Author Archives: machorne

About machorne

I have always lived in London and taken a great interest in its history and ongoing development. This extended into the history of its transport services, about which I have written a number of books - I have spent most of my working life working in the industry and observing changes from within, mostly to the good, but not always so. I continue to write, and have a website with half finished stuff in it so that it is at least available, if not complete. Several new books are in hand. I have many 'works in progress' and some of these can be found on my website; the we address is http://www.metadyne.co.uk

Trafalgar Square Post Office—gone but not forgotten.

Posted on February 24, 2020 by machorne

24th December 2018 was a dark day, even for those used to the seemingly endless stream of announcements about post office closures. It was on this day that Trafalgar Square Post Office last closed its doors to the public. Once … Continue reading →

Posted in London general interest | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The London Passenger Transport Area – An Explanation

Posted on December 22, 2019 by machorne

Introduction If I said that London Transport’s original operating area was a consequence of an expected shortage of electricity in London, you might be rather surprised. However, that is what I am saying, so I had better explain why. Where … Continue reading →

Posted in British Transport, London Buses, London general interest, London Rail, London Underground, Main Line Rail, Our Government, Road Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Thomas Cook & Son – part of British Transport

Posted on September 27, 2019 by machorne

Thomas Cook first showed enterprise in the travel business in 1841. Since the company’s recent demise, quite a few bits and pieces have appeared in print concerning its long history. These have omitted a certain amount of detail that I … Continue reading →

Posted in British Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Excitement of Luminous Trains

Posted on August 6, 2019 by machorne

In the fascinating world of railways there has never been a shortage of ideas. Many come from outside the industry and some of them even have practical applications, for which I am sure we are immensely grateful. Most, though, are … Continue reading →

Posted in London general interest, London Underground | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Prisons and the Metropolitan Railway

Posted on May 1, 2019 by machorne

Whitecross Street Prison My attention was recently drawn to the plaque in the accompanying photograph. Cunningly designed in the style of official commemorative blue plaques, I noted the building so commemorated before realizing the plaque was not official and that … Continue reading →

Posted in London general interest, London Underground, Main Line Rail | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

McFarlan Moore Lighting and the Central London Railway

Posted on April 28, 2019 by machorne

The name Daniel McFarlan Moore may not be familiar to many people, a shortcoming I shall try to redress. He was a distinguished American electrical engineer and inventor who died in 1936; the circumstances were very unfortunate because he was … Continue reading →

Posted in London general interest, London Underground, Power Supply System | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Automatic Trains on the Hammersmith & City Line (at last)

Posted on March 20, 2019 by machorne

New Signalling as part of the sub-surface lines modernization (updated) On Monday 28 March, I spent a little while at the western end of London’s Hammersmith & City Line watching the new automatic trains doing their business: this was the … Continue reading →

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The latest Underground Diagram: a fallen icon?

Posted on December 28, 2018 by machorne

A new version of the Underground pocket diagram recently appeared, dated December 2018, and this incorporates another new feature which, whether good or not, adds further complexity to a diagram that is now overloaded with information. It is surely time … Continue reading →

Posted in London general interest, London Mayor, London Rail, London Underground | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Britain’s National Railway Museum: Part 5

Posted on December 9, 2018 by machorne

Three Museums Introduction Now (at last) I propose to say something about the NRM as it is today, following my first visit with this purpose in mind that I made last year. This proved difficult and gave me so much … Continue reading →

Posted in British Transport, Heritage Transport, Main Line Rail | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Britain’s National Railway Museum: Part 4

Posted on October 6, 2017 by machorne

The Science Museum and The Battle of York The Science Museum and the national science collection Before going into the transfer of the British Rail transport collection to the Science Museum, I had better say a few words about the … Continue reading →

Posted in British Transport, Heritage Transport, London general interest, Main Line Rail, Our Government, Road Transport | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment