Crossrail is a 118-kilometre (73-mile) railway line under development in England, running through parts of London and the home counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex. The central section and a large portion of the line, between Paddington in central London and Abbey Wood in the south-east, are due to open in December 2018, when it will be named the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.

Part of the eastern section, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex, was transferred to a precursor service called TfL Rail in 2015; this section will be connected to the core route through central London to Paddington from May 2019. The western section, from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading in Berkshire, is due to open in December 2019, completing the new east–west route across London and providing a new high-frequency commuter and suburban passenger service.

The project was approved in 2007 and construction began in 2009 on the central section and connections to existing lines that will become part of the route. It is Europe's largest infrastructure construction project. Its main feature is 21 km (13 mi) of new twin tunnels below central London.

These tunnels will run from Paddington to Stratford and Canary Wharf in the east. An almost entirely new line will branch from the main line at Whitechapel to Canary Wharf, crossing under the River Thames, with a new station at Woolwich and finally connecting with the North Kent Line at the Abbey Wood terminus.

Crossrail will be operated by MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd as a London Rail concession of Transport for London, in a similar manner to London Overground. It is expected to relieve pressure on existing east-west London Underground lines such as the Central and District lines, as well as the Jubilee line extension and the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line. The need for extra capacity along this corridor is such that the former head of TfL, Sir Peter Hendy, predicted that the Crossrail lines will be "immediately full" as soon as they open. New nine-carriage Class 345 trains will run at frequencies in the central section of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction

Aldwych is a closed station on the London Underground, located in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was opened in 1907 with the name Strand, after the street on which it is located, and was the terminus of the short Piccadilly line branch from Holborn that was a relic of the merger of two railway schemes. The station building is close to the Strand's junction with Surrey Street, near Aldwych. During its lifetime, the branch was the subject of a number of unrealised extension proposals that would have seen the tunnels through the station extended southwards, usually to Waterloo.

Served mostly by a shuttle train and having low passenger numbers, the station and branch were considered for closure several times. Service was offered only during weekday peak hours from 1962 and discontinued in 1994, when the cost of replacing the lifts was considered too high for the income generated.

Disused parts of the station and the running tunnels were used during both world wars to shelter artworks from London's public galleries and museums from bombing. The station has long been popular as a filming location and has appeared as itself and as other London Underground stations in a number of films. In recognition of its historical significance, the station is a Grade II listed building.


If you are going to make a model of the tube you must have a disused station

Over the years, London Underground has acquired various types of engineering stock to help with the construction of new lines and maintenance of existing lines. Some of these wagons were inherited from its predecessors, many were built new and some were acquired second-hand from the main-line railways. Several types of specialist wagons have been used.

Rail Grinders

With track works everywhere are facing continued challenges of maintaining track in shortened work blocks and with limited resources. 

An effective rail grinding program is a key component for the london tube  maintenance plan.   rail grinding, extended rail life, Fuel savings, reduced surfacing cycles, extended track component life, increased axle loads, Increased train speeds and Improved ride quality and passenger comfort

 

 Here’s my first  version of a Plasser and Theurer Tamper machine used by London Underground.
This tamper machine is very different to the normal size used by Network Rail as this one has to work in tunnels.
A Tamper is a very clever bit of kit. It’s used to sort out the track by straightening, putting in cants, adjusting the height, pretty much anything to ensure a nice smooth ride for trains.

The London Underground 1973 Stock is a type of rolling stock used on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground. It was introduced into service in 1975 with the extension of the line to Hatton Cross in 1975, followed by a further extension to Heathrow Central in 1977.

In the early 1970s London Transport placed an order for a new fleet of trains to replace the 1959 stock, the 1938 stock and 1962 stock vehicles  which previously operated on the Piccadilly line.

Built between 1972 and 1975 by Metro Cammell in Birmingham, the first unit entered service on 19 July 1975 and the last was introduced by 1977. The trains featured longer cars and larger door space than the previous ones, being designed for airport travellers with luggage.

Finding tube stock is not easy so I've gone to a few bring and buy model train shows lately and purchase  some old Mark 1 British Railways’ lines coaches

Cutting the top window off and lowering the roof by 8mm.

The next stage will be to add engines and change the coupling to bring the cars closer

so far so good

TfL Rail

TfL Rail is a commuter railway route in London and the home county of Essex that currently serves the 14 stations on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street, in the City of London, and Shenfield.

It is operated by MTR Corporation under contract to Transport for London (TfL), and forms part of the future Crossrail route from Shenfield to Reading and Heathrow Airport.

 TfL Rail took control of the Liverpool Street to Shenfield "metro" service in May 2015. In May 2018, Heathrow Connect services (between Paddington and the airport) and the Heathrow Express shuttle (from Heathrow Central to Terminal 4) will also come under TfL Rail operation. The route will then be re-branded as the Elizabeth line in December 2018, when its central underground section opens.

Between May 2016 and May 2017, TfL Rail carried over 47 million passengers.

On my line TfL will be travelling through Arnos Grove this allows me to add addition train services to my train set