Essex Road

[Bletchleyite]

Used this station earlier on...it really is very dingy and scabby, isn't it?

Is it (fluorescent lighting and NSE panelling aside) in fairly original condition or would it previously have had more artistic Tube style tiles? I assume the platform has been raised for the present EMUs.

Any plans for a refurb? It's direly needed.

As an aside, it was noticeable that the station, by way of lack of escalators, is completely silent absent a train - not had that since I was in Germany where the escalators stop if not in use.

 

[387star]

is this on the NCL? the whole section from drayton park to moorgate is a time warp

could be 1992 down there

 

[Bletchleyite]

is this on the NCL?

Yep.

the whole section from drayton park to moorgate is a time warp

could be 1992 down there

It is a bit, isn't it? The other interesting feature is the "dado rail" emergency lighting not, that I've seen, featuring at any Tube station.

Another interesting feature is the clear prohibition of non-folding cycles, which is slightly odd given that it's not really any different from the Merseyrail Wirral Line where they are permitted (at all times, indeed). Is it because LU won't allow them in their shared deep-level stations, I guess?

 

[bramling]

Yep.



It is a bit, isn't it? The other interesting feature is the "dado rail" emergency lighting not, that I've seen, featuring at any Tube station.

Another interesting feature is the clear prohibition of non-folding cycles, which is slightly odd given that it's not really any different from the Merseyrail Wirral Line where they are permitted (at all times, indeed). Is it because LU won't allow them in their shared deep-level stations, I guess?

The bicycle issue may well be that they don’t want them on escalators, and also the risk of them finding their way onto other LU lines for example cross-platform at Highbury.

I naturally assumed bikes weren’t allowed on the Wirral Line and after quite a while of folding my Brompton I was most surprised to find out it wasn’t actually necessary.

 

[wipers]

I use this line most days and think it's a hidden gem and indeed, a time warp! I don't know about Essex Road particularly but Moorgate was originally just plain white tiling akin to the original Central line stations, which was then replaced with blue and cream faience tiling at some point, very similar to the Charles Holden Tube stations. Now it's all Network South East, which actually looks pretty cool. They've been patch repaired poorly across the tunneled stations, so the tiles don't match in terms of colour, which is a shame.

 

[jon0844]

While 99% of daily users must think these stations pretty grim, I am sure the other 1% would be devastated if they upgraded them.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The bicycle issue may well be that they don’t want them on escalators, and also the risk of them finding their way onto other LU lines for example cross-platform at Highbury.

Fair point, Merseyrail do have step free access (lifts) at all their underground stations, though taking bikes on the escalator is still usual practice (even though not strictly allowed).

 

[edwin_m]

The bicycle issue may well be that they don’t want them on escalators, and also the risk of them finding their way onto other LU lines for example cross-platform at Highbury.

I naturally assumed bikes weren’t allowed on the Wirral Line and after quite a while of folding my Brompton I was most surprised to find out it wasn’t actually necessary.

Fair point, Merseyrail do have step free access (lifts) at all their underground stations, though taking bikes on the escalator is still usual practice (even though not strictly allowed).

Although Essex Road is not step-free, it only has lifts not escalators. There is a risk of someone taking a bike on at Essex Road and trying to exit via the escalator somewhere else, but that applies to all the surface stations as well.

The other odd thing about Essex Road is that you go up from the lower lift lobby to the platforms. I found a mention somewhere which suggested there must be a layer of unstable geology just above platform level that wasn't too difficult to get through vertically but made cross-passages difficult.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, I noticed that, it was a bit bizarre.

 

[wipers]

I think part of the issue is that it's only really Moorgate that you can get from the platform to the ticket hall via an escalator, which itself wouldn't be ideal with a bike, fold-up or otherwise. All of the others have steep stairs and passageways to negotiate.

 

[jon0844]

When I worked at Old Street, people used to take bikes in and out all the time. They got shouted at by staff, and some cyclists just gave the finger or cursed suggesting they were well aware.

 

[bramling]

While 99% of daily users must think these stations pretty grim, I am sure the other 1% would be devastated if they upgraded them.

With a caveat that I rarely use them, personally I wouldn't say they're actually that bad at all. Certainly on the up side few people spend that much time on the platforms so doing major work purely for ambience reasons wouldn't really represent value for money. I suppose people going away from London could potentially spend 20 minutes on a platform, or up to an hour if travelling to Watton-at-Stone.

 

[TrenHotel]

Essex Road station, 1975: https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-70275

 

[jon0844]

Essex Road station, 1975: https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-70275

Add some colour to the above and it's almost the same today.

 

[387star]

You would think with new trains on the horizon improvements will get under away. Most of the signage appears to be WAGN era

 

[Bletchleyite]

You would think with new trains on the horizon improvements will get under away. Most of the signage appears to be WAGN era

Most of it is NSE era!

 

[Tetchytyke]

While 99% of daily users must think these stations pretty grim, I am sure the other 1% would be devastated if they upgraded them.

When I lived in Muswell Hill and worked in Islington I used it most days, and I'm in both categories.

It was, and is, dingy and dirty. But the NSE signage is lovely and nostalgic and I'll miss it when it's gone.

 

[700007]

The platforms are very cold too. I use this line on a regular basis and it really needs to be brighter and cleaner. But do keep the NSE signage as a tribute to its past.

The 313s still have WAGN blindsets! I saw one a while ago scrolling the blinds and seeing 'Hertford East', 'London Liverpool Street' and 'Cheshunt' on there a good however many years later.

 

[tom1649]

I found this old Thames News report from the mid 80s showing Essex Road before NSE branding was applied:

 

[Kite159]

With a caveat that I rarely use them, personally I wouldn't say they're actually that bad at all. Certainly on the up side few people spend that much time on the platforms so doing major work purely for ambience reasons wouldn't really represent value for money. I suppose people going away from London could potentially spend 20 minutes on a platform, or up to an hour if travelling to Watton-at-Stone.

I suspect any Watton commuters won't hang around the station for an hour if they miss their train, either head out or jump on a Hertford North service to wait at Hertford instead

 

[Busaholic]

I think it was probably 1975 when I last used Essex Road, so I might well recognise it still! Can't remember the name of the young lady I accompanied home, though. Oh well, memories (sigh...)

 

[bramling]

The platforms are very cold too. I use this line on a regular basis and it really needs to be brighter and cleaner. But do keep the NSE signage as a tribute to its past.

The 313s still have WAGN blindsets! I saw one a while ago scrolling the blinds and seeing 'Hertford East', 'London Liverpool Street' and 'Cheshunt' on there a good however many years later.

You’ll find Spalding on there too!

 

[gazr]

Dredging up an old thread for an update. Whilst bashing the 313s yesterday, I ended up at Essex Road where two men in orange were replacing the old NSE signage on the platforms with plain versions I'll try and add a photo in a little bit.

 

[Class315]

Dredging up an old thread for an update. Whilst bashing the 313s yesterday, I ended up at Essex Road where two men in orange were replacing the old NSE signage on the platforms with plain versions I'll try and add a photo in a little bit.

All the Underground stations on the Northern City Line will face the same fate, much to the dismay of some enthusiasts; Worked started at Highbury & Islington over the last fortnight.

 

[LLivery]

Unfortunately looks just like the old plain BR signage in the video a few posts above. It doesn't even match the GTR signage at Harlington, Denmark Hill, etc. Also seeing Downham Market is full of new NSE signage, this it seems like a total waste. If the signs were looking old and tatty like half of the c2c network I could understand. The stations need a proper refurb, but this is just annoying. Oh well...

 

[simple simon]

re: Highbury and Islington, I was there on Weds 5th Dec 2018 and visited both NCL platforms. I do not recall seeing any NSE signage.

see here...

https://twitter.com/citytransportin/status/1070471357899726848

I will upload the photo later as it was created on a different computer.

 

[simple simon]

As an aside...

If the then Ministry of Transport civil servants had allowed the partially completed Northern Heights electrification works to be completed after WW2 then platform 6 would have been used by Northern line tube trains to Alexandra Palace, High Barnet, Edgware, Bushey Heath via Finsbury Park, Highgate High Level, etc...

Attached to this tweet is a map that I created for my website showing what was planned but never completed.

https://twitter.com/citytransportin/status/1070473279838801920

As the map is already online (as part of my website) I can also embed it here.

As an aside, I wonder, would the services from this platform have been so busy that to cope with the crowds the larger and higher capacity subsurface S Stock trains would have been introduced for them? OK, they would not have fitted through the new tube tunnels on the Bushey Heath extension north of Edgware, but with the rest of the route (north of Finsbury Park) having been served by mainline steam trains and the route to Moorgate having been built for full size trains so trains similar in size to S stock would have fitted!

 

[4-SUB 4732]

If they took the wall tiles etc off, there’d be so much asbestos need sorting that they would need to shut the line for months. The report into air quality down there was absolutely damning as drivers had to start wearing face masks: mould, bacteria, yeast and asbestos were all there. It was shocking.

The tunnel cleaning didn’t happen, the asbestos isn’t going to be moved and I dare say the one small thing done was cab cleaning once at Hornsey.

 

[Aictos]

You’ll find Spalding on there too!

As well as Stansted Airport!

 

[cactustwirly]

re: Highbury and Islington, I was there on Weds 5th Dec 2018 and visited both NCL platforms. I do not recall seeing any NSE signage.

see here...

https://twitter.com/citytransportin/status/1070471357899726848

I will upload the photo later as it was created on a different computer.

Tbh the NSE signage looks better than the new stuff!