I Track Down An Elusive Night Bus Map
A couple of weeks ago, when I was returning home, I thought I saw a new Transport for London Night Bus Map, drawn like a cross between one of their bus spider maps and the well-known, loved and understood tube map.
As I couldn’t find one either physically or on the Transport for London web site and I was coming round to the conclusion I’d imagined seeing the map.
But I finally found one today, that I could photograph at Walthamstow bus station.
North East London Night Bus Map
This one is for the whole of North East London, whereas mostbus spider maps are for a specfic location like say Kings Cross. It certainly better than the old black and white night ones for a larger area.
Why is it London maps seem to get better and better and much of the rest of the country seems to be stuck in 1950s or even earlier.
God Said All London Buses Must Be Red
London’s buses have always been red in my memory and according to this piece, which is a response to the question of why London’s buses are red, they’ve been predominately red since the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933. Although buses from the London General Omnibus Company had started using the colour in 1907.
Today though I saw my first New Routemaster in a full black advertising livery.
God Said All London Buses Must Be Red
I don’t think the bus suited the livery.
By the way, God or in London Transport’s case; Frank Pick, wouldn’t have liked this bus either, as it would grate with the overall philosophy he laid down for London’s transport system.
Has anybody else ever imposed their design philosophy on a city, as Frank Pick did for London to such a positive effect?
I wonder what he’d have thought of London’s New Routemaster.
One thing he would have liked was the process where Thomas Heatherwick was involved in the design of the bus. Pick in his years as London’s transport supremo, regularly hired the best architects and designers.
He was also prepared to back those, whose designs were unconventional, like Harry Beck‘s tube map, which has evolved to be one of the most recognisable maps in the world.
Hackney Downs Station’s Newly Painted Bridge
Hackney Downs Station has been a pain for me in recent months, as they have been refurbishing the bridge over Dalston Lane and this means that the 56 bus has been diverted and I can’t use it to get to the station for a trip to my son’s house in Walthamstow.
But it looks to be finished now and the 56 and 30 buses are back on their normal routes.
The next phase of the development at the station is completing the lifts and reinstating the walkway to Hackney Central station.
I suspect they’ll be getting the orange paint out for when the station becomes part of the Overground.
Under Silicon Roundabout
I had to pass through the maze of passages at Old Street Station underneath Silicon Roundabout this morning.
Someone has been decorating.
It’s certainly brightened up a dull corner of London.
Could Transport for London Run A Tourist Train On The East London Line?
The East London Line of the London Overground is a railway line with lots of history, that runs through the Thames Tunnel, which was built my the father and son, Marc and Isambard Brunel.
Could it be turned into a tourist attraction for East London, without interfering with its main function as a valuable cross-river railway line?
In Berlin, they used to run a specially-converted panorama train on the S-bahn, but I couldn’t find it on my last visit.
Obviously, to have a non-standard train or two would be expensive, but small modifications might be possible to enhance its value to visitors, when all the other modifications that will happen are taken into account.
For example, I think that in a few years time, a substantial number of London’s buses and trains will have free or more likely sponsored wi-fi. So could a tourist commentary be broadcast through this to passengers? As I detailed in this post, you can already download audio guides for the Docklands Light Railway.
The East London Line is covered by four services to four destinations in the south and two in the north. All go through the Thames Tunnel, but one between Dalston Junction and New Cross stations is a fair bit shorter than the others and the service is scheduled with just two trains, shuttling north and south every fifteen minutes with a wait time at each end of the line of eleven minutes.
So how could these trains and stations be improved to provide a better service for visitors?
1. I don’t know about New Cross, but Dalston Junction doesn’t have a café, although I think at both stations, there is space on the platforms for a quality coffee stall.
2. If the trains were wi-fi enabled, the trains could have video cameras giving forward and backward views as the train progressed.
3. I would also put sideways facing lights on the two trains, so that, when passing through the Thames Tunnel, the Victorian structure could be illuminated. One of the good features on the Class 378 is that they have fairly wide windows, that give a good view.
4. On the Overground, many trains used to have a conductor. But could a trained tourist guide/conductor be provided on these trains? I suspect they could.
The East London Line is a railway line unique in London and probably in the UK and the wider world, as where else do you pass through such an important Victorian tunnel, that is so rich in history and engineering, and is in such a superb state?
Assets should be made to sweat! Especially, where they have the potential to create jobs.
I’m Very Disappointed This Morning
One of my ambitions is to walk under the River Thames through the Thames Tunnel.
This weekend a walk through the tunnel is possible, as work on the line means no trains will be running. But all the tickets have gone!
I am very disappointed that I didn’t see the initial announcement. I suspect it was only displayed on the Brunel Museum website.
The Anonymous Widower 