The Sound of the Underground
- Sillert, V.I.
- Zone 2
- Posts: 57
- Joined: 26 Mar 2006, 23:26
The Sound of the Underground
For me, there are some sounds which encapsulate all that's good about the world's greatest ever mass transit system. The cheeky 'Ignore-me-if-you-dare' reciprocating whine of the compressors on the older Westinghouse-braked stock (I particularly remember the District line "Q" stock) is my personal favourite.
What's your all-time favourite UndergrounD sound??
What's your all-time favourite UndergrounD sound??
"What comes around, goes around" (sic!)
- Going Underground
- The Twilight Zone
- Posts: 8901
- Joined: 11 Apr 2006, 12:24
- Location: Down in a tube station at midnight.
- Contact:
I like the sound of any approaching train from a tube tunnel, you get that rush of air and the rumbling noise steadily gets louder before the train bursts into the station 
Last edited by Going Underground on 17 Jun 2006, 16:22, edited 1 time in total.
Twice former full network GWR holder and former Zone 1 Olympic and World Record holder with The Raven and Soupie
Tube personality of the year 2009
4 times Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
Tube personality of the year 2009
4 times Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
- CrunchySaviour
- All Zones
- Posts: 1236
- Joined: 14 Feb 2005, 19:18
- Location: Bedfordshire
- Contact:
My favourite sound is that of an accelerating or decelerating 96TS train.
~ Let loose the bands of war! DISINTEGRATOR.co.uk
- standclearofthedoors
- Zone 4
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 12 Jan 2006, 00:10
- Location: Colney Hatch
- travelpass
- Zone 2
- Posts: 68
- Joined: 10 Sep 2005, 00:28
- zeibura
- Zone 5
- Posts: 647
- Joined: 05 Feb 2005, 10:18
- Location: Žižkov
- Contact:
-
G Force
- Zone 3
- Posts: 191
- Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
- Location: Stuck on the Jubilee Line
I will also add my name to those in agreement. The noise comes from the gate turn-off thyristors that control the motors. More modern trains such as the 95TS use insulated gate bipolar transistors instead, which make a different (usually a higher and more constant frequency sound) sound.CrunchySaviour wrote:My favourite sound is that of an accelerating or decelerating 96TS train.
Personally I think the M1 stock on Prague Metro Line C makes the most "interesting" noise.
- petermiller36
- Zone 4
- Posts: 322
- Joined: 11 Feb 2005, 22:16
- Location: Birmingham
- Sillert, V.I.
- Zone 2
- Posts: 57
- Joined: 26 Mar 2006, 23:26
I agree the trains sound great (though the 96TS does sound a wee bit modern to my ears); what about the other noises on the underground?
I remember the empty echo of a set of wooden escalators in a long-forgotten deserted station; the not-all-that-slow drip-drip-drip of water from the roof of Brunel's tunnel at the south end of Wapping; the almost-melodious chanting of a hopeful busker in the interchange tunnel at Leicester Square...
I remember the empty echo of a set of wooden escalators in a long-forgotten deserted station; the not-all-that-slow drip-drip-drip of water from the roof of Brunel's tunnel at the south end of Wapping; the almost-melodious chanting of a hopeful busker in the interchange tunnel at Leicester Square...
"What comes around, goes around" (sic!)
- editorsfoot
- Zone 5
- Posts: 502
- Joined: 10 Feb 2005, 18:57
- Location: Priestfield Stadium - The home of football!
- Contact:
- The Raven
- All Zones
- Posts: 2832
- Joined: 05 Jun 2006, 23:49
- Location: Perched on a branch
- Contact:
- Going Underground
- The Twilight Zone
- Posts: 8901
- Joined: 11 Apr 2006, 12:24
- Location: Down in a tube station at midnight.
- Contact:
You might hear some air con at VictoriaThe Raven wrote:The sound of some air conditioning would be a welcome sound
A man can dream though
Twice former full network GWR holder and former Zone 1 Olympic and World Record holder with The Raven and Soupie
Tube personality of the year 2009
4 times Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
Tube personality of the year 2009
4 times Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
- The Raven
- All Zones
- Posts: 2832
- Joined: 05 Jun 2006, 23:49
- Location: Perched on a branch
- Contact:
- editorsfoot
- Zone 5
- Posts: 502
- Joined: 10 Feb 2005, 18:57
- Location: Priestfield Stadium - The home of football!
- Contact:
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests