The LNER Encyclopedia

I could look at these old pics all day.Brilliant!!

Your plan of Liverpool Street shows a curve from the Station onto the Metropolitan. Has anyone any idea what it was used for and when. I'd be interested to know

Tony,

Apparently there was a desire to link the GER and Metropolitan systems that had helped determine the sub-surface construction of the GER's terminal station at Liverpool Street. The Metropolitan had in fact served mainline platforms of the GER station from 1 February 1875, this through link having only a short operational life. However, I can't find out, as yet, when this link fell into disuse.

Also attached a couple of colour postcards of Liverpool Street.

Malcolm.

tonyp wrote:Your plan of Liverpool Street shows a curve from the Station onto the Metropolitan. Has anyone any idea what it was used for and when. I'd be interested to know

Tony and Malcolm, it used to run to Plats 1 and 2 of the main line station off the Met and I think it had gone by the Great War. However, the connecting tunnel remains to this day (or certainly was still there about 5 years ago) and was actually used as a staff canteen for many years (known to one and all as 'The Iron Lung'). In the 1970s the food wasn't exactly great, it must be said. Incidentally, there was a similar connection off the Met to the GN at Kings X, running in a West to North direction, which must have gone out of use very early on.

there was a similar connection off the Met to the GN at Kings X, running in a West to North direction, which must have gone out of use very early on.

Must have, because a West to North connection is not shown on the Railway Junction Diagram of 1912.

Malcolm

Malcolm wrote:

there was a similar connection off the Met to the GN at Kings X, running in a West to North direction, which must have gone out of use very early on.

Must have, because a West to North connection is not shown on the Railway Junction Diagram of 1912.

Malcolm

It is shown, albeit faintly, in Joe Browns' excellent London Railway Atlas. Think it went out by the 1860s and was never used for passenger services. In Railtrack days, one of my colleagues found a tunnel and was all set to do a bit of exploring but the confined spaces regs prevented this bit of frippery. Suspect all traces gone now since the recent work under and around KX.

hq1hitchin wrote:

Malcolm wrote:

there was a similar connection off the Met to the GN at Kings X, running in a West to North direction, which must have gone out of use very early on.

Must have, because a West to North connection is not shown on the Railway Junction Diagram of 1912.

Malcolm

It is shown, albeit faintly, in Joe Browns' excellent London Railway Atlas. Think it went out by the 1860s and was never used for passenger services. In Railtrack days, one of my colleagues found a tunnel and was all set to do a bit of exploring but the confined spaces regs prevented this bit of frippery. Suspect all traces gone now since the recent work under and around KX.

if you have a copy of the march issue of modern railways there is a article on the new kx northern ticket hall , and a diagram showing the positions of st pancras and kx in relation to all the three underground ticket halls including all tunnels existing and the fleet sewer, no easy task finding a route through that lot[its a wonder the whole lot does not dissappear into a huge hole if somthing goes wrong]

sorry missed out the thames link tunnels,coming off the these tunnels are the hotel curve "east to north" it clips the corner of the new booking hall [west side[,the maiden lane blind curve"comes from the west to north under york road" and the york curve comes from the north and goes east

third-rail wrote:sorry missed out the thames link tunnels,coming off the these tunnels are the hotel curve "east to north" it clips the corner of the new booking hall [west side[,the maiden lane blind curve"comes from the west to north under york road" and the york curve comes from the north and goes east

There was an underground signalbox (Midland, LMS and BR(M)) on the upside of the Moorgate lines under St Pancras station. Horrible little place, again still there (disused) well into the 1990s, which you accessed via an equally grim spiral staircase, behind a locked steel door in the corner of where the cab road rejoined Midland Road. A bit off topic, I know, but there couldn't have been many worse places to spend a shift.

Liverpool Street was a beautiful station and the west end still is. I believe before rebuilding there was also access from under p1 and 2 to the GER hotel for rail deliveries. And not to forget the old underground network the GER built around bishopsgate for their goods depot.

This is Connington North, where the box shown, so we used to be told, was actually shifted on rollers nearer the level crossing, previously user worked, following two tragic accidents in the 1940s. Bad news if you got stopped here with a train, anyway. Still a bleak sort of place, even in summer

That is the first picture i've seen of Connington North. It was moved around 200 yards to be nearer the crossing for the reasons stated. I would love to find a collection of pictures showing the move in progress.

http://richard2890.fotopic.net/p57064584.html

R. pike wrote:That is the first picture i've seen of Connington North. It was moved around 200 yards to be nearer the crossing for the reasons stated. I would love to find a collection of pictures showing the move in progress.

http://richard2890.fotopic.net/p57064584.html

Dunno if it's been mentioned on this site but it was also said to be haunted! The story even got on BBC Look East in the 70s and involved a car drawing up to the gates when a train was approaching but, when it had passed and there was nothing on the block indicators in either direction so that it was safe to open the gates, the car had vanished (and there's nowhere to hide in open bits of The Fens). An old black large saloon car had just disappeared. There were also other well rehearsed stories which turned out to be dreamt up, so it was later said, to keep relief signalmen away and enhance the earnings potential of the regular men!

I've been out that way recently with the HOBC and i would have to agree the place does have a feel to it. I have read all the accident reports for this location and it does seem to have had more than it's share of bad luck. If you take Abbotts Ripton into account as being in the same area along with all the goings on with Wood Walton box and the various track layouts it controlled it is a very interesting stretch of line.

A mile or so further south now and Connington South, another sad location