A thread for mumsnet nerds to talk about the history of the London Underground (aka what's your favourite tube station)

[GetOrfMoiIand]

I spent a happy hour looking at this site www.abandonedstations.org.uk/

The history of the tube is fascinating, and I love travelling on it, it is so atmospheric (apart from when I am commuting within London and then I hate it with a vengeance like any normal person reserving special ire for the wanking Circle line).

Some stations feel really evocative - for instance Lambeth North looks as if it hasn't changed since the second world war.

I just hope that all this Olympics bollox won't mess with my meticulously researched standing on platforms for my commute. YEs, I do stand in exactly the same places every morning. And ALWAYS get a seat [smug]

A friend once managed to get an old tube map from the Northern line when they were changing them. Was well wicked

The circle line is a pain in the arse. When you are on it (which I rarely am) it is a disaster with that stupid Edgware Road nightmare. When not on it, it buggers up the district line by crossing over it at Aldgate. It holds up my train EVERY day.

Is anyone old enough to remember smoking on the tube? I am.

Seems absolutely unbelievable, now.

Hmm, is DD too young for the transport museum? She's 2.5yo. She loves the tube, does that annoying kid thing of kneeling on the seats to stare out of the windows at the dark, watching the different coloured pipes . Clearly gets it from her nerdy mother

yellowraincoat I thought all District Line trains had priority at Aldgate? I used to get the Hammersmith & Shitty line from Whitechapel to Farringdon and my train always, without fail, got held up between Aldgate East/ Aldgate. I was told by someone on the train that it was due to District Line trains having priority

One thing which was freaking awesome that they have on one of the lines in Brooklyn in NY, is that someone has done a series of paintings in one of the tunnels which is like a movie - if you stare out the window there's a series of paintings which looks like a cartoon. So. Cool.

NO, definitely not too young! There are old buses and tube carriages to explore. It is beyond brilliant.

Oh and has everyone noticed (I didn't til about a year ago) that the poles and handrails on the train are the same colour as the tube line? So on the circle line they're yellow and on the district they're green. There's a couple of ones that aren't (H+C aren't pink, northern is yellow with a black blob) which annoys me A LOT.

I hate the circle line as well. 6 crappy district lines come and go before a circle come along.

And the signs know nowt.

Lula not at the moment they don't! Every day I've been sitting behind a circle line this week.

That circle line pub crawl sounds exhausting.

Oh man, that sucks!

Oh, that sounds great! DH will love it too, he's my partner in geekdom :)

I have been known to position myself at exactly the right spot on the platform at Bank specifically to get the 'driver's' seat on the DLR

You want the one on the right, not the left, btw, otherwise there's a chance the actual driver will turn up and turf you out at some point along the way.

It look like the TfL museum might do occasional tours according to this blog. What I would do to get my mitts on some of those posters

I had no idea you could sit at the front of the train on the DLR.

moreBeta
tablefor4 "... in 1989 or 1988, Certainly when I was at primary school.."

I'll have you know young lady that I had been working in London for several years before then!

^^

I knew that when I posted it

If it's any consolation I was talking to some summer students last week. I pointed out that I did the equivalent summer internships to them in the twentieth century! In my defence, a) it was 1999 and b) I am only 34 (just)now. One couldn;t hide his shock though. Perhaps I am v young looking [wishing thinking]

You're the same age as me table.

Someone on MN the other day talked about reading Harry Potter when she was at primary school. That made me jump. I read those books when I was in my mid to late 20s.

Sorry to report that I haven't found any evidence of tours since last year :(

Green Park is a nightmare station though. What is the actual point of it? It looks like a nice friendly interchange on the tube map, but once inside you have to walk literally about 10 minutes through unending bloody pointless grey corridors to get from one line to another. WHYYYY?

GetOrf You should definitely go on the DLR and "drive". Still love to do that and I'm, well, as discussed, 34.

You remind me, I should take DD1, she'd love it. She is still recovering from discovering that underground trains sometimes go overground!

Bupcakes, if you like posters then apparently LTM does tours of its depot here. 7000 posters! Original artwork! Actually exciting myself here :-)

Although they won't have this one. I would love to know what the offence actually was, one man and four women?!

Elephants Agree that Green Park is awful. There definitely ought to be some short cuts. The fact that the mosaics blend in and out showing whether you;re getting warmer or colder viz your line is no consolation prize.

Security issues I expect, Beardy. Olympics, 7/7, all that sort of stuff.

Btw, what form of address do you prefer? Beardy? Silly? SBDM?

FYI There is absolutely no way I'll call you Daddy.

Christ some poor bastard was sent to prison for a month for being pissed in an air shelter!

I want to look at those posters.

How come I have never been to that museum? I know. Bloody dd rules the roost when it comes to musesums, hence why we have been to the Natural History to look at dinosaurs god knows how many times, the Imperial War to look at planes (OK), the British Museum to look at all the Egyptian stuff loads of times and only ONCE to the science museum (beam engines ) and NEVER to the tranport one as she vetoed it as being 'sad'.