on viaducts and serve semi-derelict industrial areas which are slowly being regenerated. Although serving different parts of the Docklands area for part of the way these two branches are within eyesight of each other so that it is possible to see and photograph trains ‘in the distance’. One very unusual feature of the Beckton branch is that part of it was built as a combined road and rail project. This is because it was built by a Government-sponsored development agency which had been made exempt from the Governments' usual financial criteria for railway investment. These financial criteria are so onerous (in other words biased against rail-bourne public transport investment) that it is usually impossible to build road and rail - especially not light rail / tramway - as one package. The Woolwich Arsenal route passes below the Emirates Airline Cable car, includes a station for London City Airport and a tunnel below the River Thames.

The most recent part of the DLR to have been opened is the route between Canning Town and Stratford International stations. This former heavy railway route is located on a four track section of railway alongside the Jubilee line.

Abbey Road Station One of the album cover photographs of the famous music pop group called The Beatles shows them on a zebra (pedestrian) crossing close to the Abbey Road studios where they recorded some of their songs. Tourists wanting to visit this location should go to St John's Wood Jubilee line underground station - and NOT the DLR station called Abbey Road.

The DLR is unique amongst London's railways in that it uses an under-running third rail power supply system. The advantages of this system are twofold. It is much safer, as the sides and top can be covered - reducing the danger to railway staff who work in close proximity to the tracks. In snowy weather the underside is protected from the snowfall and therefore considerably less likely to be covered / blocked by snow or ice. This helps keep the service running in weather conditions which sometimes defeats London's other railways. London's other railways which use powered rails collect their power from the top surface, which is easily blocked by snow / ice, preventing the train collecting electrical power.

Photographic Advice

Transport enthusiasts need to be aware that the DLR has photography rules which differ from London's other railways (of all types). To the DLR anyone using cameras (still image / video) at the same station for more than 10 minutes is seen as "working" there. Even tourists taking a few photographs!

Normally when people are working on a railway they need to comply with a range of safety requirements which includes completing a risk assessment, having public liability insurance, signing in and out at the start and end of the work duties and possibly even undergoing safety-related training. Sometimes the railway operator would also wish to supply a member of staff to oversee the filming and help ensure safety. All these cost money!

The best advice which can be given here is to explore the system filming one train and catching the next (even if only to the next station)... which for some routes will be very easy as even on Sundays trains come every 10 minutes (or more frequently) whilst at stations served by multiple routes trains are even more frequent.

The DLR also prohibits filming during the Monday - Friday rush hours, when many stations are very busy. But they welcome visitors at quieter times - which means all day weekends plus Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm (10:00 - 16:00) and after 7.30pm (19:30).

Unfortunately, as on all railway systems there are some staff who make up their own rules and simply say "no".

Suggested Sample Rides

Many tourists like to take the DLR out of Bank station, sitting at the front and watching where they are going. At an absolute minimum you should travel at least as far as Canary Wharf. This station has 3 tracks, but 6 platforms. Every train opens its doors on both sides! Whilst Canary Wharf is at the heart of London's Docklands financial district there is also an indoor shopping mall which includes food courts and free toilets / restrooms. If you go to Crossharbour and walk alongside the railway northbound towards South Quay then you will pass a road junction (Marsh Wall South Quay and Limeharbour) where the elevated railway turns a sharp corner, and from near to the bus stop on the opposite side of the road it is possible to see (and photograph) both sides of the train simultaneously! Plus for added benefit you will see the train’s reflection in the glass wall building. This is easiest with triple-unit trains and at times of the year when the trees are not in leaf.

To increase system capacity and avoid delays whilst travelling over a flat crossing, trains from Bank going to Lewisham usually travel on a by-pass track which misses out West India Quay station; the ride is the nearest to a (low-speed) rollercoaster that public transport could ever offer, with the by-pass track threading its way over and then under existing lines.

Another popular destination is the historic Greenwich area; for the ‘touristy’ sights you want Cutty Sark station (which is deep underground) and because many trains are now longer than when the station was built (in other words - the platforms are shorter than some of the trains) you should avoid being at the front or back of the train if travelling to here. However, railfans may prefer to travel to Greenwich station, which is a Victorian-era station with 4 platforms that is also served by SouthEastern trains (from Cannon Street and London Bridge mainline stations) and was rebuilt to create space for the DLR trains. South of Greenwich the line is elevated and twists and turns as it follows a river valley. Especially when looking out of the window on the left (travelling south) many historic wharfs and other light industrial sites can be seen, although some of these may be disused. Elverson Road station probably represents the nearest the DLR gets to being a street tramway. The DLR station at Lewisham is next to the mainline railway station; interchanging passengers will need to go through ticket gates - but obviously since you should have a valid ticket so this should not be a problem.

Having arrived here, if you then take a train (destination: Hayes) from Lewisham to Elmers End you can then also sample the Tramlink system. See the Tramlink page for further information. Although I have always been happy to pass through the Lewisham stations, this is a high crime area where I would NOT be happy walking about the streets, especially not with cameras visible.

The Thames Barrier Park is free to enter. Its facilities include: the unique sunken garden seen in the image above-right, pleasant lawned areas to sit on, a childrens' playground, a small café and free toilets - which are very cramped and perhaps more suited to smaller people! NB: because of vandalism the toilets are only open when the café is open.

More information about the Thames Barrier Park can be found at these links: (the first link also includes a second foot tunnel in Woolwich)
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/thames_barrier_park .
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d1826194-Reviews-Thames_Barrier_Park-London_England.html .

Note that on the other (south) side of the River Thames there is also a Thames Barrier visitor centre, however this is only open 4 days a week, charges an entry fee and is in an industrial area that is a walk or bus ride from a railway station.
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/thames-barrier-information-centre .

Present-day DLR Services

Over the years train services have varied slightly as the system has expanded; nowadays there are five primary routes, some of which overlap to provide multiple destinations from each station:-

1. Bank - Lewisham
2. Bank - Woolwich Arsenal (via London City Airport)
3. Tower Gateway - Beckton
4. Stratford - Bow Church - Canary Wharf (extended Monday - Friday rush hour mornings to Lewisham)
5. Stratford International - Canning Town (via West Ham) - and then either to Woolwich Arsenal (via London City Airport) or Beckton.*

*Mostly these trains go to Woolwich Arsenal, passengers for the Beckton branch are best advised to take the first train and change at Canning Town, if need be.

Tower Gateway station is a (short) walk from Tower Hill Underground and Fenchurch Street C2C railway stations. The station is distinctive because it has 2 platforms but just 1 track. To make life easier one platform is for arriving passengers and the other platform is for departing passengers. This is the only station in London which uses this system. The arrival platform is also a good photo-spot to watch trains on the nearby C2C service travelling to / from Fenchurch Street station (beware: it is not illegal to photograph the C2C trains but some DLR staff complain if you are filming them!)

At Stratford the two different DLR services use different sets of platforms - trains to Canary Wharf via Pudding Mill Lane use platforms 4a and 4b which are at the upper level at the western end of the station whilst trains to Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal use platform 17 which is at the lower level and next to the main station entrance. In the opposite direction these trains use platform 16 and travel to Stratford International station; this platform is next to the Jubilee line platforms.

At Canning Town the two different DLR services use different sets of platforms - trains to or from Bank / Tower Gateway / Canary Wharf use platforms located directly above the Jubilee line whilst trains to or from Stratford International use a totally separate island platform between the Jubilee line and the bus station. This means that passengers travelling to stations on the Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal branches have a choice of two different platforms from which to catch their trains.
Also note that the platforms above the Jubilee line are very exposed and windswept - this means that it can be very cold in winter, and wet in rainy weather. (See photographs on the page about shared service routes).

The Greenwich foot tunnel is near to Island Gardens and Cutty Sark DLR stations. This marvel of Victorian engineering was built so that people who live in this part of south London could reach jobs in the docklands area without having to use the expensive and unreliable ferry boat. It opened in 1902 and is free to use. The southern entrance is very close to the Cutty Sark historic visitor attraction, and nearby are also the centre of Greenwich, the Greenwich Observatory and more. On hot summer days the 10 minute walk through the tunnel offers a cool refuge from the ferocious summer sun.

More information about the Greenwich Foot Tunnel can be found at these links:
http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory_record/2013/greenwich_foot_tunnel .
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d1821177-Reviews-Greenwich_Foot_Tunnel-London_England.html .

Close to the ExCel Exhibition Centre which is near Custom House DLR station (Beckton branch) is a 2009 sculpture by Les Johnson / Bronze Age Foundry in tribute to the history of the communities of the Royal Docks and the men who worked there between 1885 and 1983. It was funded by a charitable appeal supported by the Royal Docks (London) Trust who have a webpage at this link http://www.royaldockstrust.org.uk/ . The sculpture can be a challenge to photograph, especially on sunny days when shadows and the direction of the sun can get in the way.

Even on Sundays the DLR operates frequent services - typically every 10 minutes, or less. But before travelling it is always wise to check whether weekend engineering works mean that some of the system is closed.

The DLR also looked at - twice! - on the page about shared service routes and in the Stratford station section of the page about busier stations in zones 1-4 where there is a wider variety of trains to see.