LPTB Letter to Outdoor Administrative Staff, number 23 : the North London Electrification Scheme, April 1938 : Diagram 5 : Highgate station - plan of the proposed scheme
During the late 1920s and into the 1930s, at a time of huge expansion of the London Underground system, a series of "letters" to varous grades of administrative staff explaining issues of policy were issued. Starting in 1927, these 'personal' letters from the 'Operating Manager' blossomed into quite sizeable publications, complete with extensive maps, drawings and plans - especially of the massive schemes connected with the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme, 1935 - 40. This, the largest ever single investment programme initiated by the newly unified "London Transport" included the Central line extensions both east and west, the Northern line extensions, the Bakerloo's Stanmore branch works as well as the replacement of the capital's tramway system by trolleybuses. Most of the schemes were seriously interupted by the outbreak of war in 1939 and whilst some were re-started in post-war years others, most notably the Northern line extensions and the tram/trolleybus switch-over were mostly abandoned.
Letter No. 23, dated 26 April 1938, is a detailed description of the North London Electrification Scheme that involved both new works in tune to connect the existing Highgate and Northern City branches to the existing mainline Alexandra Palace, High Barnet and Edgware branches of the LNER along with electrification of these steam operated branches. The works also saw an intended extension of the existing Edgware branch north to a new terminus at Bushey Heath along with a new depot at Aldenham. Although much work started, including the Bushey Heath extension and works to the Alexandra Palace via Finsbury Park branches, these were formally abandoned in the 1940s - partially due to parlous state of the UK's post-war economy as well as the new 'Green Belt' planning legislation that nailed any major new suburban developments north of Edgware. The link at low level of the tube north of Archway at Highgate and out to East Finchley did come into use and the whole branch to High Barnet was converted along with a stub of the Edgware branch to Mill Hill East. Although East Finchley station was reconstructed along "LT" lines no other major reconstructions took place and indeed the original GNR stations still mostly serve the Tube to this day. The depot at Aldenham was built and after wartime use as a factory it became, instead, London's second major bus overhaul works.
The opening page shows some of the NWP's schemes as well as the level of investment - £45,000,000 in 1938 was a staggering sum of money. Diagram 5 shows the proposed layout of the alterations to Highgate station. Here, the topographical conditions made it impossible to have cross-platform interchange on the same level as the new tube line that ran directly underneath the existing LNER station required a sufficient gradient to rise from the existing tube terminus at Archway (then known as Highgate) to reach the surface on approach to East Finchley and the Wellington Sidings. The tube station and platforms, along with the ticket hall under the reconstructed LNER 'surface' platforms opened on 19 January 1941 as part of the what was to become incomplete Northern line extensions as planned here. The site of the station is complicated by its location in a deep cutting and so the set of escalators leading to and from the main entrance hall on Archway Rd, shown here, were planned. Wartime economies and post-war austerity saw this element of the scheme 'watered down' and eventually in 1954 a single up escalator was provided in this location.
The 'surface' LNER - later British Railways - platforms were intended to transfer to LT operation when the later parts of the scheme to include the line towards Fisnbury Park and Alexandra Palace were completed. However, by the late 1940s, London Transport's intentions changed and they declined to proceed with this element of the original plan. A vestigal steam train service limped on until 3 July 1954 when it was withdrawn and the surface platforms closed off. The concrete structures still stand, abandoned. The tracks were used for freight until 1964 and the transfer of LT rolling stock until 1972. The surface tracks were lifted by 1974.
LPTB Letter to Outdoor Administrative Staff, number 23 : the North London Electrification Scheme, April 1938 : Diagram 5 : Highgate station - plan of the proposed scheme
During the late 1920s and into the 1930s, at a time of huge expansion of the London Underground system, a series of "letters" to varous grades of administrative staff explaining issues of policy were issued. Starting in 1927, these 'personal' letters from the 'Operating Manager' blossomed into quite sizeable publications, complete with extensive maps, drawings and plans - especially of the massive schemes connected with the London Passenger Transport Board's "New Works Programme, 1935 - 40. This, the largest ever single investment programme initiated by the newly unified "London Transport" included the Central line extensions both east and west, the Northern line extensions, the Bakerloo's Stanmore branch works as well as the replacement of the capital's tramway system by trolleybuses. Most of the schemes were seriously interupted by the outbreak of war in 1939 and whilst some were re-started in post-war years others, most notably the Northern line extensions and the tram/trolleybus switch-over were mostly abandoned.
Letter No. 23, dated 26 April 1938, is a detailed description of the North London Electrification Scheme that involved both new works in tune to connect the existing Highgate and Northern City branches to the existing mainline Alexandra Palace, High Barnet and Edgware branches of the LNER along with electrification of these steam operated branches. The works also saw an intended extension of the existing Edgware branch north to a new terminus at Bushey Heath along with a new depot at Aldenham. Although much work started, including the Bushey Heath extension and works to the Alexandra Palace via Finsbury Park branches, these were formally abandoned in the 1940s - partially due to parlous state of the UK's post-war economy as well as the new 'Green Belt' planning legislation that nailed any major new suburban developments north of Edgware. The link at low level of the tube north of Archway at Highgate and out to East Finchley did come into use and the whole branch to High Barnet was converted along with a stub of the Edgware branch to Mill Hill East. Although East Finchley station was reconstructed along "LT" lines no other major reconstructions took place and indeed the original GNR stations still mostly serve the Tube to this day. The depot at Aldenham was built and after wartime use as a factory it became, instead, London's second major bus overhaul works.
The opening page shows some of the NWP's schemes as well as the level of investment - £45,000,000 in 1938 was a staggering sum of money. Diagram 5 shows the proposed layout of the alterations to Highgate station. Here, the topographical conditions made it impossible to have cross-platform interchange on the same level as the new tube line that ran directly underneath the existing LNER station required a sufficient gradient to rise from the existing tube terminus at Archway (then known as Highgate) to reach the surface on approach to East Finchley and the Wellington Sidings. The tube station and platforms, along with the ticket hall under the reconstructed LNER 'surface' platforms opened on 19 January 1941 as part of the what was to become incomplete Northern line extensions as planned here. The site of the station is complicated by its location in a deep cutting and so the set of escalators leading to and from the main entrance hall on Archway Rd, shown here, were planned. Wartime economies and post-war austerity saw this element of the scheme 'watered down' and eventually in 1954 a single up escalator was provided in this location.
The 'surface' LNER - later British Railways - platforms were intended to transfer to LT operation when the later parts of the scheme to include the line towards Fisnbury Park and Alexandra Palace were completed. However, by the late 1940s, London Transport's intentions changed and they declined to proceed with this element of the original plan. A vestigal steam train service limped on until 3 July 1954 when it was withdrawn and the surface platforms closed off. The concrete structures still stand, abandoned. The tracks were used for freight until 1964 and the transfer of LT rolling stock until 1972. The surface tracks were lifted by 1974.