Category: London Transport

  • When Jago Hazzard says in his latest video (thanks to him for prompting me to write this latest essay) the railways are the biggest thing, everything will be railways (‘The time will come when railways will supersede almost every other form of conveyance in this country’) ‘etc etc, its almost like a patriarchal edict, a…

  • Nigh on a hundred and twenty years ago, London’s fourth tube railway was on the way to being completed and opened. But there was controversy – and this revolved around the line’s name. Certainly there were other tube lines that would have far more of a mouthful for a title – such as the Great…

  • The modern day exorcist has arrived! It could be anyone, even you or me, but in this case its TfL. The long standing controversy of those ghostly marks that are a feature of the Elizabeth line has finally seen a solution implemented. Its a simple case of cover the damn things! Evidently its easier to…

  • Back in 2019 a feature on runway tube trains was featured. One of the posts published had a short section about a runaway train on the Island line. Despite the incident being mentioned in at least two rail magazines (one of which the author has a copy) it seemed absolutely nothing was mentioned in the…

  • When it seemed the Bakerloo’s trains were going quite a considerable time without having a wash at the start of it all anyone could have assumed it was perhaps a temporary hiccup. But after seeing Bakerloo train after Bakerloo train totally covered in grime for the past two months and the trains are getting increasingly…

  • Paddington tube station has something that NO other tube station has! What is it? It could be any number of things, such as being the only deep level accessible tube station on the Bakerloo line (even though its not even step free from train to street – and by the way it isn’t the only…

  • This is a special post for the 160th Anniversary of the Hammersmith & City line! Everyone knows the history of Metropolitan Railway as the world’s first underground line on 10th January 1863 between Bishops Road and Farringdon – but that was not even how the line was going to be built. Long before they had…

  • The fact Cockfosters station – an appraisal was popular prompted me to dig out this further look at one of the Piccadilly line’s iconic tube stations. Although we regularly visited Southgate in the 1960s, at no time was the Piccadilly line ever used this far. However the station certainly is remembered because this was where…

  • Despite being the butt of many a joke, ‘Cock Fosters’ as it once was, is a real place and noted for being the northern terminus of the Piccadilly Line. The location itself prior to the opening of the tube was not even a major settlement of any sort, just a small school and a vicarage.…

  • In the very early days of London’s premier underground line – the Central London Railway (CLR) or the twopenny tube as it was popularly known, procured its first ever fatality. It wasn’t a passenger but a member of staff and the matter was down to the staff in question having taken offence to someone smoking…