2. Return trip to Elstree-21.02.20

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2020 > 12. Trip to London-20-22.02.20 > 2. Return trip to Elstree-21.02.20
We had managed to secure tickets at the BBC Elstree studios to be in the audience for a recording of a new ITV sitcom Kate And Koji staring Brenda Blethyn. However, after queuing for half an hour or so in the cold and dark we were told we would not get in as the studio was full! What was the point in issuing tickets then we wondered? Never mind, we then headed back into central London and took in an hour at the National Gallery that is now open late on Fridays. It was great being able to wander round in relative peace with no mad crowds and best of all it was absolutely free!
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Images 1-8 of 8 displayed.

Frontage, Kentish Town station This may seem a strange photograph to take and include but by way of a comparison with my 1979 image it is very interesting, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/v/photos/21936chg/27444294204/frontage-kentish-town-station All vestiges of the previous station have been obliterated with access now via the small entrance to the far right that in turn links into the Northern Line underground station and a new access bridge to all platforms. Keywords: Frontage Kentish Town station
700028, TL 14.58 Rainham-Luton (9P42, RT), Elstree & Borehamwood station In the gathering gloom at Elstree and Borehamwood station, 700028 pauses with the 14.58 Rainham to Luton cross-London working. My wife and I took this train from Kentish Town. Notice the driver's nonchalant approach to doing his job in the cab - not quite like when a 4MT would have operated a similar service some sixty years ago! Keywords: 700028 14.58 Rainham-Luton 9P42 Elstree & Borehamwood station Thameslink
700046, TL 18.32 Luton-Orpington (9L57, 5L), Kentish Town station Having alighted from 700046 at Kentish Town I managed a photograph of the train in the darkness on the platform end just as the train began to leave. Under modern LED lighting photographs like this are possible without the orange hue from sodium lights or the green colouration from fluorescents. We had travelled down from Elstree and Borehamwood on this unit in order to change to a London Underground service at the linked station. This was part of one continuous Oyster card journey from when we touched in at Elstree and touched out at Leicester Square. Keywords: 700046 18.32 Luton-Orpington 9L57 Kentish Town station Thameslink just as it was moving off. Thanks to the new LED lighting at the station the lighting is bright and very white creating no colour cast to correct as would have been the case with tungsten or fluorescent lighting. My wife and I travelled on this service from Elstree and Borehamwood station and then made the short walk to London Underground's Northern Line station. All this journey was classed as one only tapping in and out at Elstree and Leicester Square stations respectively.
Kentish Town station A comparison with my 1979 image taken from about the same spot reveals very many similarities at Kentish Town station, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/v/photos/21936chg/27444293604/kentish-town-station The delightful wooden canopy on the down slow platforms with its alcove style seating bays has been demolished making way for a far more barren and exposed platform. However, the up slow still remains very similar but for it being modernised. The buildings surrounding the station at road level are virtually identical with little having changed during the intervening forty years. Keywords: Kentish Town station
700035, TL 17.28 Rainham-Luton (9P52, RT), Kentish Town station The ability of modern cameras to take images in extremely low light is astonishing. In this view at Kentish Town station 700035, working the 17.28 Rainham to Luton service, is still arriving at some speed but the camera has managed to capture the scene relatively well with no blur and, with a little work from Photoshop's NeatImage add-on, there is very little digital noise. Back on a cold night in November 1979 when I took time exposures on the same station I required a sturdy tripod and an exposure of some twenty seconds to get a reasonable image on a Kodachrome 64 slide. However, there is something about the 'quality' of images taken using that fine film media that cannot be quite replicated on modern equipment but I am not absolutely sure what that elixir is? Keywords: 700035 17.28 Rainham-Luton 9P52 Kentish Town station Thameslink
51678, LU High Barnet-Kennington working, Kentish Town LU station The Northern Line operates 1995 stock that was built (from imported Spanish built bodyshells) by GEC Alsthom (later Alstom) at their plant at their now-closed Washwood Heath plant in Birmingham. Here one of the one hundred and six trains, 51678, arrives at Kentish Town with a High Barnet to Kennington, Charing Cross branch service. My wife and I took this train to Leicester Square. Keywords: 51678 High Barnet-Kennington working Kentish Town LU station London Underground TfL
Rain, Steam & Speed, JMW Turner (1844), National Gallery One of the finest legacies of Tony Blair's government under the care of his culture secretary Chris Smith was the making of a number of galleries free to enter. The National Gallery is one of the recipients of this policy and what a place to visit for no charge whatsoever. My wife and I took advantage of the recently introduced late opening on Fridays with far fewer visitors thus meaning far better access to the fine works of art on display. One of my favourite artists is JMW Turner (1775-1851) who was born a stone's throw from the gallery in Covent Garden. His work was characterised by (according to Wikipedia) 'expressive colourisations, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings'. One of his most famous paintings is this one titled 'Rain, Steam & Speed' dating from 1844. It shows a broad-gauge Great Western locomotive heading west over what is widely accepted as Maidenhead Railway bridge, that crosses the River Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead. Keywords: Rain, Steam & Speed, JMW Turner 1844 National Gallery
Oyster Card, Embankment-Elstree & Borehamwood-Leicester Square My wife and I used our Oyster cards to make our journeys from central London to and from Elstree for our abortive trip to the BBC studios. We travelled out from zone one on London Underground and then on Thameslink to Elstree but as it was during peak hours it was more expensive than the return trip. We only tapped in and out once for both trips changing trains at Kentish Town. Keywords: Oyster Card Embankment-Elstree & Borehamwood-Leicester Square TfL

Images 1-8 of 8 displayed.