[otd] 8th August (1898) - opening of the Waterloo and City line

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Affectionetley known as "The Drain", the Waterloo and City line was opened 8.8.1898 by the London and South Western Railway to link their Waterloo terminus to the city at Bank.



We've mentioned the line in the past, but don't seem to have a dedicated thread.  Would anyone like to add a brief history of the line?

[ChrisB]

It's only 01.08 today - you're a week ahead of yourself?

[Chris from Nailsea]

I rather think grahame was asking for contributions ready to start a new topic on 8 August.  I started a new topic on the Wantage Tramway today, so grahame could add it to 'OTD^▸ (On This Day)', but that was done somewhat at the last minute.

[grahame]

It's only 01.08 today - you're a week ahead of yourself?

I rather think grahame was asking for contributions ready to start a new topic on 8 August.  I started a new topic on the Wantage Tramway today, so grahame could add it to 'OTD^▸ (On This Day)', but that was done somewhat at the last minute.

Indeed I am "seeding" a thread. "On this day" headlines a topic from midnight to midnight on the day in question, and it has struck me a number of times that something that comes up there without a reference thread results in a bit of a rushed addition of a thread reference / response.  Not necessarily a bad thing though the addition of the link is something which relies on a piece of kludge "webmaster only" code that puts urgent action solely onto me.   It's not a huge issue in the history of mankind (or even of the coffee shop) but in this case I chose to sew the seeds early.

[ChrisB]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_%26_City_line

[grahame]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_%26_City_line

Thank you ... to confirm that first public trains date from that article:

The Waterloo and City Railway opened to the public at 8 a.m. on Monday 8 August 1898, with a train leaving each terminal simultaneously. The fares were 2d one class only, payable at a turnstile, but returns and season tickets, and add-ons to surface tickets were available. From 1900, the turnstiles were removed and conductors travelled on the trains, carrying Bell Punch ticket machines.