I don't want to come over like some massive train geek
because I'm really not (I just happen to have read a book about the Tube recently), but the Circle Line on Moscow Metro is quite interesting. Engineers who'd worked on the London Underground told them to avoid a Circle, as it was a total pain and there were too many junctions with other lines. Khruschev, who'd had been put in charge of the project by Stalin, decided fuck it, we'll have a Circle Line anyway. Since they were building from scratch rather than melding lots of different lines togehter as happened in London, it actually turned out to be quite easy to build, and just demonstrated how much of a mess the London system is.
(, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 12:31, Reply)
Or the prospect of being sent to a work gulag, fed feet first into a furness or just worked to death.
Really makes you concentrate on what you're doing in Stalinist russia.
Another great Stalins project was the road of bones built by political prisoners.
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Cerebus Sticky! Sticky! Stick! Stick!, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 12:39,
Reply)
or demolishing this
what was rebuilt and reopened in 2000
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHq7ZX54fZA
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Christ_the_Saviour
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The Scrunt Wants a Dozen Pints, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 12:43,
Reply)
has the narrator got a cold?
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Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 12:53,
Reply)
Which Tube book? I've read (and recommended) three on here recently.
(You massive train geek)
[edit] Reading your post makes me think it was Andrew Martin's "Overground, Underground".
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Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 13:16,
Reply)
Andrew Martin
yes. It wasn't brilliant - quite bitty in a lot of places - but still plenty of nice little facts and stories.
Also, it send me on a spending spree for vintage Tube posters. Currently have this in my kitchen: www.amazon.co.uk/Brightest-London-Reached-Underground-Poster/dp/B0049A9EK4/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1342011258&sr=1-2
EDIT: And which other Underground books are any good, then (you massive train geek)?
(, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 13:54, Reply)
I'll ignore that, Mr Buys-Gay-Posters.
Christian Wolmar's "Subterranean Railway".
And I can't remember the one before Andrew Martin's....ask me again, I'll look on my kindle.
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Tab Hunter Make this useless process end and so, begin again, Wed 11 Jul 2012, 14:43,
Reply)