21 January 2012

Along the lines - Metropolitan line

For the Sketchbook Project I'm "writing the lines" - each of the lines that make up what used to be known as London Underground - in alphabetical order. I won't bore you with each one; this is an example. I started in July and have just one left to do - Waterloo & City line - which is just one stop. 

One of the longer lines is the Metropolitan line (67 km - 42 miles, of which only 6 miles is underground). The first underground line in the world, its first section was opened in 1863. The line is now is used by about 190,000 passengers on a weekday (map from here) -

When I get to the end of each line (and some lines have more than two ends!) I take a few photos and sometimes leave the station to have a coffee or look for interesting shops. At Uxbridge, Frank's Coffee Shop, inside the station, was more interesting than the "chains" outside -
The station has a few "original features" -
One of the photos that is part of my "rules for this project" is the poster of train times. At each station along the line these posters give times for travelling to other stations. Producing them must be a small industry in itself -

Part of my journey was on the old-style cars (A stock) -
The new-style trains (S stock) have more standing room, and you can walk the length of the train - but they no longer are "metropolitan line purple" (real name: Corporate Magenta) -
The journey so far -



Hmmmm .... I started at King's Cross and dutifully travelled to the four western ends of the line - Uxbridge, Amersham, Chesham, Watford - but omitted going to the eastern end, Aldgate. With any luck, there will be room at the end of the sketchbook for a "Metropolitan line appendix" - it's only 5 stops.

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