An All-Over Train on the Overground
I took these pictures at Canonbury station on the North London line.
I’m not sure, whether I like the concept, but I suppose it brings in money.
Clapham High Street and Clapham North Stations
Clapham High Street station will be on the London Overground from December 2012 and Clapham North station is on the Northern Line. So how do they rate as an interchange?
This picture shows the view of Claphsm North from under the bridge by Clapham High Street station.
Looking Towards Clapham North Station
The station is in the distance on the right. And this shows the view the other way.
Looking Back at Clapham High Street Station
It’s not too far to walk and Clapham North station does have escalators. But it also has rather a scary platform.
A Scary Platform at Clapham North
With a tricky set of stairs to get down to it.
Tricky Stairs at Clapham North Station
It was a station that I was glad to leave on a train.
I asked how the two stations rated as an interchange. I managed to use them successfully, but the platfdorm gave me the willies.
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Over The Top of Brixton and Loughborough Junction Stations
Today I wanted to get another view of Brixton and Loughborough Junction stations, so I took a train from Victoria to Peckham Rye and then back to Clapham High Street station.
You can see how high up the line is and the two tracks that will form the London Overground are much higher than the parallel tracks that pass through Brixton.
More Train Doors
I took a few more pictures yesterday.
Note that most are not much better than the first ones I took and posted here.
The strange one is that the Overground at Dalston Junction station is virtually flat, but it isn’t at Highbury and Islington station. As there is only one class of train on the line, surely the step should be the same.
The London bus which may be slightly higher was taken with a typical kerb, but the step up is generally lower. Remember too, that this door on all London buses has a wheelchair ramp, which unfolds from under the bus.
I Finally Get to Loughborough Junction Station
Today all of the trains were running and I was able to get to Loughborough Junction station.
The pictures don’t really do, one of the worst stations I’ve visited in recent years, justice. It had the usual long difficult staircases to the trains, narrow platforms, difficult access for the elderly, the disabled and buggy pushers and no visible staff. It did though have what looked to be a reasonable cafe, but as I was running late, I didn’t have have time for a coffee.
But as it is on a major cross-London route, you’d hope it would be a station on the list of stations to be improved. I’ve searched the Internet and Lounghborough Junction station is not slated for any improvement in the next few years. I did find this blog post, moaning about lack of improvements in the area.
In the pictures, you’ll see the line, that will take the London Overground on its way to Clapham Junction station. This is to the right in the pictures, with the line to the left leading to Denmark Hill station. Putting platforms on the London Overground on this line here, has been dismissed on the grounds of cost, just as they have been at Brixton.
This may be right, but it just shows what a mess has been left by Victorian railway engineers in this area.
However, linking the London Overground to an improved Thameslink at this point, may offer a very much better financial case, than to link with the Underground at Brixton, which is linked because of the Victoria line to larege numbers of important places in the capital anyway, but of course to nothing towards the south, like Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
It is one of these problems that needs imagination. A good architect might be able to produce an elegant connection between the two lines and then link it to the ground on the other side of Coldharbour Lane to the current station entrance. Looking at the local bus map, shows that the area is well served by bus routes, so perhaps we could make Loughborough Junction a true interchange in the east of Brixton.
I just think that London can be improved by providing proper bus/rail interchanges and Loughborough Junction could be another, to join Stratford, Canning Town and West Hampstead, that have been created in recent years.
Whether Loughborough Junction could be one is debatable though, especially as I was told at London Bridge by a ticket inspector, that First Capital Connect, don’t want the connection built. That surprised me, as the link would not be built, if it wasn’t going to be used. And users would mean money for the company.
Trying To Get To Loughborough Junction
Yesterday, I had rather a wasted journey, as I was trying to get to Loughborough Junction station, so that I could see the bridges there for the London Overground. I started by going to St. Pancras station, but Thameslink wasn’t running, so I was advised by staff there to go to London Bridge station. But there were no trains there either, so I just came home and watched the football on the television.
In the evening, I had dinner with my son near Liverpool Street and he had difficulty getting in from Walthamstowe, as the Victoria line wasn’t running. I know engineering work needs to be done, but why is it always on the same day?
Today will be just as bad, so maybe I’ll try on Tuesday!
A Return to Brixton Station
When I went to Brixton in the week, I felt that a return visit might be in order to see Brixton station. So yesterday I went and took these pictures.
Note the picture I took of the underneath of the bridge that will carry the Overground to Clapham Junction over the station. It all goes to emphasise what a complete mess the railways in the area are.
In the next few days, if not today, I shall visit Loughborough Junction station, to see the mess the Victorians created there.
At least the artworks improve the station, which is not one of the UK’s finest. But integrate the three lines at Brixton properly, with perhaps a shopping centre and you might be able to create an interchange of which everybody could be proud.
The New London Overground Platform at Clapham Junction
The new platform 1 at Clapham Junction station to accomodate both ends of the main circular London Overground route is nearing completion, as these pictures show.
The train in the picture will use the West London Line to get to Stratford.
It would also appear, that when the extension to the East London Line opens in December this year, that there will be a new station entrance.
Could the London Overground Call at Brixton?
The London Overground extension of the East London Line to Clapham Junction station goes on a viaduct across a lot of South London and before flying right over the top of Brixton tube station to reach its destination by way of Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road stations. This picture show the two bridges that cross Brixton Road to the north of the tube station.
The Two Rail Bridges Over Brixton Road
The high bridge in the foreground will carry the London Overground, whereas the one just visible behind takes the main line trains to and from Victoria. The picture was actually taken from the entrance tro the tube station and you can see how difficult it would be to get passengers between the two levels.
Turn the corner into Atlantic Road and you see how difficult the problem is.
The Overground Flies Over Brixton Station
The track that will take the Overground extension, now flies over Brixton railway station. It is almost as if, the designer of the rail lines in the area, went out of his way to make connecting them difficult, To further complicate matters, there used to be an East Brixton railway station on the line that the Overground will use. This was closed in 1976 and demolished soon afterwards.
If the East Brixton station was to be rebuilt, it does give some interesting connection options, albeit with a bit of a walk.
I tend to think that the only solution would be to spend millions to create a proper interchange station, that connects all of the three lines; Victoria, East London and main line together. But in the present financial climate that is impossible.
One point is that today, after seeing Brixton, I took a 35 bus to Clapham Junction station. It is obvious, that one of the UK’s busiest stations needs a proper connection to the Underground network. It is possible the Northern Line extension will eventually deliver this. At present the best you can do is to take a train to either Waterloo or Vauxhall stations and get the Underground from there.
Honor Oak Park Station
Honor Oak Park station is on the East London Line and it is a station I passed through on the way to see Ipswich play at Crystal Palace this afternoon.
But why is it spelt the American way?
It is actually spelt in the proper old English way from the Latin roots, which of course Americans would have originally used. There is a discussion here. Note that the girl’s name as in, the actress, Honor Blackman is also spelt without the u.
So don’t write to London Overground and complain!
The Anonymous Widower 