Windsor lines of the London and South Western Railway
Railways in south-west London, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Windsor lines of the London and South Western Railway ran from Waterloo to Windsor via Richmond, with a loop via Hounslow. They started as the Richmond Railway, a simple independent branch line, but they developed a distinct identity and had their own approach to Waterloo alongside the Main Lines, and a distinct section of Waterloo station. The Richmond Railway was extended to Windsor by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway; the company built a loop line via Hounslow in addition. Both independent companies were absorbed into the LSWR.
They formed the basis for branch lines and extensions in west London and beyond. They were on the northern boundary of the established area of LSWR territory, and they were subject to incursions by competing companies' lines and trains, seeking access to Richmond and forming north-south links for goods traffic, leading to the construction of Feltham goods yard for marshalling, opened in 1917.
The original routes are identifiable today, although the Eurostar terminal occupied the site of the Windsor Lines station at Waterloo from 1993.