Piccadilly Circus Tube Cutaway Diagrams

A challenge for you? Does anyone know where this great illustration from a children's book comes from? Magpie Moon found the book at a yard sale several years ago. She said: "I've been looking for information on where it came from ever since. I couldn't find a credit for it anywhere in the book and am curious to know whether there is a poster or larger print of it available."


I have a book written & illustrated by Laurence Menear called London's Underground Stations - A Social and Architectural Study and it features a number of cutaway diagrams including the one below of Piccadilly Circus


It's certainly interesting looking at the stations from this angle but the one from Magpie Moon's book is much lovelier in my opinion.

If anyone can help her identify the book or have any comments on these cutaway diagrams let us know. A number of people in the comments to the picture I uploaded would like to see more of these 3D models in station concourses.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, September 05, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Underground Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims on the Tube

Ah Friday and it's time for a look at the TFV's or Tube Fashion Victims who are clearly showing signs that autumn has come way, way too quickly in London. The X Factor back on TV and we'll soon hearing judge Louis Walsh talking about people "taking a style and making it their own" and that's what the Fashion Victims are all about. So this week is a mixture of people who are uber trend setting and looking allright with it and those who clearly should have had more of a look in the mirror before leaving home.

First up we have some of the OK autumnal looks

Trendy Air Traffic Controller

I quite like this silver beany and large air traffic control style headphones on over the top


The hoody could work well either in the spring or autumn, and it's just a shame the weather had been so foul that people are even thinking about hoodies in the first place.

The End is Nigh Bag

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a full shot of this bag. But I liked the sort of doom and gloom that it hinted at.


Perfect for a miserable day on the Tube.

Now onto the not so good ones.

Dressing like a station sign

Try not to stand near a Tube station sign if you're going to wear the same primary colours. The following picture was taken by Keira Vallejo. She said "I spotted this guy at Finchley Road. He was dressed exactly the same as the sign at the end of the platform. Thought it was too funny, so I took a photo :-)".


I like it and also like the title she's given it "Dude at Finchley Road tube, dressed the same as the sign"

Socky Leggy things

These were puzzling. A sort of duo sock and legging combo.


The whopping great hole in the socks only added to my puzzlement.

Male Uggs & Shorts combo

Finally, it wouldn't be a Tube Fashion Victim post without at looks at some Uggs


I think Uggs on blokes aren't the best look in the world but when you combine them with some plaid baggy summer shorts, you're asking for trouble.

That's it for now. The previous fashion victim post is here and the complete picture gallery of all the TFV's can be seen on the following Flickr set.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, September 05, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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TfL to announce fare increases on Thursday

Well it's inevitable isn't it. It's time for the announcement of the normally annual fare rise from Transport for London, but for once I manage to hear about it before it's actually officially announced. Dave Hill who writes for the Guardian spent a day with Boris Johnson (lucky Dave) and um well, I'll let Dave break the good news himself:

"If I were the sort of person who goes round spreading rumours, I might mention the fact that other journalists have been receiving briefings by the mayor's office today about a rise in public transport fares to be announced by TfL tomorrow. Good job I'm not that sort of person..."


We've got some of the most expensive public transport in the world, particularly on the London Underground, yet it took me about an hour and half to get to work this morning on the Tube, with an extraordinary amount of signal failures, delays, broken escalators and over crowding at every turn.

As Dave said in the title of his post, "Fare Rises Soon To Be Announced? Surely Not!". None of us are surprised but what will be interesting will be the spin that Boris puts on it. It's his first fare rise after all.

Tory Troll said in the comments "I have been waiting for this one. Fuel costs are up. Tube contracts are up and the costs of the CC consultation, Routemaster design, and ditching of the Venezuela deal and £25 charge have made this inevitable."

He's placing bets on the % increase we actually get though and reckons 10% minimum increase. I reckon he's right, it'll be about double the rate of inflation, just cos it's a nice round figure. You might want to hazard a guess yourself alternatively just wait for the official announcement tomorrow.

Update - 4th September - The Guardian and the FT have started to report on the price rise. Ah here's the spin Ken Livingstone gets the blame for the rise in fares. Boris said that Ken Livingstone left a £84m ($148m) shortfall in finances due to his price freeze earlier this year and the actual cut in some bus fares.

"Kulveer Ranger, Mr Johnson's transport adviser, on Wednesday refused to say precisely what fare rises there would be and how they would be distributed. There would, he said, be some extension of concessionary fares for the worst-off, new concessions for war veterans and greater differentiation of off-peak and peak-time fares to shift journeys to quieter times." said the FT.

Even though the actual rise has not been announced yet, The Guardian report that "adult fares will have to rise at least 1% above inflation, equivalent to an increase of 6%. That would mean a single peak-time Tube fare in central London would rise from £6.30 to about £6.70, while an adult bus fare would rise from 90p to 95p. Discounted fares for elderly and disabled people will remain."

Apparently we'll find out the exact fare rise after 10am today.

Update - OK the speculating can end now, the BBC News have published the exact rises.

• Single bus fare paid with an Oyster card will increase from 90p to £1
• A one day bus and tram pass will rise from £3 to £3.30
• A weekly bus pass will go up from £13 to £13.80
• The £4 adult cash fare in Zone One of the Tube will be frozen
• Fares in other zones will go up from £3 to £3.20.
• The minimum adult cash fare on the Docklands Light Railway rises from £1.50 to £1.60

Boris said "Some of us will pay a little more but I have ensured fares will remain affordable, especially for people who rely on public transport most, including the elderly, disabled veterans and those on lower incomes. I have been left to tackle the unfunded legacy of Livingstone's largesse.

"Put simply, the previous mayor's cynical and irresponsible pre-election fares freeze and support for unfunded transport schemes is unsustainable and has produced a gap that has to be plugged."

Ken's response "Londoners are beginning to learn the high cost of Boris Johnson.

"He promised to save Londoners money but instead, after just a few months in office, he is pushing up fares above inflation to pay for his own incredible waste of Londoners' money."

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube passenger burnt by seat

There was a massive spoof some years back about the things found on London Underground Central Line seats, but yesterday one poor man on the Central Line was burnt by sitting on a seat believed to be covered in corrosive cleaning fluid.


The guy felt some liquid burning through his trousers as he travelled during the rush hour and told the staff at Holland Park Tube station. He was taken to hospital and treated for minor skin irritation.

The Press Association report "Two trains were immediately taken out of service and underwent thorough searches, Transport For London said.

A spokeswoman for British Transport Police said: "We are not treating this as being malicious at this point.

"From our inquiries it seems that some sort of cleaning fluid has been spilled accidentally.

"The man was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital suffering from skin irritation. There was some damage to his trousers."

Just as well it didn't happen in the summer time when people may have been wearing far fewer clothes.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube Seat Apron as modelled by Whatleydude

You may remember that James Whatley from Spinvox gave me the heads up on this apron modelled on London Underground moquette - seat upholstery (presumably not with corrosive fluid on it).


Well he decided to get himself the apron and also model it in his kitchen


As the commenters on his picture said "I feel an almost overwhelming need to stick chewing gum to your backside" and "I'm hoping you don't smell like you've just been pissed on by a homeless ;)"

All he needs now is the ironing board cover and oven mitt to complete the set. However, looks like he might be able to even get transporty in the bedroom & not just the kitchen.

Thanks to Michael Woodside I found out that you can get "up close and personal with London Transport Museum's quirky new furniture and accessories range based on the classic designs of moquette fabrics"

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2008 from 10am to 6pm there will be special launch display of all the items which you can also buy online. It includes bed headboards, dining chairs, sofas, cubes and cushions. The launch will take place in London Transport Museum's Cubic Theatre and Foyer, Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2E 7BB. Visit http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/ for further information.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Eden Lake - Bloggers Screening & Review

If you're travelling on the London Underground right now, particularly in central London, you can't fail to notice loads of ads for the new Brit horror movie Eden Lake


I was err lucky enough to be invited to a blogger's screening of this last night at the intimate Soho Screening rooms, which were followed by a Q & A session with the writer & director James Watkins.

I'm a bit of a scaredy cat and normally wouldn't go to see a horror film like Eden Lake, but it certainly got us talking in the pub afterwards and I felt shocked, exhausted, drained and literally horrified while watching it.

James Watkins wrote the film three years ago before the spate of violent knife crime and murders that we've seen carried out by teenagers in London and other cities in the UK. In the Q & A after the film, he said he sat on the Tube with a friend reading Metro and would look at it thinking - "Wow that's in my film" or "That's similar to what happens in Eden Lake".


But Eden Lake is a horror film and fictional, so much more intense than real life, yet the violence, stabbings, torture and maliciousness (mostly carried out by teenagers) are gory & realistic without glamour. Watkins wanted the film to be a stand-alone "edge of your seat" thriller but also have a "moral ambiguity" to it.

The plot revolves around a fairly smug couple who want to get away from it all and go camping in the woods. They stumble upon a bunch of teenagers, accidentally kill their dog, then real terror and shocking violence follows.

That's about as much of the plot I will give away. The violence does not let up after a while and I was feeling, how much more will the couple stand. I jumped lots of times, had my hand over my eyes and was squirming in my seat. My friend Tom Reynolds the ambulance driver & paramedic blogger & fellow Nom Nom Nom'er was used to seeing the aftermath of stabbings so this was "bread & butter" to him and in the pub we talked about the "reality" of some of the injuries and whether anyone would survive them.

Tom's reality

The point is that it's fiction and my survival instinct isn't very strong so I would have given up the ghost long before the school teacher "heroine" got all Rambo like and vigilante'esque. But nothing is quite as you'd expect in this film, so don't expect the good or blonde chick in flowery dress to necessarily conquer evil.


I can't see this film getting shown uncut in the US (I'm sure the British Tourist Board wouldn't be using it as an advert) and indeed James Watkins thought it would probably close at a scene about 15 minutes before it actually ended. It's a bleak relentless, vision of violence in the UK. The teenagers' parents are just as terrifying, nasty and vengeful as the kids. Think "Lord of the Flies" but with no moral to it. Or "Clockwork Orange" where Ludwig Van B, bowler hats and moloko are replaced by mobile phone "Happy Slapping" video'ing, hoodies and BMX bikes.

Thomas Turgoose from the new Eurostar sponsored, Shane Meadows film Somers Town is one of the teenage stars, but the main sinister & scary teenage lead is Jack O'Connell who plays the gang leader Brett. The final scene for me was definitely ambiguous and where O'Connell is really frightening.

Tom, Cowfish (Billy Abbott), Utku, Imajes (James Cox) and myself had a good chat about this in the pub afterwards and doubtless they'll be reviewing at some stage too.

Eden Lake is in cinemas nationwide from September 12th, and is from the producers of The Descent. If you like horror & thrillers it's worth seeing. If you're shocked by teenage violence, it's also worth seeing, although don't expect an answer or a moral stand on it all.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Blogging ad at Richmond Station

"I've made so many friends since I learnt how to blog", says the nerdy, buck-toothed, geeky, specky guy hunched over his computer. As I was on the way to a friend's birthday that I met through blogging when I spotted this ad on Saturday night, it obviously caught my attention.


The ad continues: "Meet REAL people and LEARN new skills". So the message of the advertisement for Richmond Adult Community College is I think:

a) blogging won't help you meet REAL people
b) blogging won't help you LEARN new skills
c) bloggers typically look like nerdy bespectacled cartoon characters, with bad posture who need a good dentist
d) Richmond College is the answer to your networking and educational needs.

I have nothing personally against Richmond College. I "learnt" basic Dreamweaver there and as a result got free internet access in their "Business Library" for a year, which was handy when I needed to use the net when I was out and about in Richmond. The standard of teaching was passable to OK. I also did a much better two day Photoshop course there, with an entertaining and funny teacher (who also teaches digital photography) which fortunately restored my faith in adult education centres.

However, as a blogger I think the guys and girls at Richmond College should have hired a copywriter or artist who actually knew something about blogging and how to draw cartoons. But, as my council tax is somehow supporting the college, perhaps I should just be glad they didn't have the budget to spend on a better writer or cartoonist.

I certainly met REAL people at Richmond College, but haven't kept in touch with any of them, unlike a lot of my blogging friends, who I've not only met in real life but a number have been really supportive to me and sometimes been much more help than my "real" or rather "meat-space" friends.

The thing I really hate about the ad is that it makes you think of the internet as some weird place populated by nerds with no social skills who aren't "REAL". It's as though the friends you might "meet" through blogging are robots without feelings, who certainly aren't going to teach you anything. Or at least you won't LEARN any new skills through mixing with them.

Maybe I've just been lucky, but the vast majority of the people I've met through blogging have been funny, bright, witty & very clever folk. I don't necessarily have friends to LEARN new skills through them, if I do it's a bonus. It's ironic that blogging meant that I was out having a laugh on Saturday night, rather than sitting hunched over my computer with my specs on.


Thanks Darika for a fun time. It was lovely to meet your mates & see Shiny Media's Gemma again. Good to also meet in the flesh fellow Twitter tweeter Gary Andrews. Darika's mates also knew a number of my other blogging & PR'ry friends and one worked at PC something or other with a journo who'd been on the Dell Orient Express trip with me.

Anyway enough from me on the ad. Perhaps it just rubbed me up the wrong way and I'm being super sensitive. I'm only going to have to look at it for another month or so if I travel into town on British Snail. It would be great to have your views on it. Ah, but then you're not REAL people so probably don't have any opinions.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, September 01, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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For Tube Fashion Victims?

First we had the Oyster card watches and now some other London Underground "fashion" accessories. Well, just one accessory, as sadly there's only one in stock.


I like the glittery background it's shot on. Other than that, I'll leave the jewellery maker to speak for themselves

"Handmade cababochon using a map of the london underground. This map has been protected using a plastic clear cab. Cababochon is set in a silver plated mount. I have added a silver plated chain necklace with bolt clasp opening."

If anyone has the slightest idea what cababochon is (without looking it up on Google), I'd love to know.

Many thanks to Jane Perrone for sending it through.

If you'd like to buy the necklace it's only $18 and is probably worth its weight in cababochon.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, August 29, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Roundels Not on the London Underground

Many thanks to everyone who has sent me a photo of a Tube Roundel not in it's normal home on the London Underground. As the roundel is 100 years old this year (see the Roundel Scavenger Hunt which is photographically celebrating this - BTW only 6 places left if you want to go), it seemed fitting to post the latest ones I've been sent.

Firstly we have the wonderful "Super Funky Station", taken by Jon T in Italy.


I also love this mini cab photo taken in Hucknall. Not in Mick Hucknall but in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.


The firm is called Torkard Cars and as Lizzie who spotted the cab said "Tut Tut".

If you'd like to see the full set of Roundels not on the Underground they're here.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, August 29, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Girl Geek Dinner at Google takes the cake

Last night I celebrated the 3rd year of the Girl Geek Dinners with a lovely dinner at Google's head office in London. You can catch up with most of what went on by taking a look at my Twitter stream.


I have been in Google's HQ once before, but for many it was their first time there and there was clearly some excitement about being at Google Towers. A number of us were taking photos and my friend L J Rich tried to take a picture of a screen in the reception showing all of the searches (minus the ones on sex) that were being made on Google. Apparently this wasn't allowed though.

For me it was great to catch up with friends I hadn't seen for ages, including my old boss, who is now Marketing Director at Webjam. As some of you may know we used Webjam's platform for the Nom Nom Nom site, where we did a blogger's version of Master Chef earlier this year. It was also a mini reunion as participants, L J & Nicole hadn't seen each other since the "cook off".


Nicole is one of the main helpers of the London Girl Geek Dinners, and plans to do some interviews and fun stuff with us over the coming months, so watch this space.

There were some interesting speeches after dinner including a great one from a Google girl on user centred design and how they build apps for mobile phones and the interesting challenge of putting YouTube onto mobiles.


It finished with a depressing panel session on work life balance which basically highlighted for me that even though it's the 21st century, we still mention the dreaded word "glass ceiling" and that women in particular feel they have to sacrifice success at work if they decide to have children. Luckily there were birthday cakes to brighten the mood.


I woke this morning to a lovely message from food blogger Rachel in the US who amongst other things runs a blog about cupcakes. She'd seen the excitement about the cup cakes & Google on Twitter and used one of my pictures in her blog and also noted that the toppings of the cupcakes were much more popular with one eater.

If you'd like to see the rest of my pictures of the Girl Geek Dinner at Google they're here. Hi to all the girls (plus a few guys) who were there last night and a big thanks to Sarah Blow and her band of helpers for organising it & of course to Google for their hospitality.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, August 29, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Somers Town - Not a Eurostar ad

If you've been following my Twitter stream you might have noticed that I was going to see Shane Meadows' new film Somers Town last night. It's been in the news a lot, not just because it's the first film that Meadows has produced that is shot outside of the North of England & not just because it's been wowing people at the Edinburgh Film Festival - but because it began life as a project funded by Eurostar.


Eurostar, sponsoring a film? Isn't it going to be all shots of people with luggage getting off the London Underground at King's Cross, close ups of tickets, people saying how cheap and fast it is to travel to Paris and lingering shots of The Meeting Place statue at St Pancras Station?


It's far, far from that.

It's a really gentle, funny and beautifully shot black and white film about the relationship between two teenage boys. A runaway from the North of England, played with a cocksure matey & comic arrogance by 16 year old Thomas Turgoose, (who also starred in Meadows' award winning This is England) meets Polish Marek played by Piotr Jagiello. Tommo stays "holed up" in Marek's flat in Somers Town - an area of London around King's Cross. They meet a beautiful French girl and both fall in love with her. That's essentially the plot, there's no real twists in the story but I won't say what happens in the end.

I saw the horrific and disturbingly brilliant Dead Man's Shoes by Shane Meadows a week or so ago on Channel 4 and it gave me nightmares. This film could not be further from Meadows' gritty and violent work, well it wouldn't with Eurostar being behind it. Can you imagine "Travel on the Eurostar and get drugged up & beaten around the head by a gas mask wearing vigilante"?

It's not a "glorified corporate video" though. The original 10 minute film commissioned by the rail company intrigued Meadows so much that he turned it into a 72 minute film which was shot in ten days.

Yeah, you get to see the odd shot of the new Eurostar station building works (Marek's dad is one of the workers) and the towers of St Pancras station form a cathedral-like backdrop to many of the outdoor scenes. If you're expecting a railway film, you'll be disappointed. But if you want a slice of working class & immigrant life in London living within the shadow of a major station, you'll be happy.


Somers Town opened on August 22nd and is in cinemas nationwide. I saw it last night with Jemimah and Rory at the Tricycle cinema in Kilburn, which was surprisingly empty. This was good news for us, as we got to watch a great film, not at West End prices, in a quiet and comfy cinema.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Thursday, August 28, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Metroland trip on 1930's and 1920's trains

On Sunday 14 September, two historic London Underground trains will be taking the classic Metroland John Betjeman / Julian Barnes suburban journey between Harrow and Amersham.


The 1938 art deco tube train that I travelled on with some friends earlier this year will be returning to passenger service again for this special day out. It will be joined by an even older Sarah Siddons electric locomotive first conceived in 1923, but now restored to its former glory. Sarah Siddons "makes her first return to passenger service for seven years, after a sparkling repaint in her original maroon colours. She is the oldest working main line electric locomotive in Britain, and will pull a set of 1950s coaches."

When you get to the end of the line at Amersham there will be some classic 1950's buses taking you on a free journey to Amersham Old Town to enjoy Amersham Heritage Day, where you can get free entry to the local museum or just spend your time in Amersham.

Tickets for the heritage trains must be booked in advance on 020 7565 7298 and are £20.00. However, if you want to make a full day of it and get the first art deco 1938 Tube train departing from Harrow on the Hill at 10.26 (the only trip on the day to run to Amersham via Watford) this costs £25.00 per passenger.

All tickets are then valid for unlimited travel on the Heritage Train services throughout the day (subject to space being available).

Visit the London Transport Museum website for train times & full details.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Pets on the Tube

As much as I love my cat Bolli, there's something about dogs that I can't resist. Yesterday morning I was faced by the big brown eyes of the hound below on the London Underground on the way to work


He or she looked so mournful and had that real "hang dog" look about it that said "commuting sucks and I so don't want to be on this carriage".

I spotted a much happier looking dog last week when I was travelling to Robert McInstosh's house for the Twitter Wine Tasting. Although the dog was only happier because it had the opportunity to run along beside its owner on a bike


I'm sure the boys shouldn't be riding their bikes down a platform like that, but it certainly took some skill working their way amongst the other commuter and exercising a dog at the same time.

I've still not seen a Tube or Train dog recently that tops the wonderful Elvis - my first and currently only Canine Tube Fashion Victim.


I never tire of looking at his screwed up little face and strange curled up tongue. He rocks!

Here's Bolli doing his Elvis impression at the weekend:


OK he was eating a spider, but it's a similar look.

If you spot a cute or not so cute pet on your train travels please let us know.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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London Transport represents London at Olympic Handover

Sadly, I never watched London's eight minute piece in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games live. However, thanks to the internet - BBC iPlayer, Twitter and various online news sources I managed to see how London took the Olympic torch from Beijing in yesterday's handover ceremony. Many people including myself believe that London won't be able to live up to Beijing when we get the Olympics in 2012, however in the ceremony a double decker bus transformed into a err ... hedge-like Transformer, so perhaps there may be a tiny glimmer of hope.

Video from BBC here

"Being on a lift in a London bus kicking a ball into a stadium is something I've never done before and as an East End boy that makes me proud", said David Beckham in an interview before the ceremony.

The Guardian described it well "Enter the bus. After the cinematic drama of Beijing's opening and closing ceremonies, the Waldorf and Statlers of Her Majesty's Press had been waiting for London's straight-to-video offering. It wasn't a complete turkey, but it's probably fair to say 2012 has yet to give the world its House of Flying Daggers.

Eight minutes isn't long, though, and the double-decker had to navigate its way round the edge of the stadium to a bus-stop queue of snazzily dressed folk with umbrellas. Apparently this was intended to symbolise "the British preoccupation with the weather", which seemed less than enticing. Come to London! It'll tip down.


There was no room on the bus, which would have made this a cinéma vérité look at capital life had the bus not begun turning into a hedge, like a particularly benign Transformer. Then it tipped out a little girl, chosen by Blue Peter viewers (if you can believe that these days).....


Could London do without having to succumb to its fifth "swinging London" rebrand since 1995? There wasn't time to dwell on it, because everyone knew the bus was saving its most precious cargo till last. And suddenly he was there, and in an unbranded tracksuit, of all things. Behold, world, our Beckham! Look on his works, ye mighty, and despair! This guy the crowd did recognise, and they gave him the biggest reception of Britain's segment by far. One free kick into the crowd later, and London shunted themselves off, umbrellas twirling rather wanly.."

Last week on this blog, we were pondering some real London Olympic sports or some London Underground sports for 2012 games and it appears that I have a little bit of Mystic Meg in me. I would have loved to seen Brompton racing in the Olympics and said "But why not have races in Brompton cycling? You'd have to unassemble your bike and get all your rucksacks & stuff together while leaping off a Tube train in the fastest possible time."


So "imagine my surprise" when I found out on Twitter (thanks JamesCridland) that the Olympic handover to London involved Gold medallist & cyclist Chris Hoy riding a Brompton bike.


Sweet.


Sorry James no idea who will win the National next year.

The BBC's coverage of the closing ceremony was very impressive and even I, as a card card carrying non sport watcher, enjoyed it on iPlayer. They gave some lessons to be learnt for London and lesson seven is "Trains, Trains, Trains", as the BBC presenter said that Beijing's subway system was exemplary.


You can join the discussion as to whether the Tube system will be able to cope with the Olympics in an earlier post.

I love China's take on London getting the games as chinaview.cn describes the handover "The transformation of the famous London bus also provides a powerful example of the urban and practical being transformed into the dynamic and spectacular, symbolizing London's vision to use the power of the Games as a catalyst for change."

Not quite sure how "dynamic & spectacular" a hedge is. But if it's a hedge sprouting London's Leona Lewis (the best thing to come out of X Factor - I predicted X Factor rejects for our opening ceremony) and Jimmy Page singing Whole Lotta Love, perhaps they have a point.


Here's hoping I'm proved wrong and perhaps we'll see a Tube train transforming into a "dynamic & spectacular" transport system for 2012. Or then again, it may just be trundled onto the opening ceremony and transform itself into sardine can!

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Monday, August 25, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Tube Kitchen Clothing & Roundel Scavenger Hunt

Something for the weekend. Even though the Summer Bank Holiday in the UK isn't a big "eating" or "large family meal" occasion, you might find yourself doing a bit more cooking over the three day weekend. If so the London Underground has you sorted with this amazing Tube seat moquette apron & oven mitt


Looks like the entire range of Transport for London's shop is now online. So no worried if you can't get over to Covent Garden you can still create that "in carriage" look for your own kitchen no matter where you live in the world. I'd love to see Gordon Ramsey in this. (Thanks to Whateleydude for the initial prod on this)

London Transport Museum Roundel Scavenger Hunt

If you can get yourself to Covent Garden on Saturday 27th September, the London Transport Museum are holding another of their popular photographic scavenger hunts.

"You've seen it at bus stops, you've seen it at every Underground stations from Morden to Edgware via Bank! But did you know this autumn the Roundel - The famous circle and bar logo will be 100 years old this year?

We're calling all photographers to celebrate with a Flickr scavenger hunt. Can you crack the cryptic clues leading you to a host of Roundels hiding in the City? There'll be prizes for the winners and photos taken on the day will have the chance to be featured in the Museum's brand new Online Roundel Browser - an interactive part of our website with games and resources all about the famous Roundel design.


To sign up to take part in the scavenger hunt you'll need to log on and sign up to Flickr if you're not already a member at www.flickr.com

Then go to the London Transport Museum Roundel Scavenger Hunt group on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/ltmuseum_roundel_scavenger_hunt/ and follow the instructions to join in.

Deadline for signing up is 30th August 2008

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis."

The last two were brill and places go very quickly, so if you want a place sign up ASAP.

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, August 22, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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Signs of Summer Ending on the Tube

It's Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, so no work on Monday - Hoorah. But that means it's nearly the end of Summer - Boo. Earlier in the week I saw people coming back from one of the last big Summer festivals - the V Festival. So no more flowery wellies or having to dodge dazed looking travellers lugging around muddy rucksacks on the London Underground.






Another sign of summer ending is usually people starting to wear more clothes. But as we've had such a wet and rubbish August, I haven't really been noticing much of that.

What I have noticed however is a bit of A Clockwork Orange trend with guys wearing bowler hats on the Tube.

I don't mean the typically British pin striped suited man I spotted a while back at King's Cross.


But much younger guys who appear to be looking a bit like Alex and his droogies.

Coming back from the Twitter Wine Tasting last night I saw a guy in a red bowler hat at Turnham Green but was too slow to get my camera out. However I managed to capture the following men at Holborn.




Weirdly reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange but they certainly didn't look as menacing. Anyone else seen more Bowler hatted guys or how do you know summer's coming to an end on the Tube?

London Underground; Tube Posted by Unknown Friday, August 22, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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