The big day was on 7th March 1969 when the Victoria Line really came into the world. On that day fifty years ago the Queen officially opened the tube line in a ceremony at Victoria station. This second part of a special feature covering all types of images related to the Victoria Line – trains, the staff, its construction, engineering and depots to train control plus the rest of it! Many images came from TfL’s Victoria Line Twitter timeline which was deleted as part of a rationalisation of its social media – deleting a good number of embedded content here too! This very long feature has been divided into 3 parts to manage the content better. This section looks at the line as it was from the first stage of opening in September 1968…
After the first stage opened September 1st 1968:
The Victoria is now open. Everyone all aboard please! Source: Twitter
West Ham RML with replica 1968 Victoria Line Stage One opening poster. Source: Twitter
The original twelve station motifs. Yes the one at Victoria really had a pink background to start with! Today’s its cream coloured. Source: Twitter
The original Victoria Line look. Source: Twitter
Unfinished Seven Sisters station on the new Victoria Line September 1968. Source: Twitter
Report on the new Victoria Line opening. Railway Magazine October 1968. Source: Twitter
Blackhorse Road station the Victoria Line’s only fully rendered overground station building. Source: Twitter
Special booklet produced to commemorate the Victoria Line1968/69. There were several versions of this the earliest had a picture of Euston’s platform, the later ones the picture below. Source: Twitter
The booklet also came with a map of the Victoria Line, detail of the new extension to Brixton and a photograph of Prince Charles visiting the tunnel works at Stockwell. Inside the booklet was the following image.
Better picture of the new trains’ interior – note the illuminated adverts! This picture was featured in the Victoria Line booklet. Source: Twitter
Oxford Circus southbound platform in early days. This picture was on the rear of the leaflet shown above. Source: Twitter
Victoria Line cuts travelling time. Tom Eckersley 1969 poster. Source: Twitter
Different version of the Eckersley poster. 1969. Source: Twitter
More posters galore! Most examples on Social Media show a dog eared example of this particular poster however here’s one nice fresh image I found! Besides the warnings of sleeping too much on the Victoria Line its one of the few images left these days that shows the ‘London’s Pride’ badge which was used on a fair bit of publicity during 1969. Source: Twitter
Seven Sisters station in the early days with its experimental trial of ‘open gates.’ Source: Twitter
King’s Cross 1970. Source: PicClick
Onwards to Brixton – the Royal opening 1971:
Tube map with the planned Brixton extension shown. Source: Twitter
Princess Alexandra arriving at Brixton for the official opening of the new Victoria Line extension. 23 July 1971. Source: Twitter
Princess Alexandra on the inaugural Brixton – Walthamstow train in 1971. Source: Twitter
Princess Alexandra is seen later in one of the train’s carriages. Source: Twitter
The headboard for the Brixton extension. Source: Twitter
Victoria Line Brixton extension leaflet 1971. Source: Twitter
Publicity photo for the new Brixton extension 1971. Source: Twitter
Originally trains on the Brixton extension ran from Victoria to Vauxhall non stop. Pimlico opened more than a year after the official opening, on 14th September 1972. To commemorate this Hans Unger did a special poster for LT:
Hans Under’s poster to celebrate the opening of Pimlico station. Source: Pinterest
Out and about on the Victoria Line:
1969 postcard of Seven Sisters station. Source: Ebay
1969 postcard view of Oxford Circus station. Source: Omran Elmajdoub postcards
Experimental LT roundel at Oxford Circus with yellow section. The idea was soon dropped. Source: Twitter
Illuminated underground map – it lit up the route you needed from here to your destination. The first of these was introduced at Heathrow the same year. Source: Twitter
Blackhorse Road 1974. Source: Twitter
How to tell time on the Victoria Line at Stockwell. (Actually its the Northern Line platform but you’ll get the idea.) This is Bob Mazer’s famous photograph. Source: Hypebeast
Green Park in 1979 with the old ticket machines. Source: Twitter
Empty stock working to the depot. Finsbury Park 2008. Source: Twitter
One whose job it is to ensure the trains get away safely! Source: Twitter
The Out and About poster for the Victoria Line. Source: Twitter
Look who’s riding the tube at night:
Jeremy Corbyn with his wife. They got off at Finsbury Park. October 2015. Source: Twitter
London’s Mayor before he became mayor… Sadiq on the Victoria Line April 2016. Source: Twitter
Well well! Look who’s riding the tube! Bo-Jo on the Victoria October 2018. Source: Twitter
London Mayor Sadiq’s rapturous welcome from Brixton as he arrives to open the Victoria Line’s night tube. 19 August 2016. Source: Twitter
More rapturous welcome as the Mayor takes the escalator at Brixton to launch the new services. Source: Twitter
Jolly atmosphere as the first night tube takes off from Brixton! Source: Twitter
London’s Mayor meets the Victoria Line’s famous punk train dispatcher! Source: Twitter
A nice compendium of pictures featuring the Victoria Line’s night tube launch. Source: Twitter
Northumberland Park Depot:
These trains indicated at Seven Sister’s third platform go through some tunnels not intended for the public! What is shown are the times of the next empty or staff trains to Northumberland Park depot. Source: Twitter
Emerging from the tunnels into the depot. Source: Flickr
This is where one arrives on a staff train from Seven Sisters! The staff platform at the depot is the only outside platform on the entire Victoria Line! Source: Twitter
Welcome to the depot! Other signs on the outside of the depot describe the Victoria Line as the ‘Automatic choice.’ Source: Twitter
Northumberland Park depot 1981. Source: Flickr
3041 standing just outside the depot 1997. Source: Flickr
Driving a 1967 through the ‘car wash.’ Source: Flickr
The last public 1967 stock working 30 July 2011 arrives back at Northumberland Park. Source: Flickr
The ‘last 1967’ to work the Victoria Line was not on 30th June 2011 contrary to popular opinion! That was the last public service train. This unidentified unit was kept until 2012 as a depot shunter for the sorting of 2009 the stock as each new carriage arrived off its trailer and was loaded onto the depot tracks. Source: Flickr
2009 stock just outside the depot. Source: Flickr
Inspection of Victoria Line train at the depot before it goes into service. Source: Twitter
Northumberland Park depot. Source: Twitter
Photographic study inside the depot. Source: Twitter
A hair raisin’ experience for 2009 stock perhaps? Source: Twitter
Underneath one of the 2009 stock’s bogies. Source: Twitter
The bogie workshop. Source: Twitter
Unusual view of 2009 stock at the depot! Source: Flickr
Another unusual view of 2009 stock at the depot! Source: Flickr
Pictures showing the depot’s shower block after refurbishment. Source: Twitter
Another view of the shower block after refurbishment. Source: Twitter
One of the lighting towers with the signal cabin in the distance. A shot of the depot from this is shown next. Source: Twitter
The depot in the 1980s seen from the control cabin. Source: Twitter (Note: Twitter account deleted thus an archived image is used here.)
View of the depot from the roof of the mess building at the centre of the rail yards. Possibly mid 1968. Source: Twitter
This feature continues in Part Three.