2-door buses

There are two 2-door types with a black stripe on the outside, outlining the stairs - the Wright SRM (son-of Routemaster) VHR class (usually seen on the 183) has styling very closely based on the three-door "Borismaster". The other type, found for example on the 26 and 78, is the Alexander Enviro400H City (HA class).

Road numbering

The A4380 number is anomalous, as it lies entirely east of the A5 and would therefore have an A5xxx number if the usual zoning principles were observed. And as a Central London four-digit A-road, the second digit would normally be a "2". A5211 is the lowest available, but A5241 might have been more appropriate.

(The A41 is correctly numbered because part of it, between Elstree in north London and Cosford in Shropshire (most of it, in fact) lies west of the A5)

Route 183

The 183 ran as far as Northwood until 1987.

Other silly announcements

"Stand behind the yellow line at all times"
How do I get on the train then?

"I will be walking through the train"
"Please do not put your feet on the seats"
Both rather pointless when the train is rammed full - most passengers are unable to get any part of their anatomy anywhere near a seat, and walking along the train would only be possible by running along the roof.

At Waterloo Main Line:
"Please stand back, this train is not scheduled to stop at this station"
It's going to make an awful mess of the concourse then.

On the train:
"You must have a ticket to travel on our trains"
Horse, stable, bolt.

On an all-stations service leaving Waterloo:
"We are scheduled to arrive at Guildford at xxxx".
As there are non-stop services to Guildford, only two people should be interested in what time the stopper gets to the end of the line - one of them is driving and the other is making the announcement.

Telegraph towers

Fans of the late Terry Pratchett will recognise the line-of-sight telegraph system as the inspiration for the Discworld's "Clacks" network.

I have stayed at two Landmark Trust properties with operational flagpoles, and one where you can flag down passing trains at its own private halt, but to have one with working telegraph semaphore arms would be even more interesting, (even if the adjacent links in the relay have both vanished)

Ships up the Thames

Once the Romans had built the first London Bridge, that effectively ended any possibility of large ships going further upstreamm. However, the newer London Bridge was less of an obstruction, and seagoing colliers (the "flatirons") could get to most of the Thames side power stations, certainly as far as Fulham, and possibly even Kingston if they could fit into Teddington Lock. Fulham was as far as the flatirons went. Kingston was served by lighters (barges).

Nine Elms Pimlico Bridge

From parts of Pimlico near the bridge, the Northern Line station would be the nearest station. And, Battersea Power Station is a terminus so, given the crowding on the Victoria Line, they'd have a much better chance of actually getting on a train!

Unlike the Victoria Line, the Northern Line will also have an interchange with Crossrail.

County boundaries

Whether by accident or design, no part of Essex was taken over by the LCC in 1889, although Middlesex, Surrey and Kent all lost territory to the upstart.

ILEA

"Inner London" (as in the old Inner London Education Authority) is, I believe, the old London County Council area, and roughly coincides with the London Postal Area.

Woolwich Ferry

The Thames has much stronger currents to contend with than most harbours.

The old system used the engines to hold the vessel against the jetty, which uses a lot of diesel. Hence the desire for a "greener" method.

Ropes and winches take time, and are dangerous for the crew - one of the new ferries is named after a crewman who died in such an accident.

Thames locks

The Thames and its locks are administered by the Environment Agency, rather than the C&RT.