Annie Mole's, webmaster of Going Underground, daily web log (blog).
If you like this you'll LURVE One Stop Short of Barking, THE fun and informative BOOK about travelling on the London Underground.
Yesterday I found a lovely picture by Caledonian Road Tube artist Kim. She's a great artist & obviously it's no mean feat to draw pictures on "service announcement" boards, but I love the little touches where she calls people "My Lovelies" (Incidentally - the boards are used for real service information too, apparently they cover up the drawings with a large sheet of paper when they need to make them)!
I also received a cheering story from @RobWatkins who said:
"There's a driver on the Waterloo and City line in the evenings who must be the most friendly driver on the entire Underground. I'm sure he would give the Warwick Avenue guy a run for his money.
When you get on at Bank he welcomes everyone aboard then (after a long queue to get onto the train) asks everyone to cheer up, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Next, as the train arrives into Waterloo he has a great way of relieving the day's stress...it definitely makes people smile. He's been driving the trains for a while and tonight I finally managed to make a recording . If you can't quite understand what he says, here's a transcript:
"Waterloo folks, we are approaching Waterloo. Please take all your belongings with you when you leave the train. Kindly take all your belongings with you when you leave the train. And whatever you do, wherever you are, whatever the weather, have a lovely evening. God bless and take care. This is Waterloo."
What a nice chap!"
In your travels, if you've come across a Kim, Mr Warwick Avenue (aka Tim Pinn) or cheerful station assistant or driver (or anyone else working for TfL who makes you smile), I'd love to hear about them.
"The magic, mystery & sometimes maddening shortcomings of London's Tube are documented with love, enthusiasm & sometimes despair by its unofficial social historian." The Guardian
