Aldwych Tube Station Lift (elevator)

In July 1993 Fred Ivey visited Aldwych station lift machine room. At that time the Aldwych branch of the Piccadilly Line was still in use. Today Aldwych station is retained for hire as a film set location.

[@kentonsimons4343]

This is excellent - I visited this station and the machine room just before the station closed, which must have been some time around 1993. It's great to see and hear the old lift machinery working - I guess it's all sill in situ, although I know the lift cars have been fixed in the shaft now.

[@Cowman9791]

For anyone who doesnt know, these lifts were the final nail in the coffin for the stations closure. Passenger numbers had already been low, and they were already losing well over 100 thousand pounds a year operating the branch. But then a report came in 1993 which stated that the lifts needed a replace for about 3 million. They realised that a price tag like that wasnt worth the money, and they decided to use that as justification to finally close down the branch, which it did a year later. To be honest, those lifts were never replaced beforehand because they knew the cost, but thought they did the job, so they should keep them working as long as possible, when their time ran out, so did the stations TBH.

[@REWYRED]

The floor indicator is really cool!

[@ccityplanner1217]

I had an idea for a new indicator for tube lifts inspired by it. It has a plastic tube with a cord in it & attached to the cord there is a magnet. Outside there is a prism with a hole in it for the tube & a magnet in it. When the lift moves, it makes the cord pull the magnet.

[@gabrielcoyle9049]

Will the exist forever and ever

[@benjamindenton]

In the days when only 15 people worked in London.

[@michasreisefieber]

Was this the last staff operated lift at the underground network back in the 90's?

[@Nicotc95]

Yes

[@jonassvedevall1678]

im from sweden and english is funny. aldwych station is the best english

[@upanddownadventures]

"For safety reasons we can only operate one lift at a time"
Any idea what the reason for this was?

[@Satoshi9801]

The idea was that if one lift broke down, the other, working lift would be brought down to the same level as the broken down lift. Each lift had a door that could be opened, and passengers would cross over to the other lift.

[@Cowman9791]

I suspect its something to do with motors, which they didn't want to overwork, even though they in all honesty very much had been after 87 years in service

[@MrBoliao98]

What Modern safety standards? The Lifts ran for fucking 48 years or more, and they still ran

[@peterdeutscher1442]

Watch your language, mate!

[@harryelliott4310]

Piccadilly Line 1973 Tube Stock