Holborn and the Aldwych Branch

[D365]

But you can no longer go to the Isle of Wight to ‘enjoy’ its heritage London Transport experience.

Presumably, that is what the Epping-Ongar will be trying to recreate.

 

[1018509]

I remember the days as a Call Point Car Examiner based at Leicester Square when one of our late turn duties on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I believe, was to check the unit stabled there, usually 1962 stock unit no. 1750 ready for service the following morning. The days when we didn't check (Wednesday and Friday evenings) the train returned to Northfields for maintenance after the Aldwych trips were completed.

The train returned to the Aldwych branch on the Monday morning so no checks were needed on Saturday or Sunday evenings.

Later on after the 73 stock was introduced it was always a dedicate 3 car unit the number of which I cannot remember

 

[Vespa]

The Bakerloo has been a heritage experience for at least the past ten years.

I enjoyed riding the Bakerloo line, I considered it a time warp line with retro train set, I particularly like the seating layout and the lights going out through section breaks.

I rode the Aldwych line before it closed and it was a very short journey, the nearest equivalent is the Waterloo and City line, as far as I can remember the Aldwych branch was never busy and I vaguely remember where the doorway is at Holborn station.

 

[Journeyman]

I enjoyed riding the Bakerloo line, I considered it a time warp line with retro train set, I particularly like the seating layout and the lights going out through section breaks.

I rode the Aldwych line before it closed and it was a very short journey, the nearest equivalent is the Waterloo and City line, as far as I can remember the Aldwych branch was never busy and I vaguely remember where the doorway is at Holborn station.

The W&C is much longer. The Aldwych branch is only just over 500 yards long, the W&C is almost 1.5 miles.

 

[Mikey C]

No, the unit is in the tunnel at the Aldwych end (prior to the pandemic it was in the platform at Aldwych but moved due to continued graffiti). The unit is now well overdue its routine overhaul and maintenance and due to the cost of getting it done it is planned for the unit to be scrapped, regardless of any decision being taken about severing the line as part of the Holborn station upgrade.


The branch is still electrified and can be switched on / off as required by the Piccadilly line.

How did people get into Aldwych to graffiti it? It's a locked entrance, and it's not like a surface station where you can jump over the fence.

And why does the branch still have the power on? I was quite surprised by that, watching the programme

 

[Ashley Hill]

And why does the branch still have the power on? I was quite surprised by that, watching the programme

I imagine it's only switched on when required. Looking at the state of the rails I'd imagine there would be some spectacular arcing when power is taken.

 

[Vespa]

The W&C is much longer. The Aldwych branch is only just over 500 yards long, the W&C is almost 1.5 miles.

Hence "Nearest equivalent"

 

[Dave W]

How did people get into Aldwych to graffiti it? It's a locked entrance, and it's not like a surface station where you can jump over the fence.

And why does the branch still have the power on? I was quite surprised by that, watching the programme

There are several places on the internet which document "infiltration" - they rarely reveal their methods for obvious reasons but in some cases it doesn't sound that difficult. The one I read about Aldwych, though, involved a solid sprint from an access point north (east?) of Holborn.

 

[jumble]

I enjoyed riding the Bakerloo line, I considered it a time warp line with retro train set, I particularly like the seating layout and the lights going out through section breaks.

I rode the Aldwych line before it closed and it was a very short journey, the nearest equivalent is the Waterloo and City line, as far as I can remember the Aldwych branch was never busy and I vaguely remember where the doorway is at Holborn station.

And the contactors clicking as power is taken.

 

[BanburyBlue]

How did people get into Aldwych to graffiti it? It's a locked entrance, and it's not like a surface station where you can jump over the fence.

And why does the branch still have the power on? I was quite surprised by that, watching the programme

Yes, I was wondering about the graffiti.

 

[Mikey C]

Not about this station, but it was really interesting visiting North End station on this week's programme

 

[rebmcr]

Not about this station, but it was really interesting visiting North End station on this week's programme

What programme please?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

What programme please?

The same series ( Tube Secrets ), 20.00 last night - it's available online ( UKTV PLay, I think ) and also gets a repeat sometime around the end of the week.

 

[rebmcr]

The same series ( Tube Secrets ), 20.00 last night - it's available online ( UKTV PLay, I think ) and also gets a repeat sometime around the end of the week.

Ta

Edit: Ah I see, the OP refers to 'Secrets of the Underground' which I understood to refer to Geoff Marshall's series on Youtube.

 

[Mikey C]

What programme please?

Secrets of the Underground on Yesterday. Repeated on Friday

 

[hermit]

For a time in the 80s I used to commute from Holborn to Victoria via Aldwych and Temple. Probably not the fastest way (though it was certainly a lot faster than the 38 bus) but quirkily enjoyable.

The journey may have only taken 2 minutes, but if you just missed the train it was quite a wait for it to return. I often thought that in that situation it would have been faster just to walk down Kingsway.

 

[Jamdougnut]

Later on after the 73 stock was introduced it was always a dedicate 3 car unit the number of which I cannot remember

I believe that unit may have been unit 890-690-691 since that appears in Superman and I believe I saw it in a video somewhere else.

(The scene from Superman for those interested )

 

[matt_world2004]

The current set up at aldwych is probably quite convenient to TfL

They have a training/experimentation location where they undertake things like accident management training and experimenting with tiling and paintwork

They can charge a huge amount more for filming than it would have a made in passenger revenue and when filming is not being undertaking they can charge £60 for hidden London tours

£1200 an hour for a production big enough to use aldwych plus additional costs for filming in exclusive locations (Charing cross - Aldwych listed as examples) plus staff overtime costs for any filming outside standard hours

An additional £2000 per hour on top of the £1200 for use of aldwych+£1000 for use of the train

 

[rebmcr]

The current set up at aldwych is probably quite convenient to TfL

They have a training/experimentation location where they undertake things like accident management training and experimenting with tiling and paintwork

They can charge a huge amount more for filming than it would have a made in passenger revenue and when filming is not being undertaking they can charge £60 for hidden London tours

£1200 an hour for a production big enough to use aldwych plus additional costs for filming in exclusive locations (Charing cross - Aldwych listed as examples) plus staff overtime costs for any filming outside standard hours

An additional £2000 per hour on top of the £1200 for use of aldwych+£1000 for use of the train

And, if it didn't exist, they would lose revenue from closing in-service stations during filming.

 

[Mikey C]

I believe that unit may have been unit 890-690-691 since that appears in Superman and I believe I saw it in a video somewhere else.

(The scene from Superman for those interested )

I never knew the NY Subway used 73 stock

Aldwych might be convenient, but full size C or D stock would have been slightly more convincing doubles for NY Subway trains!

 

[trebor79]

And the contactors clicking as power is taken.

Yes, I love that sound and the slightly jerky acceleration. Also you get that old school tube train gearbox (?) noise, though not to the same extent I remember as a child with older stock.

 

[matt_world2004]

I never knew the NY Subway used 73 stock

Aldwych might be convenient, but full size C or D stock would have been slightly more convincing doubles for NY Subway trains!

Superman was set in metropolis a fascimilie of new York but not new York maybe they had deep level style trains

 

[trebor79]

Superman was set in metropolis a fascimilie of new York but not new York maybe they had deep level style trains

I think you're getting confused with Batman? Superman films were certainly set in the "real world".

 

[Dstock7080]

I think you're getting confused with Batman? Superman films were certainly set in the "real world".

Batman’s fictional city is Gotham City, Superman lives in Metropolis.
hence the sign in the 1973 Stock cab “Metro City Transit”

 

[Journeyman]

I think you're getting confused with Batman? Superman films were certainly set in the "real world".

But they were set in Metropolis, a fictional city.

 

[Mikey C]

But they were set in Metropolis, a fictional city.

They should have filmed on the Metropolitan Line then!

 

[trebor79]

Oh yes, it's me who's confused. As you were!

 

[thesignalman]

Enjoyed the footage of Secrets of the London Underground - they went to some interesting places, but not the Janet and John commentary. Found it a bit patronising. Really no need to dumb down so much.

I can't say I found this or subsequent episodes patronising at all. For once I felt fed reasonably accurate information in an intelligent manner.

I say "reasonably" accurate because I did identify one faux-pas regarding the signalman having a lonely task signalling trains up and down the branch all day and not signalling the main line. This is tosh because there were no signals on the branch! The box was only staffed for movements on and off the main line - see plan at https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 1326 . In earlier days, the box did control access to the second line which could also be used without the box being staffed, although I'm not sure whether it was ever used.

But aside of that one matter, I felt most of the information being imparted was extraordinarily good. I look forward to each episode.

John

Yup. It was a basket case in regular service, and it would be an even bigger basket case as a heritage railway. It would cost an absolute fortune to rehabilitate and make safe and suitable for passenger use again...and once more...how much is anyone going to pay for a journey that takes two minutes?

Its not going to happen because, as they said, the platform at Holborn is to be destroyed to provide a new access passageway through it. However, Aldwych will remain untouched which is good news as the last of the original Otis lifts remain in situ, let's hope they may one day class as "preserved" and the station even made into a small museum. Perhaps I am dreaming . . .

They did say the unjustifiable cost of renewing the lifts was the actual reason the line closed.

John

 

[Journeyman]

Its not going to happen because, as they said, the platform at Holborn is to be destroyed to provide a new access passageway through it.

It still wouldn't be viable, even if that wasn't a factor.

However, Aldwych will remain untouched which is good news as the last of the original Otis lifts remain in situ, let's hope they may one day class as "preserved" and the station even made into a small museum. Perhaps I am dreaming . . .

I think it could be a very good museum and event space, actually. There's a lot of interesting original features, plus things like trial finishes and fittings on the platform that was abandoned early, so those things would be of interest to a lot of people.

You could deck out part of it as an air raid shelter too, and tell that part of the station's story.

There's also quite a lot of space that could be hired out for special events and shows etc, and I'm sure you could charge quite a lot for that sort of use.

 

[nlogax]

I believe that unit may have been unit 890-690-691 since that appears in Superman and I believe I saw it in a video somewhere else.

(The scene from Superman for those interested )

For me this was the only interesting part of Superman IV. Film was made on the stringiest of shoestring budgets. No way could they have afforded to film subway scenes in NYC.