150 years of the London Underground

[Mrs Vindecco]

The London Underground (known as the Tube to we in the UK) is 150 years old today and I thought I couldn't let this go by without a mention. Anytime I have visited London I have used the Underground and have marveled at his efficiency and the scale of this awesome piece of engineering. It might not be as cool as the Metro or New York's subway, but in comparison with the Clockwork Orange (nickname for the Glasgow Underground) it is truly incredible.




To commemorate the anniversary, Royal Mail are doing what they do best (no, not delivering the mail ;D ) and issuing some very funky stamps.



I think of this song, anytime I travel on the Tube. It was pretty much the constant song of my time at University (my regular haunt was a nightclub the Underground).



And to conclude an excellent tribute from The Guardian.

www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2013/jan/09/150-years-london-underground-pictures?CMP=SOCNETTXT6965

[Violet]

Wonderful post, Mrs V!

I love the Tube. Some of the lines are definitely more efficient than others but generally the service is brilliant.
I have taken the metro in Paris, the U-Bahn in Vienna, the TTC in Toronto, the BART in San Francisco and the metro in Brussels. They were all fantastic services but I'm really impressed with how straightforward the Tube is. It is practically impossible to get on the wrong train as there are always clear signs pointing you in the right direction. It really is a remarkable service with a fascinating history. 

I had to order those stamps when I saw them, they're wonderful. OK, I confess, I'm one of those nerdy stamp collectors. I missed that great article in The Guardian, thank you so much for posting it! 

[Mrs Vindecco]

My husband has only visited London once and was initially terrified slightly nervous about using the Underground, but he was quickly won over. It's awesome you got the stamps. There are not may I would go for and when I have bought them I tend to misplace them or some thieving swine uses them. I have to say stamp £1.28 stamp brings back bad memories. I'm not good with escalators (I have a weird phobia which I can mostly control) but I did throw a bit of a wobbler at Westminster station... at peak time and my poor husband had to half carry me down the bloody thing.

[Violet]

Wow. I can definitely relate. I have had a fear of escalators and steps since I was a child. I have humiliated myself on them on countless occasions. I love the Tube but hate those escalators. In my teens and early twenties I avoided the underground, I walked everywhere in London. When I got a bit older I started forcing myself to tackle the escalators. Now I have to do it because my partner adores the Tube and we end up taking it all over London. Some stations are worse than others, the escalators in some of them are so steep and seem to go on forever, I'm close to tears on those ones. I just stare at my feet and try to breathe deeply. Gloucester Road, High St. Kensington, Kew, Edgeware Road and Earls Court are nice, accessible stations. The worst thing about it is, you have to stand to the right to let commuters push past you. Argh!! It freaks me out so much. It also p****s me off because we all inevitably end up on the platform together and board the same train. So what was the point in being rude and taking risks?! Luckily for my partner, he has never had to carry me. I embarrass myself so much though and hold everyone up as I take ages to negotiate that first step and find the perfect point to step on escalators. I only ever wear skirts and dresses too so I have to hold it against me as I'm paranoid about it getting caught. I used to only go on them with my partner but I'm forcing myself to do it alone now. I was on one last night with bags and coffee in my hands and though I hated it and hesitated more than other people, I'm improving a little each time. I know I'll never be comfortable on the ones in the underground though. I'm so sorry to hear about your bad experience Westminster is a horrible station if you don't like escalators, I think it's probably one of the worst.

[endo]

I live close to D.C. here in the states and have been on the subway there many times. I wish it were more like the pics you posted.
It's dark and dirty and depressing. I've never been to New York, but I have some friends that live in NYC and once I get back on my feet financially I'm going to make it a point to go visit.
So, I definitely plan on checking out the subway there.

[woofy]

I love the London Underground. It's the only way I travel when I'm over there--even to and from the airport.
I remember the first time I followed a sign that read "Subway" in search of the trains. It seems that subway means an underground pedestrian tunnel under busy streets.
I've also ridden on the NY subway system quite a bit and even though they're very efficient, they're not as much fun as the London trains. Here in Philadelphia we have a comparatively simple subway system: one train N/S and another E/W. But we make up for it with a very elaborate commuter train network.

This is a documentary the National Geographic did on London's Underground:

[Mrs Vindecco]

I was talking to my husband today about various cities we would like to visit and I mentioned travelling by the Paris Metro and NY subway, but he said he would be too nervous to do that. Then again, there is very little chance I'll ever get to see NY because he's "to nervous" about visiting anywhere THAT big Oh, I can atill dream.