Steam Underground 1863-1905

In 1860 work began on the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway. This linked three of London's main-line stations with the City. The track was laid mostly in shallow cuttings dug along the streets, which were then roofed over. This method is known as 'cut-and-cover'.

The first section of the Metropolitan opened from Paddington to Farringdon in 1863. Sections of the District and Circle lines followed. The early Underground was a huge engineering achievement and a great success. However, it had one big disadvantage, steam underground was seen as a 'mild form of torture' by passengers.

There are 31 objects to view in the Steam Underground 1863-1905 gallery. Select a section below, one of the four chosen objects or show all objects from this gallery

Sections : Metropolitan Railway, Building the first underground, Steam underground, Travelling by steam

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