London Bridge Platform 11

...was our final destination today (thanks to the ongoing improvement works at the station)...and oh boy is it narrow...I timed it, it took me seven minutes to get from my seat all the way to the ticket barrier (and this includes tutting, giving up waiting, getting back on the train at the next door and walking down the aisle in the middle instead - which surprisingly few other people did)...*very* annoying...hope this isn't our new normal platform! :(

Earlswood Bike update 2

Well, it's been about 10 days now (since I first noticed)...and today I had a few seconds to take a look and see if anything has actually happened...answer?  Nope...
The red bike is still there (complete with removal notice) -

- and the other two bikes are still just as securely fastened, but have had their threat letters removed (by wind or by hand?  Who knows?)...but it looks like they needn't have been too worried about (imminent) destruction...

Earlswood bike locking policy

Spotted this when I got to the station this morning, little paper signs attached to 3 or 4 of the push bikes on platform 1 warning the owners that they had been reported to station staff as "dumped"...they certainly didn't look like they were dumped, making me wonder if the owners have left them there while they have gone off on holiday or something?  Or perhaps don't like riding them in the rain (which it has been quite a bit lately)?

Anyway, being fair, I decided to check on the cycle policy and there is no mention of a time limit on storage of bikes - although it does say that if you don't own a folding bike they would advise you to keep one bike locked up at each end of your journey (which would explain why some of these bikes never appear to move - if the owners travel earlier/later in the day than most commuters) - interestingly, the station facilities section for Earlswood station notes that there are no bike storage facilities available (although it also says there is no ticket machine, which is there clearly is)...so perhaps their web site is just horribly out of date...

Wonder what is going to happen to these bikes?  Especially if the bit of paper blows away in an Autumn gust... :s

Twilight Shard

...snapped the other evening...

Update on the "V2" at London Bridge

Update on this post...

From Elwyn at the London Dungeon -

"Hi Fink,

It’s nothing to do with us I’m afraid. I think it’s a V2 rocket from the Second World War put there by the Britain at War Museum.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards,

Elwyn"

- thank you Elwyn (and thanks to Matt from London who provided the same suggestion on the Flickr page), but I think we already know it isn't actually a V2 rocket...on to the Britain at War Experience "contact us" page next then! ;)

V2 Rocket or Atlas Booster - Platform 1 London Bridge

Most odd...spotted this the other day on Platform One at London Bridge...at first glance, one would have thought one would be quite safe assuming that it is a memorial to those who lost their lives to Nazi V2 Rocket attacks during World War 2, however something isn't quite right in this picture...

It was googling around for some sort of explanation, discovering in the process that Tooley Street - above which it is suspended - suffered a few V1 attacks and Borough High Street (which is just around the corner) had a very nasty V2 incident (killing 35 people) which should have satisfied my curiosity, that I spotted this (very similar picture) on a contact of mine's Flickr stream, where (I discovered) that it, of course, looks absolutely nothing like a real V2 rocket (and thanks to Tommo for pointing out exactly the same thing)... ;)

It is actually a scale model of a NASA Atlas Booster, which (of course) dates it from somewhere during the cold war, likely after 1968...so what was someone doing between the late 60's (or early 70's) and now sticking a painted scale model of an Atlas Booster on the wall opposite Platform 1 at London Bridge station? It's not tatty either (and this is central London we are talking about here), the thing looks freshly painted (and shiny) and the union flag you can see fluttering to it's left is in equally good condition, which means someone has definitely been maintaining it in (however long) the meantime (was)...

Anyone have the faintest idea? Is it anything to do with the London Dungeon perhaps, or does some of my train fare or tax go towards it's (historically inaccurate) upkeep? I've emailed Elwyn Owen at the London Dungeon to see if it's anything to do with them, I'll let you know if they are kind enough to reply... ;)

East Croydon Station - Photography forbidden

I was on East Croydon station platform on Friday night, awaiting my connection and thought I would take a few pictures of the trains, not really been there at night with the good camera, walked right up to the end of the platform and took these from a prone position with the camera sat on the floor in front of me...

Twice I was approached, both times by people in HVJ's, the first one, a kindly gentleman, approached from behind asking if I was "alright mate?" because he thought I had keeled over, the second, and you can see her in the photo above came and sternly scolded me because "it ain't allowed after the terror bombings"...she didn't ask me to delete the pictures though, just stop taking them. She explained that "even them train spotters 'ave to ask in writing to the station manager" (before they are allowed to huddle in their anoraks with their weak lemon squash at the end of the platforms) as if for some reason they had more right than me to behave oddly at East Croydon station...hmph... >;(