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Finsbury Park to Farringdon

You are here: Home > Forum > Miscellaneous > The real thing (anything else rail-oriented) > Finsbury Park to Farringdon

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Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 11:02 #25448
GeoffM
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Somebody linked to a video a while ago, probably YouTube, that showed trains popping out of tunnels either next to or under where platforms 9-11 now are at King's Cross. The video probably dated from the 1960s or 1970s. I believe it connected with the Snow Hill lines, probably immediately west of King's Cross Thameslink. Does anybody have any information about this connection and any videos?

The new Thameslink connection is north of St. Pancras low level and joins the ECML at Belle Isle so is completely different.

Cheers.

SimSig Boss
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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 11:22 #25451
andyb0607
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Don't know about a video but this site contains a fair bit of info about the old Kings Cross York Road station which was where the route tunnelled.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/k/kings_cross_york_road/index.shtml

Andy

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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 11:35 #25452
andyb0607
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How about this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcpb9oZ6f3g

Andy

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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 12:51 #25461
GeoffM
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" said:
Don't know about a video but this site contains a fair bit of info about the old Kings Cross York Road station which was where the route tunnelled.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/k/kings_cross_york_road/index.shtml

Andy
Excellent - now with a name I can find lots from the above page and below video.

Cheers.

SimSig Boss
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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 14:09 #25470
clive
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You're talking about the Hotel Curve. Some details on my website on the CULG Hammersmith and City page.
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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 14:24 #25471
GeoffM
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" said:
You're talking about the Hotel Curve. Some details on my website on the CULG Hammersmith and City page.
Fascinating - thanks, never realised you had that page. Though I'd heard of York Road, I didn't know there was a tunnel that side of KX as well as what I now know is the Hotel curve.

SimSig Boss
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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 15:25 #25475
moonraker
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The lines from York Road to Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate were known as the "Widened Lines" if memory serves me correct.
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Re: Finsbury Park to Farringdon 14/12/2011 at 22:00 #25573
Cedric
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They were the City Widened Lines (CWL) and ran from Moorgate, through Farringdon to a junction just west of Kings Cross TL where, until 1975 (when the GN electrification was completed) there was a connection up to the GN, or straight on towards Kentish Town on what is now Thameslink. Southbound trains off the GN came through KX York Road station (located where KXPSB now is) and northbound ones went on the Hotel Curve, which was very tight and there were limitations on what stock could be used. After the GN service was withdrawn in 1975 York Road station was closed and the Hotel Curve abandoned. There was then a very limited peak hour diesel service from the CWL onto the MML suburban area until the Bedford/St Pancras electrification a few years later. Once the route was electrified it became known as the Bedpan line (Bedford/St Pancras) and the Moorgate route via CWL became the main route for suburvan train services. The CWL were owned and managed by London Transport until the Bedpan electrification when it all transferred to BR, so trains going down there had to have tripcocks etc to comply with their signalling.

Separately on the Southeastern side there was a junction approaching the former Holborn Viaduct station at Ludgate Circus from where the Snow Hill lines dropped away under Smithfield market, emerging at Farringdon and joining the CWL. Passenger services ceased during (I think) trhe first world war, but freight continued on the route until around 1969. I joined BR in 1970 and the tracks were still there, rusting gently, but were lifted a year or two later.

Thameslink came in the late 1980s and saw the restoration of the Snow Hill Lines and, later, the building of City Thameslink to replace Holborn Viaduct.

Cedric

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