Wendy's Waffle

Thursday, 28 April 2016

X is for X rail or Crossrail or Elizabeth line!

The theme for my A-Z posts this year is London Underground Stations. I've chosen a station for each letter and at the end of each post I've listed the other stations for that letter with their Wikipedia entries. I've tried to visit each station and take my own photos.

Well here's the real challenge. What do you write about when you've chosen underground stations and there is no X station? Be prepared for some waffle.

X is also a cross so I thought great, I can write about Crossrail. Crossrail is an important development to our transport system that is particularly relevant to me so I was all set. Then in February this year it was announced that this new line would be known as The Elizabeth Line in honour of the Queen.

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Well I'm still writing about Crossrail! (Even if they have already started to rebrand everything.)

My nearest station is Forest Gate. It was served by a mainline service which runs a suburban service from Liverpool Street to Shenfield and intercity services out to Essex and the South East north of the Thames. The suburban services were recently taken over by Tranport for London and are currently known as TFL Rail. (Transport for London is the Authority responsible for transport within Greater London.)

To get across London now we have to change for underground services either at Stratford, or Liverpool Street. The new ~~Crossrail~~ Elizabeth line will run from Shenfield, through Forest Gate and on to places such as Heathrow Airport and Reading to the West of London. The promised reduction in journey times and the improvements to Forest Gate station will be worth the current upheaval.

Current entrance is on far side of tracks

The front of the building is being modified to include lifts.

Temporary stairs in place to access platforms.

This has been a massive engineering project as although in some stretches (like our suburban service) existing lines can be used, the section across London has had to be tunnelled and created. Work has been going on 24/7 and is due to be completed on time and within budget. 8 huge tunnelling machines were used and, as is tradition these were named: Elizabeth and Victoria, Phyllis and Ada, Sophia and Mary and finally Jessica and Ellie. Click on the link to see how these names were chosen if you like useless bits of information. Told you I'd be waffling. It's what I do best.

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Wednesday Hodgepodge 27/4/16

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at

From this side of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add the link to your Hodgepodge blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

Have fun!

Today's A-Z post is here.

1. This is the last Hodgepodge in April. Share something you learned this month.

If you think you're prepared for something, think again.

2. It's National Poetry Month, and we all know you can't escape an April Hodgepodge without a little poetry. Keeping the first line as is, change the rest of the wording in this familiar rhyme to make it your own - 'Hickory Dickory Dock...

Hickory Dickory Dock
The clock is saying stop
My heart says no
I have to go
And finish off just one more blog!

3. What were one or two rules in the home you grew up in? Growing up, did you feel your parents were strict? Looking back do you still see it that way?

We always had to remember our manners. Please and thank you. Yes I think my parents were quite strict but only because they wanted the best for us.

4. Tell us about a kitchen or cooking disaster or mishap you've experienced. Do you have many from which to choose?

I almost set a chip pan on fire. I had too much oil in the pan so that when I lowered the chip basket into it the oil spiller over onto the gas flame and ignited. I was lucky - turned off the gas and put the lid on. No real harm done but when it was cool that chip pan went in the dustbin. Not had one since.

5. Plant a kiss, plant doubt, plant a tree, plant yourself somewhere...which on the list have you most recently planted?

A kiss :)

6. What's your most worn item of clothing this time of year? Are you tired of it?

Jeans. Never tire of wearing jeans.

7. I'm wrapping up the A-Z Blog Challenge this month and our Hodgepodge lands on letter W. What's one word beginning with W that describes you in some way? How about a word to describe your home, also beginning with W?

That's an easy one thanks to my name! As for my home I hope it's welcoming.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Expanding on #1 I too am taking part in the A-Z challenge. This is my second year. Last year I was winging it most days - just making the midnight deadline or NOT. It got me back in the habit of blogging and I decided to do it again this year but to be more prepared. I had my theme decided before Christmas and a plan in place for getting photos that I wanted to add to my posts. Then real life intervened and the plan went to pot. I'm doing ok but this last week is a challenge. I'm almost there and although it's been difficult at times I don't regret signing up. Just needed to have allowed more time. My usual dilemma!

W is for Westminster

This is the entrance that it us underneath Portcullis House, an administrative building for Parliament. The shot below is taken across the road looking at the building so it's hard to see the entrance. There are several other entrances that are the often seen subway style.

Westminster opened as a District Line station in 1868 with circle line trains being added soon after. The Jubilee line wasn't opened until 1999. The District line platforms are just below street level although these were lowered when the Jubilee line was added and the station was completely rebuilt. If you do use this interchange to switch between the Circle & District lines to the Jubilee, be prepared for a long walk and to descend deep undergound!

The Jubilee line is a deep tunnel line and construction of this was challenging. Many things had to be considered, not least its proximity to Big Ben. A deep void was required to house the escalators leading down to the platforms and steps had to be taken to ensure the amount of vibration was within an acceptable level so that the Big Ben was not adversely affected.

Big Ben with Westminster Abbey in the background

House of Parliament from Parliament Square

Big Ben is actually the nickname for the big bell in the clock tower that forms part of the Palace of Westminster the home of the Houses of Parliament. It is soon to be silenced as the clock, which has been in use for 157 years, needs renovation as does the tower, renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honour of Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Westminster is in the middle of a number of tourist attractions: The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall and Downing Street to name a few. Across Westminster Bridge you can also walk to the London Eye and then along the Southbank.

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament from the south bank.

The London Eye

A capsule on the Eye

The former County Hall building

The Cenotaph on Whitehall

The entrance to Downing Street

Thankfully the weather was better today and I was able to get out and take some photos. It was busy with tourists and people trying to get money out of tourists including a bagpipe player on Westminster Bridge and an accordian player with a huge St. Bernard dog just outside the station. Sorry, no pics of them.

The other “W” stations are: