The Swiss Cottage line #2
Where did the Baker Street and St John’s Wood line get its trains – seeing it didn’t have any carriage sidings or engine sheds? Obviously these came from the Metropolitan Railway’s main depot at Chapel Street. In those days this was a substantial site consisting of carriage sidings and engine…
The Swiss Cottage line
Today is the 13th April 2018 (and its a Friday!) 150 years ago on this day the Metropolitan and St. John’s Wood Railway was opened – the opening day in 1868 was on a Monday. The Metropolitan and St. John’s Wood Railway was first incorporated on 29 July 1864 and…
Piccadilly Line's Hounslow anniversary
This week (March 2018) is the anniversary of the commencement of Piccadilly Line services from Northfields to Hounslow West on 13 March 1933. This day was also the start of the service at the other end of the Piccadilly Line, from Arnos Grove to Enfield West. This post is largely…
A Victoria Line station's belated 50th anniversary
Almost fifty & half years ago the first Victoria Line station opened – and that was actually one year early. The year was 1967! What? That can’t be possible, the line didn’t open until September 1968! This is no anniversary of any sort! Okay hold on… let it be said…
Heathrow Extension 40th
This weekend (16 December) its the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Piccadilly Line’s extension to Heathrow. Previously it had opened between Hounslow West and Hatton Cross on 19 July 1975, heralding the first new tube since the Victoria Line. Prior to the Heathrow line’s opening, one had to…
St Pancras Thameslink 10th
St Pancras International currently has three different railway anniversaries. These are the opening of the Eurostar terminal on 11 November 2007 followed by the new Thameslink station on 9 December of that year (both 10 years ago) and the station itself has entered its 150th year of public service. With…
Tube stations that began life as a terminus #2
When one asks which tube stations are true underground termini, the answer would be Brixton/Walthamstow (both on the Victoria Line) and Bank/Waterloo (both on Waterloo & City Line). Elephant and Castle (Bakerloo Line) plus Heathrow Terminal Five (Piccadilly Line) will also come to mind. It may surprise one to know…
Tube stations that began life as a terminus
When one asks which tube stations are true underground termini, Brixton, Walthamstow (both Victoria Line) and Bank, Waterloo (both Waterloo & City Line), Elephant and Castle (Bakerloo Line) plus Heathrow Terminal Five (Piccadilly Line) will most likely also come to mind. There were loads more underground tube station termini at…
Theydon Bois: then/now
Never mind how its pronounced, what’s important is the station was once under the Great Eastern Railway and services through here and all the way to Ongar were steam operated. The final steam passenger trains operated through here in the mid 1950s, however other services in the form of DMUs…
King’s Cross old tunnel
The ‘Widened Lines’ (or what is left of them) are rail tunnels between St Pancras and Farringdon now used by Thameslink. The tunnels were a joint venture between the Great Northern and Metropolitan Railways and completed in 1866. Historically the lines also linked to King’s Cross mainline station as well…