On Tue, 16 Oct 2007, Clive D. W. Feather wrote:

In article , Tom Anderson
writes

Does anyone know if there was a route plan for the central stretch? Would
it just have slavishly followed the Northern line,

That was the 1946 plan. However, there was also an earlier plan floating
around in 1939 for the precursor of the Victoria Line.

Under this plan, the Northern Line would be split at Clapham Common. The
section north of there would feed into an express tube that called only
at Tooting Broadway and [Morden].

This surprises me. What was the point of this? It gets people from Morden
and Tooting Broadway into the City faster than changing at Clapham Common,
sure. People from South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood can take the local
train and change at Tooting Broadway, too. But this seems quite a small
benefit for an awful lot of tunnelling. Specifically, you get almost as
much benefit by only taking those tubes to Tooting Broadway, which would
be half the distance (ish).

I'm also surprised the split was that far North - it only saves you four
stops (taking Victoria as somehow level with Waterloo). Balham, i tell
you, it should be Balham!

The southern all-stops section would be extended from Clapham Common to
Victoria (with no intermediate stations).

Stage 2 of the plan extended the Victoria branch via Green Park, Bond
Street, Great Portland Street, and Camden Town to Finsbury Park.

Like so:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2176/...3ca08395_o.png

A Finsbury Park - Camden Town link is something that i really do feel is
missing from the current network, like the Finsbury Park - Highgate link.
You may think that this is because i live in Finsbury Park, but i couldn't
possibly comment.

I haven't drawn the next bit because it would take actual effort ...

Stage 3 extended northwards. After a connection from the GN&CR (allowing
trains from Moorgate to run on to the line), it split into two: - Under
the LNER to north of Bowes Park, where it surfaced. There would be tube
stations at Hornsey, Harringay, Wood Green, and Bowes Park, and trains
would run to Cuffley, replacing the existing LNER services to KX. - In
tube to Seven Sisters (tube station), then surface and continue to
Enfield Town, replacing the existing LNER services to Liverpool Street.

Sounds like a fairly sensible plan, really.

What happened between Stevenage and Cuffley? And on the Southbury loop?

tom

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