please empty your brain below
A silver sticker labelled Z2-5E has fallen off the wall and is stuck face-up to a stair in the eastbound stairwell.
Thursday 2nd December
The writing on the silver sticker is now completely illegible.
Friday 3rd December
The previous silver sticker has disappeared, and the sticker reading Cam 12 is now stuck to one of the steps on the eastbound stairwell instead.
Saturday 4th December
A new leaflet being given away at the station apologises that "modernisation work will involve more closures than originally anticipated." This weekend sees the first of the additional closures.
Sunday 5th December
I saw a few workmen standing on the platform of the closed station. If they were doing any work, it wasn't on the platforms.
Monday 6th December
After the weekend closure, it appears that:
a) lots more cables have been coiled across the ceiling of the ticket hall.
b) strips of red and white tape have been stuck up the walls of the two stairwells, perhaps to protect the tiles (or where the tiles used to be).
c) strips of black and yellow tape have also been stuck up the walls of the eastbound stairwell, and also stuck to the wooden panels above the two ticket office windows in the ticket hall.
Tuesday 7th December
A cross made out of yellow and black tape has appeared on four of the windowpanes above the eastbound stairwell.
Wednesday 8th December
New fluorescent light fittings have been attached to the grey cabling boxes suspended from the ceiling along the western half of the eastbound platform. The lights are not yet functional.
Thursday 9th December
Four of the pillars in the middle of the westbound platform have been painted grey, then covered by transparent plastic sheeting.
Friday 10th December
Some of the new cabling is a light shade of mauve-y purple.
Saturday 11th December
The station is closed for yet another whole weekend.
Sunday 12th December
Still closed. The station is closed every weekend this month, actually.
Monday 13th December
After the weekend closure, it appears that:
a) there are loops of thin white cable in various locations around the ceiling of the ticket hall and up the stairwell.
b) cheap wooden boards have been placed over most of the rotten wood on the bridge.
c) there are irregular areas of brown cement daubed on the walls of the ticket hall
Tuesday 14th December
All of the pillars on both platforms have now been painted grey (except for the very top of the easternmost pillar on the westbound platform which remains green and yellow).
Wednesday 15th December
A giant reel of one-inch thick rubber cabling has appeared in the fenced-off area on the pavement in front of the station entrance.
Thursday 16th December
The brown cement on the eastern wall of the ticket hall has been plastered over. The brown cement on the western wall of the ticket hall has been covered by orange plastic sheeting.
Friday 17th December
Some of the windows on the bridge appear to have been reglazed. There is the smell of fresh (white) paint.
Saturday 18th December
The station is again closed this weekend. Through the entrance I could see the ticket machines covered by black plastic protective sheeting.
Sunday 19th December
A small crane is fenced off to the right of the portakabins outside the station, supposedly being used to lower materials down to the platforms.
Monday 20th December
After the weekend closure, there are loops of fresh cable hanging all across the station.
Tuesday 21st December
There are more than ten loops of coloured cable hanging in the eastbound stairwell, and more than ten loops of coloured cable hanging in the westbound stairwell.
Wednesday 22nd December
Finally, after 9 months, I have seen workmen actually working. Two men were visible through the freshly-glazed window panes on the passenger bridge standing on the scaffolding with paintbrushes in their hands. And I heard the noise of drilling behind the blue wall at the western end of the eastbound platform.
Thursday 23rd December
And again. I saw one man standing on the scaffolding, painting the external window frames white, and heard the sound of sawing behind the east end of the western blue wall on the eastbound platform.
Friday 24th December
The Christmas decorations at Bow Road this year are loops of multi-coloured wire and cable hanging from the ceiling all around the station.
<Christmas>
Tuesday 28th December
There have been no obvious changes at the station over Christmas.
Wednesday 29th December
Some of the plywood boards covering the wood on the bridge are coming unstuck.
Thursday 30th December
All the health & safety licences on the blue walls across the station (at least one of which was due to expire tomorrow) have been covered by a fresh sheet of paper showing that the licence is now extended to 31 May 2005.
Friday 31st December
Conker tree update: The lower branches of the tree still have leaves on them (approximately 300 leaves, I estimate). Most of the leaves are yellow, but a handful are still predominantly green
The entire (new) black plastic rumble strip along the edge of the westbound platform has been removed.
Saturday 2nd April
Yet again there are Wet Paint signs stuck to the green doors at the entrance to the ticket hall.
Sunday 3rd April
Two replastered patches on the ceiling of the ticket hall each have a couple of short stumpy electrical cables sticking out of them.
Monday 4th April
The viewscreen high on the wall at the end of the ticket hall is now functional, displaying live pictures from the security camera positioned next to it.
Tuesday 5th April
A new poster board and a small metal bracket have been installed on the wall opposite the top of the westbound stairwell.
Wednesday 6th April
The red electrical box on the wall of the new control room (beneath the digital clock) has been removed.
Thursday 7th April
The red electrical box has been repositioned on the wall, precisely one box height below its original location.
Friday 8th April
A new sign on the wall opposite the top of the westbound stairwell directs departing passengers towards the Way Out and Bow Church Station (DLR).
Saturday 9th April
There are wet paint signs on the metal grille between the ticket hall and the footbridge.
Sunday 10th April
A new blue wall has appeared halfway down the westbound platform, creating a triangular space behind for the storage of scaffolding.
Monday 11th April
New signs have been hung from the ceiling halfway along both platforms. From the west they read Way Out and from the east they read either
Westbound platform 1
Hammersmith & City and District lines
or
Eastbound platform 2
Hammersmith & City and District lines
The sign on the westbound platform has been placed so close to a pillar that only the left half of the eastern side is visible.
Tuesday 12th April
An electronic dot matrix screen has been uncovered above the ticket machine. This evening the top line of the sign reads Welcome to Bow Road station.
Wednesday 13th April
All of the remaining metalwork across the platform ceilings and over the tracks has been painted blue.
Thursday 14th April
Some wires have appeared beneath the word Road on the sign that reads Bow Road Station on the front of the station.
Friday 15th April
A white lamp has appeared on the front of the station, to the left of the station entrance.
Saturday 16th April
The licence stuck on the new blue wall expires on 10th May. The licence permits the storage of "Quarry tiles, cable, access towers, step ladders".
Sunday 17th April
A row of 6 white lamps has been installed across the top of the front of the station. They look more 'cheap' than 'heritage'.
Monday 18th April
There are now two rows of fluorescent lights all along the westbound platform, and a third row in the recess halfway along.
Tuesday 19th April
Another white lamp has appeared on the front of the station, above the main entrance, attached to the wires beneath the word Road via a new cable.
Wednesday 20th April
The new electronic 'next train' indicators are running in test mode. They read:
":Westbound trains: H & C and District Lines
Passenger information display under test"
Thursday 21st April
A new map-sized frame has appeared on the eastbound platform wall beneath the electronic display board.
Friday 22nd April
Another white lamp has been added to the front of the station, this time to the right of the main entrance.
Saturday 23rd April
All the new lamps on the front of the station are now lit.
Sunday 24th April
The new blue wall on the westbound platform has been completely removed.
Monday 25th April
All the new fluorescent lamps above both platforms are now illuminated.
Tuesday 26th April
Conker tree update: the tree outside the station is now in full leaf, with large white blossoms at the end of every branch.
Wednesday 27th April
One week on, the 'next train' indicators are still in test mode.
Thursday 28th April
The protective covering has been removed from the new non-slip surface on the landing halfway down the westbound stairwell.
Friday 29th April
The grey metal enclosure in front of the station has been removed, leaving the centre of the forecourt clear for the first time in over a year.
it'll stop the guesswork between district and h&c.
Four poster-sized frames have appeared on the wall of the westbound platform, just beneath the old 'next train' indicator.
The knobbly black plastic strips along the edge of each platform have been completely removed, again, leaving behind a long narrow blotchy white adhesive stain.
The new platform sign above the westbound platform has been moved slightly so that it is no longer half-obscured by a pillar.
Two poster-sized frames have appeared on the wall of the westbound platform, just beneath the new 'next train' indicator.
Three poster-sized frames have appeared on the wall of the eastbound platform, just beneath the old 'next train' indicator.
Three poster-sized frames have appeared on the walls of the ticket hall.
Two more poster-sized frames have appeared on the walls of the ticket hall.
Four of the lightbulbs in the lamps at the front of the station appear to have blown.
The globe lamps in the main ticket hall are now illuminated.
The globe lamps down the westbound stairwell are already filthy.
The new 'next train' indicators on both platforms are now showing the destination of the next train, but not the number of minutes until it arrives.
The new 'next train' indicators on both platforms are no longer showing the destination of the next train.
On my way home, the display on the electronic screen above the ticket machine read:
Richmond 1
Plaistow 2
This could be:
a) The destination of the next train at each platform
b) The number of minutes before the next two trains arrive
c) The latest football result
Today, both on my way to work and on the way home, the display on the electronic screen above the ticket machine read:
Ealing Broadway 1
Upminster 2
The new 'next train' indicator on the eastbound platform is no longer showing anything at all.
A disembodied voice now announces Mind the gap please whenever a train pulls into either platform.
The disembodied voice continues to announce Mind the gap please after the train doors have closed, and usually says it once more (for no good reason) after the train has started pulling out of the station.
A BT van is parked outside the station. Several short lengths of discarded white cable lie piled up just inside the station entrance.
Conker tree update: the blossom has fallen. Tiny conkers have started to grow in their place.
A drinks vending machine has been installed on the westbound platform. It dispenses Coca Cola and Malvern Water.
The new 'next train' indicator on the eastbound platform again shows
Eastbound trains: H & C and District Lines
but not the destination of the next train.
Three large poster-sized frames have appeared on the wall of the westbound platform, intermingled with the existing smaller frames.
A large poster-sized frame has appeared on the wall of the ticket hall, just behind the exit gates.
A chocolate machine has been installed on the westbound platform immediately to the right of the new drinks machine.
The green doors to the left of the station entrance are now both labelled:
Fire exit Keep clear
Most of the new frames on the platforms and in the ticket hall now contain posters.
The new tube map in the ticket hall has been positioned behind the exit gates so that you can only read it on the way out, not the way in. Which is bloody stupid.
Most of the new posters are advertising the tube or Oystercards.
The old British Rail sign on the eastbound stairwell reading Change at Barking for trains to Southend has been moved (sensibly) so that's it's visible when entering the platform, not when leaving it.
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