Tag: infrastructure
-
The world’s first railway to be authorised by an Act of Parliament was the Surrey Iron Railway. This was a certainty despite the long held assertion the line had been the world’s first public railway. In the first part of this feature, the Surrey Iron Railway had numerous other achievements that were too a first,…
-
The tube was the first in the UK or Europe to adopt automated train control or Centralised Train Control (CTC) on a passenger line. This was used on the Metropolitan Railway’s new Stanmore branch which opened in 1932. The CTC was fully completed in 1933 when the branch became part of LPTB. In 1939 the…
-
A recent video from Our History Underfoot (26th May 2026) covering the former Hayfield branch in Derbyshire was featured, along with the peculiar train operation at New Mills Central. This brought to mind a piece written a few years ago that included a picture of a DMU at rest within the tunnel leading to the…
-
When it comes to the history of the London Underground, the Morden-Edgware Line is essentially unknown. It is undoubtedly mentioned in a variety of historical sources, both online and in books, but only briefly. There is absolutely no thorough history of that tube line. In its original presentation, this had been the first in-depth write-up…
-
Switzerland’s first ever cable car was once to be found near Grindelwald. Sometimes it is extolled as the first in the world – which it certainly is when it is described in the technical sense it was – as lift or aufzug (German for elevator). The Wetterhorn Aufzug was a short lived operation nevertheless in…
-
Plateways, characterized by their flat-topped rails or “plates” often laid on stone blocks, were designed to be pulled by horses. These early railways were primarily for private transport of goods – usually for canals, mines or factories. The Surrey Iron Railway was in essence a public railway, being accessible to any individual or company willing…
-
Remember the post A Revisionist Surrey Iron Railway? This post goes further that the detail featured in the previous one – and that because its not a revision in any way or form. In fact its a prequel of sorts to the Surrey and Croydon to Merstham iron railways. And that means its both factual…
-
A quick post on the latest involving the Llangollen canal at Whitchurch especially after a comment that was posted on this blog. Yesterday several including Taylors and Court Above the Cut attended a tour of the breach site conducted by CRT’s Project Manager. At the point where they went down to the entrance to the…
-
This is the first canal breach post since 29th January 2026 when the last one was done! However I have kept a continual monitor upon what has been happening and made lots of notes and screencaps and links to various videos and the different stages of the work to begin to set up the Whitchurch…
-
The main news is Euston’s new Assisted Travel Lounge that recently opened. More on that in a bit but first a brief on the Waymos being seen about London’s streets… 1) Way to go! Spotted my very first Waymo yesterday! What an exciting moment! Like all other reports of Waymos in London this had a…
Search
Latest Posts
- TfL tube map poster changes
- The Surrey Iron Railway #2
- London’s first CTC project
- New Mill’s mystery ‘DMU’ tunnel
- The Morden-Edgware line
Categories
- .
- Advertising
- America
- Architecture
- British Railways
- Closed Railway
- Europe
- Historical
- International
- Ireland
- London
- London Transport
- Narrow Gauge
- Other Transport
- Shinkansen
- Solar System
- Standard Gauge
- Taxis
- Tube
- United Kingdom
- Waterways
Tags
accessibility anniversary breach canada canal canals closed railway coasters commuter rail deep level tube elizabeth line europe exploration germany great western main line high speed rail industrial archaeology infrastructure japan london history london underground media metro narrow gauge operational issues publicity quirky rail history railway railway history railway problems railway station roads space station switzerland theme park tokaido line tramway transport tube tube station tunnels underground railway walking