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Post by emergencybrake on Oct 23, 2007 10:49:41 GMT
Hi,
As a keen enthusiast of Yerke stations, does anyone know where the passageways leading to the lower lift landings are? I am more interested in the Piccadilly Line platform side.
Judging from the lift shaft's relative postion to the platforms, it seems that they are linked by lenthy passageways, similar to Dover Street and Down Street... I have a suspiscion that the old passageways lead on below the esculators, but does anybody know for sure? I've heard that the lifts shafts are still in situ, being used for ventilation purposes, so there must be a vent somewhere underground.
Also, does anybody know the tiling scheme for this station? I've looked at the LT museum's online photo library, but theres no images of the platform in its early days.
Thanks
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Post by tubeprune on Oct 23, 2007 15:37:50 GMT
The lower lift landings were between the two passages connecting the Picc and Northern Line platforms.
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Post by railtechnician on Oct 23, 2007 17:14:54 GMT
The lower lift landings were between the two passages connecting the Picc and Northern Line platforms. Yes indeed and they still are of course! LUs Leicester Square telephone exchange was built in one of the old lift shafts, the top access to it was via a 3 foot high door off one of the escalator UMCs accessed from the ticket hall. We used to use the route to deliver the topping up water for the telephone exchange batteries. The exchange entrance was situated in the upper of the two lower level connecting passages while the entrance in the lower passageway led to the clock relay room beneath the exchange. At the bottom of the shaft is the cable pit which at one time many years ago we used to access by chasing a train into the tunnel a few yards to the access bolt hole although there was also access via the back of the clock relay room and also by climbing down the inside of the shaft just inside the exchange entrance. getting out of the pit was a matter of waiting for a train to pass the bolt hole and then gingerly hurrying back to the platform before the next train arrived. The exchange was built on three floors within the shaft. The exchange was relocated to a new building outside Embankment station in the telephone network uplift of the 1980s but AFAIK the shaft remains in use as a communications equipment room and is still accessible from top and bottom. Another shaft is accessed via the non-passenger area at the bottom of the escalators which once was home to Telephone Call staff, from the back of their depot there was access to all parts of the station via the shaft. The areas beneath the platforms are also very interesting just as the several connected sites above ground are! Brian |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2007 17:28:00 GMT
Baker Streets old lift shafts were also used as a Telephone exchange - was this a "standard" thing to do? or is just coincedence?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2007 21:05:26 GMT
Does anyone know if the '30s telephone equipment is still there at Leicester Square? A friend tells me it was 25 years ago, when he visited it.
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Post by railtechnician on Oct 24, 2007 5:14:34 GMT
Yes Baker Street telephone exchange was built in a disused lift shaft accessed from the bottom of the escalators at platform 9/10 level via a gate into the non-passenger area. This was also built on three floors as I recall and access to the top of that shaft was via a manhole behind the stores counter in what used to be the Signal New Works depot directly across the tracks from the canteen.
As for Lecicester Square as I said the old exchange became a CER and these days houses PA and CCTV equipment amongst other things.
Earls Court telephone exchange was built in a disused lift shaft with access from a cross passage between the Piccadilly platforms and from the District eastbound track just east of the platform at the end of the ramp. Today the shaft is a CER.
Finsbury Park telephone exchange was built in a disused lift shaft and is also a CER these days, the Staion Supervisors office was located at the bottom of the shaft the last time I was there some four or five years ago.
In all cases the Strowger telephone equipment was removed long ago. The new MD110 digital telephone system was brought into service in the mid 1980s and all the old equipment was removed by the end of the decade.
For those who may be interested in the exchanges Leicester Square was relocated to Embankment as I mentioned before, Baker Street was relocated from the shaft to offices above the station, Earls Court was relocated to Lillie Bridge and Finsbury Park was relocated to Manor House.
Brian
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2007 17:29:34 GMT
Thank you for the extra information, railtechnician.
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Post by emergencybrake on Oct 24, 2007 18:58:25 GMT
Thanks for the information. Do you mean the passageway from the back of the Eastbound Piccadilly Line platform? I seem to recall that that passageway has varying gradients but theres no evidence of any lift entrances. Is it walled off or something?
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Post by railtechnician on Oct 24, 2007 22:06:33 GMT
Thanks for the information. Do you mean the passageway from the back of the Eastbound Piccadilly Line platform? I seem to recall that that passageway has varying gradients but theres no evidence of any lift entrances. Is it walled off or something? I can't remember which passageway connects to which platform but one passageway has the door to the exchange shaft as was and another door on the same side into what was once a storeroom in the entrance to the adjacent shaft. On that same level on the opposite side there is a door in the corner which was a room being used by escalator contractors as a mess room. On the other level my memory is of no doors just tiles except for the entrance to the clock relay room which is on a 90 degree axis to the exchange entrance so yes that passage is walled off from the shafts. Brian |
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Post by emergencybrake on Oct 25, 2007 9:17:05 GMT
Ok, I see Brian. I always thought that the exit passagesways are sealed beneath the esculators, but I see thats not the case. Thanks.
So does anybody know about the original tilings?
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Post by Alight on Jan 3, 2008 20:21:54 GMT
Are they the old type with the scizzor gates?
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Post by abe on Jan 4, 2008 8:46:49 GMT
So does anybody know about the original tilings? Leicester Square is the only station shown in Tiles of the Unexpected for which the tiling pattern is pretty much unknown. Given the amount of research that Doug Rose and co put into the book over 25 years or so, unless a cache of hidden photos miraculously turns up, I doubt that we will ever know. The book also has plans of the station (indeed, it covers tiling and plans for all the original Yerkes stations). |
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Post by Tomcakes on Jan 4, 2008 19:10:16 GMT
Wouldn't there be archive photographs, of the opening or something? I suppose it depends when the station was refurbrished. There doesn't appear to be anything on the LTM website.
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Post by angelislington on Jan 5, 2008 0:54:35 GMT
And can I just add a vote here for that book, it's absolutely amazing, so thorough and the fold-out tile diagrams are fantastic. It's given me a whole new appreciation of the Edwardian lines. It's going to be a resource that I return to again and again. Well worth the money. (And a Christmas pressie from the lovely MRFS42, he knows how to spoil me!) I'd love to know more about the tiling at Leicester Square.
railtechnician, do you know why the telephone equipment was moved? Strikes me as a great use of empty space.
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Colin
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Post by Colin on Jan 5, 2008 3:53:54 GMT
railtechnician, do you know why the telephone equipment was moved? Strikes me as a great use of empty space. He give's the answer above, here it is  ;D ;D In all cases the Strowger telephone equipment was removed long ago. The new MD110 digital telephone system was brought into service in the mid 1980s and all the old equipment was removed by the end of the decade. For those who may be interested in the exchanges Leicester Square was relocated to Embankment as I mentioned before, Baker Street was relocated from the shaft to offices above the station, Earls Court was relocated to Lillie Bridge and Finsbury Park was relocated to Manor House. |
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Post by angelislington on Jan 9, 2008 21:15:04 GMT
Thanks, Colin! But, what I meant was, why change location, why couldn't they reuse the space? I mean, the old stuff was stripped out, there is now a big empty space where the new stuff could have gone. Or is it a case of having to have the new stuff up and running so that there was a seamless switchover from the old equipment to the new?
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;D ;D
