A perennial and fairly meaningless question that is often asked is ‘what are the origins …
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London & Freight Part 1: Reshaping the Network
In our previous posts on the shape of London’s rail network, we looked at how our infrastructure legacy gives rise to the pattern of services which concentrates demand onto the city core and its ring …
Continue readingIn Pictures: London Underground in the Seventies
With new Rolling Stock now appearing on much of the London Underground, it seems an opportune moment to take a step back and look at some trains of times past. Below are a selection of …
Continue readingA Legacy of Iron: Crossrail, Connaught and WW2
On a misty Monday morning in June 2008, eagle-eyed construction workers at an Olympic site in Bromley-by-Bow spotted something unusual in their excavations. It wasn’t long before it was identified – it was a very …
Continue readingWhite Knights and Wishlists: Northern and Bakerloo Line Extensions
As the final quarter of 2011 drew to a close, the future seemed bright (or at least no longer entirely dark) with regards to extending the Underground. The release of the Mayor’s updated Transport Strategy …
Continue readingIn Video: the Waterloo & City 1940 Stock
For those who have yet to encounter it, the SouthernRailwayFilms channel on Youtube has a veritable treasure-trove of videos related to the history of the old Southern Railway Company. The Waterloo & City line was, …
Continue readingLondon Buses and the Battle for Shoeburyness
On Friday the 18th December 1908, an unknown military force landed on the shores of the river Crouch in Essex. Britain had been invaded. The invading force (the Germans, if the soldiers tasked with responding …
Continue readingIn Pictures: The New Croydon Tram Units
Last year TfL tendered for six new trams for the Croydon Tramlink. These are primarily intended to allow services on the Elmers End branch to be increased by 4tph. The £16.3m contract was won by …
Continue readingChristmas Quiz: Winners and Runners Up
The numbers are in, and as with last year it was incredibly close. Unfortunately, however, there can only be a few winners, and so without further ado these are below. I will be contacting all …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Track Laying on the ELLX2
Ahead of the general freeze on rail work in advance of the Olympics, work continues on the ELLX2. New Overground Signage at Canonbury The Overground As part of the track laying process (and as with …
Continue readingLondon and its Airports Part 1: Putting the ‘Math’ into ‘Aftermath’
It starts most days about five in the morning, as planes begin their final approach to Heathrow. Almost immediately, a queue forms. “Red eye” flights arrive from North America that have taken off just before …
Continue readingThe 2012 Christmas Quiz: The Answers
And so, it’s time to put you all out of your misery. We had a HUGE amount of entrants this year, so it’s going to take us a a few days to work out our …
Continue readingCroxley: Maximum Milk, Minimum Moo
Last Wednesday saw funding confirmed for a project that many had thought would never see the light of day – the Croxley Rail Link. The Croxley Rail Link is a project that London Reconnections has …
Continue readingThe 2012 Christmas Quiz
It’s that time of the year again, and the minds here at LR Towers have been beavering away preparing the most devious of questions for you all. Whether we’ll manage to fox as many people …
Continue readingIn Pictures: The Crossrail TBMs
A gloomy Monday in Germany this week presented us with a rare opportunity – the chance to see the first (and, as it happened also the second) of Crossrail’s Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) close up. …
Continue readingPeeling the Orange: Usage Stats on the London Overground
Last month’s Rail and Underground panel featured an interesting short report that broke down London Overground usage and ridership. It included a look at the East London Line figures since its reopening. We looked in …
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