Visitors to London who are also transport enthusiasts (‘railfans’) sometimes ask for advice as to the ‘best’ things to see on London’s railway network. This page is part of a guide which aims to answer that question.
If this is the first time you have reached these pages then it is best to go to the Opening Page which sets the scene, explains the difference between the small and the large profile trains, offers advice on the best type of ticket to buy and photography tips.
Alternatively, it is possible to view everything on one page
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| Bakerloo Line |
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These are the oldest trains still in full-time daily service on the London Underground network.
The 1972 Mkl Tube Stock was used on the Northern line and (for a few years) the Victoria line, but have now been replaced.
1972 Mk2 Tube Stock has different middle bay seating styles...
(ie: T - Trailer and UNDM - Uncoupling Non-Driving Motor) have inward-facing longitudinal seats along the inside edge of the car.
(ie: DM - Driving Motor) have two groups of four transverse seats
on each side of a central walkway.
| Below / Above Ground |
In tunnel from Elephant & Castle to just outside Queens Park.
Above ground between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone, except for two short tunnels near to Kensal Green plus between Stonebridge Park and Wembley Central.
Click map to see larger version in a new window!
Ed g2s / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC BY-SA 3.0
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bakerloo_Line.svg
These tunnels are very short and it is possible to see all the way through to the far end.
| General Information |
Many Bakerloo line trains terminate at Queens Park; those which travel further north terminate at either Stonebridge Park or Harrow & Wealdstone. Some older UndergrounD maps will show the Bakerloo line as also extending to Watford Junction, however these services operated between 1917 and 1982; nowadays only London Overground trains travel between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction. Some older UndergrounD maps will also show a section of Bakerloo line between Baker Street and Stanmore. However this was only between 1939 and 1979; nowadays Jubilee line trains provide services to Stanmore.
Central London:
Of the three stations served by both Bakerloo and Northern line trains this is probably the best choice for passengers wanting to interchange between the two lines.
Whilst the decorative stripes are repeated on all three sets of platforms (Northern, Bakerloo, District & Circle lines) there are subtle differences in the pattern designs and colours.
Some older UndergrounD maps will include a Bakerloo line station called Trafalgar Square. The building of the Jubilee line saw this station being merged with the Northern line station that used to be called Strand and the combined station is now called Charing Cross.
Changing trains at this station is not recommended because there is a very long walk through a narrow passageway between the Bakerloo and Northern line platforms.
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and historic information from the past 800+ years. Click images to see larger versions in new windows.
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These images reflect the proximity of the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.
At Oxford Circus station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with Victoria line trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between northbound and southbound trains or with the Central line is via steps and passageways.
The Bakerloo line platforms at Piccadilly Circus are unusual in that the two platform tunnels are arranged 'back to back' with outside platforms - at most subterranean stations the platforms face each other and share the same platform accesses. In addition, at the north end of the station there is a crossover track which allows passengers to see both platforms at once.
At Baker Street station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with Jubilee line trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between northbound and southbound trains or with the Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines is via steps / escalators and passageways.
Baker Street is famous for its association with a fictional detective (Sherlock Holmes) and the Bakerloo line platforms (plus some other areas) use a silhouette of the famous man as a motif.
As the image on the right suggests, the large silhouettes are formed of many smaller versions of the same image.
Because of the direction of the sun it is often easier to photograph the back of the statue than the front.
Stations At Different Locations With The Same Names: For historic reasons two stations served by Bakerloo line trains are ‘duplicates’. At both Edgware Road and Paddington different Underground trains call at identically named stations which are at separate locations a short walk from each other.
The Bakerloo line station named Edgware Road is located on the Edgware Road just north of its junction with the Marylebone Road. The other station with the same name is served by the District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines and is located a short walk away on the southern side of the very busy Marylebone Road.
The Bakerloo line station named Paddington is also used by District and Circle line trains (which travel via High Street Kensington station) and is located near the main concourse of the mainline / National Rail station, whilst the Hammersmith & City and Circle line trains (which travel via Royal Oak) use the suburban platforms (numbers 15 & 16) which are part of the mainline railway station and totally separate from the other underground lines.
However this green wall has not met with universal acclaim, with some people saying that it looks rather 'twee' whilst critics suggest that this is little more than environmental tokenism and that if London's Transport decision-makers were really interested in reducing (or even eliminating) the street-based air pollution over which they have any control then they would be converting London's buses to electric trolleybuses, as these do not emit any tail-pipe pollution at all - making them as environmentally (and city) friendly as London's many electric railways and the Croydon Tramlink trams.
The tiles show the patent drawings for the tunnelling shield designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel for digging the 1843 foot tunnels under the river Thames in the Wapping - Rotherhithe areas of east London.
Sir Marc's son Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the famous engineer who built the Great Western Railway, designed Paddington mainline station - and much more!
Designed by Stanley Heaps this Grade II listed station opened in 1915. Maida Vale was one of the first London Underground stations to be designed for escalators - rather than lifts.
This station is feted for its large mosaics of the Underground roundel logo, original tile work and for still retaining upstanding lights in the escalator shaft. Over the years it has often been used as a film set.
North London: The route between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone is mostly located alongside the London - Glasgow West Coast Main Line (WCML). The entire route has six tracks - or more!
At Queens Park station there is an easy 'same level' interchange with London Overground trains travelling in the same direction (ie: northbound with northbound and southbound with southbound). Interchange between northbound and southbound trains is via the station ticket hall.
Travelling on a Bakerloo line train north of Queens Park is very much recommended. Immediately to the north of this station the trains travel inside the depot trainshed (IMPORTANT: you *must* be on a Bakerloo line train, and not an Overground train) then the tracks merge and the Underground and Overground trains provide a shared service.
There is more information about this section of the Bakerloo line on the Shared Service Routes page.
| Opening Page Fares & Tickets / Photography |
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| London Underground Small Profile ‘Tube’ Trains |
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| Bakerloo Line |  |
| Central Line | |
| Jubilee Line | |
| Northern Line | |
| Piccadilly Line | |
| Victoria Line | |
| Waterloo & City Line | |
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| London Underground Large Profile ‘Subsurface’ Trains |
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| Circle Line | |
| District Line | |
| East London Line | |
| Hammersmith & City Line | |
| Metropolitan Line | |
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| National Rail ‘Tube’ Trains | |
| Northern City Line | |
| Crossrail Line 1 (Elizabeth Line) | |
| Crossrail Line 2 | |
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| Other National Rail Trains | |
| London Overground | |
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| Local Light Railways | |
| Docklands Light Railway | |
| Croydon / London Tramlink | |
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| General Information | |
| Main National Rail Stations Fast Regional Services Overhead Wire & 3rd Rail Trains |
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| Busier Suburban Stations In Zones 1-4 With A Wider Variety Of Trains To See |
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| Station Architecture & Features | |
| Shared Service Routes | |
| Further Information Resources To Visit In Person Or Online |
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| Single Page Version Of This Guide |
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