Disused stations

[bramling]

I did not know about the chage at Hyde park Corner but was in the area yesterday and it looks very different must have a look at some other sites.

It’s pretty much a full rebuild for the building, only the facade being retained. Below ground had to be retained too as it still contains an operational substation and tunnel ventilation shaft.

 

[Jack Barry]

I agree like you say a full rebuild and some other sites I have checked similar and I have found a site not too sure if it is to do with the undergorund but want to check some things before posting for further help.

 

[Ex LT]

bramling is right there have been a lot of places altered but it all comes down to still being able to access and also keep the ventilation or whatever it was before.

 

[Jack Barry]

Just wondering if anyone knows on the eastbound at York Road disused there were what looked like steel doors stored, what were they please.

 

[Chris125]

There is a clip on the internet somewhere which appears to be a LIDAR inspection survey. How this came to be in the public domain I'm not really sure, but what is seen on it matches up with the civils plans I have.

This looks like it, fascinating!

 

[Jack Barry]

This looks like it, fascinating!

Thanks for that very interesting.

 

[greyman42]

Around the 40 second mark there appears to be a Canoe?

 

[Jack Barry]

I think the shaft was flooded.

 

[Ex LT]

I think the shaft was flooded.

You are correct it was flooded right into the basement of the buiding for some time.

 

[Jack Barry]

I had a chat with someone who was told that the engineers had a room(s) where things were monitored, don’t know what was being monitored and there were panels which indicated conditions of various things, all this was in the 1960s/1970s no exact date. Does anyone know any more.

What I was not told was if it was at a disused station or a station that had disused sections and there are a lot of stations that have disused sections. Did LT have any so called cold war connected?

 

[Ken H]

Found this about disused Picc stations

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/disused-stations-york-road-down-street.121743/

And there was also a plan to build a district deep level tube, and they built odd bits as air raid shelters. But I think they got used for government purposes.

 

[Busaholic]

I had a chat with someone who was told that the engineers had a room(s) where things were monitored, don’t know what was being monitored and there were panels which indicated conditions of various things, all this was in the 1960s/1970s no exact date. Does anyone know any more.

What I was not told was if it was at a disused station or a station that had disused sections and there are a lot of stations that have disused sections. Did LT have any so called cold war connected?

As a management trainee I had spells at Coburg Street (Northern/Vic), Oxford Circus (Central) and Earls Court (Picc/District) control rooms, although the latter was extremely brief, and I can only say that I never heard of this. That leaves 'A' Division at Baker Street (Met/Bakerloo), but I wouldn't read too much into that.

 

[swt_passenger]

I had a chat with someone who was told that the engineers had a room(s) where things were monitored, don’t know what was being monitored and there were panels which indicated conditions of various things, all this was in the 1960s/1970s no exact date. Does anyone know any more.

What I was not told was if it was at a disused station or a station that had disused sections and there are a lot of stations that have disused sections. Did LT have any so called cold war connected?

Before the Thames Barrier was operational there was an LU flood control room somewhere, could that be what they were describing?

 

[Ken H]

Before the Thames Barrier was operational there was an LU flood control room somewhere, could that be what they were describing?

would that be for the floodgates installed in WW2 to stop the Thames filling the tubes if bombed?

 

[swt_passenger]

would that be for the floodgates installed in WW2 to stop the Thames filling the tubes if bombed?

That’s probably what I’m thinking of. But I think it was kept operational much later, I expect if they anticipated water flowing in from above, either from the river or failed water mains, then the WW2 gates might still serve to keep the problem to one side of the Thames, or to one part of a line.

 

[Busaholic]

That’s probably what I’m thinking of. But I think it was kept operational much later, I expect if they anticipated water flowing in from above, either from the river or failed water mains, then the WW2 gates might still serve to keep the problem to one side of the Thames, or to one part of a line.

I could be utterly wrong on this (I often am) but I think I read somewhere that part of the Kingsway Tram Subway was used for these purposes.

 

[swt_passenger]

I could be utterly wrong on this (I often am) but I think I read somewhere that part of the Kingsway Tram Subway was used for these purposes.

I think you’re right about there (Kingsway) being another flood control room but that one always seems to be described as a more general purpose GLC operation. Google finds a few articles which explain that the postwar LU flood control room was located in the unopened North End (Northern Line) station under Hampstead Heath.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/n/north_end_station/index0.shtml

 

[Jack Barry]

would that be for the floodgates installed in WW2 to stop the Thames filling the tubes if bombed?

That's what I was thinking but there was no mention of floodgates in the conversation.

 

[Jack Barry]

I could be utterly wrong on this (I often am) but I think I read somewhere that part of the Kingsway Tram Subway was used for these purposes.

I went on a LURS visit many years ago to Kingsway tram subway I seem to remember some old portacabins being there but they were empty.

 

[Jack Barry]

I think you’re right about there (Kingsway) being another flood control room but that one always seems to be described as a more general purpose GLC operation. Google finds a few articles which explain that the postwar LU flood control room was located in the unopened North End (Northern Line) station under Hampstead Heath.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/n/north_end_station/index0.shtml

I read somewhere that before Bull & Bush the control room was located somewhere else in central London.

 

[Jack Barry]

As a management trainee I had spells at Coburg Street (Northern/Vic), Oxford Circus (Central) and Earls Court (Picc/District) control rooms, although the latter was extremely brief, and I can only say that I never heard of this. That leaves 'A' Division at Baker Street (Met/Bakerloo), but I wouldn't read too much into that.

In one of the Mike Horne publications there was mention of some sort of alternative control can't remember which one though.

 

[Jona26]

I think there was a fairly recent article about the Kingsway portacabins (within the last 6 months or so) either on ianvisits.co.uk or diamondgeezer.blogspot.com that included pictures of the flood control planning boards.

I'll try to find it.

Edit:

Although both the above (and londonreconnections.com) all have good trip reports and articles it turns out the one I was thinking of is http://underground-history.co.uk/kwupass.php and is actually mentioned on page 1 of this thread!

Memory is going!!

 

[DavidGrain]

So confirmation that the Kingsway Tunnel held the Flood Control Centre for the whole of London not the Underground. At some stage since the above mentioned website work was carried out on the tunnel with the intention of strengthening the roof. I have a photo somewhere of the construction vehicles on the ramp at Southampton Row. The plan was to build a tramway from Brixton into central London running on the surface of Kingsway to Euston and Kings Cross/St Pancras but this has now fallen through. Had it occurred there would have three levels of rails in Kingsway: the Aldwych branch of the Piccadilly Line, The Kingsway Tram Tunnel and the surface tram line.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_River_Tram for more information.

I have not been under Waterloo Bridge for some time but the last time I was there the old Embankment entrance to the Tram Tunnel had become a bar.

 

[Ex LT]

I had a chat with someone who was told that the engineers had a room(s) where things were monitored, don’t know what was being monitored and there were panels which indicated conditions of various things, all this was in the 1960s/1970s no exact date. Does anyone know any more.

What I was not told was if it was at a disused station or a station that had disused sections and there are a lot of stations that have disused sections. Did LT have any so called cold war connected?

Been thinking and I am almost sure what you say would have been at Leicester Sq off one of the passages although it was before the 1960s and was the old emergency control room which became the signal control of the Northern line, might be wrong though.

 

[Jack Barry]

Been thinking and I am almost sure what you say would have been at Leicester Sq off one of the passages although it was before the 1960s and was the old emergency control room which became the signal control of the Northern line, might be wrong though.

I think you may well be right, I have looked through the book LT at war and it gives a description of the room. Looking in another book it tells of the Regulating room although it says lift shaft.

 

[Mojo]

I think you may well be right, I have looked through the book LT at war and it gives a description of the room. Looking in another book it tells of the Regulating room although it says lift shaft.

It was at the bottom of the lift shaft that was used before escalators were installed at the station.

This very interesting document has some more information including photos on page 15:
http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/Automatic_Junction_Working.pdf

I can't copy and paste a quote as it doesn't let me.

 

[Ken H]

It was at the bottom of the lift shaft that was used before escalators were installed at the station.

This very interesting document has some more information including photos on page 15:
http://www.metadyne.co.uk/pdf_files/Automatic_Junction_Working.pdf

I can't copy and paste a quote as it doesn't let me.

They were developed for the Victoria line. I think there are still some in use.

Paper rolls with holes in it is technology that goes back years. Basile Bouchon first used punched cards to automate knitting machines in 1725. The technology was used by Babbage in his mechanical computer, by Tommy flowers in the first electronic computer, colossus (At Bletchley park). Its also used in fairground organs.

I think there are some program machines left - Piccadilly line I think

 

[Mojo]

They were developed for the Victoria line. I think there are still some in use.

Paper rolls with holes in it is technology that goes back years. Basile Bouchon first used punched cards to automate knitting machines in 1725. The technology was used by Babbage in his mechanical computer, by Tommy flowers in the first electronic computer, colossus (At Bletchley park). Its also used in fairground organs.

I think there are some program machines left - Piccadilly line I think

I think if you want to have a topic about Programme Machines there are plenty of people who would join you in that, but in another thread please as it is off topic for here

I linked to that publication as someone was asking about the rooms area at Leicester Sq.

 

[Jack Barry]

I think if you want to have a topic about Programme Machines there are plenty of people who would join you in that, but in another thread please as it is off topic for here

I linked to that publication as someone was asking about the rooms area at Leicester Sq.

Thanks for the link lots of information there about the signal room.