Probably the biggest mission we have ever undertaken. Countless attempts, lots of research into possibilites around 6 trips and countless cheeky bonuses we were in!
Snow Hill opened on the 1st of August 1874 and was built in the snow hill tunnel which linked the LC&DR to the Metropolitan railway south of Farringdon. The station was next to the Holburn Viaduct station and was subsequently renamed the Holborn Viaduct Low Level in 1912. The station finally closed on the 1st of June 1916 as a result of passenger trains through the tunnel being stopped.
Our journey began on a rainy day in April. Our plans had been finalized and we knew the score. I met Dsankt at a nearby bus stop and we headed over to join with JD and Stoop. We chatted for a while, aligning our karma for the up coming assault.
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Once everything was set and we had no regret we headed to our “drop off point”. With the ropes secured and the equipment checked stoop headed down first. Follow by myself. I didn’t get to far before my mind screamed at me “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING”. I froze. I had become very aware of how high I was. My body refused to let me go but I was now too far down to go back up so after a few words with JD and DS I slowly but surely got my confidence back, bit by bit. and edged my way to the floor. We ducked into a side room and waiting for the others to descend. Once rejoined we headed across to the salt store and formulated a plan of action.
Back over the fence we headed towards Farringdon. A little way up the track split and two service tracks headed alongside, finally stopping at a bricked up tunnel. Wonder what it led too. We took a few pictures, ducking into cover each time trains screamed past and then headed up to the station itself.
While the station is stripped bare of all its original features there are a bits that have been left, a sign or two and the stop lights for the tunnels but not a lot else. Again we took a selection of pictures before deciding wed done enough and headed back up to the car.
Took an incredible amount of time and planning but we finally got it done!
Thank you for this, I LOVE it. If I still lived in London I’d be tempted to try the same tho’ that ’3rd Rail’ worries me! - but least we have this fantastic share, enabling us to vicariously explore an off-limits subterranean wonderland. Without the ‘net I’d never have realised there were others as fascinated by this stuff as I am
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A little interest: “leaky feeder” is the term given to a system of transmittinng radio signals along tunnels. A coaxial cable is used which has holes in the outser screening, allowing the signal to ‘leak’.
Transmitter at one end, a load resistor at the other, it means that throughout the length of the cable the radio signals can be used consistently.
In this application the signals are probably comms between crews and or trains and base stations, but in other places can be anything normally airborne, like cellular phones or broadcast stations.
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the leaky feeder cables are used throughout the london underground for the correct side door enable (CSDE) as a safety system to stop doors being opened on the wrong side
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Show Hill was never a “TUBE” station in the sense of “The Tube” ,the nick-name Londoners gave the London Underground network.As your caption states when the mouse arrow is dragged over the above pics! It was an underground station in the sense it was underground but not one owned or run by London Underground Limited or its predecessors.The Snow Hill tunnel was built to connect the rail networks of southern England and the North of England with out the need for trains to go around London.The tunnel remained open for inter regional freight until the 1960s ,closed then was reopened 1980s for inter regional Passenger Trains!
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