Kingsway Tramway
 

Thanks for the tip off. I've often stopped at Southampton Row and peered
through the gates down the slope, wondering what lay behind the darkness.
Just made my booking so now I'll be able to find out.

Victor

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
"Peter Smyth" wrote in message

The disused Kingsway Tramway will be open for tours from 8th Oct - 8th
Nov. See http://measure.org.uk/measurenews.html for details on how to
book. Apparently there will be some coloured string to look at as
well.

Thanks for the alert. I went this lunch time, and here's some of the
pics I took:
www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/sets/72157622549498612/detail

They've cleared the northern part of the tunnel for this installation,
with most of the stored material moved further south. The installation
is a bit south of the old Holborn station, and you can't go much beyond
it. It's much bigger than I expected, and makes good use of the tunnel
size. It has its own wooden tracks and doesn't make any use of the old
tram tracks.

There's also the remains of some of the props for the Escapist film,
including a Union Street Tube station sign (which has the wrong fonts --
I wonder if they weren't allowed to use the right one?). There's also
an old Tube map on Holborn station, dating perhaps from the early
post-war period?

Kingsway Tramway
 

Incidentally, the old tube map is also a prop from "The Escapist" with
'Union Station' marked onto a 1938 diagram - see my photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_way/4000962537/

In article , Victor Papa
writes
Thanks for the tip off. I've often stopped at Southampton Row and
peered through the gates down the slope, wondering what lay behind the
darkness. Just made my booking so now I'll be able to find out.

Victor

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
"Peter Smyth" wrote in message

The disused Kingsway Tramway will be open for tours from 8th Oct - 8th
Nov. See http://measure.org.uk/measurenews.html for details on how to
book. Apparently there will be some coloured string to look at as
well.

Thanks for the alert. I went this lunch time, and here's some of the
pics I took:
www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/sets/72157622549498612/detail

They've cleared the northern part of the tunnel for this installation,
with most of the stored material moved further south. The installation
is a bit south of the old Holborn station, and you can't go much beyond
it. It's much bigger than I expected, and makes good use of the tunnel
size. It has its own wooden tracks and doesn't make any use of the old
tram tracks.

There's also the remains of some of the props for the Escapist film,
including a Union Street Tube station sign (which has the wrong fonts --
I wonder if they weren't allowed to use the right one?). There's also
an old Tube map on Holborn station, dating perhaps from the early
post-war period?





--
Steve

Kingsway Tramway
 

"Recliner" wrote in message

"Steve" wrote in message

Incidentally, the old tube map is also a prop from "The Escapist"
with 'Union Station' marked onto a 1938 diagram - see my photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_way/4000962537/

Yes, I only spottesd that subtle edit of the map after posting this
comment. It was very well done -- I wonder why they didn't just rename
an existing station? Not having seen the film, I don't know if the
story line would prohibit that approach.

I also wondered about editing a genuine LU map, while producing a
station sign with the wrong font (unless that was the correct font in
1939). Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnstone?

Oops, of course I meant Johnston. Also, it now looks to me like the
original map dates from early 1940, not 1938.

Kingsway Tramway
 

"Steve" wrote in message

Incidentally, the old tube map is also a prop from "The Escapist" with
'Union Station' marked onto a 1938 diagram - see my photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_way/4000962537/

Yes, I only spottesd that subtle edit of the map after posting this
comment. It was very well done -- I wonder why they didn't just rename
an existing station? Not having seen the film, I don't know if the
story line would prohibit that approach.

I also wondered about editing a genuine LU map, while producing a
station sign with the wrong font (unless that was the correct font in
1939). Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnstone?

Kingsway Tramway
 

Steve wrote:
Incidentally, the old tube map is also a prop from "The Escapist" with
'Union Station' marked onto a 1938 diagram - see my photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_way/4000962537/

They've put it slightly in the wrong place, though - the real Union Street
is north of Borough station, not south of it.

Kingsway Tramway
 

"Basil Jet" wrote in message

Steve wrote:
Incidentally, the old tube map is also a prop from "The Escapist"
with 'Union Station' marked onto a 1938 diagram - see my photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_way/4000962537/

They've put it slightly in the wrong place, though - the real Union
Street is north of Borough station, not south of it.

Probably laziness -- this seems to be the map they modified:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.b...maps/1941.html

It would have been easier to just plonk their Union Street station in
the gap between Borough and Elephant & Castle than to rename Borough to
Union Street and move Borough to the left.

Kingsway Tramway
 

Recliner wrote:

Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnston?

They'd just expect a financial consideration for doing so.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633103.html
(56 050 at Reading, Jul 1985)

Kingsway Tramway
 

"Chris Tolley" (ukonline really) wrote in
message
Recliner wrote:

Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnston?

They'd just expect a financial consideration for doing so.

The funny thing about that station sign is that it's plain wrong, quite
apart from the font. It's a modified UndergrounD roundel, with the
station name instead of UndergrounD (in the wrong font). Actual LT
station roundels from 1940 look quite different, and can cope with
longer or shorter station names.

As for the font, it's possible to use fonts that aren't quite Johnston,
but only an expert would spot the difference.

Kingsway Tramway
 

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:06:02 +0100, Recliner wrote:

"Chris Tolley" (ukonline really) wrote in
message
Recliner wrote:

Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnston?

They'd just expect a financial consideration for doing so.

The funny thing about that station sign is that it's plain wrong, quite
apart from the font. It's a modified UndergrounD roundel, with the
station name instead of UndergrounD (in the wrong font). Actual LT
station roundels from 1940 look quite different, and can cope with
longer or shorter station names.

As for the font, it's possible to use fonts that aren't quite Johnston,
but only an expert would spot the difference.

Quite. LU themselves haven't used it for ages. Johnston's "1" has a slanted
top, while LU's has a hook on it. There are plenty of other differences
too, for teh expert to feel queasy about.

--
on the netbook

Kingsway Tramway
 

Recliner wrote:
"Chris Tolley" (ukonline really) wrote in
message
Recliner wrote:

Would LU stop the film-makers from using something that more
closely resembles Johnston?

They'd just expect a financial consideration for doing so.

The funny thing about that station sign is that it's plain wrong,
quite apart from the font. It's a modified UndergrounD roundel, with
the station name instead of UndergrounD (in the wrong font). Actual LT
station roundels from 1940 look quite different, and can cope with
longer or shorter station names.

I don't know what sort of sign you are describing, but Southgate (I think)
had a roundel outside with the station name instead of "Underground".