If most of the route is intact then I am quite amazed the Northern Heights section hasn't been reinstated as its very own project
If most of the route is intact then I am quite amazed the Northern Heights section hasn't been reinstated as its very own project, irrespective of any future plans for Crossrail 2. It sounds, albeit only from what I've read on the net, that it wouldn't be that expensive or even that hard to 'sell'. I presume the local well-off residents would be anything but NIMBYs in this case, especially considering the likely increase in their house prices!
Does anybody know if there is going to be a second series of The Tube? If so when is the estimate for when it will be on?
The problem with resurrecting the project is two-fold. It's only worth building the extensions where housing has subsequently been built - but these are precisely the areas where it can't be built. Beyond is Green Belt, and not only is there little housing there but there is never going to be any because designated Green Belt is legally protected.
The problem with resurrecting the project is two-fold. It's only worth building the extensions where housing has subsequently been built - but these are precisely the areas where it can't be built. Beyond is Green Belt, and not only is there little housing there but there is never going to be any because designated Green Belt is legally protected.
It is a shame it wasn't finished, especially since so much of the construction was already completed by the time work stopped. If Chamberlain had just managed to stall that Hitler bloke by another two years the Northern Line would today be a very different beast!
I seem to remember it wasn't formally abandoned until about 1956. I've never been able to work out what was actually built apart from that viaduct and Aldenham works - possibly not very much.
What's clearly a real shame is that when the project was halted, nobody thought 'hang on a minute, so much work has been done already - let's hold out to try and get it restarted in the future'.
I don't think there was much actually built - but I don't think there was all that much that needed to be built, not in terms of major earthworks and engineering anyway. And the core of the project was to convert heavy rail lines that already existed. I believe most of that was completed by the outbreak of hostilities.
I don't think there was much actually built - but I don't think there was all that much that needed to be built, not in terms of major earthworks and engineering anyway. And the core of the project was to convert heavy rail lines that already existed. I believe most of that was completed by the outbreak of hostilities.
Outside of London, a number of 1938 cars remain in revenue-earning service! The Isle of Wight's Island Line has low tunnel clearances, and is usually operated by ex-Tube stock. In 1988, the line replaced even older Tube stock with a number of the withdrawn 1938 cars. These cars were refurbished, made into two-car sets, and classed as Class 483. Units 6,7, & 8 contain the six remaining ex-LNER self-propelling rolling stock that continues to be in revenue earning service!
I was thinking more of the section north of Edgware, which would have involved substantial construction not least a section of tunnel which would have started not far north of the viaduct.
I do agree the rest of it was on rail formation and there wouldn't have been much to do. If some of this part had been built it would have filled a few gaps in transport for the built-up area. BR might have had to keep the connections to the Widened Lines at Kings Cross in order to link the GN electrification to the City.
It's easy to imagine an alternative scenario where the line to Ally Pally was fully converted and integrated into the Tube, and instead they gave up on the Central Line Ongar extensions or the quiet 'Grange Hill' loop. Seeing how complicated the current Northern Line is, the full completed scheme would have been a nightmare to run!
I reckon it would have been split in half by now. After all, the Hamm & City was once counted as part of the Metropolitan, so it's quite likely that the former City & South London part, plus the High Barnet and Bushey Heath would end up as one line, the Kennington, Charing Cross, Hampstead and Ally Pally sections would become another.
The LNER station at Ally Pally (the old one) actually had conductor rails laid, but they were never energised, so the service was worked by N2s from King's Cross right up to the day of closure.
The connection between Edgware and Mill Hill was used by empty stock trains from Edgware depot for quite some time, until it closed,
That's interesting that there was infact a connection/track in place between Mill Hill East & Edgware. Shame it's not used now.[/B]
while the Highgate-Finsbury Park section sometimes saw battery locos hauling Tube stock for the GN&C. It's just the Bushey Heath section that never actually got built. This also led to the LNER owning some Tube stock.
That's interesting that there was infact a connection/track in place between Mill Hill East & Edgware. Shame it's not used now.[/B]
while the Highgate-Finsbury Park section sometimes saw battery locos hauling Tube stock for the GN&C. It's just the Bushey Heath section that never actually got built. This also led to the LNER owning some Tube stock.
An active Railway
The railway started as a steam service off the East Coast Main Line with suburban services for the Great Northern Railway. The line was authorised in 1862, for construction to Edgware as the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway and it was opened in 1867, by which time the EH&L had been absorbed by the Great Northern.
The land was transferred to Haringey (with a small section to Islington) and re-opened as a linear park after some bridge replacements were carried out.
Slightly off topic but the 1st episode of TFL's London Buses documentary is being broadcast next tuesday at 9pm on bbc2