All posts tagged: United Kingdom

Submission – Official Map: West Yorkshire Metro Rail, 2015

October 9, 2015
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Submitted by Lyle Read-Challen, who says: This is the official rail map of the West Yorkshire area, a conurbation in the north of England. Despite the name “Metro” it is really just a collection of commuter lines centred around Leeds station. It’s not particularly beautiful or interesting to look at, but it does the job. The “lines” system works better here than on many commuter systems, which tend to be all one colour. The station […]

Submission – Photo: Hand-painted Wooden Tube Map by Camilla Barnard

September 26, 2015
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Submitted by Steve Collins. This lovely hand-painted Tube map is just a small part of an impressive installation at the designjunction exhibition in London. Artist Camilla Barnard, in conjunction with TfL, has built an entire Tube Station replica out of wood, including ticket machines and barriers, a newspaper stand and both eastbound and westbound stations. Fun! Source: Creative Review – link no longer active.

Submission – Official Map: Central London Night Bus Routes

September 22, 2015
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Submitted by ruddlesrocket, who says: What do you think of this?  I think it’s probably the worst map that TfL produce, having neither the benefits of geographically accurate maps (it’s difficult to know what streets the buses run along), and diagrammatic maps, in that it’s almost impossible to trace the route taken by one bus. Transit Maps says: I totally agree with this assessment! I’ll never understand why some night service maps completely eschew the principles […]

Official Map: Geographical “London Connections” Map by TfL

September 17, 2015
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Here’s a map that’s been doing the rounds over the last few days, and has now been sent my way by many, many readers (Thanks to all of you!). Compared to the familiar standard Tube map, It’s a more geographically accurate map of rail services in and around London (as of late 2014), and opinions on it seem to be quite divided. Some people think it’s more useful than the normal Tube map, some think […]

Submission – Official Map: Manchester Metrolink, England, 2015

August 19, 2015
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Submitted by A. Potts, who says: Hi! This is the official map of the Manchester Metrolink, a tramway/light rail system in Northern England. I just thought I’d submit it to you for your opinion on it. This isn’t mine, obviously, but I haven’t been able to find who made it. If that’s something you also know, I’d love to know. Transit Maps says: Tracking down who produces official transit maps can be quite tricky. Even […]

Historical Diagram: Piccadilly Circus Tube Station by Renzo Picasso, 1929

July 24, 2015
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Cutaway Maps, Historical Maps
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We all know that I love a good cutaway diagram, and this example – drawn by Italian architect and urban designer, Renzo Picasso (no relation) – is just superb. Drawn in 1929, coinciding with the opening of Charles Holden’s sub-surface circular booking hall which replaced the original 1906 above-ground Leslie Green-designed station building. The unusual perspective, halfway between the platform level and the (invisible) roads above, permits a wonderful level of clarity in the drawing.  […]

Official Map: London Night Tube Services, 2015

June 23, 2015
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It’s almost bizarre to think that an enormous cosmopolitan city like London doesn’t have 24-hour rail service. Yes, there’s an extensive night bus network, but the Tube is such an integral part of the city that it seems odd that it just stops after midnight.  However, that’s about to change on Fridays and Saturdays from September 12, as shown on this new map from Transport for London. I’ve already seen some positive commentary on it […]

Submission – Unofficial Map: Passenger Rail Services of Wales by James Jackson

May 18, 2015
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Submitted by James, who says: While I’ve been designing imaginary transit maps, and re-imagining existing transit maps, for a few years, I’ve been doing it on Illustrator. I’ve drawn the Welsh rail franchise a number of times, but I set myself a few challenges this time round. I wanted to make it clearly bilingual. Here in Wales we’re used to seeking out our respective languages on signs and official documents, but official versions of the […]

Photo: Willesden Junction, Not Willesden Green!

May 13, 2015
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A very obvious sticker hides a rather monumental error on this Bakerloo Line strip map. The rather ugly abbreviation “Junct” only just covers up the fact that this sign used to read “Willesden Green” – which is on the Jubilee Line, not the Bakerloo! Prior to 1979 and the opening of the Jubilee Line, Willesden Green was serviced by Bakerloo trains – but we can’t even blame an old sign here, as this one only dates from the […]

Advertisement: “Double Diamond” Beer Featuring the London Tube Map (c. late 1970s?)

April 8, 2015
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More proof of just how ingrained the Tube Map is in the English psyche is evident in this billboard advertisement for Double Diamond beer – inserted as the punchline in the long-running “Only here for the beer!” campaign.  The ad campaign itself is almost as much as part of England as the Tube Map; the tag line has entered into the vernacular, much like “Where’s the beef?” in the U.S., and “Not happy, Jan!” in […]