5 ms·

Hidden dungeons of the London Underground

155 points by superqwert 9y ago

zegl 9y ago
What is up with the blur effect when loading this site? It makes me dizzy.
- x32 9y ago
  I was like, how bad could it be. Loaded up the page and it also made me dizzy. Such an awful load screen.
  - coldpie 9y ago
    Another instance where NoScript makes the web work better, not worse.
Peroni 9y ago
The BBC (unsurprisingly) have a fascinating documentary that goes behind the scenes during the construction of a new tube line - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w It shows the unbelievable precision required to build a new tunnel given the amount of existing tube lines and other, often unexpected, underground structures. Well worth watching.
- superqwert 9y ago
  Nice find! I know what I'll be watching when I get home
- zrth 9y ago
  "BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues." Is there a easy workaround?
  - majortennis 9y ago
    Geographical restrictions are the worst. They want more money and advertisers aren't paying international broadcast rates. have you tried one of those browser add on vpn tunnels. theyre often dodgy as fuck but get the job done.
    - kelnage 9y ago
      In this case, it's a legal requirement on the BBC. Their funding for iPlayer comes directly from the license fee that UK live-TV watchers legally have to pay annually. They do re-sell their content around the world and even have a commercial branch, BBC Worldwide, which creates content for the US and other markets, and also allows them to show adverts in those markets (which they can't do in the UK, again due to the license fee). I guess they don't put everything on BBC Worldwide due to costs (getting permission from rights holders etc.) and instead prioritise those things they think are likely to sell.
      - Spooky23 9y ago
        BBC World used to be awesome. I used to look forward to staying in a hotel that had it to catch up on some British shows that I normally don't see. However nowadays it seems to be mostly Star Trek reruns. (?)
  - superqwert 9y ago
    is it not the same as this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RnuIiaLxCs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RnuIiaLxCs
    - superqwert 9y ago
      well, it looks like they're similar
  - kelnage 9y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5_jLrVfQU&list=PL2tufbjcRajNQRHbOwa09iaSo95HcxuIG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5_jLrVfQU&list=PL2tufbjcRa...
arethuza 9y ago
If you like this article you might like Subterranea Britannica: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/ http://www.subbrit.org.uk/
- DonaldFisk 9y ago
  And also https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/forum.php https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/forum.php and https://www.28dayslater.co.uk https://www.28dayslater.co.uk for the more adventurous, both of which have underground subforums. I should mention that trespass on live railways (and a few other places) is a criminal offence throughout the UK, so you must get permission if you want to go anywhere on them not open to the public. Subbrit occasionally arrange tours of closed tube stations such as Down Street and South Kentish Town.
  - mino 9y ago
    Both sites have intriguing reports of closed/abandoned Tube stations, tunnels and bomb shelters. Very impressive.
barnaclejive 9y ago
Why are the photos so dark, small, and black and white?
- superqwert 9y ago
  for the ambience. The pictures were taken on a mobile phone. They may also be particularly small if you are viewing them on a small device.
dsfyu404ed 9y ago
>A number of the rooms included some fans - these were monstrously huge metal tubes that hold fans inside that can be more powerful than airline jet engines Are we talking CFM or specific impulse?
- Animats 9y ago
  He's probably exaggerating, but smoke evacuation fans with very high power are not unusual. I was at the LA convention center once when some bozo apparently tossed a cigarette into a dumpster and set it on fire. This wasn't a big deal, because the place is concrete and fully sprinklered, but it produced a lot of smoke. The smoke evacuation fans high above the lobby were started, and wound up to aircraft propeller noise level as they sucked the smoke out of the building. Worked fine; SIGGRAPH went on as scheduled.
  - michjedi 9y ago
    Hi - author here. I'm afraid I don't have any statistics on this matter - in this case I was relaying what the staff told me. I will see if any of my friends in engineering can confirm this.

155 points by superqwert 9y ago

zegl 9y ago

What is up with the blur effect when loading this site? It makes me dizzy.

x32 9y ago
I was like, how bad could it be. Loaded up the page and it also made me dizzy. Such an awful load screen.
- coldpie 9y ago
  Another instance where NoScript makes the web work better, not worse.

Peroni 9y ago

The BBC (unsurprisingly) have a fascinating documentary that goes behind the scenes during the construction of a new tube line - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w It shows the unbelievable precision required to build a new tunnel given the amount of existing tube lines and other, often unexpected, underground structures. Well worth watching.

superqwert 9y ago
Nice find! I know what I'll be watching when I get home
zrth 9y ago
"BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues." Is there a easy workaround?
- majortennis 9y ago
  Geographical restrictions are the worst. They want more money and advertisers aren't paying international broadcast rates. have you tried one of those browser add on vpn tunnels. theyre often dodgy as fuck but get the job done.
  - kelnage 9y ago
    In this case, it's a legal requirement on the BBC. Their funding for iPlayer comes directly from the license fee that UK live-TV watchers legally have to pay annually. They do re-sell their content around the world and even have a commercial branch, BBC Worldwide, which creates content for the US and other markets, and also allows them to show adverts in those markets (which they can't do in the UK, again due to the license fee). I guess they don't put everything on BBC Worldwide due to costs (getting permission from rights holders etc.) and instead prioritise those things they think are likely to sell.
    - Spooky23 9y ago
      BBC World used to be awesome. I used to look forward to staying in a hotel that had it to catch up on some British shows that I normally don't see. However nowadays it seems to be mostly Star Trek reruns. (?)
- superqwert 9y ago
  is it not the same as this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RnuIiaLxCs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RnuIiaLxCs
  - superqwert 9y ago
    well, it looks like they're similar
- kelnage 9y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5_jLrVfQU&list=PL2tufbjcRajNQRHbOwa09iaSo95HcxuIG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5_jLrVfQU&list=PL2tufbjcRa...

arethuza 9y ago

If you like this article you might like Subterranea Britannica: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/ http://www.subbrit.org.uk/

DonaldFisk 9y ago
And also https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/forum.php https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/forum.php and https://www.28dayslater.co.uk https://www.28dayslater.co.uk for the more adventurous, both of which have underground subforums. I should mention that trespass on live railways (and a few other places) is a criminal offence throughout the UK, so you must get permission if you want to go anywhere on them not open to the public. Subbrit occasionally arrange tours of closed tube stations such as Down Street and South Kentish Town.
- mino 9y ago
  Both sites have intriguing reports of closed/abandoned Tube stations, tunnels and bomb shelters. Very impressive.

barnaclejive 9y ago

Why are the photos so dark, small, and black and white?

superqwert 9y ago
for the ambience. The pictures were taken on a mobile phone. They may also be particularly small if you are viewing them on a small device.

dsfyu404ed 9y ago

>A number of the rooms included some fans - these were monstrously huge metal tubes that hold fans inside that can be more powerful than airline jet engines Are we talking CFM or specific impulse?

Animats 9y ago
He's probably exaggerating, but smoke evacuation fans with very high power are not unusual. I was at the LA convention center once when some bozo apparently tossed a cigarette into a dumpster and set it on fire. This wasn't a big deal, because the place is concrete and fully sprinklered, but it produced a lot of smoke. The smoke evacuation fans high above the lobby were started, and wound up to aircraft propeller noise level as they sucked the smoke out of the building. Worked fine; SIGGRAPH went on as scheduled.
- michjedi 9y ago
  Hi - author here. I'm afraid I don't have any statistics on this matter - in this case I was relaying what the staff told me. I will see if any of my friends in engineering can confirm this.