diff --git a/mercurial/bundlerepo.py b/mercurial/bundlerepo.py
--- a/mercurial/bundlerepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/bundlerepo.py
@@ -177,9 +177,6 @@ class bundlefilelog(bundlerevlog, filelo
     def baserevision(self, nodeorrev):
         return filelog.filelog.revision(self, nodeorrev)
 
-    def _file(self, f):
-        self._repo.file(f)
-
 class bundlepeer(localrepo.localpeer):
     def canpush(self):
         return False
diff --git a/mercurial/filelog.py b/mercurial/filelog.py
--- a/mercurial/filelog.py
+++ b/mercurial/filelog.py
@@ -104,9 +104,6 @@ class filelog(revlog.revlog):
                 raise error.CensoredNodeError(self.indexfile, node)
             raise
 
-    def _file(self, f):
-        return filelog(self.opener, f)
-
     def _iscensored(self, rev):
         """Check if a file revision is censored."""
         return self.flags(rev) & revlog.REVIDX_ISCENSORED
diff --git a/mercurial/unionrepo.py b/mercurial/unionrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/unionrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/unionrepo.py
@@ -160,9 +160,6 @@ class unionfilelog(unionrevlog, filelog.
     def baserevdiff(self, rev1, rev2):
         return filelog.filelog.revdiff(self, rev1, rev2)
 
-    def _file(self, f):
-        self._repo.file(f)
-
 class unionpeer(localrepo.localpeer):
     def canpush(self):
         return False