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Post by abe on Feb 3, 2011 20:26:18 GMT
I'm looking for some more information on the "Follow the lights" indicators that some of the complex stations were given. According to Rails Through the Clay these were introduced experimentally at Embankment around 1926, when the Hampstead Tube was extended south to Kennington. The LT Museum web site has this picture, which is from c.1950. For those who don't know, the idea was that passengers unfamiliar with a complex station would just follow the same colour of light through the station to the correct platform, the colour being allocated to a particular destination (so in the LTM picture, blue for Waterloo and yellow for Paddington). I'm unclear as to whether the 1926 experiment was a success, and the signs were then rolled out to other stations, and were still in place into 1950 and beyond, or whether this was two separate initiatives. How long did they last? Why were they removed (I presume because the colours ended up being confusing given that many passengers use line colours to navigate)? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks. |
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slugabed
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Post by slugabed on Feb 3, 2011 20:35:50 GMT
I can remember the coloured signs many years ago (late 60s? Early 70s?) but it seemed to be a "surviving feature" rather than something actively promoted.
I was aware that each main destination had a colour but there wasn't any supporting advertising etc. so it all seemed a bit pointless.
I'd be surprised if any signs survived much past 1980.....but I may be wrong on that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2011 20:54:35 GMT
Certainly I remember them into the 1960s and I remember my father explaining their purpose to me when I was a kid in the previous decade. Basically I echo what slugabed has said.
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Post by Dstock7080 on Feb 3, 2011 22:35:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2011 22:42:22 GMT
Where was that taken?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2011 22:59:25 GMT
At Embankment, possibly. Or maybe Piccadilly Circus - ?
I think that the "Follow the lights" system lasted at Embankment until the station was modernised in the 1980s (I think).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2011 20:17:31 GMT
First time I read about this was in a Paddington bear book!
What happened when there were multiple ways to the same destination (eg Embankment - Paddington via Bakerloo or Circle)?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2011 20:52:48 GMT
And Monument-Paddington - would it be routed via King's Cross or Victoria (if signs were installed at Monument, that is)
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Post by causton on Feb 6, 2011 1:11:27 GMT
And *any station on one end of the Circle line* and *another station on another part of the Circle line*  (in any case I would choose via Victoria as it seems it would be quicker in my mind!) Never seen anything like this before... do you think it would work well anywhere today? |
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Post by 21146 on Feb 6, 2011 17:02:42 GMT
IIRC they tried to chose colours for the destination unconnected with the lines used to get there (so Paddington was yellow, but the route was via the Bakerloo, etc).
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Post by londonstuff on Feb 6, 2011 17:23:57 GMT
Wasn't there somewhere where experimental sort of ceiling strip colours were used? Embankment? Tested at Aldwych? Definitely rings a bell seeing it from somewhere.
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Post by 21146 on Feb 6, 2011 18:12:07 GMT
Wasn't there somewhere where experimental sort of ceiling strip colours were used? Embankment? Tested at Aldwych? Definitely rings a bell seeing it from somewhere. I seem to recall a continuous series of "overhead" running along the ceiling of a corridor (red & white?). Was it suggested as part of the Central Line station refurbs of the mid-1980s I wonder? |
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Post by 21146 on Feb 6, 2011 18:14:10 GMT
At Embankment, possibly. Or maybe Piccadilly Circus - ? I think that the "Follow the lights" system lasted at Embankment until the station was modernised in the 1980s (I think). I think they were at Waterloo too. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2011 19:24:07 GMT
I think lines on the floor like in hospitals would be beneficial in some cases
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Post by londonstuff on Feb 6, 2011 19:28:18 GMT
I think lines on the floor like in hospitals would be beneficial in some cases O/T, but: And in the Barbican Centre. Someone I know who used to live there used to regularly have people turn up over an hour late who just couldn't find the correct block of flats. I went for a wander round there once and couldn't get out, I had to climb over a fence - felt like a proper urban explorer   |
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Feb 6, 2011 20:35:34 GMT
I think lines on the floor like in hospitals would be beneficial in some cases Paddington has these to get between Praed St and Bishop's Rd. |
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Post by 21146 on Jun 8, 2011 20:04:37 GMT
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Post by 21146 on Jun 8, 2011 20:08:52 GMT
So we can see that Waterloo was 'blue', Paddington 'yellow', Piccadilly 'red' and Euston 'brown'. Did King's Cross have a colour too I wonder? Seems it only worked when a direct train service was available, so Piccadilly Circus might have had the latter for the Piccadilly Lne.
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Post by abe on Jun 9, 2011 12:16:29 GMT
Fantastic - when was this taken?
I'll check my notes when I get home about the colours used for different stations. I've seen photos of three or four of these signs now, and the colours do appear to be consistent everywhere (they have be the same at a single station, of course!).
I'm surprised that more photos of these don't exist...
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Post by younglulnerd on Jun 9, 2011 15:22:54 GMT
They had one at the old LTM when going through the wooden 'escalators' to the 38ts car.
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Post by Dstock7080 on Jun 9, 2011 16:26:14 GMT
They had one at the old LTM when going through the wooden 'escalators' to the 38ts car. This one?: tinyurl.com/5t83557 |
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Post by Tomcakes on Jun 9, 2011 16:29:47 GMT
They had one at the old LTM when going through the wooden 'escalators' to the 38ts car. I'm 99% sure it's still there, though in the design gallery not the 38ts. |
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Post by superteacher on Jun 9, 2011 20:58:20 GMT
At Embankment, possibly. Or maybe Piccadilly Circus - ? I think that the "Follow the lights" system lasted at Embankment until the station was modernised in the 1980s (I think). I think they were at Waterloo too. They survived at Waterloo into the early 90's. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 17:54:18 GMT
Talking of Paddington, these were mentioned in one of Michael Bond's books 'Paddington Goes Underground'
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Post by abe on Jun 16, 2011 20:01:23 GMT
Signs to King's Cross had a maroon background.
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