Chronoyster - 23 December 1865

On 23 December 1865, the Metropolitan District Railway (as it was now known) extended from Farringdon to Moorgate.

Route map of London Underground as it was 23 December 1865

Barbican

The memorial plaque to much-missed station cat Pebbles...

... and the "lifetime achievement award" Pebbles was due to receive with partner Barbie, but sadly he died before it could be presented.

Moorgate

The Metropolitan seems to be the one line that didn't like playing nicely with the others. When the iconic roundel was introduced, the Met went with this diamond. It's not an original sign by the way.

Next : 1 February 1866

Chronoyster - 1 July 1864

On 1 July 1864, the Metropolitan Railway opened a new branch from Ladbroke Grove heading to Kensington (Olympia) instead of Hammersmith. The actual branching point was west of where Latimer Road now is. This link connected to what is now the London Overground north of the current Shepherd's Bush Overground station. The link closed in 1940, so I had to use the Chronoyster on the Overground from Shepherd's Bush down to Olympia.

Route map of London Underground as it was 1 July 1864

Kensington (Olympia)

Next : 23 December 1865

Chronoyster - 13 June 1864

The first expansion of the Underground came on 13 June 1864, when the Metropolitan Railway extended from Paddington to Hammersmith, with two intermediate stations.

Route map of London Underground as it was 13 June 1864

Ladbroke Grove

Shepherd's Bush Market

Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City / Circle)

Next : 1 July 1864

Chronoyster - 10 January 1863

The first post in this series features the first seven stations that opened with the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863. Wikipedia has Edgware Road as opening on 1 October 1863. Sam Cullen of https://innsidetrack.wordpress.com goes by that list, but I can't find any source that indicates why Edgware Road opened later than the other stations. I suspect that someone (probably American) misunderstood the format of the date 10/01/1863.

I'm trying to take a photo for each station, related to art, design or architecture, or of some notable oddity. If necessary, a location close to the station. But keeping away from anything railway related.

Route map of London Underground as it was 10 January 1863

Paddington (Hammersmith & City / Circle)

I'd never been to look at the "Rolling Bridge" at Paddington Basin, so I took this opportunity. It was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the same man who designed the "New Routemaster" bus and the Olympic cauldron for London 2012. It has to be the most pointless location for a bridge - the channel it crosses is a dead end about 30 feet long.

Edgware Road (Circle / District / Hammersmith & City)

This is "Wrapper", the 2012, artwork by Jacqueline Poncelet, which wraps an electricity sub-station at Edgware Road, from outside the station and from the platform.

Baker Street

Great Portland Street

Euston Square

A location just around the corner from the station now. Apparently, Giuseppe Mazzini once lived at 187 North Gower Street. Has anybody noticed how they cover the blue plaque when 187 North Gower Street plays 221B Baker Street?

King's Cross St. Pancras

A picture of the cash cow that is the queue waiting to be pictured at Platform 9 3/4.

Statue of famous locomotive designer Sir Nigel Gresley.

Farringdon

Next : 13 June 1864

Chronoyster

After (almost) completing my Labyrinth Challenge in 2016, I've been trying to come up with a new "gimmick" for 2017. Inspired by the recent 154th anniversary of the Underground, I've decided I'm going to visit every station in chronological order according to when they first opened, or more accurately when they first saw trains in the service of what we would now recognise as the Underground.

I know what you thinking, that guy has already done that as a pub crawl (I know, Sam Cullen,
https://innsidetrack.wordpress.com), but what difference should that make? I'm also thinking of expanding it slightly by also including stations that are still open that were once, but are no longer, Underground stations. The former East London Line, which is now part of Overground, for instance.

Having done the Labyrinth Challenge, I can now say that I have either stepped onto or stepped off of (often both) a train at all 270 Underground stations. But often, if the Labyrinth was on the platform or anywhere else inside the ticket barriers, I didn't actually see much of the station. Even if the Labyrinth was in the ticket hall, so I had to exit the barriers and re-enter, I didn't leave the station property, except when I had to walk or catch a bus to the next one. So, this time, I'm going to take my time, leave the station and have a proper look around.

I'm going to buy a new Oyster card, which I will use only for this project, which I will call the "Chronoyster". When I request a journey history, that will be the log of my travels.

So I start with my first 7 stations, by going back to 10 January 1863...

Alphabet challenge

On Saturday, I did the Alphabet Challenge (http://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge/alphatop.htm). This involves starting at a station with a name starting with A, then going to one starting with B and so on. There are no stations starting with J, X, Y or Z. They must also be visited in order - if you pass through a C on your way from A to B, it doesn't count and you have to visit that C (or another) after the B.

Start at ALDGATE
Circle to Liverpool Street, dep. 10:01:34, arr. 10:02:55
Central, via BANK & CHANCERY LANE to Bond Street, dep. 10:06:49, arr. 10:18:00
Jubilee to DOLLIS HILL, dep. 10:20:28, arr. 10:36:04
Jubilee to Finchley Road, dep. 10:38:37, arr. 10:45:31
Metropolitan, via EUSTON SQUARE to FARRINGDON, dep. 10:46:21, arr. 11:02:37
Metropolitan, via GREAT PORTLAND STREET & HARROW-ON-THE-HILL to ICKENHAM, dep. 11:03:33, arr. 11:49:43
Metropolitan to KINGS CROSS ST. PANCRAS, dep. 11:52:04, arr. 12:35:27
Piccadilly to LEICESTER SQUARE, dep. 12:38:27, arr. 12:44:32
Northern to Tottenham Court Road, dep. 12:46:28, arr. 12:47:23
Central, via MARBLE ARCH to NOTTING HILL GATE, dep. 12:49:39, arr. 13:00:11
Central to OXFORD CIRCUS, dep. 13:04:27, arr. 13:12:42
Bakerloo, via PADDINGTON to QUEEN'S PARK, dep. 13:14:27, arr. 13:30:44
Bakerloo, via REGENT'S PARK to Oxford Circus, dep. 13:33:14, arr. 13:48:11
Central, via ST. PAUL'S to Bank, dep. 13:50:54, arr. 14:17:11
Transfer to Monument
District, via TOWER HILL to UPTON PARK, dep. 14:22:28, arr. 14:43:49
Special Circle to VICTORIA, dep. 14:45:40, arr. 15:18:43
District to WESTMINSTER, dep. 15:19:49, arr. 15:22:55

Elapsed time = 5:21:21

The big delay was being held behind a broken down train on the eastbound Central line. Oxford Circus to Bank took 26 minutes compared to the 9 minutes in the timetable.

Labyrinth Challenge - 236 to 270

236. Gloucester Road

237. High Street Kensington

238. Bayswater

239. Edgware Road (District / Circle / Hammersmith & City)

240. Paddington (Circle / Hammersmith & City)

241. Royal Oak

242. Westbourne Park

243. Ladbroke Grove

244. Latimer Road

245. Wood Lane

246. Shepherd's Bush Market

247. Goldhawk Road

248. Hammersmith (Circle / Hammersmith & City)

249. Hammersmith (District / Piccadilly)

250. Barons Court

251. West Kensington

252. Ravenscourt Park

253. Stamford Brook

254. Turnham Green

255. Gunnersbury

256. Kew Gardens

257. Richmond

258. Chiswick Park

259. Acton Town

260. South Ealing

261. Northfields

262. Boston Manor

263. Osterley

264. Hounslow East

265. Hounslow Central

266. Hounslow West

267. Hatton Cross

268. Heathrow Terminal 4

269. Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 & 3

270. Heathrow Terminal 5

Restart (at South Kensington) : 08:20:41, Monday 31 October 2016
Finish : 13:02:25
Elapsed time : 4 hr 41 min 44 sec
Total challenge time : 39 hr 36 min 23 sec

Distance travelled on the Undersground : 47.64 km
Total Underground challenge distance : 407.23 km