Collecting for 2013 – Finchley Central’s Platform Garden
Mark Kirwin, a supervisor at Finchley Central, has created a colourful, award-winning garden on one of the station’s platforms. Practically single-handed he has transformed a derelict piece of ground...
View ArticleCollecting for 2013 – North Acton’s Station Garden
Two supervisors at North Acton station have created an award-winning garden that provides all-year-round colour to the delight of passengers. The Central Line station’s glorious displays scooped first...
View ArticleHistory of Met 353 (1974 – 1980s)
Whilst the restoration is on-going at the Festiniog Railway further research is being undertaken into the history of Metropolitan Railway carriage 353. Acquired by London Transport in 1974, several...
View ArticleCollecting for 2013 – Oyster card holder swap shop
What does your Oyster card holder mean to you? Did you get it for free, buy it especially, or receive it as a gift? Do you use it as a wallet or just to keep your Oyster card safe? Oyster wallets come...
View ArticleCollecting for 2013 – Caledonian Road station’s whiteboard artist
It’s not every London Underground worker who has a song written and recorded about her, but that’s what has happened to Kim Kalan. The bubbly customer service assistant at Caledonian Road station,...
View ArticleRestoring Met353 – A craftsman’s perspective
One of the first challenges has been to repair the teak frame of the carriage; and undo the damage caused by many decades of human use and exposure to the elements. Surprisingly, in spite of being a...
View ArticleRestoring Met 353 – Loan of carriage door
Carriage Door It can be very difficult to undertake an accurate and faithful restoration if original components are missing, or the information required to reproduce them unknown. One such challenge...
View ArticleRestoring Met 353 – Testing of safety critical components
Wheel Sets During May safety critical components such as the draw hooks and wheelsets were carefully cleaned and NDT tested (Non Destructive Testing). This important procedure highlights any defects...
View ArticleMet 353 – Completion of restoration
The gleaming carriage, finished with gold leaf and carrying no fewer than ten coats of varnish, bears little resemblance to the sorry-looking hulk which arrived at Porthmadog, North Wales in August...
View ArticleDynamic testing of Met 353 – November 2012
As recently restored 353 had not previously run in its current form (using a modified PMV underframe), it was necessary to bed in the suspension and brakes; and to build confidence in the performance...
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