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Location notes
A road over bridge over the west London line just to the north of Kensington Olympia. The location is on one of the entrance road ways to the 'Westfields' shopping centre.
Railway type and traffic
The West London line is the main traffic artery taking traffic from the West Coast and North London lines at Willesden and taking them to the south at Clapham Junction. Passenger traffic consists of London Overground 313s and Southern 377s.
Freight traffic is varied and quite frequent with working from all the major operators.
Freight traffic is varied and quite frequent with working from all the major operators.
Environment
You are on a concrete bridge over looking the line in a large empty space left on the bridge. You can only see in one direction from each side of the bridge due to the gap in the middle being big enough for 5 lanes of traffic. So it would be best to pick the location for a specific working rather than a days photography.
Road directions
Directly off the A3220 'West Cross Route' which can be accessed from the A40. If coming into London the A3220 is the junciton just after you see BBC Television center on your right and before the A40 elevated section.
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Shepherds Bush, Westfields map co-ordinates
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Shepherds Bush, Westfields map co-ordinates
Parking
Although untried the 'Westfields' shopping centre has places for 4,500 cars. So a space should be easy to find.
Public transport
There is the London Overground station at Shepherds Bush, with services from Willesden Junction, Clapham and Southern workings from Milton Keynes to East Croydon.
A new bus station - White City bus station, Bus routes 31, 49, 207, 237, 260, 607 and C1 will run from their current terminus at Shepherd's Bush via the Westfield Interchange and on to terminate at the White City bus station. Route 148 will run to the bus station via Wood Lane.
Shepherd's Bush also continues to be served by buses 72, 94, 95, 220, 272, 283, 295 and N207, to bus stops within a short walk of Westfield London.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
A new bus station - White City bus station, Bus routes 31, 49, 207, 237, 260, 607 and C1 will run from their current terminus at Shepherd's Bush via the Westfield Interchange and on to terminate at the White City bus station. Route 148 will run to the bus station via Wood Lane.
Shepherd's Bush also continues to be served by buses 72, 94, 95, 220, 272, 283, 295 and N207, to bus stops within a short walk of Westfield London.
Click here to set up your location for directions to this location
Amenities
The shopping centre should have pretty much everything you need.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Shepherds Bush, Westfields
Streetmap links
Shepherds Bush, Westfields general view map
Shepherds Bush, Westfields close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Shepherds Bush, Westfields
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Shepherds Bush, Westfields
Googly map
Shepherds Bush, Westfields general view map
Shepherds Bush, Westfields close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Shepherds Bush, Westfields
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Photographic notes
Basically a one way, at a time, only shot. The favoured shot is north facing and will be better lit from mid day onwards. In the morning the light will be on the east of the line and large shadows will come off the road ramp onto the line. Also the clearance between the line and the ramp is quite tight.
The view over the bridge wall, which is around 5 foot high, is unrestricted. There is a large advertising billboard that will be left of frame and some may prefer longer lens to get over some debris in the car park below.
The south facing view will probably only be reasonably well lit in the summer months during the late evening, but the height of the shopping centre will make this pretty much unattainable.
The view over the bridge wall, which is around 5 foot high, is unrestricted. There is a large advertising billboard that will be left of frame and some may prefer longer lens to get over some debris in the car park below.
The south facing view will probably only be reasonably well lit in the summer months during the late evening, but the height of the shopping centre will make this pretty much unattainable.
General views - All photographs © Marcus Dawson unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking north
Taken at 38mm on a D-SLR, this wide view shows the 'untidy' area in the foreground. A 70mm + Lens will get you over this.
Fig 2 - Looking north
From the east side of the bridge, this view shows how tight the shot is from this side.
Fig 3 - Looking south
From the east side, the new Shepherds Bush Station is just at the end of the track in this shot.
Fig 4 - Looking south
From the west side, the new Shepherds Bush Station is just at the end of the track in this shot.
Fig 5 - The location
This view, taken from the road way, shows the area in which you stand for figs 1 and 2.
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
