Busy weekend, but culminated with a trip on a restored 1938 tube train running along the Northern Line, probably for the very last time, as new signalling work later this year will make it impossible to run old trains along the Northern Line.

I actually had an entire carriage all to myself, having won an auction by the Transport Museum, but invited friends and people I spar with on another discussion forum to join me. Almost all of them turned up, and some were even on time!

As the Hendon Pageant was also happening this weekend, where the RAF Museum had a series of 1940s events, I hired a suitable outfit for the day and arrived dressed as a WW2 private soldier. This was actually damn uncomfortable, partly as it was very hot and I was wearing clothing more suitable for colder weather – but also I am now sure that wartime rationing shrunk the inch, as trousers ordered an inch larger than necessary (as insurance), felt to be at least an inch too narrow!

In addition to being probably the last time the heritage train could run along the Northern Line, this was a rare chance for passengers to stay on a train as it traveled through the “infamous” Kennington Loop. The trip itself was uneventful, but bizarrely fun for a trip along a tube line and as we passed through stations, people on the platforms looked in bemusement as this odd little train trundled past their lowered jaws. The look on their faces proved to be what some of the group said was the highlight of the trip.

As we left Kennington though, the excitement got a bit more heightened and it was just possible to see in the tunnels the point were we left the main track and entered the Kennington Loop, which is a very sharp loop around to reverse the train back onto the northbound line. Looking at the other carriages made it easy to see just how sharp the curve is.

We were nearly deafened by the screech of wheel on track as we went round the loop – or at least we think that is what causes the noise, as the loop is reputed to be haunted.

Slowly back up the Northern Line through the West End and the train eventually pulled into Colindale station, which itself had been decorated in Union Flags Jacks and wartime posters. Many of the staff were also dressed up in WW2 uniforms. Waiting outside, an unexpected bonus, as a Lancaster Bomber which was due to have made a flypast over the RAF Museum had been delayed, and we had arrived just in time to watch the magnificent aircraft roar overhead and wheel over Colindale a couple of times before heading off.

I didn’t actually take any photos of the trip, having taken photos last year on previous trips. A friend took the photos of me in uniform.

There is a scanned image of the Kennington Loop here.

Although this was probably the last time the train can run along the Northern Line, here are plans to run the tube train again in September, but up near Amersham, along with the Sarah Siddons locomotive. As usual, as soon as tickets are made available for the heritage train runs, I’ll flag them up on here.

There is a section of the London Underground which has a short bit of track, and just a single train which shuttles between two stations at either end – and it isn’t the Waterloo and City line.

I am referring to a tiny spur line on the Northern Line which links Finchley Central to Mill Hill East – and this weekend I wandered up to partly have a look at the line, but mainly as the track runs over a viaduct bridge which is reported to be the tallest on the entire tube network.

On arriving at Finchley Central, I popped across the platform to the waiting shuttle train – which was surprisingly busy for a Saturday morning on what I presumed would be a quiet part of the network. The trip to Mill Hill East goes over four bridges and initially you are at the same height as the houses before they suddenly drop away and you go over the viaduct. Alas, there are no grand views to gasp at as you go over the bridge, and a few minutes later you pull into Mill Hill East station.

Despite being stuck on a tiny spur line, it lacks any quaint historic traits, being very much a modernised platform and cleaned up station building. Nice to see the modern fitments are available, but a bit of a shame that there is nothing cute to look at.

The end of the track points directly at a private house – I wonder what it feels like to look out of your window and see a tube train heading directly for you?

It is worth possibly noting a bit of history.

The first railway was the G.N.R.’s branch line from Finsbury Park to Edgware, which was opened in 1867 – and  Mill Hill East station was opened, as Mill Hill, in the same year. From 1868 trains ran from Edgware to Ludgate Hill and Loughborough Junction but in 1869 they were diverted to Moorgate; in 1872, with the building of the branch from Finchley to High Barnet, through services were withdrawn from the Edgware line and a shuttle service was instituted from Edgware to Finchley. A station was opened in Bunns Lane (later Mill Hill Broadway overland station) in 1906 but the line later suffered from road competition and was closed to passenger traffic in 1939.

A proposal under the 1935-40 New Works Programme to link it to London Transport’s Underground system was not carried out in full; the eastern end of the branch, from Finchley Central to Mill Hill East, was electrified in 1941 to serve the near-by barracks, while frequent Underground trains began running to the west end of London, the City, and Morden over the Northern line.

In 1970 the rest of the railway lay derelict, although looking at maps suggests that much of the original single track route is still there, covered in trees.

I decided to walk back from Mill Hill East towards Finchley station, so I could get to see the viaduct from a vastly more interesting location – underneath it.

It’s a short walk along modern busy roads before you come to what is quite a rural looking bit of road (inc pavements on only one side) and yet also very busy – which makes taking photos sans cars in the view surprisingly difficult.

There is a stream running under the viaduct, and I presume that if it was responsible for cutting the steep valley I was in – then it must have been significantly more vigorous in its youth.

Curing round a corner, you can finally see the impressive 13 span viaduct in the distance – the Dollis Brook Viaduct – after the stream which runs under it.

I spent some time taking loads of photos – and on one side the hillside is open and it was tempting to scramble up the hill to get some more photos, but I was less dressed for “scrambling in the undergrowth” and more for “meeting friend for lunch later”, so that plan had to be curtailed.

Having gone down a steep road to get to the viaduct, you have to go up an equally steep hill at the other end to get towards Finchley Central station – noticing on the route this rather sad bit of Victorian street lighting – probably an old gas lamp.

There was also a side alley and I noticed that it had a footbridge which passed over the railway, so a quick stop there to get a view of the viaduct from above – although you can’t really see a lot from there thanks to the trees lining the route.

Having spent an hour going up and down more often than the stockmarket has been wont to behave recently, it was not a surprise to see that my destination station was at the bottom of another slope.

Maybe I shall go back one day in more appropriate clothing to see how much of the disused line is still walkable – as it seems to be part of the Northern Heights walk.

More photos – as usual on my Flickr account

As you may have read, I went on a trip on a 1938 tube train a few months ago – but today was THE BIG ONE, where the train did a full run along the entire Northern Line from Morden to High Barnet and back again as part of the 70th anniversary year. Woo!

Made my way down to Morden and waited to be let on – and they took us down to a separate platform to wait for the train, which duly pulled in and after a short delay – we were off.

Unlike the previous trip, this train was absolutely packed without a single spare seat. I sat opposite a couple + baby who is probably the youngest “tube anorak” ever.

The train positively hurtled through the tunnels, and actually seemed faster than a modern train. I think that was due to the slightly more bouncy journey though. As the train passed through the stations it slowed down as they have to and then accelerated away – only occasionally stopping to wait for clearance ahead on the track.

We were supposed to go via the Bank branch, but thanks to problems in the morning they decided to route us via the West End which was a double treat as we came back via Bank and hence got to go right round the entire line.

As before though, one of the nicer aspects of the trip is sitting on the train as it goes through stations and seeing the looks of shock, puzzlement and delight on the faces of the people on the platform as this strange old train pulled in. Out came a veritable forest of camera phones as people took snaps to show to their friends. What had been just a normal and probably tedious wait for a train had become a matter of delight and something to talk about.

Many expected to get on the train, but the doors never opened.

There were also a fair number of train spotters taking photos at the ends of the platforms as well.

The train proceeded along towards High Barnet – and in probably a first for London Underground – the train actually arrived early, so we all had plenty of time to stretch legs and take photos before the return trip to Morden.

It was a really enjoyable trip to go on and I had an idea to head back to Clapham Common, which has the famous central platform and try to get photos of the second run of the day – hopefully with both the old and a modern train at the station at the same time.

Alas – this was to prove to be a huge disappointment and the events there really spoilt the day for myself, and quite a few other people.

After a coffee and a wander around Clapham, I went back down to the platform to get ready to take some photos. I really wanted to do it at the top of the steps, but that would have caused a blockage so was not really viable. So I wandered along to the near end of the platform and met up with another chap who had been on the previous heritage run – and there were a small group at the far end of the platform also getting ready to take photos.

I took a few sample photos to make sure everything worked, and then the tanoy bellowed out that photography was banned on the Underground. It kept repeating this – and several staff came down to stop the group at the end of the platform taking photos. They were utterly contemptible in their manner in dealing with people and it really annoys me that hundreds of people were taking photos all along the Northern Line – but here at this station, a bunch of jobworths were spoiling the issue.

In the end, I actually caught another train to the next station along, which is similar to Clapham Common but not quite as good – and there took my photos without any trouble whatsoever, although they didn’t come out too well as I didn’t have time to set myself up properly.

Transport for London naturally requires permission for commercial photography, and students can also get a photo-pass, but there is no explicit ban on photography for personal use. Indeed the policy seems to be based entirely on the mood of the station staff, and in this situation it seemed that a small group of people, causing absolutely no obstruction or problems whatsoever was worthy of four station staff descending on them to prevent our hobby.

To have spent over an hour on a special train full of tube staff allowing people to take photos with gay abandon – to then be told that photography is forbidden is inconsistent and frankly put a really sour end to the day.

I’ll be sending a more thoughtful letter to TfL on this issue later in the week.

Tomorrow (18th Dec) will be the birthday of the first commercially successful deep level electric railway – the City & South London Railway (C&SLR), which ran from Stockwell in South London to the City at King William Street via a tunnel under the Thames.

The railway was opened to the general public on 18th December 1890 – although the formal opening by the Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) was on the 4th Nov that same year.

Technically, it wasn’t the first deep level railway in London – as the Tower Subway had originally been a train service, albeit with just one carriage – and the Whitehall and Waterloo railway was part built as a mixture of tube and cut/cover tunneling. However, the W&W Railway never completed construction and the Tower Subway quickly abandoned its railway carriage and converted to a foot tunnel as more people could use it (and pay!) that way.

Like the Tower Subway, the C&SLR was due to use a cable based method of pulling trains along the tunnels. This is not surprising as the lead engineer on both projects was the same man – a James Greathead who had invented the tunneling shield used to manually dig the tunnels safely. However, late in the construction of the tunnel network, a decision was made to abandon the cable pull method in favour of the new modern electric locomotive. This was a separate engine unit which pulled carriages along behind it.

While this decision sounds wise – and indeed, did significantly increase the carrying capacity on the tube service – it had a fatal flaw. The tunnel approach to the terminus at King William Street was very curved and steep – which was not a problem for a cable pulling carriages along – but was almost too steep for the electric locomotive to climb up. Indeed, there are stories that sometimes a train would get part the way up the slope then have to slide back and make another run at it to build up enough momentum to get to the top.

Because of this – and due to expansions of the later tube network in general – the King William Street station was abandoned just ten years later when an extension was built up to Islington. In fact, the problems with the station had become apparent almost immediately, and plans to abandoned the station were proposed within a year of its opening, although it ended up taking 10 years to finally get rid of it.

I said earlier that this was the first “commercially successful” deep level electric railway – but it was barely profitable in fact. The extensions sapped the company of money to return to its investors and being a new form of tunneling lead to some wastage – such as the above mentioned King William Street station.

In the London Transport Museum is an exhibit of one of the original carriages for passengers – which were notable for not having any windows. The logic being quite sensible – you are in a tunnel so what is there to look at. However, we humans can be very odd creatures at times, and the carriages caused a claustrophobia and panic attacks in their passengers and small windows were later added. Having sat in the carriage, I can understand how oppressive it felt – although I think that modern bright lighting as opposed to the few tiny light bulbs used originally would significantly offset that problem.

The image below – taken from the Illustrated London News shows the carriages – and you can just about make out the tiny window slots which lined the top of the carriages but frankly offered no relief from the claustrophobic feeling of sitting inside the wooden box.

Anyhow – happy birthday to an original part of the “tube” network.

A (very large) image of the original tube layout can be found on my flickr account.