"Mait001" wrote in message
...
Here's a poser for the real aficianodos on this group: where in London is
the
closest level crossing (surface rail or Underground line) to Charing Cross
(the
traditional place from which Central London distances are measured)?

I know the answer, but it may surprise some of you.

If the correct answer doesn't appear by this time tomorrow, I will post it
myself. Sorry no prizes for the correct answer....

Hmm! Well the Charing Cross - Waterloo East - London Bridge line is on
viaducts for some considerable distance beyond London Bridge, isn't it. And
so's the main line out of Waterloo as far as Clapham Junction at least, as
is the line out of Victoria as far as Clapham Junction. I wonder if any of
the maze of lines around Battersea, north east of Clapham Junction,
especially those below the Victoria and Waterloo lines, cross a minor road
on the level? Could there be any access roads to the sheds between the two
halves of Clapham Junction that cross either of the lines? Obviously there
are the two crossings at Barnes on the Windsor (Reading) lines, but I bet
there are crossings much closer than that.

What about the Thameslink line? Underground from north of St Pancras to
Blackfriars and then above the Embankment roads to south of the river. Not
sure what it does then, but I don't recall any level crossings.

Are we including non-passenger sidings (eg those around Stewart's Lane
depot)? That's well below the lines from Victoria, so there could be scope
for a level crossing there.

What about London Underground lines? Surely none of them could have
subterranean level crossings on them. The Circle line is the only one round
there that is close to ground level (it's underground but only just, whereas
the rest of the lines are deep).

Are we definitely talking about a public road rather than a private access
road on railway land?