Wednesday 22 April 2020

London Transport Museum - Celebrating the city's engineering marvels

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Engineering drawings
Engineering marvels
From iconic feats of engineering such as the world's first underground railway to lesser known engineering marvels such as a spiral escalator found at Holloway Road station, London has always been a leader in engineering innovations. In this week's e-newsletter, we look at some of the transport technology that has helped keep London moving.

Keep your eyes peeled on our social media channels this week as we continue to share our favourite objects from our collection. Get involved and share yours with us too using #LTMLove!
Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866
When the world's first underground railway opened in London in 1863, engineers had to work out how to operate steam trains safely underground.
AEC/PRV Routemaster double deck motor bus bonnet No RM173 registration number 737DYE, 1963
After the Second World War, London needed a bus that was easier to operate and used fuel more efficiently.
Greathead shield fixed at tunnel mouth, Maidstone Road,
Early Underground railways were built using the 'cut and cover' method. But building tunnels deep underground through London clay presented a different set of problems.
A section from the spiral elevator at holloway road station
As passenger numbers on the Underground increased at the beginning of the 20th century, more efficient ways of moving people to and from the platforms needed to be found.
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Find out how engineers solved these problems - and more - with our online Engineering Marvels story.
Engineering wonders

Discover more engineering stories in our collection online
The Tube story
The motor bus
Electric trams and trolleybuses
Meet our Curatorial Technical Assistant, Alex Talbot
Alex Talbot tells us how he became the Museum's first Curatorial Technical Assistant and shows us the skills he has learned over five years of working with our unique collection of vehicles at the Museum Depot.
Watch the video
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Alex Talbot at the depot (VIDEO)