Ride the Epping Ongar Railway

Though it is technically outside the M25, your author felt his trip on the Epping Ongar Railway last weekend was worthy of a mention, especially as it was accessed by the tube. For the railway now revived by steam enthusiasts uses a once-abandoned section of the Central Line which runs in part through Epping Forest.


Currently, transfer to the train from Epping Station is via special heritage bus, as the connection at Epping requires much more work, but then the service takes you nearly all the way back through the woods to Epping in one direction, and also to the picturesque little town of Chipping Ongar in the other, where your author picked up the St Peter's Way towards the coast.

For more on the railway, which is holding a special event weekend this weekend, see http://eorailway.co.uk/

Ride the Dangleway

Some people have been saying for years that London should build a cable car down the middle of Oxford Street, but the powers that be have inexplicably decided instead to link two patches of East London wasteland together in a rather expensive project which opened this week. Having said that, your author took his first trip on the Dangleway yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed it.


There is something magical about the experience, and getting a new perspective on the city, and from that high up the views across East and South East London are amazing, and it becomes clear why cycling up Shooters Hill always felt such a drag. Though queues were reasonably long, those with topped-up Oyster cards were able to join a shorter queue and on opening weekend wait for no longer than 10 minutes to participate, though it did strike your author that on a rainy tuesday in November 2013 the levels of footfall are going to make it all seem rather ridiculous.

For more, see http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/

See London's transport in miniature at the LTM Acton Depot

Transport fans in need of something to do in London this weekend are in for a treat, with the latest in the regular series of open weekends at the London Transport Museum's Acton Depot.


This weekend's theme is London’s transport in miniature, with professional and amateur modellers arriving to display London's unique transport infrastructure in different sizes and scales.

For more, see http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/museum-depot/events

_{^Picture © Kradlum used under Creative Commons^}

Find the Yuri Gagarin statue

One of London's newer statues, at the end of the Mall near Admiralty Arch, and in front of the headquarters of the British Council, commemorates Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.


The statue was unveiled last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's 108 minute journey to space, and is placed on a spot where crowds gathered to greet Gagarin on a visit to the UK in July 1961.

For more, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jul/14/yuri-gagarin-statue-unveiled-london

See the arrival of the Bristolian

The King Edward I steam engine arrives in Paddington Station today for one of its final journeys before it is withdrawn from main line service mid-March for an overhaul which could see it out of service for up to ten years.

Built at Swindon railway works, the King Edward I, also known as no. 6024 was completed in the second batch of ten locomotives on the 30th June 1930, for a cost of £7,500. Whilst it withdrew from British Rail service in 1962, it was acquired by the King Preservation Society in the 1970s and returned to the main line in 1990 for a special service.

The train arrives at London Paddington at 12.10pm and will be leaving again at 16.35pm. For more information click here, or visit http://www.6024.com/.

_{^Picture © Gareth James and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons^}

See the James Henry Greathead statue

Erected way back in the midsts of time, in 1994, outside Bank Underground station is a statue to James Henry Greathead, an engineer born in South Africa in 1844 who went on to become instrumental in the tunneling processes which led to the modern tube network.


Greathead was notable for his work on the tunneling of the Tower Subway - only the second tunnel under the Thames after the one created by the Brunels - and also his time as resident engineer on the Hammersmith extension railway and the Metropolitan District Railway, as well as the Waterloo and City Line, and a section of the City & South London Railway which is now part of the Northern Line. The statue which stands to him today is fittingly built on a London Underground ventilation shaft.

For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Henry_Greathead

_{^Picture © Copyright Basher Eyre and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence^}

See Stevenson's Rocket

Billed as the most famous steam locomotive in the world, Stevenson's Rocket was the first modern steam locomotive, built in Stephenson's Newcastle Upon Tyne the Forth Street Works in 1829. The original Rocket can still be seen on display in the 'Making the Modern World' gallery at the Science Museum.


Considering the Rocket fatally hit a Member of Parliament, William Huskisson, MP for Liverpool and a keen supporter of railway building, on its opening day, by running over his leg, it seems amazing by today's standards that the Rocket wasn't scrapped, but it continued with adjustments until 1840.

For more, see http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/Centenary/Home/Icons/StephensonsRocket.aspx

_{^Picture © Bluelemur used under Creative Commons^}

Eat in a railway carriage

One of the most recognisable elements of the Deptford Project, found halfway along bustling Deptford High Street, is a 35 tonne 1960's South East Trains carriage which now serves as a community cafe.


Moved to the site at midnight on Valentine’s Day 2008, the carriage was converted into a café and bistro by Morag Myerscough's Studio Myerscough, based in East London. The cafe is redesigned every now and again in a different style.

The carriage cafe serves sustainably-sourced coffee from around the world and home made food from locally sourced ingredients. For more, see http://thedeptfordproject.com/.

Watch the planes at London City Airport

Your author invented a reason why he had to go on a long cycle ride around East London yesterday, and was, for a few minutes, captivated by the spectacle of aeroplanes taking off and landing on the strip of concrete between Royal Albert Dock and King George V Dock, at City Airport.


From the dockside at the University of East London‎'s Docklands Campus there is an excellent view towards the runway, and also to Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome, as well as other East London landmarks, and it offers a fantastic view of the Short Take Off and Landing aircraft which use the strip, as they come in to land, or fire up to take off.

City Airport was first proposed in 1981, and it wasn't until 31st May 1987 that the first aeroplane landed on the runway which now sees around 68,000 aircraft movements a year, and nearly 2.8 million passengers.

For more on City Airport, see http://www.londoncityairport.com/

Ride the London Millennium Funicular

Located at the St Paul's end of the Millennium Bridge is a small section of 'railway' on which sits a lift which can transport passengers from the Paul's Walk along the riverside, to Peter's Hill where the walkway continues to the Cathedral.


Manufactured by Maspero Elevatori, in Italy, and opened in 2003, and can carry a maximum of four passengers in its small cubicle, enclosed by glass panels with glass doors at each end.

The railway is powered by electric traction, has a speed of 0.5 metres per second and a capacity of 700kg. It's technically just an 'incline lift', and it can only barely be described as a funicular railway. However, it is open to the public, and is free, and it ticks another box in terms of London having everything you could want. Whilst it has been known to break down fairly often, it was working when your author visited yesterday, and has the added bonus of being unaffected by tube strikes.

For more, see http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/lon.htm

Find the Tower Subway Entrance

Nestled amongst the incessant throngs of tourists, gift shops and fast food restaurants beside the Tower of London is a small round building, which marks an entrance to the Tower Subway tunnel, beneath the Thames. Constructed in 1869, it is sometimes claimed that this was the world's first underground tube railway (as opposed to parts of the Underground network which were already in existence, which used the 'cut and cover' method). The tube, which is seven feet in diameter, linked Tower Hill with Vine Lane, off Tooley Street, just behind the South Bank.


Originally, the Subway shuttled passengers across the river using 12-passenger small cable car, powered by a stationary steam engine on the south side of the tunnel. However, this took about 70 seconds and was very cramped, and the uneconomical service only lasted from opening in August 1870, until the Tower Subway went into receivership in November 1870.

The tunnel was then converted to a pedestrian walkway, which was more successful, but when Tower Bridge opened, in 1894, this became largely redundant. The Tunnel finally closed in 1898, having been sold to the London Hydraulic Power Company in 1897, in order to carry pipes and water mains across the river. The tunnel was slightly damaged by a Second World War Bomb, it is still intact. The entrance shown above is not an original one, but still provides an entrance to the tunnel today.

For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Subway

Wander beside London's Oldest Canal

Limehouse Cut links the Lee Navigation and Bow Creek to the Thames at Limehouse and, as a result of changes made in 1968, also to Limehouse Basin (formerly known as Regent's Canal Dock) and the Regents Canal. It is only one and a half miles long, but was completed as early as 1770, as a way to offer river traffic seeking access to the River Lee an easier route than the difficult one via Bow Creek.


Back then, the cut had to be built for sailing barges, and it can accommodate vessels up to 19 feet wide and 88 feet long, though this would no longer be possible as the original lock to the Thames has now been replaced.

Access for cyclists and pedestrians was improved in 2003 with the addition of an award winning floating towpath which is made up of 240 metres of pontoons at the Bow Locks end, and is a bit like new one on the Regents Canal near Kings Cross.

It's a pretty boring stretch of canal in places, and has been a prime site for development of new build flats for docklands workers in recent years, but it's nice enough, and it has an interesting history.

For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limehouse_Cut

Ride the East London Line

Good news all! London has a new railway line at last. The first train on the £1 billion East London Line ran yesterday at 12:06 from Dalston Junction to New Cross Gate according to Londonist.


TFL tells us that the line will run from Dalston Junction to New Cross and New Cross Gate from yesterday with a limited preview service Monday - Fridays from 7am until 8pm every seven to eight minutes.

The full line will open on 23rd May, with trains every 15 minutes on each of the three branches, meaning trains every five minutes between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays and trains every seven to eight minutes between Surrey Quays and Sydenham. In May 2011, trains will become even more frequent.

It's good news, as your author has missed the line since it closed in 2007, even though it was always a bit scruffy and was only really good for getting to pubs in Wapping. For more, see here, here here or here

Walk through Woolwich Foot Tunnel

It's been scheduled for weekday closure for 'improvement works' from 6.30am to 8pm starting on Monday, so if you've ever fancied a wander through Woolwich Foot Tunnel, you should probably seize your moment this weekend.


The construction of the 504m tunnel was designed to help those living in South London who worked in the docks and the tunnel owes much to the efforts of working-class politician Will Crooks who had worked in the docks and chaired the London County Council's Bridges Committee, who were responsible for the tunnel. Crooks would later serve as MP for Woolwich.

The tunnel was designed by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice and built by Walter Scott & Middleton and opened on Saturday 26th October 1912. Now made partly redundant by the Woolwich Free Ferry and the new DLR extension, it is still the only way to cross the river here for free at night time, and that is possibly why installation of new CCTV and communication facilities, as well as reduction in leakage and new lifts, are so important. Improvements are scheduled to be completed by March 2011.

For more, see http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Travel/foot-tunnels.htm

_{^Picture by Jon's pics^}

Learn about Aldwych ghost station

Aldwych tube station, originally as Strand, is a former Piccadilly Line station on the corner of The Strand and Surrey Street. The Station exterior is still visible at street level, particularly so due to the distinctive Leslie Green design.


The Station was the terminus for a short branch of the Picadilly Line which linked it with Holborn station, but this was finally closed in September 1994. It retains many of its original 1907 features, including tiling and signage, and the quality of the station's well-preserved interior, and the fact that ordinary tube traffic does not pass through the station, has made it very useful for design work and filming. Indeed, wikipedia claims that the tunnels at Aldwych were used in The Prodigy's Firestarter video.

There's plenty of other trivia for you in the article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldwych_tube_station

Discover the World Time Today clock at Piccadilly Circus

Your author felt a bit mean for slating the Insider London Tube Tour a week or two ago on account of its cost, but he stands by his opinions. One thing they did introduce him to, however, was the fantastic World Time Today clock at Piccadilly Circus tube station.


When architect Charles Holden and builder was John Mowlem & Co refurbished the station at a cost of half-a-million-pounds between 1925 and completed in 1928, the clock was installed as a nod to how the world had changed and how the modern commuter needed such futuristic devices to keep abreast of the situation around the world.

The clock features a time band which moves across its central line at the same pace as the earth rotates, and shows the rough time at any point at any time, and whether it is day or night. The only sad thing is that few people notice the clock nowadays in the station's hustle and bustle. As acclaimed London blogger Diamond Geezer observed in 2004, "it's like Piccadilly Circus" round there.

For more on the station as a whole see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccadilly_Circus_tube_station

Take the London Insider Tube Tour

Your author was treated to a free tour on the London Underground recently by the good people at Insider London, and it was very pleasant. Their two hour tour takes participants through 150 years of tube history, teaching them about various aspects of the construction and development of the world's first underground railway.


The downside, however, is that at £34.50 the cost is steep and your author isn't sure it is worth that much, even though you do get to learn some interesting titbits along the way, and even get the chance of spotting a 'ghost station' or two along the route.

For the money, the tours are also private, held in small groups, and they run whenever you want, beginning at Farringdon and ending at Westminster. For real enthusiasts there is also a six hour option which costs £79.50, and doesn't include lunch because they 'like to let guests choose exactly what they would like'. In truth these tours are both prohibitively priced for anyone but the most ardent cash-rich underground fan, and your author suggests you might be better off buying a book and doing it yourself.

For more on the tour, see http://insider-trends.com/london-underground-tours/ or to book email contact@insider-london.co.uk.

_{^Picture by Axel Rouvin^}

Take a Fat Tire Bike Tour

London is a great city to see by bike and your author takes great pleasure from touring it with a book at his own speed without having to wait for others. If guided tours are more your thing, however, there are a number on offer and it's an excellent way to see the city.


Fat Tire Bike Tours (sic) are one such company departing daily from just outside Queensway Tube Station for a 4 hour tour of Royal London, which takes in Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, as well as other sites of interest.

This is possibly one of London's best and safest areas to cycle as you only rarely have to leave the parks. Even so, the cost of the tour includes an optional helmet and reflective vest to maximise safety.

Tours depart at 11am and tickets are £20, which includes bike hire. For more information, see http://fattirebiketours.com/london

_{^Picture by dearanxiety^}

Relax in Paddington's Royal Waiting Rooms

Now operating as a lounge for first class passengers, the Royal Waiting Rooms, beside platform one at Paddington Station, were included in the original station in order to try to encourage the royal family to use the station. This was a key PR aim for the GWR developers and was thought especially likely as Paddington is positioned well for the commute between Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.


The rooms are still known as the Royal Waiting Rooms, but this purpose became largely redundant after the death of Queen Victoria. However, we are told that they were used by the Royal Family until World War Two when they were comandeered for war service.

In 1985 they were restored for the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway, and they reopened to passengers in 1995. Nowadays, they are divided between the older waiting rooms, which retain the original quieter listed-building-with-leather-sofa style, and the newer waiting rooms with rolling Sky News and ample complimentary snacks, juices, teas and coffees.

You do have to have a first class ticket to gain entry, but if you can get a cheap advance one it is well worth paying a few extra pounds to have a poke round, and take advantage of the hospitality.

For more information, see a fascinating leaflet on Paddington's architecture at http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3053_PaddingtonArchitecturalMiniGuide.pdf

Explore Paddington Station

It may just be a transport hub, with a connection to a famous bear, but Paddington Station is the gateway to the West Country and Wales and is, in your author's humble opinion, an excellent example of industrial architecture.


Much of the current station dates back to 1854, having been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Engineering geeks would want to note that the glazed roof is supported by wrought iron arches in three spans, respectively spanning 68ft, 102ft and 70ft. The roof is 699ft long, and the original roof spans had two transepts connecting the three spans.

Trains from Paddington serve Stroud, Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, Exeter and Penzance, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea and various destinations in the Thames Valley, including Heathrow. Paddington was also the starting place of the world's first underground trains which began its services to the City in 1863. It's well worth a visit on its own, even when you're not catching a train, simply to admire it in itself.

For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_station

_{^Picture from flicr courtesy of gadgetdude^}