The London Overground

I see that as of couple of days ago, the circle has been completed:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/london-overground-network-map.pdf

I've always been a fan of the Overground, ever since I first moved to London and got on a dirty and crowded train to meet a friend at Dalston Kingsland. It seemed like a dangerous and daring thing for a country bumpkin like me.

Now the trains are newer, where I used to live got connected to even more hipster hangouts like Shoreditch, and now I can get all the way to Peckham, which I'm told is also frightfully hip.

You can nearly always take a bike on there (I've brought two new bikes home that way), a lot of journeys on there seem to only end up costing me 80p. Shame I now live near the useless bit that just goes to Barking.

Let's all sing the praises of the orange line

Wow, this is gonna make getting to north polo easier...

I know there was a circle line ride on the forum that John organised.

A ride round part of this would be cool.

They've probably updated it now but you used to be able to see the old line through Shoreditch all covered in grass, on google maps

overground is the bomb

Yeah, the Overground is pretty handy. Even better now it comes to Peckham Rye! I think bikes are restricted on most bits Mon-Fri 0700-1000 and 1600-1900 as far as I know.

Nice of them to connect gospal oak with the rest of the world

I love the overground. As I live East of Stratford I feel it connects me with the rest of the world.

Look at that hipster train >>>>>>>>>>>>

It's nice they're actually providing more useful connections from the south! Doesn't affect me that much but by gum do I appreciate the overground, though I wish it integrated better with the tube.

Damn. We have managed to keep the Southerners South for thousands of years and now this :(

The other way 'round, Mike... We're inundated with Northie scum gastrotourists where we are...

I used this for commuting before I cycled. Would go to Kensal Rise. At the time it was prone to theft/muggings etc. I remember one journey when a drunk guy was having a go at a cyclist for having his bike on the train, he then started kicking the bike and pushing the cyclist. At the next station the cyclist suggested they get out of the train to discuss the matter. The drunk got out and took a couple of swings at the cyclist, he did not connect. The cyclist clearly knew how to box and proceeded to rearrange the drunks face. The drunk kept on taking another swipe, even though his opponent kept asking if he had had enough. It was properly cinematic with blood splatters on the windows from where the bleeding face slid down the outside of the doors.

Now they have guards on the trains and they are open all along, feels much much safer.

Kensal Rise station was a fucking dump in those days, would frequently clamber over people smoking crack on the footbridge. One time I saw some young kids (aged about 12 or 13) buy some rocks and leave a deposit with the dealer for a crack pipe. They smoked the rocks and then returned the pipe to get a fiver back.

just one word
passport control
will keep the southern underclasses at bay mike

That's 2 word...

I'm more worried about monied North and East London tossers moving south and commuting back and driving prices up; I've been the only tosser wearing Supreme round here for the last 15 years and now its 5 panels and beanie hats with Vans and fucking rolled up skinny jeans all over the place.

Anyway in response to DJ Kensal Rise is West London not proper North.
And yes it is a complete shit hole. A poor guy got stabbed to death there a few years back walking home from the tube one evening.

^^from an EC1 perspective, you get used to it. The struggle not to be purged from your own neighbourhood has been part of working class life for centuries unfortunately :(

I heard the OG was slow. Is it slow? What will it bring to my local economy? Won't somebody please think of the children!

It was always a very slow way to get from Hackney/Islington to Richmond. Mellow though.

I used to use it some mornings when I lived in Kingsland Road and worked in Richmond.
I would not describe the situation when it got to the Dalston/kinsgland stop as mellow though. More like a complete fucking nightmare :)

I only PubTran to work if a heavy night on the sauce is planned.... (which lets be fair is basically the entire end half of December).
PT used to involved paying for a train from Peckham to Lon Bridge and a tube from there to Old St... That meant getting to/from work was the daily cap of £8.80. Not cheap.

Now it's a delightful £2.80 all the way from home to work. Hooray!

And you get a seat, and enough time to settle in with a decent book.
Life changing.

The North London Line, then Silverlink has almost defined my London experience. I have always lived somewhere along its route, Hackney, then Kentish Town, Acton (!), Hackney, Highbury, Hampstead, Holloway and finally Islington again. And friends have lived at various points along it. All the stories above bring back memories - it did used to be unreliable, scary and sometimes a time to relax for half an hour and look at the view going by.

Even though one might get nostalgic for the old days it is definitely better now. Turn up and go on a nice warm safe train, with connections all over the place. And the kids (spot the difference to the man who used to enjoy the scary old North London Line) love to run up and down the length of the train.

Yeah, sorry, that's my kids.

West Croydon and Richmond need to connect, or West Croydon and Clapham Junction.

My kid likes to sit quietly and respectfully whilst enjoying the view along the entire length of the train*.

*then goes fucking mental with pent up energy immediately on disembarking