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 readingCategory: History
Tracking 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.
Continue readingUncircling The Circle: part 1
In part 2 of The Past, Present and Future of Metropolitan Line Services we finished with details of frequencies for the Metropolitan Line once the Sub-Surface Lines upgrade was complete. With plans for a overview …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Kings Cross In The Fifties
Work is now nearing completion on Network Rail’s project to rebuild Kings Cross, revealing the station’s impressive frontage for the first time in many, many years. We’ll be taking another look at the station next month, but in the meantime this seems like a good opportunity to take a brief trip back into the past…
Continue readingThe Past, Present and Future of Metropolitan Line Services: Part 1
We reported last month that the Croxley Rail Link (CRL) scheme had been given the go-ahead, with the Transport and Works Act Order reported to be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport. Since …
Continue readingWarminster – Imber Village Routemaster Special Service Tomorrow
Every year, a vintage bus service runs from Warminster to the abandoned village of Imber on Salisbury Plain. With all profits going to charity, it’s an interesting opportunity to travel on a Routemaster outside of …
Continue readingBlast from the Past: A Precariously Positioned DLR Train
On March 10th 1987 a test run on the then-under-construction Docklands Light Railway (DLR) almost ended in disaster, when the train failed to stop at then-terminus Island Gardens. With overrun protection still incomplete, the train …
Continue readingThe Life, Death and Rebirth of Lea Bridge Station
Somewhat buried amongst a number of railway-related announcements from the DfT this month was final confirmation of something that Waltham Forest council have been pushing for some time – the reopening of Lea Bridge Station. …
Continue readingTragedy and Turnaround: A History of St Johns Station – Part 2
In part one we recalled the history of St Johns station up to World War II. In that time the the station had already been subject to more change than most stations have in their …
Continue readingAccidents and Islands: A History of St Johns Station – Part 1
Some railway stations are more worthy of a visit for their own sake than others. History, architecture, location, current operation and future plans, all contribute in their own way to give you a reason to explore a particular station. You wouldn’t think the small suburban commuter stop of St Johns was one of these, but in truth it’s a far more interesting station than one might imagine.
Continue readingA Beeching Epilogue: The Curious Case of the Clapham Junction Ghost Train
In Part 2 of our piece on The Beeching Report’s impact on London, Pedantic of Purley highlighted that the report called for the closure of the Clapham Junction – Kensington Olympia service. As Pedantic pointed …
Continue readingThe Beeching Report: Freight and Final Conclusions
In The Beeching Report: 50 Years On we looked at the report itself and its relevance to London as far as passenger traffic was concerned. This was followed up with a look at its impact …
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