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TRIVIA: Things you saw travelling on the LU that you don't see today

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Camden

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1986 Stock on the jubilee Line, prototype for the 1992 Stock Central Line, there was also a red one.
Yes that's them, 1992 Central Line. I don't know if the different colours were to see which the public preferred in addition, but each of the trains themselves were different.

Found some pics on here:
The London Underground 1986 Tube Stock consisted of three prototype electric multiple units built for London Underground that led to the development of the 1992 Stock.

The external style of the blue reminds me of the San Francisco BART.
 
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trebor79

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Being cheekily pedantic, you can still alight from a Circle/Hammersmith and City line train and get to the concourse in 3 minutes. It's just that you have a 10 minute walk down the concourse to get to the platform, unless you are using Eurostar.
You can still do it from the deep level tubes too, providing you ignore all the signage sending you for a very long walk
 

Camden

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Surely this still happens, happened to me last time I went on a tube which was February! Except in the old days it was the guards closing the doors.
True but these days they'd probably get in trouble for it, if it was officially observed.

Being cheekily pedantic, you can still alight from a Circle/Hammersmith and City line train and get to the concourse in 3 minutes. It's just that you have a 10 minute walk down the concourse to get to the platform, unless you are using Eurostar.
I remember heading up the Picc escalators with 10 minutes to departure. If I missed a tube it would mean I'd only have 6 or 7 and would have to leg it upstairs. The entrance to the tube was tucked in the eastern corner of the station, just a few metres away from the platforms. Good times!

You can still do it from the deep level tubes too, providing you ignore all the signage sending you for a very long walk
That's where you have to carry a map! Don't forget too that the platforms themselves have since been shoved out into the back garden.
 
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trebor79

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You can still do it from the deep level tubes too, providing you ignore all the signage sending you for a very long walk
That's where you have to carry a map! Don't forget too that the platforms themselves have since been shoved out into the back garden.
If I get off the deep tubes there I just follow the signs for the sub surface lines, which brings you straight up the old escalators to the original booking hall. Then remember to turn left and definitely not right to exit! (I'm usually going to Kings X TBH).
St Pancras is just a mess. I know people rave about the restoration of the trainshed and hotel, but the passenger experience when catching Eurostar is pretty mediocre, shoved into a tiny waiting area in the old beer cellars. It's arguably worse for domestic services and the extension to the shed is an abomination.
But I digress!
 

65477

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Electric hauled compartment stock from a bay platform at Liverpool Street with steam haulage on Chesham branch. Smell of fresh popcorn at stations.

No children seated when adults (of any age) were standing.
 

Hadders

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St Pancras is just a mess. I know people rave about the restoration of the trainshed and hotel, but the passenger experience when catching Eurostar is pretty mediocre, shoved into a tiny waiting area in the old beer cellars. It's arguably worse for domestic services and the extension to the shed is an abomination.

It's far better than the experience at Gare du Nord.
 

SECR263

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What about waiting for a deep tube train and the tunnel air pressure wobbling all the green enamel lights around above track, flood gates on deep tube lines under Thames (some seem to have disappeared) being able to watch the automatic signalling room at Kennington behind a glass window with its tapes controlling the signalling with its diagram showing the loop and termination siding plus track circuits when occupied (boarded over due to terrorism starting in 70,s, I think) the little blue light above the Guards position on deep stock and no self respecting guard getting his head in until a minimal distance from the tunnel mouth, crawl up signalling on Northern to maiximise number of trains run. and something you can do now, spotting British Museum.
 

AlbertBeale

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Quite agree

Yes - St P is certainly less grotty than Gare du Nord. But - from some metro lines, it's much quicker to the domestic platforms there than it is from some Underground lines to the domestic MML platforms at St P! And the latter - rather than aesthetics - is probably more important for daily commuters...
 

philthetube

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Does that mean travelling on the Bakerloo/Jubilee line tracks, or calling at the (now mostly-defunct) Willesden Green and Neasden platforms? I only thought that peak-hour Met journeys to/from Uxbridge did this until 1940/41.
Sunday mornings the Jubilee did not start until around 9am, sure someone will come in with more accuracy.
 

xotGD

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Things you don't see on the tube now: Passengers' noses and mouths.
 

Enthusiast

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Which leads me to another thing that you don't see, although with 237 previous posts I wouldn't be surprised if it has already been mentioned, and that is the consoles with the buttons for opening and closing the doors and giving the right away to the driver that were used by the guards who worked from the end of one of the carriages rather than in a compartment of their own.
Yes. On pre-1938 stock the blue "Pilot Light" (indicating all doors closed) was in the ceiling of the car in the centre above the door connecting to the next car. On 1938 stock onwards there was one on each of the two panels. The top part of these panels contained "End door cut-out" and "cut-in" buttons for use when the platforms would not accommodate the final set of doors. There were also "guard open" and "guard close" buttons controlling the guard' door. The guard's door was sometimes left open in the summer between stations on surface sections. The bottom row of buttons operated the passenger doors. Two red "open" buttons needed to be pressed simultaneously to open the doors. One black "close" button needed to be pressed to close the doors. There was a red "signal" button which rang a bell in the driver's cab giving him the right away and this was interlocked with the door detectors so that it could not be pressed until all doors were closed (and the "pilot light" came on). This button had a proud metal surround to distinguish it from the others. There was also an intercom to the driver's cab. There was a bar which could be fixed into place to separate the guard's area from the passenger area and the guard had a tip-up seat in the car end. However, at quiet times this was not used, nor was the dividing bar, the guard preferring instead to sit on the more comfortable longitudinal passenger seats. Here's a photo of a 1972 stock guard's panel, annotated as best as I can remember:

1593290322159.png



No children seated when adults (of any age) were standing.
Now, of course, it's vice-versa.
 

philthetube

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all correct,

an interesting, but worrying fact was that although the guard could not give the driver the signal to start without the pilot light there was nothing to stop the driver departing without receiving a bell.
 

yorksrob

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Yes. On pre-1938 stock the blue "Pilot Light" (indicating all doors closed) was in the ceiling of the car in the centre above the door connecting to the next car. On 1938 stock onwards there was one on each of the two panels. The top part of these panels contained "End door cut-out" and "cut-in" buttons for use when the platforms would not accommodate the final set of doors. There were also "guard open" and "guard close" buttons controlling the guard' door. The guard's door was sometimes left open in the summer between stations on surface sections. The bottom row of buttons operated the passenger doors. Two red "open" buttons needed to be pressed simultaneously to open the doors. One black "close" button needed to be pressed to close the doors. There was a red "signal" button which rang a bell in the driver's cab giving him the right away and this was interlocked with the door detectors so that it could not be pressed until all doors were closed (and the "pilot light" came on). This button had a proud metal surround to distinguish it from the others. There was also an intercom to the driver's cab. There was a bar which could be fixed into place to separate the guard's area from the passenger area and the guard had a tip-up seat in the car end. However, at quiet times this was not used, nor was the dividing bar, the guard preferring instead to sit on the more comfortable longitudinal passenger seats. Here's a photo of a 1972 stock guard's panel, annotated as best as I can remember:

View attachment 80058




Now, of course, it's vice-versa.

I remember an episode of Grange Hill where two of the protagonists were bunking off school and were on a tube train. One of them was about to interfere with the above panel, but his friend and a passenger talked him out of it.
 

philthetube

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I remember an episode of Grange Hill where two of the protagonists were bunking off school and were on a tube train. One of them was about to interfere with the above panel, but his friend and a passenger talked him out of it.
It would be dead without a key and I was told that a key in both ends fused it, but have no idea if that was correct.
 

rogercov

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Electric hauled compartment stock from a bay platform at Liverpool Street with steam haulage on Chesham branch. Smell of fresh popcorn at stations.

And the cloud of dust that filled the compartment if you hit the seat or sat down quickly. This was on both loco hauled and "T" stock.
 

LUYMun

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A60/62 Stock double-ended units still carrying 'East London line' stickers on the windows several years after the ELL was no longer served by the Underground. I remember seeing one or two as a young child around 2009/10.
 
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PeterC

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Not actually on the Tube itself but the lists of fares to Underground stations displayed at BR Ticket Offices which included Mill Hill (The Hale) well into the 1960s.

As a 12 year old I once spend a very confused half hour or so checking and rechecking a tube map to find it.
 

MDarr

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Cigarette machines
Waiting rooms with gas heaters
That awesome whiney noise as the it goes through the gears
Urine smells
People not annoying other people with their phone
Toilets with 2p coin slots to get in
 

MDarr

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2p slots? Don't recall them, but I do recall 1d ones, and the phrase "going to spend a penny" used by my Mum and her friends.
1D! Well im not that old hahaha for me it was a slot for those big bronze colored 2p coins.
OR am I misremembering and it was indeed the old style large copper 1 penny? maybe. I was born in '69 and I dont remember those old style coins ever being in circulation when I was old enough to have money

Then it became 5p, then 10p, then I do remember it costing 20p to get into the toilets at Victoria!
Before that those toilets underground at Victoria were disgusting and dangerous! I guess the 20p charge was worth it.
 
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greyman42

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Then it became 5p, then 10p, then I do remember it costing 20p to get into the toilets at Victoria!
Before that those toilets underground at Victoria were disgusting and dangerous! I guess the 20p charge was worth it.
If i recall correctly, the toilets at Westminster were 50p until recently.
 

BrianW

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A bar on the platform at Sloane Square (westbound) - down your pint as the train comes into the platform and jump on just before the doors close! Almost unimaginable now, on all sorts of levels. In fact, I'd almost think I dreamed it if it wasn't confirmed in print.
Tried finding a helpful image- no luck- however did find this:
 

philthetube

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There also used to be staff social clubs on some stations, Camden town comes to mind, there was a bar upstairs for staff use, apparently you could find the spares up there.

I am told that the bar is still in situ

All before my time though.
 

Mojo

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If i recall correctly, the toilets at Westminster were 50p until recently.
The toilets in the subway are not station toilets however; these are the responsibility of the City of Westminster and sit outside of the station footprint.
 
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