"Mark Brader" wrote in message
...
John Salmon:
"Right-hand running on London Transport" was discussed in "The Why
and the Wherefore" section of The Railway Magazine in January 1968
(page 61), described as a reply to J. E. Salmon - probably the
first
time I saw my name in print in any railway magazine.

Did they explain the Northern Line's right-hand running around
London
Bridge? I have never seen a full explanation of that; "Rails
Through
the Clay", as I recall, says only that it is "related to the
original
intention to use cable traction".

Yes (and the area around White City (Central Line) which had been the
subject of my original query.)

"The unusual arrangement of the lines between Borough and Bank
stations is a legacy from the way in which the original tunnels of
the City & South London Railway were driven between the old City
terminus at King William Street, Monument and the Elephant & Castle.
J. H. Greathead, the engineer for the construction of the line,
designed the intermediate stations, where there were no crossover
roads, with the intention of reducing the amount of walking up and
down staircases to a minimum, and arranged the two lines side by side
in plan, but at a difference of level of 9 ft. 6 in. At Borough
Station, he decided to have the up line at the higher level, and
brought the two lines to a right-handed position there. He crossed
the lines over between Borough and Elephant & Castle, where there was
a crossover siding connection (until the line was reconstructed after
the 1914 war), and both lines had to be at the same level. At
Kennington and Oval, the double-level arrangement was again used. The
position of the tunnels at Borough made it necessary, when making the
extension to Moorgate Street, opened in February 1900, to keep the
two tracks in a right-handed position until north of Bank Station,
where they crossed over to arrive at the new terminus in the usual
manner. From the old King William Street Station, the lines fell
towards the river at different gradients, and were directly over each
other under Swan Lane."