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Post by Nortube on Apr 14, 2013 12:03:43 GMT
DiamondGeezer has some excellent Undergound-related articles on his blog: [ click here ]Today's article is about Adgate East and includes a link to some photos showing the reconstruction works there on The National Archives UK's photostream. They include lowering the track, where the original track was suspended from the station ceiling (I believe the hooks may still be there) The photostream has some interesting Underground related pictures, (currently) on pages 133 - 137 [ click here ]
note- the date shown on the photos (often c1946) may not be correct
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Post by railtechnician on Apr 14, 2013 12:23:35 GMT
DiamondGeezer has some excellent Undergound-related articles on his blog: [ click here ]Today's article is about Adgate East and includes a link to some photos showing the reconstruction works there on The National Archives UK's photostream. They include lowering the track, where the original track was suspended from the station ceiling (I believe the hooks may still be there) The photostream has some interesting Underground related pictures, (currently) on pages 133 - 137 [ click here ]
note- the date shown on the photos (often c1946) may not be correct
The 'skyhooks' are still there unless they have been removed in the last decade, they were a talking point like so many other things on the system. When the new Aldgate East station was built the platforms were built below track level and the tracks supported on trestles during the work. On changeover night the tracks were suspended from the 'skyhooks' while the trestles were removed and then lowered to the new position. It is not the only place where trestles were used, between Arsenal and Finsbury Park the Picc was supported on trestles as the step plate was built to divert it to the new Picc platform as part of the Victoria line works, the track subsequently being lowered about three or four feet. There are no 'skyhooks' to be seen there though! |
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Ben
Box Boy
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Post by Ben on Apr 14, 2013 14:25:07 GMT
Aldgate East gained a false ceiling during the recentish unnecessary refurb works there. I'm not sure if it covered the hooks or not though...
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Post by Nortube on Apr 14, 2013 15:42:44 GMT
I'll have to have a look next time I'm round that way - it's been a while since I actually went inside the station.
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Post by railtechnician on Apr 14, 2013 18:15:28 GMT
Aldgate East gained a false ceiling during the recentish unnecessary refurb works there. I'm not sure if it covered the hooks or not though... The hooks (actually they were not hooks but rings) were very visible screwed into every girder crossing the track. If the false ceiling spans platform to platform hiding the girders then the hooks will be out of sight. Generally false ceilings are usually only above platforms in cut and cover stations and so the hooks should still be visible directly over the tracks. |
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Post by railtechnician on Apr 15, 2013 9:34:12 GMT
Following up, the track at the new Aldgate East station was lowered in 1938. Building the new station was part of remodelling the junctions around Aldgate, Aldgate East being too close to the triangle of junctions which was expanded by the building of a new South Curve junction and abandonment of the original South Curve tunnel. That tunnel of course was abandoned only to trains and used to house the old Aldgate LT auto exchange, the site of the present day IMR, and various other rooms/offices which I believe also housed the signal cabin until it was relocated into Farringdon signal cabin in the late 1980s. Although I had a key role in the relocation of Aldgate cabin I never visited the old tunnel myself until 1992 as most of my work was at Farringdon cabin and on the track between Kings Cross and Aldgate.
The old tunnel was known to be home to some rather large rats who were brazen enough to follow visitors in the hope of stealing a sandwich or other treat from an unguarded bag!
Aldgate Strowger telephone exchange was of course decommissioned and subsequently removed when its MD110 replacement at Stepney Green was brought in service circa 1983.
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Post by Nortube on Apr 20, 2013 19:43:49 GMT
As I was in the area, I popped into Aldgate East to have a look. The rings are still in place over the track and the false ceilings, as you say, are only over the platforms.
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Ben
Box Boy
Posts: 65
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Post by Ben on Apr 21, 2013 12:55:26 GMT
Thanks for checking up on that, my bad.
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