London Transport

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London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:08 pm

Kingsway Tram Subway

London County Council decided to clear up the unsavory Holborn area and whilst doing this create a subterranean tramway to connect the North and South tram system.

In 1902 an application was submitted to construct a subway for single-deck tramcars running from Theobalds Road to the Embankment at Waterloo Bridge, from which point a surface line would continue over Westminster Bridge. The estimated cost of this proposal was £282,000.

Work on the subway started at the same time as the new streets were laid out. The approach from Theobalds Road was by an open cutting 170 ft. long in the middle of the road. The tracks then passed into two cast iron tubes, 14 ft. 5 in. in diameter and 255 ft. long, which took the them under the Holborn branch of the Fleet Sewer. The rails were 31 ft. below the road surface when passing under Holborn, rising again at 1 in 10 to Holborn Station. Raised sidewalks were provided in the single tunnels.

From Holborn to Aldwych the tunnel was 20 ft. wide with a roof of steel troughing just below the street. The running rails were laid on longitudinal wooden sleepers embedded in concrete.

At the time the subway was opened it was not connected with any other electrified route, so it was decided to terminate the public service at Aldwych Station and use the tracks which extended southwards from there towards the Strand as a depot. Inspection pits were constructed under this length and some repair equipment installed. An intermediate station was built at Great Queen Street (later renamed Holborn). Pending the opening of Greenwich power station, current was obtained from the County of London Electric Supply Company.

Sixteen single deck tramcars were ordered from the United Electric Car Company, Limited, of Preston at a cost of £750 each.

Public service from the Angel to Aldwych began on 24th February 1906, with the north bound journey taking 12 minutes and 10 south minutes for the southbound.

Map of Tramway Route

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The last tram ran on Saturday 5th April 1952.

In June 1958, the London County Council expressed interest in taking over the subway and creating an underpass for light traffic beneath the Strand and Aldwych to deal with the traffic jams which often extend right across Waterloo Bridge. In July the contract for the conversion was awarded John Mowlem & Co. who started work on the 15 month contract. The construction was completed on schedule and the new Strand underpass opened to road traffic on 21st January 1964.

Traffic Subway 2005 -
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:34 pm

Strand/Aldwych Underground Station
The Strand/Aldwych tube station operated from Holborn to Strand/Aldwych. It's a bit of an oddity and that is because the current Picadilly line is an amalgamation of three railway companies - Great Northern & Strand Railway (Wood Green to Aldwych), the Brompton & Piccadilly Circus Railway (Piccadilly Circus to South Kensington) and the Deep Level District, (an express route from Earl's Court to Mansion House). These were completed in 1906 by Yerkes Group. There appears to be no reason for the short branch to Strand/Aldwych - maybe for a possible further route South?

The station opened on 30th November 1907 and was opened as Strand station but soon renamed Aldwych due to the station at Charing Cross end of the Strand being named Strand Station too!

The station was closed during WWII and used as storage for the British Museum.

The station closed in 1994 due to the cost of replacing the lift machinery - a cost of £3m for a daily passenger total of 600. The last passengers passed through on 30th September 1994.

The station is used now as a film set and has been in films such as V for Vendetta



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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:37 pm

South Kentish Town Tube Station

Opened on 22nd June 1907 and closed 5th June 1924 and was situated on the Charing Cross Euston and Hampstead Railway between Camden Town and Kentish Town on what is now the Northern Line. Street level buidling was designed by Leslie W Green as can be seen by his characteristic red tiled exterior.

The station was originally called Castle Road, and this name was on the platform tiling. The station closed on 5th June 1024 due to a strike a Lots Road power station and it never re-opened!


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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:06 pm

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

An underground tunnel linking the Borough of Tower Hamlets to the Borough of Greenwich underneath the Thames. Designed by Sir Alexander Binnie for London County Council and constructed by John Cochrane & Co. The project started construction in June 1899 and the tunnel was opened on 4th August 1902.

Lifts were installed in 1904 and upgraded in 1992 supplementing the spiral staircases. The tunnel is 1,217ft long. The tunnel suffered bomb damage on its Northern end during WWII. It is open 24 hours a day with an attendant operated lift 7am - 7pm on weekdays and saturdays and 10:30-5:30pm sundays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.


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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:16 pm

King William Street

This was the terminus of the first electric tube railway in the world! Opened 18th December 1890 and closed 25th February 1900. Known as the City of London and Southwark Subway, construction commenced in June 1866 originally to run from Borough to King William Street. In 1890, the scheme was extended to Clapham and the company name was changed to City and South London Railway. Entrance to the station was via a building on the corner of King William Street and Arthur Street East (now Monument Street). The station building was demolished in 1933 with the site taken over by an office block named Regis House, this block was demolished in 1995 and replaced by another building using the same name.

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Fire of London Monument with Regis House at the right hand side.

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Regis House

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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:24 pm

James Henry Greathead

Chief Engineer for City and South London Railway (now part of the Northern Line) , Inventor of the travelling shield that made possible the cutting of the tunnels of London's deep level tube system. This statue is located at Bank station and covers a ventilation shaft from the station. While Bank Station was being refurbished a section of the Barlow-Greathead shield was discovered in a passageway between the Underground and the Waterloo and City Railway. The section has been painted red and a brass plate erected as a further memorial to his achievements.

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Re: London Transport

Postby tobester » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:09 pm

Cracking thread MK

I love the strand tube station, seen it on shows like the tube too, be a coup to get a walk round it.
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:22 pm

ta muchly, things to look up whilst yer pics are uploading on flickr :)

I'd love to have got into some london ones, used to know someone in TFL and I still couldn't in :evil:
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:25 pm

Euston Station

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Another Leslie W Green building which was opened by the Charing Cross Euston and Hampstead Railway in 1907 but closed in 1914 after which all passengers would use the mainline station entrance. The building still survives due to being converted to house a substation.
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:36 pm

St Pancras Chambers

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St Pancras Chambers forms the front of St Pancras Sation. Formerly known as the Midland Grand Hotel (1868–1877), an impressive example of Victorian gothic architecture. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott of Glasgow University Fame.


St Pancras Station and hotel were commissioned by the Midland Railway. The initial plan of the station was laid out by William Henry Barlow, the Midland's consulting engineer. A competition was held for the actual design of the station buildings and hotel in May 1865. Eleven architects were invited to compete, submitting their designs in August. In January 1866 the brick Gothic revival designs of the prominent George Gilbert Scott were chosen. There was some disquiet at the choice, in part because Scott's designs, at £315,000, were by far the most expensive. The sheer grandeur of Scott's frontage impressed the Midland Railway directors, achieving their objective of outclassing all the other stations in the capital. A subsequent financial squeeze trimmed several floors from the frontage and certain ornateness but the impressive design largely remained.

Construction of the station, minus the roof which was a separate tender, was budgeted at £310,000, and after a few problems Waring Brothers' tender of £320,000 was accepted. The roof tender went to the Butterley Company for £117,000. Work began in the autumn of 1864 with a temporary bridge over the canal and the demolition of Somers Town and Agar Town. Construction of the station foundations did not start until July 1866 and delays through technical problems, especially in the roof construction, were commonplace.

Work on the Midland Grand Hotel did not begin until mid-1868. Designed by architect George Gilbert Scott and with construction in a number of stages, the hotel did not open to customers until 5 May 1873. The process of adding fixtures and fittings was contentious as the Midland Railway cut Scott's perceived extravagances and only in late 1876 was Scott finally paid off. The total costs for the building were £438,000. The hotel building initially appears to be in a polychromatic Italian Gothic style – inspired by John Ruskin's Stones of Venice – but on a closer viewing, it incorporates features from a variety of periods and countries. From such an eclectic approach, Scott anticipated that a new genre would emerge.

The Midland Grand Hotel was closed in 1935, and the building was subsequently used as offices.

The building is now undergoing renovations to become a £10million pound penthouse and various apartments.
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Re: London Transport

Postby sds » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:38 pm

My Kitten wrote:Greenwich Foot Tunnel

An underground tunnel linking the Borough of Tower Hamlets to the Borough of Greenwich underneath the Thames.

Been through there!
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sat Aug 15, 2009 11:08 pm

Thats all the london tranport I have now, ran out of time for Down Street and Dover Street :(
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Re: London Transport

Postby floweredpig » Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:33 am

That was amazing MK!! Please put the Down Street pictures on soon,what a history it has.
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Re: London Transport

Postby My Kitten » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:37 am

I mean I ran out of time in London, went to the pub instead :)
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Re: London Transport

Postby BrigitDoon » Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:20 pm

So do we have to play Mornington Crescent now?
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