Erk's Northern Hemiwanderer, June 2014

[erkpod]

See you later, DLR!



Entrance to Canary Wharf tube station.





There's a subtle difference between the Underground & Overground roundels at Canadia Water.



Overground trains at Islington-Highbury.

 

[erkpod]

This sign at Willesden Junction doesn't know me very well!









No prizes for guessing where I am. I would love to see an Underground version of this sign & a joint Underground/Overground one for shared platforms such as this.

 

[erkpod]

Outside the Virgin Trains Flounge at London Euston.

 

[erkpod]

Various signs





I'm not sure if you can see the additions to the sign in pen saying "This is silly" in the middle of the sign & "If you don't catch them first" at the bottom.



Various people were still lining up.



A reminder to Oyster users



Interesting facts about the former uses of the current Stratford International site.

 

[erkpod]

Various headlines

 

[bass_ke]

Erk, random question spurred on by a late night YouTube metal session, did you catch Turisas on 70,000 tonnes of metal?

 

[Flashback]

Oh how I love the trains. First time in a while I've had to commute into London... 10 minute delay going in ... several hour delay coming home. Gas leak in the old Battersea Power Station area caused most Southern / South Eastern / First Capital Connect trains to be majorly delayed / cancelled all evening. All good, managed to get the 11.03 train home which was one of the first non-delayed trains

 

[erkpod]

Erk, random question spurred on by a late night YouTube metal session, did you catch Turisas on 70,000 tonnes of metal?

Sure did! They were one of my highlights of the 2013 cruise.

 

[erkpod]

Oh how I love the trains. First time in a while I've had to commute into London... 10 minute delay going in ... several hour delay coming home. Gas leak in the old Battersea Power Station area caused most Southern / South Eastern / First Capital Connect trains to be majorly delayed / cancelled all evening. All good, managed to get the 11.03 train home which was one of the first non-delayed trains

When things are that bad, it's easier to do something else & come back when things are a little better.

I remember a few years ago, there was a suspected gas leak on the City Circle in Sydney. I was a guard then on the intercity trains & that afternoon was supposed to do a Newcastle return.

When I was based at Central, I used to catch the train to work during the week. My 1 hour commute turned into a 3 hour commute - and that was just to sign on!


Needless to say, I missed my trip. I had to stand by in case I needed to be used elsewhere but I wasn't needed so I was allowed to go
home at the time I should have arrived back from Newcastle.

 

[cove]

Now I am feeling that I have been running about 69,998.5 tonnes of metal short of a full deck.

 

[erkpod]

Tuesday 17 June
Day 15
London, England

Last full day in London on this part of the trip.

Highlight of the day was the London Underground walking tour as was suggested earlier in the thread.

A large crowd gathered at Baker Street & we went our guide, Fiona, presumably a princess. But as we were to find out, her Tube knowledge is at Queen level.

We started at Baker Street & before long, we were on platform 1. On trial
are blue flashing lights that reflect on the side of the train when it is sitting at the platform. It is another way for people to mind the gap.

Down to another platform, we could see skylights which would allow natural light & fresh air to hit the platform.

Moving on, we headed to Kings Cross St Pancras then Convent Garden, Leceister Square, Green Park & Westminster.

There was various facts & stories about the original railway companies, combining to form London Transport & later London Underground, art, colour schemes, maps, movies, war time, the Kings Cross fire of 1987 (but not the bombings) & more.

Considering that the tour was mostly done in the paid areas (train trips etc at additional cost to the £9 tour charge), sometimes it was hard to hear the guide (especially if there was short gaps between trains & announcements) but it was all very interesting. You don't have to be a train head to like this tour.

Needless to say, it is hard to cover 150 years of the Tube in London in the available time. There was a wide range of people in age & nationality so finding a happy medium with everything in the tour would not be easy.

In case you think this is a tour merely about the current day operations or one where you can get into places the average commuter can't get into, you'd be wrong.

After the tour, I had lunch at Victoria & then caught the Victoria line to Brixton & back. Heading across to Baker Street via Kings Cross St Pancras, I hopped on a Met train to Wembley Park & back before returning to the lodge via the Bakerloo to Maida Vale then the 98 bus.

 

[erkpod]

Yes, they are.









Some interesting & historic items on display in the front window of the TfL Lost Property office in Baker Street. One of the cameras is labelled as a mobile phone.

While I was there, a policeman (BTP) was dealing with a couple of tourists from a NESB. After a few minutes of backwards & forwards - including the officer taking off his own watch - the problem was solved. The tourists handed over a leaflet for the Lost Property office - the one we were standing outside.

 

[erkpod]

Our tour guide points out the blue flashing lights & the skylights at Baker Street.



A crowded Tube train arriving at Kings Cross St Pancras. Not peak hour but approaching lunch time.



Artwork such as these (Kings Cross St Pancras above, Maida Vale below) were commissioned to celebrate 150 years of the Tube in London last year.

 

[erkpod]

I have no service information.



Commenorating the Kings Cross fire of 1987.



A Tube train awaits departure from Kings Cross St Pancras.



Which way to the Underground?



A Victoria line train arrives at Victoria.

 

[erkpod]

The side destination board on the Victoria line stock isn't long enough to fit all of the destination on the screen.



Me & a huge metal fan at Victoria.



Mind the gap.



Crowded platform & crowded platform.



A terminating train arrives at Baker Street before another trip to Uxbridge.

 

[erkpod]

Funky blue lights reflect on the side of the train at Baker Street.



Someone likes Southbank (I think)



Interesting to note that on the northern part of the Metropolitan line, there's no stations in zone 3.



It was awesome to overtake Jubilee trains via the fast lines. Both times I went through Willesden Green, there was a train on the platforms.

 

[erkpod]

It's just a guess but I think I'm at Baker Street.



One of the interesting things about photographing in public is when people get in the way. This interesting effect was cool.







See you next time, Tube!

 

[bass_ke]

Sure did! They were one of my highlights of the 2013 cruise.

We need to talk about such matters at some stage.

 

[erkpod]

We need to talk about such matters at some stage.

Are you thinking of coming on the cruise?

 

[OATEK]

Commenorating the Kings Cross fire of 1987.

I remember this well. We took those same escalators the day before (17-11-87) on our last day in London before flying home (wife, 2 small children and mother-in-law) at the end of a 7 week sojourn in the UK.

It was a huge shock to us when we learnt on landing in KUL about the fire and deaths.