Tube Map of Britain

[Sprigibax]

As part of a series of alternative tube maps I’ve been working on, I made a tube map of Britain. It’s not very geographically accurate (but, hey, it’s a tube map) and I’ve had to add a few branches, stations etc. Please tell me what you think!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Please tell me what you think!

Well, it's certainly colourful.

Quite a few place name typos. E.g..Ciranlarich, Kikcaldy, Glenoce, Anan.

Personally, would have shown the closed (or never opened) lines as intermittent pecked lines.

And having London as a random interchange station between Barnet and Sutton, and between Hounslow and Bromley, is certainly a novel approach.

Good fun, though.

 

[Llanigraham]

I think you need to have a very close look at what you have "drawn" in Wales, as currently it makes no sense what so ever.
And perhaps get the spelling correct!

 

[peterblue]

Very inaccurate from a cursory glance. Some lines don't exist in real life - unless you are trying to include historic ones?

 

[WizCastro197]

Guildford is spelt wrong!

 

[Chris M]

Watchet and Ilfracombe but not Taunton or Plymouth being intermediate stations between Bridgwater and Penzance is, err, interesting.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

As part of a series of alternative tube maps I’ve been working on, I made a tube map of Britain. It’s not very geographically accurate (but, hey, it’s a tube map) and I’ve had to add a few branches, stations etc. Please tell me what you think!

I started jokingly writing about the lack of scale between Crewe and Warrington, then looked further down and to the right and realised how much it actually looks like the tube map!

I was thinking of criticizing some things but thinking of the compromises between accuracy to real life and accuracy to the tube map I think most trade offs were good.

 

[jupiter]

I think it looks great! Tbh if it was a touch more accurate it would be great for trip planning. Nice one.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

I can see you worked hard on it but as it isn’t in the least bit accurate it has no use as a map.

 

[Sprigibax]

It was just supposed to be a little bit of fun…

 

[Deepgreen]

Really don't see the point of this as it is; a) riddled with spelling errors and, b) simply geographically and historically inaccurate to the point of just being a set of names against coloured lines. Just one example - Glencoe has never had any railway or station. Perhaps I am missing something...

 

[ikcdab]

Technically you have made a good job of this. It looks good. I just wondered about the reason you did it, given the huge leaps in imagination on the lines. What was the reason why you didn't stick to reality?

 

[InkyScrolls]

Trying to follow the S&C was... 'interesting' to say the least.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Trying to follow the S&C was... 'interesting' to say the least.

Would certainly allow some interesting (no changes required?) journey opportunities.

Manchester, Rochdale, Burnley, Settle, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby, Alston, cross near here over the Bradford - Burnley line, Hexham, Hawick, Galashiels, Edinburgh.

 

[ikcdab]

Minehead to Bridgend is an interesting one.....

 

[cadder toad]

I find it quite thought provoking. Its the London tube map but with names of stations across the whole uk replacing the familiar tube stations. What if a route map of uk rail services was drawn on a single rectangular sheet? For most of us, as the tube map recognises, geography is not critical. We want to know where to change and what service to take. (This has been said before by others on this forum.) There used to be an InterCity map of uk rail services but it was drawn into a roughly geographical shape. Well done!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There used to be an InterCity map of uk rail services but it was drawn into a roughly geographical shape.

Something like this version from May 1982? Doesn't use too many colours, but nevertheless quite clearly set out.

https://projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Inter-City%20schematic%20map%201982d.jpg

(Link to schematic map diagram of InterCity rail network, circa May 1982).

 

[Magdalia]

Alternative versions of Harry Beck's map, with different station names, have been around for a long time.

"The Great Bear" by Simon Patterson dates from 1992 and is part of the Tate Modern art collection, though, according to their website, it is not currently on display.

‘The Great Bear‘, Simon Patterson, 1992 | Tate

‘The Great Bear‘, Simon Patterson, 1992

www.tate.org.uk

The Great Bear is a four colour offset lithograph mounted in an anodised aluminium frame. It is an altered version of the map of the London Underground created by Henry (Harry) C. Beck (1903-74) in 1931. Patterson replaced the names of the underground stations with the names of engineers, philosophers, explorers, planets, journalists, footballers, musicians, film actors, saints, Italian artists, sinologues (Chinese scholars), comedians and 'Louis' (French kings).

The best alternative versions that I have seen are those where the real names of the station names are all translated into German and where the station names are all given as anagrams.

 

[thomalex]

Something like this version from May 1982? Doesn't use too many colours, but nevertheless quite clearly set out.

https://projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Inter-City%20schematic%20map%201982d.jpg

(Link to schematic map diagram of InterCity rail network, circa May 1982).

Strange how to you could do London to Leeds slightly quicker 2hr 10min than you can do now. And New Pudsey on there for some reason, hardly a major destination!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

And New Pudsey on there for some reason, hardly a major destination!

Believe that back in 1982, New Pudsey was occasionally served by through Inter City trains from Bradford Interchange to/from London Kings Cross

 

[Sprigibax]

Just one example - Glencoe has never had any railway or station.

It was more based on Britain’s geography than rail lines - for example I would prioritise larger towns which don’t have a rail station than smaller ones which do

 

[YorksLad12]

Alternative versions of Harry Beck's map, with different station names, have been around for a long time.

"The Great Bear" by Simon Patterson dates from 1992 and is part of the Tate Modern art collection, though, according to their website, it is not currently on display.

‘The Great Bear‘, Simon Patterson, 1992 | Tate

‘The Great Bear‘, Simon Patterson, 1992

www.tate.org.uk

The best alternative versions that I have seen are those where the real names of the station names are all translated into German and where the station names are all given as anagrams.

A line through Wembley, with a football connection? It'll never catch on.

 

[PTR 444]

Something like this version from May 1982? Doesn't use too many colours, but nevertheless quite clearly set out.

https://projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/Inter-City%20schematic%20map%201982d.jpg

(Link to schematic map diagram of InterCity rail network, circa May 1982).

Well, I never knew that the South Western, Brighton, Chatham and South Eastern main lines were once considered InterCity.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Well, I never knew that the South Western, Brighton, Chatham and South Eastern main lines were once considered InterCity.

If not "InterCity" branded as such, then perhaps 'Principal services'?

Previously discussed here...
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/intercity-in-the-southeast-during-the-1980s.203604/

 

[Horizon22]

"London" having just two lines is certainly a choice!

 

[InkyScrolls]

It was more based on Britain’s geography than rail lines - for example I would prioritise larger towns which don’t have a rail station than smaller ones which do

So what's the rationale for Glencoe?

 

[Sprigibax]

So what's the rationale for Glencoe?

It just seemed like a good place to put a station between Ciranlarich and Fort William, plus it was one of the first places to come up on Google maps

 

[birchesgreen]

Thats nice, i do maps myself sometimes. One example is a WM rail map i did a few years ago (becoming out of date now though!)

http://t80ms.uk/images/new-rail-map.png

 

[InkyScrolls]

It just seemed like a good place to put a station between Ciranlarich and Fort William, plus it was one of the first places to come up on Google maps

I see... I would suggest that Google Maps is probably not a good place to start!

 

[duncombec]

A few posters here seem to have had a sense of humour by-pass...

Personally, I love the idea of there being a non-HS1 Kent-Essex rail link, even if Basildon wouldn't be my first choice! It's a very nice attempt to get the geography vaguely right in connection with a slightly doctored tube... sorry, Underground map.

As others have said, I would work on correcting the spelling of places as the next step, then see what other improvements you could make.