Not on the London Underground

The Tube Roundel goes travelling

Many thanks to Rafael, Dmitri and Barry who sent in some more pictures of the London Underground roundel doing the rounds.

Firstly some pictures of some floor decorations in the large department store V & D (Vroom & Dreesman) in Amsterdam where Dmitri got some funny looks while taking the pictures:






From Amsterdam to Brazil and Rafael sent me a picture of "The Hide Shop" which is a newstand in the city centre of Curitiba.


Finally some pictures from Barry of The Underground Store in Reykjavik which Jon Allen had also taken a picture of


And indeed as acb had mentioned in the comments, there is a trendy bar (Kaffibarinn) in Reyakjavik which is partly owned by Damon Albarn out of Blur and the Gorillaz. Here's Barry outside that very bar which is also kitted out with the Tube Roundel.


Ever since reading 101 Reykjavik a fab novel about the crazy nightlife there, I've been keen to visit Iceland's capital. Barry said "It's quite surreal experience to travel to the Arctic Circle and find all these LU roundels all over the place, but then Reykjavik (and Iceland as a country) itself is quite a surreal place. A drunken Friday night staggering through downtown Reykjavik is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives!"

Keep sending the pictures in and I'll blog them in due course, plus there's a growing Flickr set of the ones sent in so far. Cheers!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, June 22, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Rooney on the London Underground

Where's Wayne?

No wonder England only drew against Sweden last night, when Wayne Rooney was on the London Underground just a short while before he should have been warming up before the match


I quite like his new Mohican haircut, but I didn't know that gold was one of the colours on England's strip.

Ah but look, here is again although he seems to have got a bit darker and dyed his hair again.


If I were Sven I would tell him to stop messing about on the Tube and experimenting with different hairstyles and concentrate on the game. It's not really that difficult is it?

Later I was on the Tube during the match itself, and it's a great way of travelling. It's almost deserted. Plus when I went through Chancery Lane station concorse the station staff had kindly decided to "tannoy" the game through the loud speakers so the few passengers travelling through could catch the latest.

One of my work colleagues actually wondered whether much of the Tube would be working as he imagined that a number of staff might throw a sickie! Surely not, I replied, They wouldn't do that would they?

At my company we're lucky in that we can legitimately take time off to watch matches where "our own country" is playing. It's an international company, although the majority of staff in our London office are probably English, so people are deciding whether they can dredge up some long lost relative from Brazil or Argentina.

However, I imagine Tube staff don't have this luxury and have to find other ways of keeping track of the games, when they're supposed to be working. Does your company give you time off to watch football, or do you have other "tactics" to keep informed during daytime matches? If you work on the Tube or railways I'd particularly love to know how you manage.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, June 21, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Where do Tube Font designers go for inspiration?

There's something about Dogs & Ditchling

I'm not quite sure what the attractions of a small English village on the edge of the South Downs are, but it seems to be an inspirational source for some of Britain's most influential font designers, including Edward Johnston (he of the Johnston Tube Font) and Eric Gill (his pupil, who invented Gill Sans). Crikey, wouldn't it be cool to have a font named after you?


In 1907 Eric Gill began a sort of artisans' community on Ditchling Common, where he could live out his ideas of self-sufficiency, asceticism and Catholicism, and also continue to explore his passions for typography, engraving and err... sexual shenanigans. "According to the 1989 biography by Fiona MacCarthy, Gill's relationships included two of his sisters and two of his daughters. His personal diaries also describe, in great detail, regular sexual activity between himself and the family dog." (I love Wikipedia).

Lots of his friends came to join him in Ditchling (hopefully not in his sexual practices). These designers and artists included his former teacher, the idiosyncratic Edward Johnston, who created the Tube's iconic font and the world famous London Underground roundel. Johnston reworked the Underground logo with his new typeface and incorporated it with a red ring.

Thanks to Marc, I learnt that The Ditchling Museum - a former Victorian schoolhouse - is putting on an intimate and revealing exhibition dedicated to Johnston's work. "The show will also celebrate the range of creativity that Johnston was capable of - both the public (it is extraordinary to think the designs for the radical new transport system of the time, The Tube, were designed in his studio in this rural village) and the personal (books for his children)."

Johnston was also a calligraphy expert and his 1906 book Writing, Illuminating & Lettering is considered a calligraphy Bible. So it's fitting that 100 years later an exhibition is staged in his countryside haven and hideaway.

Perhaps you need to escape from the city in order to get a bit of perspective on it and design a font and icon that cuts through the clutter. The clarity of the typeface made it a perfect information tool, and it's been used on posters, signage, the Tube Map and publicity since its creation in 1913. The Johnston typeface was redesigned in 1979 by Eiichi Kono at Banks & Miles to produce New Johnston, which is the variant currently used by Transport for London.

With Pen Ink & Paper: Being Edward Johnston runs until the 1st October at the Ditchling Museum, Church Lane, Ditchling, Sussex, and is £3.50 for adults, a quid for students and children go free.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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800 stuck in the heat on the Central Line

Stuck for two hours in 38C

On Friday morning around 800 passengers were stuck on a Central Line train after it broke down during rush hour. At 8.50am a train broke down between Liverpool St and Bank stations and it took until 10.45 for the last commuters to get out.

The broken train was close enough to to the platform for hundreds on board to get out, but it trapped another packed service behind it, which could not reverse because of the other trains queuing up behind.

One person on board had the following story, when he explained how passengers left in groups of ten.

"After an hour the driver told us the first two carriages had been emptied. I was at the very back and I started thinking I could be there for hours. One lady was suffering very badly. I can't believe they would keep someone like her trapped down there for almost an hour.

"It took an hour to get everyone on the front of the train off then just half an hour to get the rest of us. They obviously abandoned doing ten people at a time because it was too slow."

LU were trying to find out what caused the break down, but a British Transport Police spokesman said: "An object had fallen off the train and the train was stuck. It may have damaged the track."

So this is the second time in a month that passengers have been stuck underground for more than an hour. It must be a nightmare when at first you don't have a clue as to what's going on, and then wondering when you're actually going to get out.

London Underground are really lucky that more people don't have panic attacks and fortunately on this occasion only one person required medical attention after fainting and 12 were treated for exhaustion and dehydration. "The Ticket Collector's" blog has an entry about what it was like on the train, and it's quite interesting to see how a member of surface rail staff felt being stuck underground and what he tried to do to help.

Somehow your train fare back under the Customer Charter doesn't seem the right amount of compensation in times like this, and lets hope like with the people stuck on the Victoria Line, they get a better amount of compensation. Although I do wonder how you can possibly work out what the "right" amount of compensation is?

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, June 19, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Cryptic Tube Station Quiz

And the winners are.......

Good response to the quiz where you had to guess the station names from the following cryptic clues.

However, before I reveal the answers to mine and Neil's "killer" clues, Jo asked if people could have another guess (rather than be limited to their "one answer only")

So have another go then.

From the original post, no one offered an answer for 6, 8, 12, 14, 17 and 20.

1. You've interred the gun, I hear
2. Beep beep! Sounds like Lord Coe's back
3. Follow procedures at this residence
4. The French have Tony all mixed up
5. Gets 21 and leaves
6. Er, drench a porky. Confused?
7. Resident of Roman England gets cross at the academy
8. Only a high-jump gold medallist can claim this title
9. Sheriff reaches his hundred but needs a direction
10. It's not cheese found in elderly McDonald's abode
11. The portly pig is firm once he's had a wee
12. Capital's department keeps me angry
13. Sounds like those distant bells have stopped
14. This garden jazz man's not off
15. Office junior joins the French
16. A circular record?
17. A part of Harold's joint is looking mouldy
18. Revolutionary joins the pretence
19. It's well-liked without you!
20. Babe's partner gives an encore

The answer given to 11 wasn't exactly what I was looking for and number 1 ended up having two correct answers. Plus the answer given for 16 wasn't correct!

So have a go with as many as you can and Neil will do the paperclip selection amongst the original correct guessers later today.

OK the paperclip selection has now taken place and the winner of "Memorise the Tube Map in 3 Hours" is Michelle. The runner up prize of a Tube Mouse Mat goes to Jamesthegill who was 2nd in the selection! So very well done to them.

The answers are below - although after this second attempt I think they were all guessed correctly. However, if you'd like me or Neil to explain the answers, feel free to ask.

1. Canonbury (not Gunnersbury - there's a fine distinction)
2. Tooting Bec
3. Custom House
4. Leyton
5. Pontoon Dock
6. Hyde Park Corner
7. Brixton
8. Barking
9. South Kenton
10. Chalk Farm
11. West Hampstead
12. Crossharbour & London Arena
13. Farringdon
14. Alperton
15. Temple
16. Monument
17. Stepney Green
18. Chesham
19. Poplar
20. Stanmore

Less painful on the brain is the scavenger hunt quiz below, so you might want to try your luck at that and the more liberties taken with PhotoShop the better!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, June 19, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Scavenger Hunt London Underground Quiz - 2

Win a pack of London Underground Art Poster Playing Cards

Fimb's Tube Scavenger hunt quiz in March was so popular, with some really inventive answers that I decided to do another one.

You get to win a brand new set of playing cards - each one features an image from a "classic" London Underground Poster.


So this time you have to search the net and find the following items:

1) A colourful Tube train - ie not one that is silver, or silver, red or blue.

2) An mp3 or video of a Tube busker

3) A real pub that has the same name as a Tube station

4) A pre 1910 poster advertising the London Underground (This was initially pre 20th century but I've realised it's toooo difficult - and no, you can't use the picture of the playing cards above!)

5) A picture of an animal travelling on the Tube

6) A picture of a smiling London Underground member of staff - it can be a driver, station assistant, manager or someone else who works on the Tube.

As my haloscan commenting system used to only let you put three links in each comment, you might have to make two comments if you want to enter (although Fimb seems to have all put at least six links in one comment).

There is a bonus point if your answer to 1-5 is different from the person who guessed immediately before you.

Plus each answer to number 6 MUST be different - so you can't give the same link as someone else. There must be hundreds of smiling Tube staff pictured on the internet so it should be easy to find them. Shouldn't it?

You have until 23.59 GMT Sunday 25th June to make your guesses and please leave either your email address and/or blog or website in the comments when you make your two posts. As usual Neil's paperclip selection will come into play in the event of several people getting the same high point score.

There may be some bonus prizes of fridge magnets and badges for people who give particularly inventive answers.

Have fun!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, June 16, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims on the Tube

Once again it's Friday's look at commuters who could be considered slaves to fashion or have a particularly unusual sense of "style" when it comes to clothes. Apart from on Monday when it was roasting, the weather's been fairly normal for mid June, so lots of sandals but no women actually spotted wearing underwear as outerwear.....yet!

The Birkenstock Sisters

Speaking of sandals, looks like Birkenstocks are once again this year's must have footwear.


It was very kind of these women to wear contrasting pairs in red and black and sit opposite me. I think I must be one of the few people in the world who doesn't think Birkenstocks are comfortable. I can't wear those sandals that have a bit between your big toe anyway, but even the Birkenstocks without the toe bit I find extremely uncomfortable. I persevered with them one year for about a month and then gave up.

Mock Converses & Tweed Skirt

However, thanks to doing this section of the blog I am now Converse convert. But even though I'm a new Converse convert, I don't think you should wear them with smart tweed skirts.


Or should you? I know that David Tennant gets away with them with a suit in Dr Who, (geek chic) but I think they look pretty ugly with this rather school marmish skirt. Perhaps it's because they're not real Converses either but mock ones.

More Tattered Jeans

If you didn't read the comments on a non fashion post in the week, you won't know that we've had the first victim to spot themselves on the blog. Lu spotted herself as the "victim below"


She said "That is 100% certainly me down in the fashion victims with the torn jeans. You can even see the bit I sowed back together on the left leg. Crikey."

When I asked how she managed to get them looking so worn on the knees, she replied "Annie, The torn jean effect just happens to some of us, and to some of us it doesn't. I first knew it was me (not simply because of the matching shoes with the matching torn jeans) because of this inward facing way I turn my feet when I stand. Plus it seems that I am leaning against the wall, which I do a lot on the tube. Is that at Hammersmith?"

It was certainly on the way to Hammersmith on the Piccadilly Line. But I'm delighted that we have our first identified victim and fortunately she didn't feel like belting me one!

However, I'm assuming that Lu isn't the lady who's also going for the tattered jeans look below, although there is a bit of a theme with metallic footwear! (First metallic flip flops I've seen this year).


She seems to have gone for a much more "tailored" and deliberate torn look than Lu. She also appears to have some icicles or chains dangling off her wrist.

Midnight Cowboy

So to finish with some men.


This bloke in a stetson reminded me of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's grandad's character in Midnight Cowboy. He seemed to be looking fairly lost in the big city, and may have just landed from a little place way out West. Or maybe he's simply trying to ressurect the stetson look that was trendy a year or so ago.

Engerlerrrrnd shirt

Taken yesterday morning, this bloke obviously wanted to support "our lads". Unlike the bulk of men who seem to be going retro by sporting red football T shirts, he went for white with a chavtastic style of writing on the back.


It almost reminded me of the writing on the back of "Off White Jacket man's" jacket.

Ooops I'm forgot to put my shoes on

Last week we had a man in his pyjama bottoms, and this week we finish with a young bloke who appears to have forgotten his shoes


Am I missing a new Barefoot and Bandanna'd trend?

That's it for this week. The previous entry for London Underground fashion victims is here and all of them together can be seen on the following Flickr set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, June 16, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Tiles

Edwardian Tube Tiles

With all the recent talk of stations being closed to refurbishment, James Petts emailed me saying that he hoped that when Regent's Park is refurbished "they will not be replacing all the historical original brown and yellow tiles with entirely anachronistic white ones, as they are doing in Elephant and Castle." He kindly took some pictures (left & below) to show what the station currently looks like.

Hopefully the tiles will be preserved, but you never can tell. This reminded me that Matt from Londonist had told me Doug Rose was on a mission to make sure that the tiles were preserved - well virtually at least.


Apparently "London has been the home of the largest, most extensive decorative tiling project ever undertaken in Britain"....."The tiling of over 90 tube platforms, and associated passageways, staircases and surface-level booking halls, probably amounted to the largest single creation of decorative art on public display anywhere - and arguably the longest and thinnest art gallery in the world."

If you pop over to Doug's fascinating site you will see how owners of deep level stations from the 1890s faced the problem of maximising the light in their gloomily gaslit platforms.

"Platform walls were tiled to over the height of a man and were up to 350 feet long - in all some six miles long. For some years, station modernisation has meant that more and more of these polychrome decorations have disappeared for ever. Now only a minority of the stations give any idea of their original splendour."


"Several stations had been renamed since they opened and these usually had their former name panels painted over. Over the 20-year project, numerous of these were targeted over night. Paint stripper was used, as seen here on the Northern Line's Tottenham Court Road station. The original name, Oxford Street, had been covered up since 1908."

Doug continues "For the last quarter of a century, diligent and punctilious work has captured them, sometimes only days ahead of their disappearance. Some of them have been assembled here, so that the dramatic effect can be appreciated in full, as never before......aided by a few others sharing this interest, a systematic programme of surveying and research was carried out to try and re-create what all those platforms had looked like from the day they had opened.."

So please visit Doug's site and you will see the re-creations of stations, where you can scroll along the whole length of the platform and get a feel of what passengers would have seen back in 1906/7.

If some of you think Doug's name sounds familiar, he's the man who bought us "The London Underground: A diagrammatic history" - the excellent Tube map which shows exactly when every line (and segment of line) and every station was opened, any subsequent closures, and all the changes in station names.

However, this current tiling project will be in hardback form soon with "158 drawings and plans all specially produced and 236 photographs, almost all previously unpublished".

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, June 15, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Another Wapping Weekend

Carry on Shafting again

If you haven't got a weekend sticking your self in front of the TV or a large screen to watch the World Cup, you might fancy popping off to a Brunel Thames Tunnel Tour which are running this weekend. These innuendo filled tours covering Brunel's Wapping shaft, are fun and informative as Robert Hulse, the curator of the Brunel Museum will keep you entertained with the history of the oldest section of tunnel in the London Underground.


For the trip under the Thames between Rotherhithe and Wapping stations the tunnels are floodlit and the trains travel a bit slower than normal so you can see the tunnels in more detail.

Robert says there's a new book about the Thames Tunnel - "The Brunel's Tunnel" that's just been published and the following section from its foreword is by Michael Palin

"This great underwater crossing was a feat of engineering which the Victorians, never short on hyperbole, called the Eighth Wonder Of The World. Its continued use today as part of the East London Line is testimony to the far-sighted technical skill of Marc and Isambard Brunel. What we shouldn't forget is the grip that the Thames Tunnel had on the popular imagination at the time; a combination of joy, pleasure, wonder and sheer excitement, which is not dead and which echoes up from the river-bed to this day.

The Thames Tunnel, the first of an underground network that transformed our city's life is something of which Londoners always were, and should always remain, rightly proud."

The tours are running on the 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th June and begin at Rotherhithe station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm and only cost a fiver. You'll also need a valid Travelcard or Oystercard or ticket for zone 2. To book visit the Brunel Museum's website. A group of us first went a year ago, a number of visitors to this blog have been since and it's well worth a visit!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, June 15, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Dangerous Door on the London Underground

Scary Door number 2 (or rather door 48)

Last week I saw another one of those mysterious dangerous Tube doors with a number of signs advising you to keep well away from them.


I can't remember where I took the picture but the door was numbered 48. These doors always make me curious as to seeing what's behind them, but I've never been around when anyone comes out of them. This one was particularly scary as there's not only a deep pit but a void behind it too.

I've just finished re-reading Neverwhere for my book group and one of the main characters is door-opener called Door (funnily enough). She travels from a parallel London called London Below to London Above (the London we know). In the London Below some of the characters (including the Earl from Earl's Court) live in those darkened "Special" Tube trains which always speed past your stop and live on Choclit & Coke from the platform vending machines.

But I imagine even Door would think twice about opening the door above. If anyone has been around to see what's behind them please let us know. Hopefully it's not the fire and brimstone or deep pits full of weird underworld creatures that I imagine.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, June 14, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Queensway has re-opened

Get ready for Lancaster Gate & Regent's Park to close

Hoorah, the re-furbished Queensway has finally re-opened, just in time for the next station on the Central Line, Lancaster Gate to close on the 2nd July and that will be shortly followed by the closure of Regent's Park for year too from the 5th July.


To keep track of all the closures check out this guide from TfL.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, June 14, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Severe Delays on the District plus Circle & Hammersmith & City Lines screwed

Faulty Communications Equipment

Thanks to Moley for giving me the heads up about the entire District Line being suspended earlier due to faulty communications equipment. Must have been some fault for the whole line to have come down. You'll also find your journey effected if travelling on the Hammermith & City Line as that's currently suspended between Liverpool Street and Barking and the Circle Line is also suspended in both directions between Edgware Road and Aldgate (via Embankment) due to faulty communications equipment.

Hopefully, they might have fixed all of this by your journey home, (keep an eye on the real time delays site) if not have fun! If anyone has any more news on what's behind the problems please let us know in the comments. Cheers.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, June 13, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Roundel not on the Underground

Quick let's warn TfL's lawyers

Here's a couple more pictures of the Tube's logo or roundel being used in some unusual places. They were both spotted by Jon Allen on his travels. The first is a puntastic advert for a bookshop in Porthmadog, Wales and not as I originally thought a station sign for Reading, Berkshire


Reading - It's never money down the Tubes! I bet the bookshop had hours of fun coming up with that byline.

From Portmadog to Reykjavik and Jon spotted this in a bar in the capital city of Kerry Katona's favourite country, Iceland


Cheers for those Jon. I've made a quick Flickr set which includes photos that other people have kindly sent in. So if anyone spots any more on their travels, please send them in as we need to keep London Underground's lawyers on their toes!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, June 13, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Keeping Cool on the London Underground

Not feeling so hot at Victoria?

If you travel through Victoria regularly, see if you notice it not being so hot this summer. It's been a scorching weekend in London and the coming week looks set to be just as hot, so it's time for the Tube to issue the annual press release to address the hot weather.

This time it's more than the usual one about carrying a bottle of water. Now there's "an innovative groundwater cooling trial at Victoria Tube station."

Master of understatement and LU Managing Director Tim O'Toole said: "We know it can get hot in the Tube in summer." Really?

"As in previous years, we'll be taking measures and offering advice to passengers on how to try and stay cool on the Tube." Yeah, yeah, like the poster says carry water, get off if you feel hot, stop whinging, blah, blah. I wanted to hear more about the "innovative cooling trial". Several paragraphs later, he stops spinning about "challenges", "long term answers", "solutions", yada, yada and we finally get to the section about the trial.

Apparently for the last year a dedicated team have been working on "solutions" that will help cool the Tube down.

"Research has been undertaken to look at passenger comfort levels, understand the physiological effects of heat and predict future temperature increases.

The dedicated team has completed a survey of 200 stations and ventilation plant rooms to understand the extent of heat at specific stations so that engineering solutions can be targeted at sections of the network where the problem of heat is most acute."

Victoria station appears to have acute heat problems and from the summer will be on the receiving end of "an environmentally friendly cooling system for the Victoria line platforms and will use groundwater which is already pumped out of the station." So here comes the science bit "The water supply which has a temperature of around 12C will be pumped through a network of pipes to feed three heat exchange units on the concourse area between the Victoria line platforms.

The heat exchange units have fans which will draw in the warm station air and through heat exchange with the pumped water will supply cooled air to the concourse area and the movement of trains will spread this cooled air to the platform area."

Cool. Well, er will it be? It remains to be seen whether it will actually work and already Tim O'Toole is hedging his bets. He said "Some passengers may notice a small difference this summer but we know that there is a lot more to do and it will take many years to cool the Tube."

Don't feel left out if you don't use Victoria (although you'll have a two year wait), as from 2009 new trains for the sub-surface lines (District, Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith) will come with air-cooling. Apparently "refurbished District line trains also now benefit from improved ventilation". Can't say I've noticed, but if it's in an TfL press release it must be true!

So aside from carrying around water, not pulling the passenger alarm between stations but getting off early if you feel too hot, do you have any tips for keeping cool on the Tube? Or have you seen any other passengers with "innovative" cooling ideas?

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, June 12, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube stations with celebrities' names quiz - the winners

Five lucky people get some tea

Many, many thanks to the record number of you who entered the quiz to discover names of Tube Stations which contain celebrities' names - we came up with as many to do half the Tube map. (Who needs Simon Patterson? - if Transport for London didn't try to sue us perhaps we could sell the map to the Tate for twenty grand?)


Once we took out the people who had disqualified themselves, the people who didn't leave contact details and the two people who entered past the deadline (nice try!!!), Neil did the paper clip selection and the winners of the London Underground Tea are:

Ian
Nikki
Gwennyth
Quin
Collin Kelley

So very well done to you.

Perhaps you should make some iced tea with lemon. I dread to think what the Tube's going to be like tonight going home and I've already seen The Evening Standard headlines screaming Tube Heat Nightmare! "People swelter in hottest June the 12th since records began". etc etc etc.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, June 12, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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When will Queensway open?

Metronet criticised yet again

I hope you weren't expecting that Queensway would be re-opened today, as it looks like you will be in for a long wait. Queensway station has been shut for year and was originally due to open again at the beginning of May. When that didn't happen, Metronet, the contractors, blamed the "extremely complex" replacement of the more than 50 year old passenger lifts, but said all would be well by the 12th June.


Well it's the 12th June and the station is still closed and apparently London Underground have no idea when the station will be re-opened.

Chris Bolt, regulator for the LU's PPP is concerned about Metronet's performance. He believes that if the problems continued, London Underground could use its 'step in' rights to oversee Metronet contracts and make it pay costs for this. These penalties could be around £100,000 a week, so if I were them, I'd get a move on.

After the original opening date, a spokesman at Metronet, being more than a bit previous, said "The century-old station structure now has new life - and I'm confident that the finished product is much improved, brighter, and safer - and that the new lifts will provide many years of reliable service in the future."

Hopefully, we will see them one day!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, June 12, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Friday Quiz - Memorise the Tube Map in 3 Hours

How well do you know London Underground station names?

The challenge this week isn't to memorise the Tube map in 3 hours, but the prize is. Romolo Russo kindly sent me a copy of his book which poses the question "Ever wondered how fascinating it would be if you could memorise the London Tube map?" Handy, yes. Good party trick, yes. Not so sure about 'fascinating'.


Romolo's pocket sized book is a series of "bizarre stories which act as clues to remembering the stations". Romolo, says that each of the 14 stories takes an average of 13 minutes to learn. Using the 'Loci' method, he gives each station a name or identity that is more visual than the station itself, and makes it into a story that you might find easier to remember than the order of the stations. According to Romolo "This method of imagery stimulates your memory more easily and is the best way to remember a list of events."

Here's an example for the Central Line, where Hugh Grant represents Notting Hill "Hugh Grant goes to the centre to buy a huge tomato. He meets the Queen who leads the way, Burt Lancaster directs them to a huge Marble Arch. They see James Bond running towards an Ox.". etc etc I think you get what he's trying to do.

Personally I would struggle to remember the story, but it reminded me of the quiz I've had on goingunderground, with cryptic clues to station names. Soooooo, me and Neil came up with some cryptic clues to 20 station names from the Tube Map (remember the map includes the Silver Link).

Can you guess what they are? One guess only PLEASE - anyone being a smart arse & giving more than one answer will be disqualified and find their entry mysteriously disappears. You can't give the same answer that someone else has already given, so get in quick as the easier ones are likely to go first.

1. You've interred the gun, I hear
2. Beep beep! Sounds like Lord Coe's back
3. Follow procedures at this residence
4. The French have Tony all mixed up
5. Gets 21 and leaves
6. Er, drench a porky. Confused?
7. Resident of Roman England gets cross at the academy
8. Only a high-jump gold medallist can claim this title
9. Sheriff reaches his hundred but needs a direction
10. It's not cheese found in elderly McDonald's abode
11. The portly pig is firm once he's had a wee
12. Capital's department keeps me angry
13. Sounds like those distant bells have stopped
14. This garden jazz man's not off
15. Office junior joins the French
16. A circular record?
17. A part of Harold's joint is looking mouldy
18. Revolutionary joins the pretence
19. It's well-liked without you!
20. Babe's partner gives an encore

To enter leave your guess (yes, that's singular - one guess only!!) in the comments below with your email address and/or website/blog. You have until Sunday 18th June 23.59 GMT to enter. All correct entries go into Neil's paperclip selection and the first person selected will get their very own copy of "Memorise the Tube Map in 3 Hours". Because I'm feeling generous, the 2nd person will get a shiny new Tube Map mouse mat, so you can practice learning the map at your computer!


Have fun!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, June 09, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Take The Last Train to Shoreditch

Doesn't have the same ring as Clarksville!

I'm sure that many people people tonight will be going to see the last train rumble into Shoreditch Tube Station, as from this evening it will close forever. Somehow I don't think it will be greeted with the same levels of sadness as seeing the last Routemaster. However I learnt from Rafael's site that "This will be the first station closure on the Underground since Aldwych, North Weald and Ongar closed (on the same day) in 1994."


A new station, called Shoreditch High Street, will open in 2010 at the site of the former Bishopsgate Goods Yard when the first phase of the project to improve the East London Line is completed. Check out the Tube's press release for more on this.

Meanwhile a whole group of Tube Challengers from the forum will be travelling across this evening to say farewell to the station. The last train to Shoreditch departs New Cross Gate at 2019, and I'm pretty sure that's the one they're intending to be on. Perhaps someone from the forum could give us some more details. Although at the time of writing the line is closed between Whitechapel & Shoreditch, so let's hope it's working by the time they, er, close it.

In the meantime, bye bye Shoreditch, it's been nice knowing you!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, June 09, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims on the Tube

Once again it's this week's look at commuters who could be considered slaves to fashion or have a particular fashion "style" that they have made their own. this week in London we seem to have more consistently seasonal weather. So generally everyone has been able to wear summer clothes. Although some people are hedging their bets and wearing two outfits at once.

Dresses as Tops

I'm definitely one for long tops as they can hide a multitude of sins and in general they're preferable to a fleshy display of muffin tops or gunts caused by low slung trousers and short tops. However, I don't really understand the current trend of wearing dresses over trousers or leggings. To me you get that "two outfit in one" look. Should I wear a dress? Should I wear jeans? Oh sod it, I'll just wear both!


I now this looks isn't helped by the collection of bags, but it just looks messy to me.


There seems to be a pattern though of wearing glittery Indian pumps when you do the "Dress as Top" look. This lady was wearing a black ballet style netted skirt underneath her "dress/top", just to add to the several outfits in one.

Who has the worst bag?

Three bags lined up for your perusal. For me there's no contest here, as you all know my opinions on metallic bags. this is the first time I've ever seen a green metallic bag though and it defies description.


I struggle with buying handbags at the moment, as I just don't like hardly anything in the shops now.

How to Drop A Boyfriend?

Why are T Shirts with slogans on them generally more than a bloke thing, than a chick thing?


This woman had clearly gone to some effort in accessorising her T Shirt. The cartoon was in silver and she has a silver and black bag which I quite liked. What I didn't like was the metallic silver plaited belt that you can just about see.

What men wear in the summer

I feel very sorry for men in the summer time, particularly if you work in an office. What do you wear? Shorts, three quarter length trousers, chinos?


The man above has a job where there's no dress code. Unless he works in a trendy tattoo parlour on Wardour Street where he would get best dressed employee of the week. Murrells are in abundance in Soho, so he's allright there. Tribal tattooo, yep, check, that's fine. Combat looking shorts, yes, he's got full marks.

Ooops I'm wearing my Pyjamas

I imagine that the following man works in a trendy office:


Oversized man bag, tick. Long sleeved loose T shirt, tick. Trendy brown slip on loafers, tick. Pyjama bottoms, ... err.... um.... well.

That's it for this week. The previous entry for London Underground fashion victims is here and all of them together can be seen on the following Flickr set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, June 09, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Sponsor a London Underground Station

Not another money making idea from TfL

You may remember the "Commercial Tube Map" a spoof of what the London Underground Map would look like if appropriate companies sponsored the stations, well now you can sponsor or adopt your own favourite station on a charity Google Map run by Capital Radio.


Visit www.londonlandgrab.com, and you can adopt a Tube Station from as little as £25. The site lets you take 'ownership' of a London property such as a Tube station, market, pub, shop, monument or famous landmark. You can then add any text you like & any image you like to it. The money goes to Help A London Child.

I'm still not sure which Tube station to support, as I don't actually have a favourite one. After all of Tuesday night's shennanigans I was tempted to "own" Hammersmith station, so I could demand a better service for it, but someone has already grabbed it ahead of me.

If you don't fancy donating twenty five quid you can adopt a pub for as little as a fiver!

Speaking of Google maps, Jon Allen and a number of others have told me about another interactive London Underground map that calculates the quickest Tube route between two spots including walk time! I'd take some of the connections it gives you with a pinch of salt though. I mapped my route home and the map was under the mistaken belief that the Piccadilly Line stops at Turnham Green all the time (it only stops there after about 11pm at night), as changing there was suggested as my fastest route!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, June 08, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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