Tunnel vision: a history of the London tube map

At the Guardian: Tunnel vision: a history of the London tube map



Jonathan Glancey asks, Is it the end of the line for London's iconic tube map?

The expansion of the Oyster card brings yet more change for Harry Beck's classic design. It's time to go back to the drawing board.

Can any of my UK readers explain to me what is an Oyster card?

#505

London Cut Out

Famille Summerbelle offers designs and accessories for decorating a child’s room.



"This print is based on an original Famille Summerbelle hand paper cut of London. It shows detail of the central boroughs of London with the attractions and cultural pursuits that make London so special."

Paris also available.

Mapumental

Say Hello to Mapumental:



"Mapumental is the culmination of an ambition mySociety has had for some time - to take the nation’s bus, train, tram, tube and boat timetables and turn them into a service that does vastly more than imagined by traditional journey planners."

A new tool still in "private beta" testing. I'm still not sure what it will all be about, and how far this can go... just watch the video. For more info and updates: Mapumental

Via MegPickard

Mind the Gap

From the BritishDepot.com. Get your London Underground gear:

This site if full of everything that a British expat or fan could want, from biscuits to oven mits and flip-flops to lentil soup.

Use one of these mugs to drink your soup... and never get lost on the tube again...



A Friendly Reminder to American Tourists.

Spoof London Underground Announcements by Emma Clarke

Transit Maps of the World

I've been waiting for months, and I finally got my hands on a copy of Transit Maps: The World's First Collection of Every Urban Train Map on Earth, by Mark Ovenden. This work is a comprehensive collection of historic and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. With all of its colorful graphics, it makes a beautiful coffee-table book for travel and graphic design enthusiasts.

Major cities all over the globe are included. Here is an example from Tokyo:



Also included, this fanciful map of a world united by a single transit system:



The history of the London Underground can be charted by the succession of user maps that were produced through the last century:



From my collection, two postcards of the London Underground showing some growth of the extended lines:

1985	circa 1995

Below are the other two transit map postcards from my collection:



Trade offers for for additional transit map postcards are always welcome.

For additional fun with transit maps, see my earlier post.

Finally, this transit map representation of Eustace Tilley. This map was one of the winners in a contest where artists were invited to create new versions of the mascot of the New Yorker Magazine.

“Eustace Tilley Subway”, by Alberto Forero, Minneapolis, Minnesota