Some of the 1967 stock destined for the Victoria line was also stabled at the depot while its ATO equipment was tested and commissioned on the Woodford to Hainault Branch.

Following its formation in 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board introduced a five-year New Works Programme, due to run from 1935 to 1940.

A major part of this was extensions to the Central Line, both in the west to Ruislip, and in the east, to Leytonstone, Woodford, Epping and Ongar, partially using tracks which belonged to the London and North Eastern Railway.

[1] The extensions, which would create a route mileage of 45 miles (72 km),[2] meant that new depots would be required for the extra trains needed, and they were to be located at Ruislip and Hainault.

[6] After the war, there was a shortage of money, materials and labour, and the rebuilding of the housing stock took priority over the remainder of the New Works Programme.

However, the extensions to the Central Line were given top priority,[7] and over the next four years, most were completed, with electric trains reaching Hainault and its depot from Newbury Park on 31 May 1948, and from Woodford on 21 November 1949.

[11] The 1960 stock was designed to solve the problems of handedness, as extra wires were provided in the electrical couplers to make them fully reversible.

Twelve motor cars were ordered and were assembled into six 4-car units, by modifying 2 extra standard stock trailers for each 4-car train.

[12] It was expected that these would be the first of 350 motor cars and the same number of converted trailers, for the complete upgrade of the Central Line,[13] but the standard stock was proving to be increasingly unreliable, and there was insufficient time to assess the new prototypes.

A total of 87 and a half 8-car trains were ordered, the first entering service on 12 April 1962, and by 17 May 1964, all of the 1959 stock had left the depot and been returned to the Piccadilly Line.

[16] The five units were stabled in the depot, and a maximum of four were used on the Woodford to Hainualt experiments at any one time, with the first train running on 5 April 1964.

Once this was completed, the trains were transferred from the depot to Northumberland Park by battery locomotives, using the connection to British Rail's Eastern Region at Leyton.

Maintenance work on it was undertaken at the depot, and a series of rail tours were run on the eastern end of the Central Line during 1995 and 1996.

The depot is situated to the west of the loop, with the northern entrance turning off from the Central Line a little to the south of Grange Hill.