Imagine getting a District Line train to Brighton?? It would literally take weeks on the District Line - can you imagine how many millions of stops they'd put in and the train trundling along at 2 miles an hour.
The Northern Line at Sutton would definitely make for a better terminus station than Morden because that's closer to the end of London and is also a bigger place
James Hunt, the racing driver lived near Sutton station. There's a story that he crashed a family car and took the train home, hoping to avoid his parents only for them to be on the train as well.
I think that the "Wall of Death" nickname stemmed from the section from Sutton to West Sutton where the line is very steeply graded and negotiates fairly tight curves but mainly because of what were then fresh white concrete cutting walls slightly reminiscent of the Brooklands racing track. I remember working at Wimbledon Chase station back in the seventies....33p single to Holborn Viaduct and 66p peak return...35p off peak. Elevenpence for a single from Wimbledon to Wimbledon Chase (which is really Merton). In those days the line was very much in decline; cancellations were commonplace but it has recovered since being part of the Thameslink network. There were high expectations that the station at St. Helier would generate much revenue from the new LCC council estate but the station is on the fringes and buses from Rosehill to Morden tube and now the Croydon tramlink tend to cater for most residents' needs.
As a local resident there has been a rumour that the former London Underground sports facilties in North Cheam ..now sold to the current Sainsbury's was purchased initially for the actual underground connection.
I used to live in Morden and I would walk past the South Merton station a lot but I still call it Morden South in my head which is the next station on that line. It's just one of those permanent brain farts.
Indeed it was called the Wall of Death because of the bit between West Sutton and Sutton. One stormy Winters day, i was driving a 4 car (EPB) unit and on departing from West Sutton, we only got halfway up the incline. The signalman "suggested" we set all the way back into Sutton Common station, and have a "run up". This i did, i took full power (wheel spinning permitting), we shot through West Sutton, hit the curve at the bottom of the incline at well over line speed, and reached the top doing 5mph, with the smell of burning metal from the spinning wheels being very noticable!
My memory of commuting into central London from Sutton for a couple of years in the early 2000s is mainly the glacial pace of the trains and what seemed like ten million stops. It was painful of a morning.
thanks for this I live in Cheam and am absolutely baffled by the lack of underground routes here! it takes two buses to get to Mordern and its a nightmare!
Nice to see the old haunts again. There was still talk of maybe connecting to the Northern line when I lived there in the 90s. Then we heard a rumour that the tram lines might be extended from East Croyden and several further suggestions (to both ideas) like taking over the Sutton to Epsom downs line were talked about. As usual, I suspect the rumour machine was way ahead of any concrete plans...which never fruited anyway. Still, given the extending ULEZ areas, some of these might yet get back on the table.
Wimbledon itself was a very complex grouping, my late father not only had to maintain BR rule books but also as he put it somewhat unkindly, had to be rule hot on the "toy trains" as Wimbledon A was also responsible for the LT traffic, it had also inherited the panels from Wimbledon B-D making it a 2 signalman duty usually one chap focused on the mainline BR stuff and the other focused on the LT and suburban stuff and they took it in turns. On sunday duty, the lax services allowed the signalmen to attend to their other duty of making the box gleam inside, line stripped and repolished, brasswork and bells polished, kettle and teapot given a thorough cleaning being the most essential equipment in the box and paperwork all done and new weeks workings rule books sorted and signed for.
I've been hearing whimsical rumours of expanding the trams to Sutton for years. I look forward to your 2073 video "why doesn't Sutton have a tram?"
“They didn’t commit to anything at this stage but they also didn’t say no.” - Public Infrastructure, explained.
Imagine getting a District Line train to Brighton?? It would literally take weeks on the District Line - can you imagine how many millions of stops they'd put in and the train trundling along at 2 miles an hour.
The Northern Line at Sutton would definitely make for a better terminus station than Morden because that's closer to the end of London and is also a bigger place
as a suttoner, i've been waitng for this video for a while
James Hunt, the racing driver lived near Sutton station. There's a story that he crashed a family car and took the train home, hoping to avoid his parents only for them to be on the train as well.
I think that the "Wall of Death" nickname stemmed from the section from Sutton to West Sutton where the line is very steeply graded and negotiates fairly tight curves but mainly because of what were then fresh white concrete cutting walls slightly reminiscent of the Brooklands racing track. I remember working at Wimbledon Chase station back in the seventies....33p single to Holborn Viaduct and 66p peak return...35p off peak. Elevenpence for a single from Wimbledon to Wimbledon Chase (which is really Merton). In those days the line was very much in decline; cancellations were commonplace but it has recovered since being part of the Thameslink network. There were high expectations that the station at St. Helier would generate much revenue from the new LCC council estate but the station is on the fringes and buses from Rosehill to Morden tube and now the Croydon tramlink tend to cater for most residents' needs.
As a local resident there has been a rumour that the former London Underground sports facilties in North Cheam ..now sold to the current Sainsbury's was purchased initially for the actual underground connection.
I used to live in Morden and I would walk past the South Merton station a lot but I still call it Morden South in my head which is the next station on that line. It's just one of those permanent brain farts.
Nice stills photos of London Underground Northern Line southward extension promotional material.
I've always thought that, for its size, Sutton is notoriously poor re transport.
Indeed it was called the Wall of Death because of the bit between West Sutton and Sutton. One stormy Winters day, i was driving a 4 car (EPB) unit and on departing from West Sutton, we only got halfway up the incline. The signalman "suggested" we set all the way back into Sutton Common station, and have a "run up". This i did, i took full power (wheel spinning permitting), we shot through West Sutton, hit the curve at the bottom of the incline at well over line speed, and reached the top doing 5mph, with the smell of burning metal from the spinning wheels being very noticable!
I think Sutton is one of the few places in Greater London I've never visited. I do live quite near to a Sutton, but it's Sutton Coldfield.
My memory of commuting into central London from Sutton for a couple of years in the early 2000s is mainly the glacial pace of the trains and what seemed like ten million stops. It was painful of a morning.
thanks for this I live in Cheam and am absolutely baffled by the lack of underground routes here! it takes two buses to get to Mordern and its a nightmare!
Nice to see the old haunts again. There was still talk of maybe connecting to the Northern line when I lived there in the 90s. Then we heard a rumour that the tram lines might be extended from East Croyden and several further suggestions (to both ideas) like taking over the Sutton to Epsom downs line were talked about. As usual, I suspect the rumour machine was way ahead of any concrete plans...which never fruited anyway. Still, given the extending ULEZ areas, some of these might yet get back on the table.
Wimbledon itself was a very complex grouping, my late father not only had to maintain BR rule books but also as he put it somewhat unkindly, had to be rule hot on the "toy trains" as Wimbledon A was also responsible for the LT traffic, it had also inherited the panels from Wimbledon B-D making it a 2 signalman duty usually one chap focused on the mainline BR stuff and the other focused on the LT and suburban stuff and they took it in turns. On sunday duty, the lax services allowed the signalmen to attend to their other duty of making the box gleam inside, line stripped and repolished, brasswork and bells polished, kettle and teapot given a thorough cleaning being the most essential equipment in the box and paperwork all done and new weeks workings rule books sorted and signed for.
Highlight of the video: Jago saying “dirty, rotten scoundrels.”
This came at just the right time today.
Yay Southfields! Travelled from there to Earls Court and back on a visit in 1971.