Not Under Ground Underground 2

 fbb's Fairly Basic Bludner

On Monday, fbb reported that the line between Portsmouth and Southampton was electrified in 1967 at the same time as the services from Waterloo. WRONG! It was juiced at the same time as the line from Fareham to Eastleigh roughly 23 years later.

Here is the note from corrective correspondent Steve.

The line from Portsmouth to Southampton, and Fareham to Eastleigh, were both electrified in 1990. 

From that date the main changes were that the Waterloo – Eastleigh – Portsmouth electric service was introduced (previously a Portsmouth – Eastleigh diesel shuttle), and a new Southern service from Victoria – Fareham – Southampton – Bournemouth - Wareham using the previous freight-only north side of the triangular junction at Farlington was introduced. 

Wareham Train at Bournemouth?

Ironically the fastest service between Portsmouth and Southampton, despite electrification, was (and remains) the GWR service to Cardiff which omits the stop at Swanwick.

In a wonderful example of illustrating how ‘stuck’ the railway can become, the signage at Portchester Station, replaced at least once since the service to Wareham was cut back to terminate at Southampton in the (I think) early noughties ... 

Southern Train at Southampton

... still refers to Bournemouth, Poole and Wareham as destinations. And yet does not refer (for platform 2) to Havant, Chichester or Brighton.

Good, Innit?

Thanks Steve!

Underground Main Line?

The Metropolitan Railway in London began as a short steam hauled line ...

... between Farringdon in the City and Paddington, way out west.

There were many extensions over the years but "The Extension" ran all the way to Aylesbury and beyond.

Its first line connected the main-line railway termini at Paddington, Euston, and King's Cross to the City. The first section was built beneath the New Road using cut-and-cover between Paddington and King's Cross and in tunnel and cuttings beside Farringdon Road from King's Cross to near Smithfield, near the City. It opened to the public on 10 January 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives.

The line was soon extended from both ends, and northwards via a branch from Baker Street. 

Southern branches, directly served, reached Hammersmith in 1864, Richmond in 1877 and the original completed the Inner Circle in 1884. 

These suburban sections were the first to be electrified.

The most important route was northwest into the Middlesex countryside, stimulating the development of new suburbs. Harrow was reached in 1880, and from 1897, having achieved the early patronage of the Duke of Buckingham and the owners of Waddesdon Manor, services extended for many years to Verney Junction in rural Buckinghamshire.

The "Extension" was steam hauled at first ...

... with varnished wooden coaches.

Subsequently most of the line was electrified with trains being hauled by electric locomotives.

One delightful feature of the Company's operations was the tiny Brill branch.

It is weird to think that in 1933 this rural railway backwater became part of London Underground.

Sadly the branch was closed and the "Met" rationalised to run very much as today.

Another unfulfilled aspiration would have been to extend the associated Great Central Railway to run from Manchester via Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Rugby and London on to the south coast and via a Channel Tunnel to Europe.

It never "happened" south of London (until 1994!) And through trains from the north to e.g. Paris will probably never happen.

The international main line aspirations of "the Met" did not materialised and its "real railway" ideals became subsumed into a London 'metro" style operation.

Later came "A" stock and today's supper slinky "S" stock. 

But some "heritage" activity remains.

See the blog on  Friday . which will link the Metropolitan Line with ex BR 4TC rolling stock.

Yes He  Did!

More when the old man has had a chance to play with his latest toy. 

The check table cloth in festive red (as opposed to the usuasl plastic!) is an indication that from Friday last until Monday, the fbbs were joined by two sons and a daughter-in-law for an early Christmas c/w with Church and Seasonal nosh on Sunday.

As they said back in the fbb's Sheffield days, "It were Grand!"

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"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  11 

Virgin Birth - Impossible!

It was the prophet Isaiah who probably set that ball rolling. About 700BC he wtote:- 

Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people - do you have to wear out God's patience too? Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a virgin who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.

Then Gospel writer Luke completed the picture when he reported Mary's meeting with and angel.

?

Best forget blue frock; a tradition but without evidence; she would not have been able to afford such a luxury. Next forget wings as well; angels are only reported as having wings in heaven. "Bright countenance" and "shining clothing" on earth maybe, but more likely they looked like normal humans.

See "Clarence" in "This Wonderful Life".

Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message. The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. 

A pregnant virgin is NOT impossible! It is, obviously, impossible for humans. But God is not, by definition, limited by human gynaecology! He is God.

An unmarried teenager with an illegitimate child is at the centre of the first CHRISTmas? Really?

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 Next TC4 Underground blog : Weds 11th December