London Rail

Tag: infrastructure

  • The Island Line runaway train 1991

    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…

  • Railways and canal tunnels #2

    This is part two of the railways and canal tunnels feature. Whilst it was suggested one of the earliest contractors railways had occurred during the mid 1780s as suggested in part one of this feature, the fullest history is incomplete there in terms of railway chronology – and that is because the next railway/canal combo…

  • The great unwashed 72 tube stock

    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…

  • Famed British Rail ‘ship’ has no buyers

    A famed British Rail ship that’s for sale? Erm, which one was this then? Well it was one that stood right by water but it was also one that never floated! The last ‘captain’ of the said ‘ship’ had been one who owned a world-wide business concern that included a privatised yet highly reputable railway…

  • Railways and Canal Tunnels

    When one thinks of railways and ‘canal tunnels’ one thing would come to mind and its the Canal Tunnels that belong to Thameslink! They are indeed named after the Regent’s Canal beneath which they pass. Its misleading however because they are not strictly a tunnel like that nearby at Islington where the same canal passes…

  • The Bridgewater canal breach #3

    A few days ago much of northern England was shivering in temperatures of minus 6 or more. That didn’t stop the preserved railways running services, even though some began their operations late because of the need to unfreeze equipment or water supplies. The countryside was resplendent in glorious white scenery however and that was also…

  • The Bridgewater canal breach #2

    Many things have been happening in the aftermath of the Bridgewater canal breach which occurred in the early hours of New Years Day 2025 where the navigation crosses the River Bolin valley. The location is just a short distance from the National Trust’s Dunham Massey house. This past couple of days there’s been a Boater’s…

  • The Bridgewater canal breach

    In my archives I have a book commemorating the reconstruction of the Bridgewater canal following a massive breach that occurred in 1971 – and the surprise is the same thing has happened again at pretty much the same location – except this time its much worse than previous. Its not the first canal breach I…

  • Paddington tube station design error is finally righted after a century!

    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…

  • The Hammersmith & City’s line’s construction disaster

    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…

Search

Latest Posts

Categories

Tags

accessibility america anniversary breach canada canal canals closed railway commuter rail deep level tube elizabeth line europe great eastern main lline great western branch great western main line great western railway high speed rail industrial archaeology infrastructure japan london history london underground metro operational issues oralism paddington publicity quirky rail history railway railway history railway problems railway station roads station street tokaido line tramway transport tube tube station tunnels underground railway walking water transport