please empty your brain below
It's not just the railway's public address systems which are behind the times. No mention of a cycle greenhouse at Lea Bridge station on LBWF's web pages - not even a "coming soon, when the station opens."

Kent Railman | 16.05.16 - 6:29 a.m. | #

Interesting to see there's no TOC sub branding under the BR double arrows/station name or on the station names on the platforms. Is this standard practice from Abelio?

| 16.05.16 - 6:44 a.m. | #

The station platforms look smart and clean but all those overhead wires with their grey supporting girders look so messy.

Whatever the merits of 25Kv overhead power, the railway cannot blend into the landscape in the way that it does in Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, the Land Of The Third Rail.

RayL | 16.05.16 - 7:39 a.m. | #

Full marks to you for not giving in to the horrendous spelling of 'Lea' as 'Lee' (though I do concede when referring to the Lee Navigation)

Alfie | 16.05.16 - 8:11 a.m. | #

Part of the Lea Bridge Road Mini-Holland upgrade works includes a widening of the road bridge over the railway - I'm not sure if this is what prevents them from opening an entrance on bridge level, or is possible because they haven't.

The half-hourly trains from Lea Bridge seem to connect quite nicely with (every other) Stansted Express at Tottenham Hale, which could potentially be useful for me - certainly on the from the airport, it seems like less faff than changing to the Victoria Line and then doing battle with the crowds at Walthamstow Central.

martin | 16.05.16 - 9:52 a.m. | #

No doubt not having the entrance on the bridge discourages car drivers/mini cabs dropping off passengers on a narrow, busy road.

As for the photos - I wonder if they could have been taken with those light levels in the old days with a film camera (let alone been uploaded), note how bright the artificial lighting is around the lifts by the bridge, and that one photo is from within the bridge walkway itself.

| 16.05.16 - 10:55 a.m. | #

not been reading this blog long, but notice a direct link to a YouTube video; is this a first? don't recall any others in recent times.

dg writes: My last (unlabelled) YouTube link was on Saturday (and the previous labelled link was last Monday)

Ultra-Man | 16.05.16 - 11:24 a.m. | #

Slightly surprised to see the reference to Hackney Council. This is a Waltham Forest Council sponsored scheme. It's my understanding that LBWF, as an Olympic borough, had a share of the spare transport funding not that it was donated by Hackney. LBWF has had to perform a range of political and financial tricks to cover the increased cost of the station due to a poorly specced feasibility and initial design stage of the project.

PC | 16.05.16 - 11:55 a.m. | #

So, DG, did you pay for the privilege of a physical ticket to Lea Bridge (rather than Oyster-ing it)? Thought you might want that for your collection of transport and London-related bits and pieces.

shirokazan | 16.05.16 - 12:07 p.m. | #

The bloke with the guitar is Graham Larkbey - local singer extraordinaire. He's also a funraiser for Waltham Forest Football Club, and sang this song when we returned home in 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQXCXZEiegU

Forest Gump | Homepage | 16.05.16 - 1:07 p.m. | #

Just to correct my earlier post the press release from LBWF says the £5m comes from S106 monies related to the construction of Westfield Stratford shopping centre.

http://press.walthamforest.gov.uk/PressReleases/2016/May/16/4681

PC | 16.05.16 - 2:37 p.m. | #

The text on that Lea Bridge sign is way too small.

Scott | Homepage | 16.05.16 - 3:28 p.m. | #

I was there yesterday evening - and so the question is, which of the 10 or so people who also did the full tour of both platforms was Diamond Geezer? (Apologies if I got in the way of any of your photos!)

Rob | 16.05.16 - 4:24 p.m. | #

The automated train announcements at Lea Bridge station are also (bafflingly) wrong. They all go like this...

"The next train to arrive at platform one is the twenty eighteen Abellio Greater Anglia the train at to Stratford"

diamond geezer | Homepage | 16.05.16 - 4:52 p.m. | #

THE CAKE WAS AWESOME! (to taste, not just to look at)

Geoff | 16.05.16 - 4:58 p.m. | #

Caught on this vide at any point?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWgJhB5xyeA

timbo | 16.05.16 - 5:52 p.m. | #

I looked to see if DG was on that video, then I remembered he is invisible to all cameras. Like a vampire.

Scott | Homepage | 16.05.16 - 6:59 p.m. | #

Good call Timbo.

*Puts on best Loyd Grossman accent*

"Let's look at the clues."

DG is a 50 something male with a decent camera. I suspect he does not wear high visbility clothing off-duty.

We don't know whether he was on the first train to arrive or waiting on the platform. He has reported details from both perspectives.

The majority of those wielding cameras were using their phones. The men at the top end of the platform were too old.

My guess is he could be the chap wearing the blue hoody at approximately 34-37 seconds in the clip, filmed taking photographs almost directly outside the opening carriage door.

Also at 2.03 to 2.04 there is a brief glimpse of a slim man wearing a blue jacket that could also fit the bill.

Perhaps someone could match the cameras these gentlemen were wielding versus the DG's last reported camera purcahse?

Plastic Man | 16.05.16 - 7:34 p.m. | #

I think I prefer DG being an enigma. And I say that as someone who was in the same place as him once*, but didn't find out until afterwards.

* the roof of 55 Broadway, which I think is about a DG place as you can get

martin | 16.05.16 - 7:45 p.m. | #

@ Scott - he certainly isn't invsible to cameras. I have the proof that he isn't and I'm saying no more. I respect his wish to remain anonymous.

PC | 17.05.16 - 10:30 a.m. | #

@Plastic Man, pretty sure DG doesn't have an SLR so may not be either of those. And no way does our mystery blogger look like that first bloke. No way! ;-)

EskimoPie | 17.05.16 - 8:51 p.m. | #

Off-topic: As DG controls this blog and the comments, we can assume that any speculation about his appearance is what he is willing to publish - perhaps with a chuckle.

GA Annie | 17.05.16 - 10:06 p.m. | #

@PC - he never showed up on my camera. AM I BEWITCHED?!?

Scott | Homepage | 17.05.16 - 10:33 p.m. | #











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