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BecontreeBack in 1927, a light railway was built and then used in the building of Becontree housing estate. The line commenced at a specially built jetty on the Thames, crossed the LT&SR railway lines on temporary bridges, and ended at the railway sidings at Chadwell Heath.
There was a small Industrial locomotive named 'Lord Mayor' used on this site for the Becontree estate railway. By going to the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham archives, you can see a couple of photo's of the railway crossing the estate. These pictures show one train on the railway crossing a field, and as described as 'typical of the countryside on which the estate was built.'.
Sadly, the middle of Valence Avenue is now a stretch of grass, but was still a railway line until 1934. It then became a dual carriageway and lights were installed at the Green Lane crossing. Up to that time there were numerous level-crossings over important main roads, and there was a rush to get over these if an engine came in sight.
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