Notes: The station was opened as Hayden's Lane and was renamed Haydons Road on 1st October 1889. The station was the only intermediate station on the northern loop of the Tooting - Wimbledon line and had two side platforms. The station buildings were almost identical to those at Merton Abbey and consisted of a stationmaster's house and booking office with a small awning on the 'up' platform. and a brick waiting shelter on the 'down' platform. There was a signal box at the east end of the 'up' platform which controlled access to the goods yard which was sited some distance east of the station close to the River Wandle.

A residential development grew around the station between 1890 - 1914 but the station was closed as an economy measure during WW1 on 1st January 1917, reopening on 27th August 1923. Following the closure of the southern loop in 1929 the northern loop was electrified and the new electric train regained much of the road traffic, especially in peak hours. At Haydons

The signalbox was replaced by a ground frame but the goods yard was enlarged. After the mid 1950's traffic was once again in decline and even rush hour trains weren't well used. Haydons Yards closed on 5th December 1966. The stationmaster's house and all other buildings have now been demolished and replaced by a new brick booking office on the 'up side of the line and two small bus type shelters; the station is staffed during the weekday morning rush hour and Saturday morning. There is a half hourly service to Luton and Sutton.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TOOTING MERTON & WIMBLEDON RAILWAY
The Tooting, Merton & Wimbledon Extension Railway obtained an Act on 19 July 1864. This was a nominally independent concern with powers to make working arrangements with both the LB&SCR and the LSWR but a further act of 1865 dissolved the independent company and vesting its line jointly in the LSWR and LBSCR.

The Tooting, Merton & Wimbledon Railway opened on 1 October 1868 from Streatham Junction (on the LBSCR Peckham Rye to Sutton line dating from the same day) to Wimbledon, which was approached from two directions by lines diverging at Tooting Junction, one coming into the town from the north-east, the other from the south¬east after forming a

There was two intermediate station on the Merton line at Merton Abbey and Lower Merton and one on the northern branch at Haydons Road, both opened with the line. Lower Merton was at the junction with the W & CR, initially there was only platforms on the Tooting line but a platform was later added on the Croydon line opening on 1st November 1870.

In 1893 of the 16 down trains between London Bridge and Tooting Junction, five continued to Wimbledon via Merton Abbey, returning via Haydon’s Road, the remainder reversing this route. Both routes were well used during rush hours but with the introductions of trams and motor buses after 1910 there was little off peak traffic.

Initially World War I brought few changes to passenger services until 31st December 1916 when services on both sides of the loop were withdrawn to make resources available for essential war transport. The passenger service resumed on 27 August 1923 at a reduced frequency. In 1929 the northern loop was electrified but following the opening of the Northern

The Merton Abbey chord remained busy with freight, but the junction at the Tooting end was severed on 10 March 1934, The up track was removed and the section was worked as a long siding from Merton Park, with control by telephone from instruments in the Merton Abbey goods office. Occasional special passenger workings visited Merton Abbey. In 1936 a

In the late 1920s and 1930s, Merton saw industrial expansion and a siding was laid from the Merton Abbey track into the new Lines Brothers Triang toy factory in Morden Road. Other private sidings served the Eyre Smelting Works and the New Merton Board Mills at Merton Abbey. As late as 1960 there were still two return goods workings daily from Norwood to Merton Abbey and one on Saturdays to Hackbridge, but with factory closures and increased use of road transport, loadings fell, and after the last revenue train ran coal down to Merton Abbey on 1 May 1975 the track was quickly lifted.

The section of the TM & WR route east of Morden Road was used to construct Merantun Way (A24) in the early 1990's. The road was built to relieve traffic congestion on Merton High Street and was originally planned to continue to the west, along the route of the old railway to Kingston Road, with a flyover across Morden Road. This section of the route was never

Tickets from Michael Stewart.

Sources:

• London's Local Railways by Alan A Jackson - David & Charles 1978 ISBN 0715374796.
• London Railway Record 12, 13 Connor & Butler

Click on station name for other stations on the Wimbledon - West Croydon line: Merton Park, Morden Road, Mitcham, Mitcham Junction, Beddington Lane, Waddon Marsh & West Croydon

See also the Tooting Merton & Wimbledon Railway: Merton Abbey
& Tooting Junction

See also the St. Helier Estate Railway
(West Croydon, Mitcham Junction and Haydons Road are still open but are included for completeness)