Tube Challenge 100

[michael_churchill]

Tube Challenge 100

I've recently become interested in the Tube Challenge, but I don't believe I'd have the stamina to do the whole network myself. So, I started investigating and researching lesser challenges. At one point, I thought to myself, "What would the Tube Challenge have been like 100 years ago?" That led me down the rabbit hole that is the history of the London Underground.

I've come up with the following rules specific to this challenge:
Any stations that were part of the London Underground 100 years ago, but are now served by other railway operators, must also be visited.
Any closed stations that were open and part of the London Underground 100 years ago must be ticked off, simply by travelling over the section of the line (Underground or otherwise) where they were located.
Any closed stations that were on lines which are now closed are not part of the challenge.
For stations that have been resited in the last 100 years, only the current location needs to be visited.
Connections between stations can be made on foot, by bus, or by another train. For historical accuracy, you should endeavour to only use train lines that were open 100 years ago.

Overall, I make it 187 active stations to be visited. Significantly less than the whole network, but including extra parts from Amersham to Aylesbury, Finsbury Park to Moorgate and Whitechapel to New Cross / New Cross Gate which are not (now) part of the normal challenge.

My research (mostly from Wikipedia) indicates that the following lines would be part of the challenge.
Please let me know if I have made any mistakes.
I am aware that some sections of current lines were operated as other lines 100 years ago, such as parts of the Jubilee line which were then the Metropolitan Railway.

Bakerloo line
From Watford Junction to Elephant & Castle
Carpenders Park, Stonebridge Park and South Kenton not yet open

Central line
From Shepherd's Bush to Liverpool Street + White City
Closed station: Wood Lane, was on a terminal loop beyond Shepherd's Bush 100 years ago, but when the line was extended it had platforms on the current alignment before it closed, so it can be "visited" by travelling between Shepherd's Bush and White City.
Closed station: British Museum, between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn.

Circle line
Whole line
Wood Lane not yet open (different to the nearby closed station on the Central line)

District line
Everything west of Barking
Closed station: St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) between Aldgate East and Whitechapel
Also, 100 years ago, the District Railway ran seasonal excursion trains using their own electric locomotives as far as Barking then the steam locomotives of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway:
Barking - Dagenham East - Hornchurch - Upminster - Leigh-on-Sea - Southend Central - Shoeburyness.
All of these stations are open, but I'm not considering them part of the challenge. If you think it is necessary to add 32 miles to the route for "completeness", you're welcome to!

Hammersmith & City line
Whole line
Wood Lane not yet open (different to the nearby closed station on the Central line)
Closed station: St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) between Aldgate East and Whitechapel

Jubilee line
From Finchley Road to Wembley Park
(see note below)

Metropolitan line
Except for the Watford branch
Northwick Park, Hillingdon and Northwood Hills not yet open
Closed stations: Lord's, Marlborough Road and Swiss Cottage, in that order, between Baker Street and Finchley Road
(see note below)

Jubilee / Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Wembley Park
100 years ago this was a single line of the Metropolitan Railway.
From Baker Street, you should take a Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, to tick off the former sites of Lord's, Marlborough Road and the former Swiss Cottage.
The line currently used by the Jubilee line between Baker Street and Finchley Road was not open 100 years ago.
From Finchley Road, you shoud take a Jubilee line train to Wembley Park, to tick off the stations that the Metropolitan line does not stop at.
At Wembley Park, change back to the Metropolitan line - the Stanmore branch was not open 100 years ago.

Northern line
High Barnet branch as far north as Archway
Edgware branch as far north as Golders Green
Charing Cross branch as far south as Embankment
Bank branch as far south as Clapham Common
Closed station: City Road between Old Street and Angel
Closed station: South Kentish Town between Camden Town and Kentish Town

Piccadilly line
Finsbury Park to Acton Town
Heathrow branch to Hounslow West, but Osterley not yet open
Whole Uxbridge branch, but (the current) Park Royal and Hillingdon not yet open
Closed station: Brompton Road between Knightsbridge and South Kensington
Closed station: Down Street between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner
Closed station: York Road between Kings Cross St. Pancras and Caledonian Road
Closed station: Park Royal & Twyford Abbey, between the current Park Royal and Alperton

Victoria line
Not built

Waterloo & City line
Not operated as Underground

Lines which were London Underground 100 years ago, now operated by other railways
Amersham - Great Missenden - Wendover - Stoke Mandeville - Aylesbury, formerly Metropolitan now operated by Chiltern Railways
Finsbury Park - Drayton Park - Highbury & Islington - Essex Road - Old Street - Moorgate, formerly Northern now operated by Great Northern
Whitechapel - Shadwell - Wapping - Rotherhithe - Surrey Quays - New Cross & New Cross Gate, formerly East London now Overground

Special cases
South Acton, formerly on a branch of the District from Acton Town, now served by Overground
Uxbridge Road, a closed station, was located on what is now the Overground, between Kensington (Olympia) and Shepherd's Bush
The Central line platforms at Holborn were not open - the station must be visited via the Piccadilly line
Charing Cross was two separate stations on the Northern and Bakerloo lines - it must be visited via both

Closed lines which are not part of the challenge
Holborn - Aldwych, formerly Piccadilly line
Aylesbury - Waddesdon - Quainton Road - Granborough Road - Winslow Road - Verney Junction, formerly Metropolitan line
Quainton Road - Waddesdon Road - Westcott - Wotton - Wood Siding - Brill, formerly Metropolitan line
Shoreditch - Whitechapel, formerly East London line

So, the following stations are part of the challenge. Format is Name {Name 100 years ago} [Notes].

Acton Town
Aldgate
Aldgate East
Alperton
Amersham
Angel
Archway {Highgate}
Arsenal {Gillespie Road}
Aylesbury [Chiltern]
Baker Street
Bank
Barbican {Aldersgate}
Barking
Barons Court
Bayswater
Belsize Park
Blackfriars
Bond Street
Borough
Boston Manor
Bow Road
British Museum [Closed, on Central line between Tottenham Court Road and Chancery Lane]
Bromley-by-Bow {Bromley}
Brompton Road [Closed, on Piccadilly line between Knightsbridge and South Kensington]
Bushey [Overground]
Caledonian Road
Camden Town
Cannon Street
Chalfont & Latimer
Chalk Farm
Chancery Lane
Charing Cross {Trafalgar Square} [Bakerloo]
Charing Cross {Strand} [Northern]
Chesham
Chiswick Park
Chorleywood {Chorley Wood & Chenies}
City Road [Closed, on Northern line betweem Angel and Old Street]
Clapham Common
Clapham North
Covent Garden
Dollis Hill
Down Street [Closed, on Piccadilly line between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner]
Drayton Park [Great Northern]
Ealing Broadway
Ealing Common
Earl's Court
East Ham
East Putney
Eastcote
Edgware Road [Bakerloo]
Edgware Road [Hammersmith & City / Circle / District]
Elephant & Castle
Embankment {Charing Cross}
Essex Road [Great Northern]
Euston
Euston Square
Farringdon {Farringdon Street}
Finchley Road
Finsbury Park
Fulham Broadway {Walham Green}
Gloucester Road
Golders Green
Goldhawk Road
Goodge Street
Great Missenden [Chiltern]
Great Portland Street {Portland Road}
Green Park {Dover Street}
Gunnersbury
Hammersmith [Hammersmith & City / Circle]
Hammersmith [District / Piccadilly]
Hampstead
Harlesden
Harrow & Wealdstone
Harrow-on-the-Hill
Hatch End {Hatch End & Pinner} [Overground]
Headstone Lane [Overground]
High Street Kensington
Highbury & Islington [Great Northern]
Holborn
Holland Park
Holloway Road
Hounslow Central {Heston-Hounslow}
Hounslow East {Hounslow Town}
Hounslow West {Hounslow Barracks}
Hyde Park Corner
Ickenham
Kennington
Kensington (Olympia) {Addison Road}
Kentish Town
Kenton
Kew Gardens
Kilburn {Kilburn & Brondesbury}
Kilburn Park
Kings Cross St. Pancras {Kings Cross}
Knightsbridge
Ladbroke Grove {Notting Hill & Ladbroke Grove}
Lambeth North
Lancaster Gate
Latimer Road
Leicester Square
Liverpool Street
London Bridge
Lord's {St. John's Wood Road} [Closed, on Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Finchley Road]
Maida Vale
Marlborough Road [Closed, on Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Finchley Road]
Mansion House
Marble Arch
Marylebone
Mile End
Monument
Moor Park {Sandy Lodge}
Moorgate {Moorgate Street}
Mornington Crescent
Neasden
New Cross [Overground]
New Cross Gate [Overground]
North Ealing
North Harrow
North Wembley
Northfields
Northwood
Notting Hill Gate
Old Street
Oval
Oxford Circus
Paddington {Paddington (Praed Street) for Circle / District} [Bakerloo / Circle / District]
Paddington {Paddington {Bishop's Road)} [Hammersmith & City / Circle]
Park Royal & Twyford Abbey [Closed, on Piccadilly line between Park Royal and Alperton]
Parsons Green
Piccadilly Circus
Pinner
Plaistow
Preston Road
Putney Bridge {Putney Bridge & Hurlingham}
Queen's Park
Queensway {Queen's Road}
Ravenscourt Park
Rayners Lane
Regent's Park
Richmond
Rickmansworth
Rotherhithe [Overground]
Royal Oak
Ruislip
Ruislip Manor
Russell Square
St. James's Park
St. Mary's (Whitechapel Road) [Closed, on District / Hammersmith & City line between Aldgate East and Whitechapel]
St. Paul's {Post Office}
Shadwell [Overground]
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush Market {Shepherd's Bush}
Sloane Square
South Acton [Overground]
South Ealing
South Harrow
South Kensington
South Kentish Town [Closed, on Northern line between Kentish Town and Camden Town]
Southfields
Stamford Brook
Stepney Green
Stockwell
Stoke Mandeville [Chiltern]
Sudbury Hill
Sudbury Town
Surrey Quays [Overground]
Swiss Cottage [Closed, on Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Finchley Road]
Temple
Tottenham Court Road
Tower Hill {Mark Lane}
Tufnell Park
Turnham Green
Upton Park
Uxbridge
Uxbridge Road [Closed, on Overground between Kensington (Olympia) and Shepherd's Bush]
Victoria
Wapping [Overground]
Warren Street
Warwick Avenue
Waterloo
Watford High Street [Overground]
Watford Junction [Overground]
Wembley Central {Wembley Central for Sudbury}
Wembley Park
Wendover [Chiltern]
West Brompton
West Ham
West Hampstead
West Harrow
West Kensington
Westbourne Park
Westminster
Whitechapel
Willesden Green
Willesden Junction
Wimbledon
Wimbledon Park
Wood Lane [Closed, on Central line betweem Shepherd's Bush and White City]
York Road [Closed, on Piccadilly line between Kings Cross St. Pancras and Caledonian Road]

200 stations to be ticked off, 13 off which are closed
12 closed stations which can not be ticked off

Anniversaries coming up in the next year
1 August 1917 - Bakerloo - Stonebridge Park opens

I have started thinking about a route. I think even 187 stations is beyond me, but what do you think?

[The Orange One]

Points that come to mind:

1) You've got to do the Shoeburyness and Aylesbury excursions. It doesn't count if you don't.
2) Trains from Uxbridge Road continued to Olympia, so you have to do the bit between Shepherd's Bush and Olympia on the Overground to cover it. This comes with Olympia-related benefits.
3) Modern day Charing Cross was two different stations, so must be visited on both Bakerloo and Northern Lines.
4) Also, on some special events days, a service runs between Aylesbury and Quainton Road. Another name for this might be an "exhibition service"... I'm not doing this challenge.

Are you allowed to use services that didn't exist 100 years ago? (e.g. Heathrow Express, Victoria Line, bus routes that did not run at that point)

Here's a possible route.

Quainton Road Aylesbury (special diesel service) Chalfont and Latimer (Chiltern) Chesham (Metropolitan) Harrow-on-the-Hill (Metropolitan) Uxbridge (Metropolitan) North Ealing (Piccadilly) Ealing Broadway (foot) Acton Town (District) Hounslow West (Piccadilly) Hounslow Central (Piccadilly) Hounslow (foot) Richmond (SWT) Gunnersbury (District) Chiswick Park (foot) Earl's Court (District) Edgware Road (District) Hammersmith (H&C) Olympia (9 bus) Shepherd's Bush (Overground) White City (Central) Bank (Central) Clapham Common (Northern) Clapham Junction (37 bus) Wimbledon (SWT) Earl's Court (District) Piccadilly Circus Lambeth North (Bakerloo) Willesden Junction (Bakerloo) Harrow and Wealdstone (You'll have to get a stopping service, but it's meant to mimic a train on the fast lines as ran between Willesden and Harrow in 1915) Harrow-on-the-Hill (run as buses didn't reach this far in 1915) Wembley Park (Metropolitan) Finchley Road (Jubilee) Moorgate (Metropolitan) Finsbury Park (Great Northern) Leicester Square (Piccadilly) Charing Cross (Northern) Golders Green (Northern) Camden Town (Northern) Archway (Northern) Angel (Northern) King's Cross St Pancras (Piccadilly) South Kensington (Piccadilly) Liverpool Street (Circle) Whitechapel (H&C) New Cross Gate (London Overground) New Cross (53 bus; a bus did run down that road in 1915, but it wasn't the 53, you can run alternatively) Whitechapel (London Overground) Barking (District) Upminster (You'll have to use a stopping District Line, as Dagenham East and Hornchurch cannot be picked up otherwise) Shoeburyness (c2c).

Obviously, this is one of those challenges that would require more than one day (finding a day where Quainton Road is running and all the lines you need are as well will be near impossible, even though Great Northern will be running at weekends by this point). I used this 1914 bus map for the roads that ran buses, and a variety of sites and educated guessing to work out which ones they were. I used this 1914 tube map for tube services, and Wikipedia to check the situation at Hounslow/Richmond/Wimbledon on SWT and Willesden Junction's status as a mainline station.

[michael_churchill]

Points that come to mind:

1) You've got to do the Shoeburyness and Aylesbury excursions. It doesn't count if you don't.
2) Trains from Uxbridge Road continued to Olympia, so you have to do the bit between Shepherd's Bush and Olympia on the Overground to cover it. This comes with Olympia-related benefits.
3) Modern day Charing Cross was two different stations, so must be visited on both Bakerloo and Northern Lines.
4) Also, on some special events days, a service runs between Aylesbury and Quainton Road. Another name for this might be an "exhibition service"... I'm not doing this challenge.

Are you allowed to use services that didn't exist 100 years ago? (e.g. Heathrow Express, Victoria Line, bus routes that did not run at that point)

1. In my opinion Shoeburyness is optional but Aylesbury is compulsory. Didn't Aylesbury have a year-round service?
2. Agreed. Apparently there was a section of track (closed 1940) that branched off just west of Latimer Road, connecting to what is now the Overground line to Olympia. All part of the Metropolitan 100 years ago.
3. Open to debate. I wasn't aware that was the case.
4. Unless there is a regular timetabled service, you can't be expected to include it. If this challenge was set between 1949 and 1994, I wouldn't expect to have to do Epping to Ongar.

I think you should endeavour not to use any service that runs on track infrastructure that didn't exist 100 years ago. The Heathrow Express and the Victoria line would not be allowed, but most National Rail and Overground would. Assuming that all roads were open 100 years ago, I think any bus service is allowable.

[michael_churchill]

Points that come to mind:

3) Modern day Charing Cross was two different stations, so must be visited on both Bakerloo and Northern Lines.

Having looked this up, I now agree. On that basis, and the period tube map you linked to, perhaps Paddington should count as 3 stations : Bakerloo, Circle/District (Praed Street) and Hammersmith & City (Bishops Road)

[The Orange One]

The New York subway challenge has one station (Aqueduct Racetrack) which is only open on race days. As such, the challenge can only be completed on these days. I'm running off that precedent with points 1 and 4.

I think you should endeavour not to use any service that runs on track infrastructure that didn't exist 100 years ago. The Heathrow Express and the Victoria line would not be allowed, but most National Rail and Overground would. Assuming that all roads were open 100 years ago, I think any bus service is allowable.

I think it should be a bus service that runs down roads that were served by buses in 1915, if possible on a route run by buses in that year. For a purely hypothetical example, as no bus crossed Lambeth Bridge until the 1930s, using a bus across Lambeth Bridge shouldn't be allowed.

To this end I picked out my bus routes carefully (the 9 and 37 ran down the same roads in 1915). The H20 bus would make the Hounslow run easier; the 258 or suchlike would make the Harrow transfer much easier, neither roads had buses in 1915 to my knowledge.

I'm still unsure about Barking to Upminster on the District + Willesden to Harrow on the Bakerloo. In the Barking case, the District ran on different lines, but called at stations served today only by its current lines, which did not exist. In the Willesden case, National Rail services on the fast lines out of Euston do not call at Willesden Junction today although they did in 1915, the slow lines did not exist at the time but I am attempting to slip a replacement to that service in as best I can.

[quote="michael_churchill"Having looked this up, I now agree. On that basis, and the period tube map you linked to, perhaps Paddington should count as 3 stations : Bakerloo, Circle/District (Praed Street) and Hammersmith & City (Bishops Road)[/quote]

I'm considering Paddington Bakerloo to be the same station as Paddington District (I prefer not to use the term Circle in regards to Paddington, as the Circle serves both stations), as it is today. Paddington H&C is separate, of course. I can't find any evidence of Paddingtons Bakerloo and District ever being separate. Don't really know why it's like that on the period map; maybe it's to highlight the competing companies of the time.

Also reminded that:
- Holborn MUST be visited on the Piccadilly Line as the Central Line didn't call there until the 1930s
- You can't use the escalator link at Bank and Monument as that didn't go up until the 1930s
- Penalty points for anyone who sets foot on the Jubilee Line Extension, Heathrow Express or DLR. Nobody could believe these to be 100 years old.
- Shoreditch High Street??? Would say this wasn't Shoreditch, but we're counting the original Hounslow West as the current Hounslow West...

[A Challenge]

Points that come to mind:

3) Modern day Charing Cross was two different stations, so must be visited on both Bakerloo and Northern Lines.

Having looked this up, I now agree. On that basis, and the period tube map you linked to, perhaps Paddington should count as 3 stations : Bakerloo, Circle/District (Praed Street) and Hammersmith & City (Bishops Road)

You have only stated two Paddingtons there, and I agree about Charing Cross.

Not so sure other the idea works, though.

[RJSRdg]

I've a feeling Bank may still have been separate stations 100 years ago.

This isn't too dissimilar to an idea I came up with while waiting for a train at Finchley Central during the summer - namely to visit all the stations on the original 1933 Harry Beck map:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bec ... p_1933.jpg

Major differences are:

No Metropolitan beyond Rickmansworth.
Bakerloo running to Watford Junction.

Tramlink would be acceptable to get from Wimbledon to Morden as it's on the route of a former railway line!

[palkanetoijala31]

The New York subway challenge has one station (Aqueduct Racetrack) which is only open on race days. As such, the challenge can only be completed on these days. I'm running off that precedent with points 1 and 4.

I think you should endeavour not to use any service that runs on track infrastructure that didn't exist 100 years ago. The Heathrow Express and the Victoria line would not be allowed, but most National Rail and Overground would. Assuming that all roads were open 100 years ago, I think any bus service is allowable.

I think it should be a bus service that runs down roads that were served by buses in 1915, if possible on a route run by buses in that year. For a purely hypothetical example, as no bus crossed Lambeth Bridge until the 1930s, using a bus across Lambeth Bridge shouldn't be allowed.

To this end I picked out my bus routes carefully (the 9 and 37 ran down the same roads in 1915). The H20 bus would make the Hounslow run easier; the 258 or suchlike would make the Harrow transfer much easier, neither roads had buses in 1915 to my knowledge.

I'm still unsure about Barking to Upminster on the District + Willesden to Harrow on the Bakerloo. In the Barking case, the District ran on different lines, but called at stations served today only by its current lines, which did not exist. In the Willesden case, National Rail services on the fast lines out of Euston do not call at Willesden Junction today although they did in 1915, the slow lines did not exist at the time but I am attempting to slip a replacement to that service in as best I can.

[quote="michael_churchill"Having looked this up, I now agree. On that basis, and the period tube map you linked to, perhaps Paddington should count as 3 stations : Bakerloo, Circle/District (Praed Street) and Hammersmith & City (Bishops Road)

I'm considering Paddington Bakerloo to be the same station as Paddington District (I prefer not to use the term Circle in regards to Paddington, as the Circle serves both stations), as it is today. Paddington H&C is separate, of course. I can't find any evidence of Paddingtons Bakerloo and District ever being separate. Don't really know why it's like that on the period map; maybe it's to highlight the competing companies of the time.

Also reminded that:
- Holborn MUST be visited on the Piccadilly Line as the Central Line didn't call there until the 1930s
- You can't use the escalator link at Bank and Monument as that didn't go up until the 1930s
- Penalty points for anyone who sets foot on the Jubilee Line Extension, Heathrow Express or DLR. Nobody could believe these to be 100 years old.
- Shoreditch High Street??? Would say this wasn't Shoreditch, but we're counting the original Hounslow West as the current Hounslow West...[/quote]

Since the casino opened aqueduct is now open all the time

[Iain]

I'm not sure of dates but both Euston and South Ken were both separate stations too at one point, also E&C

[michael_churchill]

Here's a map I've adapted from a tube map from Wikipedia (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... il_map.svg), so it is safe from TfL lawyers. I've greyed out all the lines not part of the challenge. If the interactivity of the SVG file doesn't work, try opening the image in a new window, or download the file and open it in your browser separately. The bit I'm most proud of... I've added a bit of extra interactivity with a tick box for "Show old names". I've added the closed stations as outlined but unfilled station ticks - you can hover over them to see the name.

[michael_churchill]

I've edited my original post, to count Charing Cross as two stations and to remove my original hideous inclusion of Canada Water.

[michael_churchill]

- Shoreditch High Street??? Would say this wasn't Shoreditch, but we're counting the original Hounslow West as the current Hounslow West...

As far as I understand, the line on which Shoreditch was located is no longer open to traffic. Whitechapel to Shoreditch High Street does not pass the former site of Shoreditch.

I wasn't aware that the terminus lines and platforms that were at Hounslow West 100 years ago are no longer in use, but the current lines and platforms are accessed from the same station building so I think that counts.

[tangy]

As to the Aylesbury- Quainton Road special service, this to my knowledge, only operates twice a year- Whitsun BH Monday and August BH Monday to coincide with events at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre- which occupies the Quainton road site.