BusTalk

[traildriver]

I wasn't aware of the old "fourth rail" system used by the Underground...had to look it up for an explanation on wiki.

Reminds me of the need for trolleybuses to have a 'return' wire...

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Also from the aforemtioned book:

".....north of Queen's Park on the Bakerloo line, and, also, on the Richmond and Wimbledon branches of the District line, Underground trains run over lines using the third-rail principal......."

"......the fourth rail, here, is a 'dummy', provided to accommodate the shoes of Underground trains. It is bonded to the running rails, through which the current is returned via the wheels and axles of third rail BR trains....."

".....a disadvantage of using relatively low voltage DC current is the need of frequent substations by the lineside. The heavy currents involved and the cost of equipment were among the reasons that BR eventually adopted AC overhead traction in the 1950's. ....

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The massive, now-disused Underground Lots Road Power Station ("The Moving Spirit of London").......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lots_Road_Power_Station

Also of interest.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulham_Power_Station

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The aforementioned Lots Road Power station was constructed by the "Metropolitan District Electric Traction Company"; at the time of its 1905 construction, it was the largest electrical generating plant in Europe, and one of the largest in the world.....

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

The historic 1906 Greenwich Power Station, upgraded to modern standards, will continue to power the Underground and its trains......

https://www.cityam.com/london-underground-s-getting-new-source-power-will-save-london-money-well-reducing-carbon/

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

On an interesting related note.......

Until the last London trams ran in July, 1952, there were a number of narrow streets where bus, trolleybus, and tram routes operated side-by-side.

In such locations, the trams and the trolleybuses shared the overhead, with the trams drawing power from the positive trolleybus wires...

"NYO"

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Here are interesting historical photos/diagrams/information on the conduit tram system in London; as you can see, the "changeover" points (plough-to-pole) were quite different from what was used on TARS routes and, also, in DC......

https://dewi.ca/trains/conduit/ploughs.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/conduit/oddities.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/conduit/tracks.html

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....in 1906, the London County Council Tramway Company opened its own generating station at Greenwich, built there in order to insure easy access for barges and ships bringing coal for the massive boilers.

This new power station was designed to produce up to 34,000 kW, but, when later transferred to the new London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) in 1933, its rated capacity was increased to 87,000 kW.

It was also claimed that this massive facility was the largest municipal power station of its kind in the world....

From: "LONDON'S TRAMS AND TROLLEYBUSES" (John R. Day)

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Here are several nostalgic galleries of vintage photos depicting London's trolleybuses, buses, Tubes, and sub-surface lines as they were, many years ago..

Indeed, much public transport variety and diversity In London, back in the day!

https://dewi.ca/trains/london/buses.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/london/tubes.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/london/trains.html (MU stock and steam)

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The rich and diverse history of the London Underground......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_London_Underground

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Excellent gallery of historic photos detailing London's trams in their last years (the final cars ran in July, 1952)..........

https://dewi.ca/trains/london/trams.html

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The diminutive, oft-forgotten Glasgow Subway (UndergrounD); this line originally used cable traction until the trains were electrified in 1935.

Here you will find both historic and modern photos (as well as historical information on the "Clockwork Orange"), taken both underground, and above (station entrances)

Note, also, when the circular system was electrified in 1935, a separate pick-up was utilized for train lighting........

https://dewi.ca/trains/g_subway/index.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/g_subway/below.html

https://dewi.ca/trains/g_subway/above.html

See also*:

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?111151

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?111152

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?90283

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?126103

https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?126107

(courtesy: nycsubway.org)

*Note the resemblence (inside and out) to modern Tube stock in London......

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Two years prior to the last London tram operations, LT sold 92 of the handsome, modern "FELTHAM" cars to Leeds, where they continued to run until that system was converted.

This extensive gallery of old photos shows the once-complex tram network in Leeds, and, also, a number of the ex-London "FELTHAM" cars.....

https://dewi.ca/trains/leeds/index.html

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The long-gone Liverpool Overhead Railway (the second oldest electric metropolitan railway in the world) closed in 1956; this was the closest thing to a "Noo Yawk" elevated line in the British Isles.

It was also the first electric elevated line in the world, and, also, the first to use MU equipment and automatic signalling.

Unlike the legacy of the "Fab Four", the old Liverpool Overhead Railway has long since vanished......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Overhead_Railway

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/collections/social-history/overhead-railway