Obsolescent LUL signage

[Deleted]

A handful of old signs survive on the London Underground, even in 2006. At East Finchley, wall signs indicate Northern Line platforms, 1 & 2, 3 & 4 even though only 1 and 4 are used for departing/arriving trains. 2 & 3 are used by trains running to and from Highgate depot. Had things gone according to plan, they would of course have been used by tubes using Highgate High level.

Aldwych at last seems to have been removed/blanked off from wall maps, some 11 years after closure, including Earls Court!!

One sign (eastbound plat.) at St James's Park omits the final "s".

Any others of interest?

[DLA 365]

- At Arsenal station, the tiles still say Gillespie Road

- At Hampstead station, the tiles say Heath Street

- South Kensington station has a sign "Metropolitan & District Railways" above it, but I heard this is a recreation, not original

- The station building at York Road is pretty much intact, and "York Road station" is clearly visible even though the brass letters have been removed.

- The Down Street station building still exists ( but I haven't taken a close-up look to see whether the lettering remains or not)

[Deleted]

Thanks for that DLA365. Quite a few former Tube statiions survive. The former Hyde Park Corner stn building is now Pizza on the Park, South Kentish Town is easily discernable and the previous Tower Hill stn became All Bar One, just west of present (1967) stn. The old names in tiling are interesting. The cannot easily be removed, only papered over or whatever.

[cc2005]

OK, not really to do with "obsolescent signage", but still to do with signage.. I noticed at Hilligdon Stn on the metro/picc lines, the name "(Swakeleys)"appears in brackets under the main "Hillingdon" name on LUL signage. Why is this? What does this refer to? Is this an ex-station name??

[John tuthill]

There used to be a Jacobian manor house in the area called "Swakeleys". Check out the Hillingdon borough web site, or one of the many books on Metroland.

[Deleted]

One real oddity on the Underground is the Bull & Bush Station at Hamstead. Had it opened it would have been the deepest station on the Underground. The platform tunnels were built and a lift shaft were built and even a lift put in but thats as far as it got. It seems unclears as to why it was abandoned.

[John tuthill]

Bob, from what I've read about it, it was built on the speculation that a large housing development would be built in the area. Needless to say it didn't come off, and as the proposed station site was so close to Golders Green, the station was never completed, unlike the developers of the Metropolitan Railway, who bought up land either side of the line, and developed their own housing!! It's interesting that one of the reasons the Bakerloo never went further south east than the Elephant, was the high water table. Considering that the Victoria line had the same problems around Vauxhall, they froze the ground and then bored through it, one wonders why the Bakerloo hasn't been pushed further into south east london. Historically, it was because the Southern Railway knew the "right people", hence the lack of tube lines south of the river. Be interseting to know if there IS any possibility of the Bakerloo pushing further south.

[Deleted]

Covent Garden retains two solid red bullseye signs - north end of northbound and south end of southbound. These are pre WW1 I would say.

There are three of this type at Ealing Broadway (District Line platforms) but they are modern replicas.

Check enamel platform direction sign at Embankment (top of stairs) for mis-spelling of Edgware Road! Careless.

[Deleted]

Off topic... but Essex Road station (And Old Street, & Highbury & Islington for that matter) still have basically every sign in Network Southeast colours... even though the line runs from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City & Hertford North... none of which, are in South-East... and since the NSE days, WAGN & First Capital Connect have operated the service. Lazy!!

On topic... the Earls Court "next train" sign is very old, it can't be moved... as its listed, on some kind of... list!

[Deleted]

AS regards Camberwell extension, have look at Denham Extension item on this website.

[Deleted]

jtuthill said:

Bob, from what I've read about it, it was built on the speculation that a large housing development would be built in the area. Needless to say it didn't come off, and as the proposed station site was so close to Golders Green, the station was never completed, unlike the developers of the Metropolitan Railway, who bought up land either side of the line, and developed their own housing!! It's interesting that one of the reasons the Bakerloo never went further south east than the Elephant, was the high water table. Considering that the Victoria line had the same problems around Vauxhall, they froze the ground and then bored through it, one wonders why the Bakerloo hasn't been pushed further into south east london. Historically, it was because the Southern Railway knew the "right people", hence the lack of tube lines south of the river. Be interseting to know if there IS any possibility of the Bakerloo pushing further south.

It was more then just that. The geology south of the river was not so good mainly chalk which is not good for tunneling as the Channel Tunnel found out . North of the river it was clay which is pretty good for tunneling this account to quite an extent as to why so few tube lines went South of London