North & South Western Junction Railway
| Locale | London, England |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1853–1871 |
| Successor | Joint ownership: London and North Western Railway, Midland Railway, North London Railway |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The North and South Western Junction Railway (NSWJR) was a short railway in west London, England. It opened in 1853, connecting Willesden on the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) with Brentford on the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). After a difficult start it became an important freight route and that usage continues today. A passenger service linked LSWR stations with the North London Railway, and a branch was built to Hammersmith.
Today the part of the original main line between South Acton Junction and a point near Willesden Junction carries the heavily used Richmond to Stratford passenger service, and the whole of the main line remains as an important freight connection, but the Hammersmith branch has closed and no regular passenger service remains on the southern section of the main line.
The proximity of the unconnected LNWR and LSWR railways immediately west of London led to a number of failed schemes, until in 1851 the North and South Western Junction Railway (N&SWJR) obtained its authorising Act for a 4½ mile line from Willesden (N&SW Junction, near West London Junction), to Brentford (actually Kew Junction, later renamed Old Kew Junction).
The little company had understood that the line would be worked by the LSWR and the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) jointly, but when the line was complete, those companies were reluctant to provide train services. Williams suggests that this was to protect existing road cartage business across London. A goods service was started on 15 February 1853, nine months after being passed as fit by the Board of Trade Inspector. Passenger traffic started on 1 August 1853: four North London Railway trains daily ran from Hampstead Road (with a connection there from Fenchurch Street) to Kew; the N&SWJR had its own station there just short of the LSWR line—a temporary platform at first; there was an intermediate station at Acton.
Disregarding the hostility of the LSWR, the N&SWJR pressed to run through to Windsor, and three additional trains ran from Hampstead Road to Windsor started on 1 June 1854; the journey time from Fenchurch Street, changing at Hampstead Road, was two hours. The service lasted until October 1854 only.
Continuing to enter territory that the LSWR considered its own, the N&SWJR got authority in 1853 to make a branch to the small rural town of Hammersmith, although the terminus was some distance west of the place. The purpose of the branch is not clear as the area was still undeveloped, and a shareholders' committee found that the directors had improperly arranged construction outside the authorised capital of the company.
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