The waters of the Fleet (Line) became considerably murkier in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. To recap, Fleet Line Stage 1 costs to Charing Cross had risen from an estimate of £35m in 1971 …
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In Pictures: “An Album of Railway Engines”
Between our more detailed pieces it is nice, occasionally, to draw breath. Beginning in 1875 cigarette cards became a popular collectable in both the UK and abroad. They often featured illustrations of various modes of …
Continue readingIt’s Arsenal Round Here
In 1932 Arsenal became the only football club to have a Tube station named after them. This is the story of how a station helped lure the club north and of Herbert Chapman, the man who was determined to see that station renamed.
Continue readingSigns and Sensibility: The Last, Great Quest To Reform London’s Road Signage
Signposting is one of the great civilising forces in a city: it gives the regular traveller reassurance and the stranger hope. For today’s motorist London’s road signage can be hit and miss, but it wasn’t …
Continue readingDiving Into The Fleet: A Look At London’s Lost Tube
A major river used by the Romans, the Fleet is the largest of London’s lost subterranean rivers. Flanked by great wharves, for centuries it was a gateway to the City. By the end of the …
Continue readingEast of Enfield, North of Stratford
At the end of the month London Overground will take over more of north-east London’s railways. It seems timely, therefore, to take a look at the history of the railways in the area. For though …
Continue readingDown Street: The Secret History of a Lost London Station
It was early one autumn evening in 1940, as the Luftwaffe’s bombs fell on London overhead, when Mr G. Cole-Deacon finally got the call. Cole-Deacon, the secretary of the Railway Executive Committee, had half expected …
Continue readingLondon’s Lost Pneumatic Railway: The World’s 2nd Oldest Underground
In the white heat of the Victorian age a number of motive powers seemed set to vie for the future. Steam power? Cable? Both were relatively new technologies whose potential seemed endless. Briefly in the …
Continue readingRT Buses To Run On Route 11 This Weekend
TfL and the London Bus Museum have announced that as part of the “Year of the Bus” celebrations, 20 RT buses will operate on the Number 11 route this Sunday (2nd November) between 10am and …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Buses. Lots and Lots of Buses
Last weekend saw a variety of buses displayed on Regent Street and an open day at Stockwell Bus Garage – both events staged as part of TfL’s “Year of the Bus.” A selection of photos …
Continue readingKing of the Underworld: Building The Thames Tunnel
On the 2nd of March 1825 the Thames Tunnel Company began construction of what they hoped would be the first tunnel beneath the Thames. On the banks of the river at Rotherhithe, bricklayers and labourers began their work as the curious watched on. The project had been garnering a certain amount of attention ever since it had been granted royal Assent the year before, and its goal was an ambitious one – the construction of a tunnel beneath the river large enough for both people and horse-drawn traffic to use. It was a goal that many thought was impossible.
Continue readingTracking London’s Growth Via Its Roads
Continuing what is rapidly becoming “road season” here on LR, we’d like to highlight a fascinating video that can currently be found on YouTube – the London Evolution Animation. Tracking London’s growth from pre-Roman times …
Continue readingAlmost Terminal: Marylebone’s Brush With Destruction
Looking at the frequent services operated today by Chiltern Railways, it seems hard to believe that the rail lines into Marylebone were once seriously considered for closure. Yet back in the mid-1980s under-utilization of the …
Continue readingAutomatic for the People: Driverless Trains and the Underground
In our look at the Piccadilly Line upgrade we explained that the line would be upgraded so as to be capable of unattended train operation (UTO) with the exception of the Rayners Lane – Uxbridge …
Continue readingReopening London’s Mail Rail
The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) has submitted plans to Islington Council proposing to reopen a section of the Mail Rail beneath Mount Pleasant sorting office, this time for public use.
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