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Building the London Underground

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EM2

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Anyone see this on Channel 5 (should be on Demand 5, if not)?
Very interesting, with some animations that someone has had great fun putting together.
Favourite bit for me, was how the lessons learned from the building of the Paris Metro have when helped building the new Canary Wharf station for Crossrail, which I didn't realise is actually being built under a dock!
 
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Dstock7080

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This programme was originally shown as "Big, Bigger, Biggest!" eps.2 on National Geographic Channel, last year.

I note that London had to await the invention of electricity "pioneered by New York subway", which opened in 1904. Remind me, how were the City & South London Railway, Central London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway and the Paris Metro powered again?!?!?!
 
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Clip

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It seemed to be a cobbled together programme of others really. Ive definitley seen the stuff about the Paris Metro stations being sunk before but that programme had nowt in it about the New York metro.

not a bad watch mind.
 

trentside

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I note that London had to await the invention of electricity "pioneered by New York subway", which opened in 1904. Remind me, how were the City & South London Railway, Central London Railway, Waterloo & City Railway and the Paris Metro powered again?!?!?!

Yes, but remember if it didn't happen in the US first, it didn't happen :lol:
(Tongue firmly in cheek!)

That's an awful error considering the CS&LR opened in 1890!
 

Tiny Tim

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Electric motors weren't invented by the Americans, but they were making them when London needed them. Charles T. Yerkes, the American businessman/crook who controlled many of London's underground companies probably chose products he knew.

This documentary is interesting, but very patchy, only a few aspects of London Underground are touched on. There are plenty of excellent books on the subject that are much more comprehensive.
 

CC 72100

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This programme was originally shown as "Big, Bigger, Biggest!" eps.2 on National Geographic Channel, last year.

I noticed that too. It seems to be quite common that channel 5 put on programmes as 'new' that have aired before on sky, especially on Discovery/Nat Geo/History when its a documentary style programme.
 

Clip

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I noticed that too. It seems to be quite common that channel 5 put on programmes as 'new' that have aired before on sky, especially on Discovery/Nat Geo/History when its a documentary style programme.

New to terrestrial. Lots of progs get aired in the same way
 

Crisso

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I think what Sprague did was to invent or at least develop/refine the Multiple-unit Electric Train for the NY Subway. Until then the London deep level C&SLR and CLR in London were originally loco-hauled for a short time. I know the CLR quickly introduced multiple unit working and the W&C was emu from the start but, maybe Sprague's was more refined/standardised as we know today?

Agree a very good programme and, was likewise intrigued/impressed on how the French built the Paris Metro around St. Michel/Cite (Line 4?) under the Seine and its environs.
 
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