01 To explore this line, you can still travel by train to St Albans Abbey from Watford Junction. A Silverlink 321 unit accelerates away from St Albans Abbey, the former GNR line branched away behind the unit, en route to Hatfield.

02 St Albans Abbey station still sees an hourly service to Watford Junction. The old Hatfield bay was recently cleared of foliage and can clearly be seen in this view.

03 Looking towards the bufferstops at St Albans Abbey. The Hatfiled bay is on the right, some foliage still obscures this end.

04 Dense foliage occupies the trackbed from the present day Network Rail boundary to a point just before the first overbridge on the old GNR branch.

05 Once clear of the foliage by the NR boundary, the trackbed stretches invitingly away, and currently sees use as a cycle/pathway. First stop, St Albans London Road!

06 Heading towards London Road, the line veers left to skirt the City, the River Ver passes beneath at this point.

07 An old PW gangers hut still survives between Abbey and London Road stations.

08 When I first walked this line in around 1986, it was largely overgrown and hereabouts it was suddenly apparent we were in what appeared to be someones garden! Looking back towards Abbey, just approaching the extremity of the London Road site.

09 The cycle path deviates from the course of the old railway here to navigate around housing that now occupies the trackbed.

10 'London Road, first stop'! Having detoured around some modern housing, we are now back on track for our first stop! Todays 'modern traction' holds little appeal compared to a wheezing LNER tank engine!

11 London Road station has been tastefully renovated and is now used as an office.

12 Viewed from the landscaped access road, London Road station. The original station approach sloped downwards parallel to the adjacent London Road.

13 An old photo I took of London Road station when it was used by a collector of military vehicles. Tanks and artillery were stored on the site!

14 London Road viewed from the overbridge carrying the road of the same name.

15 Telegraph insulator brackets still adorn the corners of London Road overbridge.

16 Looking beyond the London Road overbridge towards Salvation Army Halt which was less than half a mile away, and would be visible if it wasnt for the encoaching foliage.

17 Just beyond London Road, the Midland Mainline passes ovehead on an imposing arched bridge.

18 Salvation Army Halt was constructed of old sleepers that made a very basic platform. On a Sunday morning in the 21st Century, the halt sees more people using the line for jogging, cycling or walking in one day, than it probably saw in a whole month when it was openend to passengers.

19 Another view of the Halt that stands as testimony to the sturdiness and weather resisant properties of creosote impregnated railway sleepers!

20 A public footpath crosses the old formation here at Salvation Army Halt, we are looking towards London Road, which would be visible if it wasnt for the reclamation by nature of the embankments.

21 Camp Road was crossed by an overbridge. When the old trackbed became a cycle/foot path, a new lightweight bridge was constructed.

22 Campfield, looking west towards Salvation Army Halt. The railway sleepers on the left appear to have once been an old hut or storage facility.

23 A large supermarket encroaches on the formation near Sutton Road, nevertheless it is possible to more or less adhere to the old trackbed. This view is looking over Sutton Road towards Hill End.

24 Looking back over Sutton Road in a westerly direction.

25 In a pleasant cutting rich with wildlife, the line passes beneath Ashley Road. Looking east towards Hill End.

26 A large hospital was served by Hill End station. A minor siding branched away into the hospital hereabouts, crossing a minor road as it did so. This view is looking east.

27 No traces remain of the old siding that served the hospital. Perhaps a clue to where it once ran is a gap in the thirties style housing on the left. This area may have once held sidings to sort wagons - does anyone have more information? If so please leave a comment.

28 Onto Hill End station itself. The single platform remains in situ today. A park-home site occupies the area to the right of the station site. Looking towards Smallford.

29 Looking back towards St Albans from Hill End.

30 The trackbed meanders through a semi rural landscape, paralleling the Hatfield Road which is never more than a quarter of a mile north of the old line between Hill End and Smallford. Arriving at Smallford, the old platform is still in situ.....

31 ...... as is surprisingly the station building! Having seen better days, the building sees use with a private company.

32 The present owners of the building have disfigured it by the addition of a portable style cabin. Thankfully the bushes will disguise this disfigurement in the summer months!

33 Surrounded by materials relevant to the business of its new owners, the diminutive station building at Smallford appears in good repair.

34 Will trains ever call here again - its seems unlikely but given that much of the infrastructure is intact you can never say die! Looking east towards Nast Hyde Halt. The road carried over the trackbed is still called Station Road.

35 One final look at Smallford. The platform edge has been re-profiled and curves around out of the picture - no doubt an embellishment carried out when the cycle/foot path was officially inaugurated.

36 Beyond Smallford, the landscape is rural in appearance, although never to far from the Hatfield Road. Looking towards Nast Hyde Halt................. more photos to follow soon as we approach the outskirts of Hatfield

43 A public path meanders along next to the old St Albans Abbey to Hatfield railway at the Hatfield end of the trackbed.

44 Modern housing now occupies the trackbed at the Hatfield end of the branch. Another nail in the coffin of any future re-opening plans.

45 Hatfield. Trains sweep past on the ECML every few minutes and to the passengers the former junction site for St Albans Abbey is but a blur. I wonder how many travellers realise just how much our local railways were decimated in the 1960s?