London Rail

Tag: station

  • The twopenny tube guard who got killed by his own train

    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…

  • Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #1

    The Barnstaple and Ilfracombe railway opened in July 1874 thus 2024 is the 150th anniversary of the line’s opening. Despite opposition the line closed in October 1970 after British Railways had totally rationalised the line in an attempt to keep the costs of running it to a minimum. Ultimately the Government of the day was…

  • The best Tube photo ever (redux)

    Could this photograph from 1937 be the best ever composition taken on London’s tube? It’s certainly very unusual for its time because it suggests a substantial abstraction and mystique. We do not know who the subject is other than its a guy in a bowler hat and his entire figure is almost in shadow. Perhaps…

  • Rails to Ilfracombe #2

    This week is the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Barnstaple to Ilfracombe Railway. This opened on 20 July 1874 and shut for good from 5th October 1970 – the last train was actually two days earlier on the 3rd October – an eight car DMU forming the 19.55pm from Ilfracombe to Exeter carrying…

  • Rails to Ilfracombe #1

    Trains do indeed still cross the River Taw in many places, eleven times this happens in fact. However a twelfth crossing was the biggest of all – and the one trains just do not use anymore. Yes you guessed – its the Ilfracombe line’s stupendous cast iron viaduct at Barnstaple. That was a rarity in…

  • A 1956 tube stock mystery

    A special post about the 1956 tube stock. Piccadilly Circus station staff sent a tweet (one of their earliest ones) in February of this year asking for information on a picture of a train at the station itself. Its a photograph I have seen before – but not in colour and certainly not at such…

  • Piccadilly Circus tube’s BSL

    Piccadilly Circus tube station, one of the busiest on the tube, certainly in terms of tourism, is also a station where the unusual happens all the time. I have written about the staff once before. They have indeed been doing something very unusual. This is their learning some sign language (BSL), no doubt because its…

  • Build Crossrail’s City Airport station!

    Again & again it’s been said Crossrail should have a City Airport station. This week the news is City Airport’s in discussion with TfL on it. Crossrail actually passes through the site of the old Silvertown station on the North London Line and this was once City Airport’s official station! The argument for a new…

  • Rare mixed track Baker Street #3

    Another installment in the Baker Street track replacement works series! This time we can see the entire track layout at Baker Street consists of flat bottom rail, and I assume the work here has been done (apart from tidying things up and removing the other spare bits of flat bottom rail on the pit floor.)…

  • Rare mixed track Baker Street #2

    The very unusual mixed rail track at Baker Street is no more. It lasted probably just one day! What we now see is the more traditional kind of bullhead/flat bottom rail interface rather than each type on the same section of track. These pictures were taken this evening (24th January) when the platform was generally…

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