Moorgate, etc.

(Apologies for the consdierable delay, this is last Tuesday's post).

I hate early mornings :( I was awoken very early today by horrible cramp in my left calf which left me feeling still horribly sore this morning. I didn't get up very promptly either and was running decidedly late. I think I must have arrived at ROV at around 08:20 and was delighted to be able to take a moderately empty RUG train (which I noticed was being driven in coded on its way into ROV) all the way to LIS. I don't think there's all that much to say about the journey in to LIS, except to wonder whether it's just been decided that the Central line will no longer bother with sonia? :P I understand that the Central line is under growing pressure to carry more and more people; but with its age and also its fleet - which is probably too small and wasn't the pinnacle of engineering excellence when new - I really think that more could be achieved by looking after the rolling stock and the P-way and taking a slightly broader attitude to public transport than by trying to run night tubes and 34(?) tph. But what do I know?

I changed at LIS and, what with my still slightly dodgy leg, didn't bother trying to get on the full Wembley Park which left shortly after I arrived on the platform. I can't actually remember, but I'm pretty sure I then let a Hammersmith train go and got on an all stations Chesham, on which I could be sure of a seat. There wasn't much of note on the way to Euston Sq. apart from a brief dwell on the westbound approaching King's X where we happened to stop alongside the disused King's X platforms, which I thought was rather fun. Apparently the disused platforms on the Met (I assume that includes these ones) can be used in emergencies for tipping out trains. Now that would be fun.

I also noticed work going on on Moorgate's platform 6, which I'll return to at the end.

For now, just a brief mention of what was a beautiful return trip. Took a Barking train to LIS, passing - as I did so - a Circle line train in Moorgate platform 3 (couldn't see any signs of work still in progress on platform 6) and changed for an EPP. I took that as far as LES and changed there for the WOO via HAI which was behind it. The views between NEP and HAI and CHI and ROV in particular were magnificent today. Naturally we had short dwells at HAI and GRH as is become the norm, but otherwise it was smooth and I think I arrived at ROV at almost precisely the time I would have done if I'd gone via WOO. Much nicer journey round the loop, though - and not only because of the views, but no endless waiting at WOO :P

Moorgate

As regular readers of this blog may remember (and as might anyone, really, who paid attention to the 150 paraphernalia last year), the first bona fide underground railway in the world was opened in 1863 by the Metropolitan railway. The line ran from Paddington (Bishop's Road) to Farringdon Street. Paddington (Bishop's Road) is today the station on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines and is, of course, simply called Paddington. The next station was Edgware Road, which is today's Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines), then there was Baker Street (the original platforms are the ones currently served by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines), Portland Road (Great Portland Street) and Gower Street (Euston Square). The next station was King's Cross, although the original platforms are now, I think, disused, but were transferred to Thameslink before finally being replaced by platforms at St. Pancras. I, of course, need hardly point out that today's equivalent, though, is King's Cross St. Pancras. And the terminus was Farringdon Street. The original Farringdon Street building was moved slightly and the relocated station eventually became today's Farringdon, of course.

This short railway was never going to be enough, as had become clear, I think, before it had even been built. As a result, the line was extended in 1865 to Aldersgate Street (Barbican) and then Moorgate Street (Moorgate). It was then further extended in 1875 to Liverpool Street (G.E.R (Great Eastern Railway)). In addition, to cater for additional traffic from other railway companies, it was decided to make the line between King's Cross and Moorgate Street four track. The additional two tracks are known as the City Widened Lines (or just the Widened Lines) and run slightly apart from the main London Underground route. Passengers familiar with this section of line will have noticed (currently disused) additional platforms at Barbican:

The (currently disused) Widened Lines platforms at Barbican. When this picture was taken, this particular platform (I believe referred to as the "Up Moorgate platform") was in use, although the platform on the far right (Down Moorgate) was not usually called at. The Underground lines and platforms are on the left. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

And the Thameslink line which crosses underneath London Underground's tracks just west of Farringdon and runs alongside them up to King's X:

The Widened Lines. In the background is Farrindon station. The two tracks on the left are London Underground's tracks, the two track on the right are the Widened Lines, currently used by Thameslink. Behind us, the Widened Lines actually dive under the Underground tracks and the two switch sides. (Image courtesy Danny Robinson (via Wikipedia))

These features are part of the Widened Lines.

Now, as I've mentioned, the Widened Lines were mainly built for use by other companies, although the Metropolitan Railway also made use of them in the early days. A connection to the long-since disused Snow Hill station was opened, which joins the Widened lines between Barbican (then, of course, Aldersgate Street) and Farringdon. In 1871 an also long-since disused connection called the Smithfield curve was opened, connecting Barbican with Snow Hill:

A diagram showing the track layout between Farringdon Street (Farringdon) and Aldersgate Street (Barbican), most notably Snow Hill Junction. This is intended to illustrate the explanation above and some of what is still to come :P I have also included the dates of opening and all of this information is courtesy of the Railway Clearing House map taken from a 1961 Railway Magazine article, which is included in this marvellous "London Reconnections" article

Even Snow Hill (unfortunately, or happily, depending on your point of view) doesn't have a very simple history. On the diagram above you can see the track of the London Chatham & Dover Railway (LCDR) marked in blue and it is this railway with which we begin. As the name rather suggests, this railway was built to provide services from Kent (Chatham and Dover) to London. It has an interesting - but ultimately unsuccessful - history and had gone bankrupt by 1867, less than 10 years after it began operating as the East Kent Railway (EKR) in 1858. It did, however, continue until 31/12/1922, when it joined with other companies to form the Southern Railway.

Anyway, this railway - the LCDR -  operated a relatively short branch from Herne Hill to Elephant & Castle, with numerous intermediate stations opened progressively throughout the early 1860s. An extension from Elephant & Castle to Blackfriars Bridge was then opened on 01/06/1864.  Blackfriars Bridge was soon superseded by St. Paul's which, confusingly, has now been renamed Blackfriars and is today's London Blackfriars station. The Central line's St. Paul's was originally called Post Office (if you're familiar with the Central line's signal identification system, you'll probably agree that this was a very felicitous change of name :P).

Anyway, before long, the line was further extended to Ludgate Hill, which opened on the 01/06/1865 as that railway's new terminus. Then, as you can see from the diagram, on 01/01/1866 the connection to the City Widened Lines was built and LCDR and GNR (Great Northern Railway) services began to operate over the Widened Lines. The trains would serve Farringdon and then continue onto the GNR via King's Cross (although Wikipedia's diagram rather implies King's Cross was not actually served by these trains, although a station was certainly, I gather, in existence there on the Widened Lines and may have been served by other railways, including the Metropolitan Railway).

So anyway (which is fast becoming my favourite word, I think), where am I going with all of this?  Well the LCDR was what is technically referred to as a crap railway and its station at Ludgate Hill couldn't cope with the demand. As a result, a new station - Holborn Viaduct - was constructed and opened on 02/03/1874 - paid for by a consortium of some kind. Now Holborn Viaduct was built as the terminus of a very short spur leading off of the line from Ludgate Hill to Farringdon Street and it was intended that this would be used as a terminus for main line and continental trains, although I don't think the anticipated service levels ever really materialised. In addition, additional platforms were constructed slightly to the north and they made up Snow Hill, which later became Holborn Viaduct Low Level. This was served by trains heading onto Farringdon and the Widened Lines and also by trains heading onto Aldersgate Street (Barbican) and Moorgate Street (Moorgate) via the Smithfield Curve:

A little diagram to help you out showing a simplified map of the area to illustrate everything I've said above

Anyway, nowadays, a lot of this is changed.  First to go was the Smithfield curve, which was lost in 1916. There's a lot more history to this fascinating area, but the main purpose of all of this was simply to give a bit of background. For instance, I've completely ignored the Smithfield Goods depot, the Metropolitan Railway's Vine Street depot and many other intriguing points of railway history which are brilliantly discussed in two "London Reconnections" articles, one of which I've already linked to: one, two.

Today, Thameslink operates services through Farringdon. These services join the Widened lines between Barbican and Farringdon (using the original route opened from Snow Hill I mentioned above, the Smithfield Curve now gone). From Farringdon trains head on, along the Widened Lines, to King's Cross and off along the main Thameslink line heading north towards Bedford. In the other direction, trains leave the Widened lines and head down to a new station - City Thameslink - and on south towards Brighton. Holborn Viaduct largely replaced Ludgate Hill, which was closed on 03/03/1929 and Snow Hill (/Holborn Viaduct Low Level) closed when services through the Snow Hill tunnel on to Farringdon were discontinued in 1916 (although goods trains ran on these tracks until the late '60s and then eventually, of course, a service along this track was resurrected when Thameslink came along in the 80s). Holborn Viaduct was then completely replaced itself by the new City Thameslink station (which incorporated some of its buildings I believe). Anyway, this is the Thameslink service we have today.

A simplified diagram showing today's service

As well as this, Thameslink services along the Widened Lines to Moorgate did continue until March 2009, when they were finally ceased for major Thameslink work.

This, then, is the long history of platforms 5 & 6 at Moorgate (and the additional platforms (3 & 4) at Barbican). They were first opened by the Metropolitan Railway on the City Widened Lines. Services using these platforms were eventually taken over by Thameslink, which finally closed the branch in 2009, leaving the platforms disused.

Now, however, there is talk of converting the old Thameslink Moorgate branch (originally, of course, part of the Widened Lines) into overlarge stabling sidings for the S stock - in part to compensate for the loss of the sidings at Farringdon (which are too short for the S stock) and the newly created inconvenience of using other reversing facilities in the area. Some of you may remember one of my very first posts discussed the problems with using the crossover at Farringdon (problems which also apply to that at Liverpool Street). It is my understanding that these will continue to be used as emergency crossovers, but they will be a nuisance operationally, for the trains are just too long. Which is where the Widened Lines "mega sidings" (a name I have coined myself, don't expect to see that on any TfL press releases :P) come in.

All of which, while I've got you, gives me the perfect opportunity to just briefly revisit the layout at Moorgate (just the platforms you can see (4 out of 6 of which you can currently use :P) on the sub-surface lines - not the Northern line platforms, or the national rail platforms). Again, I've talked about this before, but I'm back with diagrams and armed with a better understanding of the history :P

This, then, is Moorgate station:

Moorgate tube station on the subsurface lines. This photograph was taken from eastbound platform 1, called at by trains heading towards Liverpool Street. On our left is westbound platform 2, called at by trains heading towards Barbican, as the C stock in the picture is doing. The other 'half', if you like, of that platform is westbound platform 3, a bay platform, from which trains can proceed to Barbican. Westbound platform 4 is the next platform just visible on the left, which also serves a bay road from which trains can proceed to Barbican. London Underground now finishes and, with it, in service platforms. The other two platforms are the widened lines platforms which used to be used by Thameslink trains. Platform 5 is the other 'half' of platform 4, a bay platform from which trains can proceed to Barbican and platform 6 is on the extreme left. You will be astonished to discover that platform 6 is a bay platform from which trains can proceed to Barbican. Well, they could do, no trains call there anymore - for now, at least. (Image courtesy Chris McKenna (via Wikipedia))

 Another view, which I've used before on this blog, is shown below:

This time we're standing on westbound platform 4 and London Underground's two bay roads are very visible. The currently disused platform 5 is on our left, the other 'half' of this platform and the disused platform 6 is on the far left. Platforms 3 & 2 are, of course, on the right and eastbound platform 1is not really visible, but you can make out a C stock train standing in the platform on the far right. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

Clear? Let's have a diagram :P

A diagram showing the track layout around Moorgate. As before on this blog, a stripey platform is disused. As, these days, is the whole of the black Thameslink line shown here and Barbican's Thameslink platforms

Until the next time :)