91-651: Crystal Palace is an area in South London , named after the Crystal Palace Exhibition building which stood in the area from 1854, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1936. About 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Charing Cross , it includes one of the highest points in London , at 367 feet (112 m), offering views over the capital. The area has no defined boundaries and straddles five London boroughs and three postal districts , although there
182-574: A farmer's market on Haynes Lane. The triangle also contains a range of vintage furniture and clothing stores, as well as galleries, arts and crafts shops and other businesses. There was an ongoing campaign to turn a former bingo hall (at 25 Church Road) back into a cinema, after it had been purchased by the Kingsway International Christian Centre . The cinema had opened as "The Rialto" in 1928, later being renamed "The Picture Palace", only to close in 1968 and become
273-582: A hillclimb before stopping due to development work. The event resumed in 2010 and continued until 2019. Crystal Palace contains three primary schools, Paxton Primary School, Rockmount Primary School and All Saints C of E Primary School, and one secondary school, Harris City Academy . Crystal Palace Park also contains a branch of Capel Manor College , offering courses in Animal Care, Arboriculture and Countryside, Horticulture and Landscaping and Garden Design along with other short courses. In 2013, due to
364-400: A railway vehicle. A static power source can transmit motive power to the vehicle in this way, avoiding the necessity of carrying mobile power generating equipment. The air pressure, or partial vacuum (i.e., negative relative pressure) can be conveyed to the vehicle in a continuous pipe, where the vehicle carries a piston running in the tube. Some form of re-sealable slot is required to enable
455-645: A 24-hour controlled parking and loading zone . There is a coach park inside Crystal Palace Park. The area would have been affected by the cancelled London Ringways motorway plans, as one of the radial routes connecting the South Cross Route to Ringway 2 (the South Cross Route to Parkway D Radial ) would have run through a part of Crystal Palace Park, following the railway line. London Cycle Network routes 23 and 27 travel through Crystal Palace. Route 27 runs from Anerley Hill through part of Crystal Palace Park towards Bromley and route 23 runs through
546-434: A bingo hall. In 2018 after considerable restoration and renovation, Everyman Cinemas re-opened 25 Church Road as their 25th nationwide cinema location. Television transmission has been taking place from Crystal Palace since at least the 1930s and two TV transmitter towers — Crystal Palace Transmitter – 640 feet (200 m) tall — and Croydon Transmitter – 500 feet (150 m) tall — stand on
637-417: A composition of beeswax and tallow : this composition is solid at the temperature of the atmosphere, and becomes fluid when heated a few degrees above it. Over this valve is a protecting cover, which serves to preserve it from snow or rain, formed of thin plates of iron about five feet long hinged with leather, and the end of each plate underlaps the next in the direction of the piston's motion, thus ensuring
728-415: A diameter of 63 cm (25 in) with a slot at the top. The slot was closed by two leather flaps. The pumps were powered by two steam engines with a capacity of 200 hp, located between the two tunnels at Saint-Germain. Train speed on the ascent was 35 km/h (22 mph). On the descent the train ran by gravity as far as Pecq, where the steam locomotive took over for the run to Paris. The system
819-481: A full-scale model at Southwark. In 1840, Jacob Samuda and Clegg leased half a mile of railway line on the West London Railway at Wormholt Scrubs (later renamed Wormwood Scrubs ), where the railway had not yet been opened to the public. In that year Clegg left for Portugal, where he was pursuing his career in the gas industry. Samuda's system involved a continuous (jointed) cast iron pipe laid between
910-488: A patent for their system. Soon after this, Joseph Samuda died and it was left to his brother Jacob to continue the work. The patent was in three parts: the first describing the atmospheric pipe and piston system, the second describing how in areas of plentiful water supply, the vacuum might be created by using tanks of water at differing levels; and the third section dealt with level crossings of an atmospheric railway. The Dublin and Kingstown Railway opened in 1834 connecting
1001-433: A separate piston. He never patented his ideas and they were not taken further by him. In 1824, a man called Vallance took out a patent and built a short demonstration line; his system consisted of a 6-foot (1.8 m) diameter cast iron tube with rails cast in to the lower part; the vehicle was the full size of the tube and bear skin was used to seal the annular space. Braking was accomplished by opening doors at each end of
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#17327825228591092-691: A shortage of primary school places in both Crystal Palace and London, proposals to open a new primary school by September 2015 were put forward, with plans submitted to the Department for Education in January 2014. The proposals were approved as part of wave 6 of the Free Schools Programme and the school is scheduled to open in September 2015. As of October 2014, the school is considering three possible building configurations – with
1183-639: A triangle; Westow Park, a smaller park that lies off the triangle southwest of Crystal Palace Park; and the Stambourne Woodland Walk. Crystal Palace was named in the Sunday Times newspaper's top ten list of "the best places to live in London" of 2016. In April 2022 Crystal Palace was named the best place to live in London by the Sunday Times , being characterised by a bohemian fusion of urban vibes and village-feel. The ridge and
1274-507: Is a Crystal Palace electoral ward and Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley . It forms a part of the greater area known as Upper Norwood , and is contiguous with the areas of Anerley , Dulwich Wood , Gipsy Hill , Penge , South Norwood and Sydenham . The area is represented by three parliamentary constituencies , four London Assembly constituencies and fourteen local councillors . Until development began in
1365-408: Is adapted two large cylinders, which exhaust fourteen cubic feet of air per second. The pressure in the air cauldron (claudieres) attached to the exhausting machines is equal to six absolute atmospheres. He described the valve: Throughout the entire length of the tube, a section is made in the top, leaving an open space of about five inches. In each cut edge of the section there is an offset, to catch
1456-484: Is in use for short-distance applications. Porto Alegre Metro airport connection in Porto Alegre , Brazil, is one of them. In the early days of railways, single vehicles or groups were propelled by men or horses. As mechanical power came to be understood, locomotive engines were developed; the iron horse . These had serious limitations; in particular, being much heavier than the wagons in use, they frequently broke
1547-473: Is laid down in the centre of the track, which is sunk about one-third of its diameter in the bed of the road. For a distance of 5,500 yards the tube has a diameter of only 1¾ feet [i.e. 21 inches], the ascent here being so slight as not to require the same amount of force as is required on the steep grade to Saint Germain, where the pipe, for a distance of 3,800 yards, is 2 feet 1 inch [i.e. 25 inches] in diameter. The steam engines had accumulators: To each engine
1638-595: Is nearby. As a result, the area is served by a diverse range of local government bodies and Members of Parliament (MPs). Several local authority councillors in the area were elected on 5 May 2022. All seats bar 1 are held by Labour party candidates. The elected officials by ward for Crystal Palace local authorities in October 2023 were: The area is represented by four constituencies in the London Assembly . Their elected assembly members in 2021 were: The area
1729-868: Is now the Queen's Hotel on Church Road between October 1898 and June 1899. Zola fled to England after being convicted of criminal libel in France on 23 February 1898, a direct consequence of the publication of his open letter J'Accuse…! . South London Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 226928275 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:28:43 GMT Pneumatic railway An atmospheric railway uses differential air pressure to provide power for propulsion of
1820-553: Is put together with deep socket joints, in each of which an annular space is left about the middle of the packing, and filled with a semi-fluid: thus any possible leakage of air into the pipe is prevented. At that time railways were developing rapidly, and solutions to the technical limitations of the day were eagerly sought, and not always rationally evaluated. Samuda's treatise put forward the advantages of his system: Samuda also rebutted criticisms of his system that had become widespread: In April 1844, Jacob and Joseph Samuda took out
1911-574: Is represented by three constituencies in the Westminster Parliament . In May 2015, their elected MPs were: The Italian Job has a scene filmed at the athletics track in the Crystal Palace sports centre, in which Michael Caine says, "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" The Pleasure Garden was also filmed in the park and Our Mother's House has a scene featuring Dirk Bogarde with several children on
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#17327825228592002-504: Is served by Southern trains from London Bridge and London Overground services. Crystal Palace used to have a second railway station, the Crystal Palace (High Level) railway station . The station was built to serve passengers visiting the Crystal Palace, but after the fire in 1936, traffic on the branch line declined. In World War II , the line serving the station was temporarily closed due to bomb damage. Repairs were made and
2093-517: The Compagnie du Chemin de fer de Paris à Saint-Germain . They opened their 19 km line in 1837, but only as far as Le Pecq , a river quay on the left bank of the Seine, as a daunting incline would have been necessary to reach Saint-Germain-en-Laye , and locomotives of the day were considered incapable of climbing the necessary gradient, adhesion being considered the limiting factor. On hearing of
2184-684: The Crystal Palace Line and London Bridge on the Brighton Main Line , and where London Overground trains run to Highbury & Islington on the East London Line . In addition, Southern services run to Beckenham Junction , Sutton and Epsom Downs . Crystal Palace railway station is one of the few stations to border two zones , Zones 3 and 4. The South Gate of the Park is accessible by rail via Penge West , which
2275-494: The Dalkey Atmospheric Railway . A 15-inch traction pipe was used, with a single pumping station at Dalkey, at the upper end of the 2,400-yard run. The engine created 110 ihp and had a flywheel of 36 feet diameter. Five minutes before the scheduled departure of a train from Kingstown, the pumping engine started work, creating a 15-inch vacuum in two minutes. The train was pushed manually to the position where
2366-600: The Greater London Authority running a public consultation on each option – all of which would involve demolishing one of the seated stands around the athletics track at the National Sports Centre . The area is served by the A212 , A214 , A234 and A2199 roads . The roads that make up the triangle (Westow Hill, Westow Street and Church Road) form part of a one-way system and are in
2457-544: The London 2012 Olympics , the status of the stadium and aquatics centre as the main facilities for their sports in London has been superseded by the London Aquatics Centre and Olympic Stadium . This led to Crystal Palace F.C. submitting plans to rebuild the stadium as a 40,000 capacity football stadium. A motor racing circuit was opened around the Park in 1927 and the remains of the track now make up some of
2548-728: The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and Greenwich , and southward to Croydon and the North Downs . It is also one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk , linking to places such as Chislehurst , Erith , the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead . Section 3 of the Capital Ring walk round London goes through the park. A smaller park occupying 2.73 hectares (6.7 acres) is to the southwest of
2639-400: The 1 in 100 ascent from New Cross to Dartmouth Arms. The L&CR engineer, William Cubitt proposed a solution to the problem: a third track would be laid on the east side of the existing double track main line, and all the local trains in both directions would use it. The faster Brighton trains would be freed of the delay following a stopping train. Cubitt had been impressed during his visit to
2730-458: The 19th century, and before the arrival of the Crystal Palace, the area was known as Sydenham Hill . The Norwood Ridge and an historic oak tree were used to mark parish boundaries. After the Crystal Palace burned down in 1936, the site of the building and its grounds became Crystal Palace Park, the location of the National Sports Centre which contains an athletics track, stadium and other sports facilities. Crystal Palace Park has also been used as
2821-403: The 19th century, when it began to be built over. It was also a home of Gypsies , with some local street names and pubs recording the link, and the area still retains vestiges of woodland. A pneumatic railway was briefly trialled in the area in 1864. Once the railways arrived, Crystal Palace was eventually served by two railway stations, the high level and low level stations, built to handle
Crystal Palace, London - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-593: The Bricklayers Arms terminus opened, and a frequent service was run from it, additional to the London Bridge trains. The L&CR line diverged to the south-west at Norwood Junction (then called Jolly Sailor , after an inn), and needed to cross the L&;BR line. The atmospheric pipe made this impossible on the flat, and a flyover was constructed to enable the crossing: this was the first example in
3003-907: The Crystal Palace itself and instrumental in having the building reassembled on Sydenham Hill following the success of the Great Exhibition of 1851, lived in a house called "Rockhills" at the top of Westwood Hill. Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins , artist and sculptor who created the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in the park, lived in Belvedere Road between 1856 and 1872. Jim Bob , Carter USM frontman, currently lives in Crystal Palace. The African-American Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge lived in Hamlet Road. The French novelist Émile Zola lived in what
3094-523: The Crystal Palace triangle to connect to Borough and Croydon . Transport for London have proposed to build Quietway route 7 that runs from Crystal Palace to Elephant and Castle . The route was subject to consultation processes in the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark in 2016, with construction to begin in 2017. Crystal Palace is accessible by rail from Crystal Palace railway station , where Southern trains run between Victoria on
3185-491: The Dalkey line, and the new L&CR third track would use atmospheric power. The local line would also be extended to Epsom, also as a single track atmospheric line. These arrangements were adopted and Parliamentary powers obtained on 4 July 1843, also authorising a line to a terminal at Bricklayers Arms. Arrangements were also made with the L&GR for them to add an extra track on the common section of their route. On 1 May 1844,
3276-513: The Greek Cypriot and Orthodox community in the surrounding area. Built in 1878, and formerly an Anglican church (St. Andrew's), the walls are now dressed in ornate Byzantine-style art . Crystal Palace is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Charing Cross on Norwood Ridge and includes one of the highest points of London at 112 metres above the mean sea level (OS map reference TQ337707). The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, in
3367-410: The L&GR's London Bridge station. The line was built for ordinary locomotive operation. A third company, the London and Brighton Railway (L&BR) was promoted and it too had to share the route into London by running over the L&CR. When the lines opened in 1839, it was found that congestion arose due to the frequent stopping services on the local Croydon line; this was particularly a problem on
3458-649: The Parade. These services include routes N2 , 3/N3 , N63 , 122 , N137 , 157 , 202 , 227 , 249 , 322 , 358 , 363 , 410 , 417 , 432 and 450 . The nearest major international airports are Heathrow and Gatwick . London City Airport and Biggin Hill Airport are also nearby. Marie Stopes , early promoter of sex education and contraception, was raised in a house on Cintra Park shortly after her birth in Edinburgh in 1880. Joseph Paxton , designer of
3549-455: The Pereire brothers to adopt the system for an extension to Saint Germain itself, and construction started in 1845, with a wooden bridge crossing the Seine followed by a twenty-arch masonry viaduct and two tunnels under the castle. The extension was opened on 15 April 1847; it was 1.5 km in length on a gradient of 1 in 28 (35 mm/m). The traction pipe was laid between the rails; it had
3640-558: The Southwark Ironworks; they were both members of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Samuel Clegg was a gas engineer and they worked in collaboration on their atmospheric system. About 1835, they read Medhurst's writings, and developed a small bore vacuum pipe system. Clegg worked on a longitudinal flap valve, for sealing the slot in the pipe. In 1838, they took out a patent "for a new improvement in valves" and built
3731-473: The access roads around the park. The track was extended to two miles (3.2 km) in 1936, before being taken over by the Ministry of Defence at the start of World War II . Race meetings resumed in 1953, and the circuit hosted a range of international racing events, continuing until the last races in 1974. For three years, from 1997, parts of the circuit were used for a once-a-year sprint time trial similar to
Crystal Palace, London - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-525: The area, and until 1889 included parts of both counties. From 1889 to 1965 the area was on the south-eastern boundary of the County of London . For centuries the area was covered by the Great North Wood , an extensive area of natural oak forest that formed a wilderness close to the southern edge of the then expanding city of London. The forest was a popular area for Londoners' recreation right up to
3913-523: The atmospheric system on British lines, although the Paris – Saint Germain line continued until 1860. When the system was abolished in 1855, a 2-2-2 steam locomotive named Princess was employed, incidentally the first steam engine to be manufactured in Ireland. Although a small machine, it successfully worked the steeply graded line for some years. In 1835, the brothers Pereire obtained a concession from
4004-576: The centre of the park, is 88 metres (289 ft) above the mean sea level. The soil in the area has been classified as typically "Slowly permeable, seasonally wet, slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils", with impeded drainage, moderate fertility and a loamy profile. The nearest Met Office climate station is based in Greenwich Park . Crystal Palace is on the boundary of four London boroughs – Bromley , Croydon , Lambeth and Southwark . A fifth borough – Lewisham –
4095-431: The edges of a valve which fits down upon it. The valve is made of a piece of sole leather half an inch thick, having plates of iron attached to it on both the upper and corresponding under side to give it strength ... which are perhaps one-fourth of an inch in thickness ... The plates are about nine inches long, and their ends, above and below, are placed three quarters of an inch apart, forming joints, so as to give
4186-404: The end of the section nearest to its steam engine, is opened by the compression of air in front of the piston, which necessarily takes place after it has passed the branch which communicates with the air-pump; the entrance separating valve, (that near the commencement of the next section of pipe,) is an equilibrium or balance valve, and opens immediately the piston has entered the pipe. The main pipe
4277-403: The exhaustion created in front of it. The continuous pipe is fixed between the rails and bolted to the sleepers which carry them; the inside of the tube is unbored, but lined or coated with tallow 1/10th of an inch thick, to equalize the surface and prevent any unnecessary friction from the passage of the travelling piston through it. The operation of the closure valve was to be critical: Along
4368-687: The fire of 1936 and many services were diverted to serve London–Croydon routes instead of the Victoria–London Bridge route. Rail travel was in decline across the UK in the 1960s and 1970s when the Beeching Axe was imposed. In the 1970s, two outer platforms used by terminating trains were abandoned and the third rail was removed. More recently rail travel at the station has seen a resurgence and new services have started running. Passenger numbers increased each year between 2004 and 2013. Since May 2010,
4459-576: The gardens of Victorian villas built on the hill overlooking Croydon, but fell into disrepair. In 1962, the Croydon Council approved terms for buying the land from the Church Commissioners and other local freeholders, allowing the construction of a link. Paths and benches were installed but much of the vegetation was left undisturbed, creating a woodland pathway. At 69 Westow Street is an ornate Greek Orthodox Church which serves
4550-404: The groove when the valve is shut, makes up the circle of the pipe, and prevents the air from passing the piston; one edge of this valve is securely held down by iron bars, fastened by screw bolts to a longitudinal rib cast on the pipe, and allows the leather between the plates and the bar to act as a hinge, similar to a common pump valve; the other edge of the valve falls into a groove which contains
4641-603: The grounds of the Penge Place estate at Sydenham Hill . The buildings housed the Crystal Palace School of Art, Science, and Literature and Crystal Palace School of Engineering . It attracted visitors for over seven decades. Sydenham Hill is one of the highest locations in London ; 109 metres (357 ft) above sea level ( spot height on Ordnance Survey Map); and the size of the Palace and prominence of
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#17327825228594732-629: The help of W. G. Grace . In 1964, a 15,500 seater athletics stadium and sports centre was built on the former site of the football stadium in Crystal Palace Park. The athletics stadium was known as the National Sports Centre and between 1999 and 2012 hosted the London Athletics Grand Prix among other international athletics meetings. The Crystal Palace triathletes club is also based here. Since
4823-407: The hill at Upper Norwood, making the district a landmark location visible from many parts of London. The towers may appear similar in height and design, but the Crystal Palace mast, constructed in 1956, is on a slightly higher elevation. The current Croydon tower was built in 1962. Crystal Palace Park is a large Victorian pleasure ground occupying much of the land within Crystal Palace and is one of
4914-570: The historic oak tree known as the Vicar's Oak (at the crossroads of the A212 Church Road and A214 Westow Hill) were used to mark parish boundaries. This has led to the Crystal Palace area straddling the boundaries of five London Boroughs; Bromley , Croydon , Lambeth , Southwark and Lewisham . The area also straddles three postcode districts : SE19 , SE20 , and SE26 . The ancient boundary between Surrey and Kent passes through
5005-576: The large volume of passengers visiting the exhibition building. After the Palace was destroyed by fire, and with railway travel declining , passenger numbers fell and the high level station was closed in 1954 and demolished seven years later. Rail services gradually declined, and for a period in the 1960s and 1970s, there were plans to construct an urban motorway through the area as part of the London Ringways plan. With rising passenger numbers, additional London Overground services began stopping at
5096-399: The leather valve pliability, and at the same time firmness. Clayton records the name of the engineer, Mallet, who had been Inspector general of Public Works, and gives a slightly different account: Clayton says that Mallet used a plaited rope to seal the slot. He also says that vacuum was created by condensing steam in a vacuum chamber between runs, but that may have been a misunderstanding of
5187-424: The lifting of each in succession. The piston carriage would open and then close the valve: To the underside of the first carriage in each train is attached the piston and its appurtenances; a rod passing horizontally from the piston is attached to a connecting arm, about six feet behind the piston. This connecting arm passes through the continuous groove in the pipe, and being fixed to the carriage, imparts motion to
5278-401: The line was opened to the public. In service, a typical speed of 30 mph was attained; return to Kingstown was by gravitation down the gradient, and slower. By March 1844, 35 train movements operated daily, and 4,500 passengers a week travelled on the line, mostly simply for the novelty. It is recorded that a young man called Frank Elrington was on one occasion on the piston carriage, which
5369-467: The line was reopened, but the requirement for reconstruction and the decline in traffic led to a decision to close the station and branch line in 1954, followed by the demolition of the station in 1961. Despite the demolition, a Grade II listed subway remains under Crystal Palace Parade. The Crystal Palace pneumatic railway was also built in Crystal Palace c.1864. The low level station remain open, although passenger numbers at that station also fell after
5460-706: The major London public parks. The park was maintained by the LCC and later the GLC , but with the abolition of the GLC in 1986, control of the entire park was given to the London Borough of Bromley. From 15 September 2023 responsibility for the park's management has been handed to the Crystal Palace Park Trust. Crystal Palace railway station is located by the park, as is the National Sports Centre . The park
5551-533: The park's boating lake. The park features prominently as the setting of an outdoor rave in the music video for The Chemical Brothers ' number 1 single " Setting Sun ". Arthur Conan Doyle was active in the area between 1891 and 1894. Although he lived in nearby South Norwood , he visited the Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood area regularly in connection with the Upper Norwood Literary and Scientific Society. The Foresters Hall on Westow Street
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#17327825228595642-451: The pipe in a fit state to receive the next train. Entering and leaving the pipe was described: The continuous pipe is divided into suitable sections (according to the respective distance of the fixed steam engines) by separating valves, which are opened by the train as it goes along: these valves are so constructed that no stoppage or diminution of speed is necessary in passing from one section to another. The exit separating valve, or that at
5733-411: The pipe would be used in one direction only, and the fact that only one pumping station was erected suggests that trains were gravitated back to the lower end of the run after the atmospheric ascent, as was later done on the Dalkey line (below). Many of the runs were public. Samuda quotes the loads and degree of vacuum and speed of some of the runs; there seems to be little correlation; for example: There
5824-447: The piston bracket and closed again immediately behind it. A pumping station ahead of the train would pump air from the tube, and atmospheric pressure behind the piston would push it forward. The Wormwood Scrubs demonstration ran for two years. The traction pipe was of 9 inches diameter, and a 16 hp stationary engine was used for power. The gradient on the line was a steady 1 in 115. In his treatise, described below, Samuda implies that
5915-400: The piston entered the pipe, and the train was held on the brakes until it was ready to start. When that time came, the brakes were released and the train moved off. (The electric telegraph was later installed, obviating reliance on the timetable for engine operation.) On 17 August 1843, the tube was exhausted for the first time, and the following day a trial run was made. On Saturday 19 August,
6006-430: The piston to be attached to the vehicle. Alternatively the entire vehicle may act as the piston in a large tube or be coupled electromagnetically to the piston. Several variants of the principle were proposed in the early 19th century, and a number of practical forms were implemented, but all were overcome by unforeseen disadvantages and discontinued within a few years. A modern proprietary system has been developed and
6097-421: The port of Dún Laoghaire (then called Kingstown) to Dublin , Ireland ; it was a standard gauge line. In 1840, it was desired to extend the line to Dalkey, a distance of about two miles. A horse tramway on the route was acquired and converted: it had been used to bring stone from a quarry for the construction of the harbour. It was steeply graded (at 1 in 115 with a 440-yard stretch of 1 in 57) and heavily curved,
6188-418: The power, before the days of practical electricity, was the use of either a cable system or air pressure. In 1799, George Medhurst of London discussed the idea of moving goods pneumatically through cast iron pipes, and in 1812, he proposed blowing passenger carriages through a tunnel. Medhurst proposed two alternative systems: either the vehicle itself was the piston, or the tube was relatively small with
6279-409: The pressure accumulators. The London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) obtained its authorising Act of Parliament in 1835, to build its line from a junction with the London and Greenwich Railway (L&GR) to Croydon. At that time the L&GR line was under construction, and Parliament resisted the building of two railway termini in the same quarter of London, so that the L&CR would have to share
6370-426: The rails of a railway track; the pipe had a slot in the top. The leading vehicle in a train was a piston carriage , which carried a piston inserted in the tube. It was held by a bracket system that passed through the slot, and the actual piston was on a pole ahead of the point at which the bracket left the slot. The slot was sealed from the atmosphere by a continuous leather flap that was opened immediately in advance of
6461-478: The rails. Also, lack of adhesion (i.e. slip) at the iron-to-iron wheel-rail interface was a limitation, for example in trials on the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway . Many engineers turned their attention to transmitting power from a static power source, a stationary engine , to a moving train. Such an engine could be more robust and with more available space, potentially more powerful. The solution to transmitting
6552-541: The rope in front of the piston connection and returned it afterwards. He built a demonstration line alongside the Kensington Canal , and issued a prospectus for his National Pneumatic Railway Association . He was unable to interest investors, and his system failed when the rope stretched. However, his concept, a small bore pipe with a resealable slot was the prototype for many successor systems. Jacob and Joseph Samuda were shipbuilders and engineers, and owned
6643-572: The setting for a number of concerts and films, such as The Italian Job and The Pleasure Garden and contains the Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform , in place since 1997. Two television transmitter masts make the district a landmark location, visible from many parts of Greater London. Local landmarks include the Crystal Palace Triangle, a shopping district made up of three streets forming
6734-402: The sharpest being 570 yards radius. This presented significant difficulties to the locomotives then in use. The treasurer of the company, James Pim , was visiting London and hearing of Samuda's project he viewed it. He considered it to be perfect for the requirements of his company, and after petitioning government for a loan of £26,000, it was agreed to install it on the Dalkey line. Thus became
6825-475: The site made it easy to identify from much of London. This led to the residential area around the building becoming known as Crystal Palace instead of Sydenham Hill. The Palace was destroyed by fire on 30 November 1936 and the site of the building and its grounds is now known as Crystal Palace Park. The area is formed by Westow Street, Westow Hill and Church Road, and has a number of restaurants and several independent shops, as well as an indoor secondhand market and
6916-720: The sports stadium situated inside the grounds of The Crystal Palace. However, in 1915 they were forced to leave due to the First World War and played at nearby Herne Hill Velodrome and the Nest , before moving to their current home at Selhurst Park in 1924. The FA Cup Final was hosted at the Palace sports stadium between 1895 and 1914. The historical grounds also hosted the first England Rugby Union match against New Zealand in 1905, which New Zealand won by 15–0. The London County Cricket Club also played their matches here , having been formed by The Crystal Palace Company with
7007-458: The station and a major station redevelopment occurred. The Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton , was a remarkable construction of prefabricated parts. It was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Following the success of the exhibition, the Palace was moved and reconstructed in 1854 in a modified and enlarged form in
7098-548: The station has served the East London Line branch of the London Overground , connecting with the Docklands and Shoreditch . In 2011 services were extended to Highbury and Islington . The station underwent redevelopment in 2012, which brought the original Victorian booking hall back into use, created a new cafe in the station building and provided wheelchair access through the installation of three lifts; this work
7189-465: The success of the Dalkey railway, the French minister of public works (M. Teste) and under-secretary of state (M. Le Grande) dispatched M. Mallet, inspecteur général honoraire des Ponts et Chaussées, to Dalkey. He wrote an exhaustive technical evaluation of the system installed there, and its potential, which included the results of measurements made with Joseph Samuda. It was through his interest that
7280-413: The train as the tube becomes exhausted; to the piston rod are also attached four steel wheels, (two in advance and two behind the connecting arm,) which serve to lift the valve, and form a space for the passage of the connecting arm, and also for the admission of air to the back of the piston; another steel wheel is attached to the carriage, regulated by a spring, which serves to ensure the perfect closing of
7371-434: The train through a continuous pipe or main, laid between the rails, which is exhausted by air pumps worked by stationary steam engines, fixed on the road side, the distance between them varying from one to three miles, according to the nature and traffic of the road. A piston, which is introduced into this pipe, is attached to the leading carriage in each train, through a lateral opening, and is made to travel forward by means of
7462-412: The triangle on Church Road. Westow Park hosts the annual Crystal Palace Overground festival, a free community festival held over four days in the summer. To the south of the triangle is a small area of woodland occupying 1.92 hectares (4.7 acres), containing the Stambourne Woodland Walk. It was opened in 1984 and covers an area between developments on Stambourne Way and Fox Hill. The land originally formed
7553-407: The upper surface of the pipe is a continuous slit or groove about two inches wide. This groove is covered by a valve, extending the whole length of the railway, formed of a strip of leather riveted between iron plates, the top plates being wider than the groove and serving to prevent the external air forcing the leather into the pipe when the vacuum is formed within it; and the lower plates fitting into
7644-409: The valve, by running over the top plates immediately after the arm has passed. A copper tube or heater, about ten feet long, constantly kept hot by a small stove, also fixed to the underside of the carriage, passes over and melts the surface of the composition (which has been broken by lifting the valve,) which upon cooling becomes solid, and hermetically seals the valve. Thus each train in passing leaves
7735-405: The vehicle. Vallance's system worked, but was not adopted commercially. In 1835, Henry Pinkus patented a system with a 9-square-foot (0.84 m ) square section tube with a low degree of vacuum, limiting leakage loss. He later changed to a small-bore vacuum tube. He proposed to seal the slot that enabled the piston to connect with the vehicle with a continuous rope; rollers on the vehicle lifted
7826-481: Was completed by the end of March 2013. Tram services from Surrey used to operate up Anerley Hill to the Crystal Palace Parade until the 1930s. More recently there have been proposals to connect Tramlink to Crystal Palace, with mayoral candidates citing the desirability of the initiative. The area is served by multiple bus routes, many of which terminate at Crystal Palace Bus Station situated on
7917-532: Was enormous public interest in the ideas surrounding atmospheric railways, and at the same time as Samuda was developing his scheme, others put other ideas forward. In 1841, Joseph Samuda published A Treatise on the Adaptation of Atmospheric Pressure to the Purposes of Locomotion on Railways . It ran to 50 pages, and Samuda described his system; first the traction pipe: The moving power is communicated to
8008-518: Was formerly used for sports such as cricket, football and motor racing, and has been a venue for concerts often performed at the site of the Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform . In recent years the park has played host to organised music events such as Wireless Festival and South Facing Festival . It is also home to the famous Crystal Palace Dinosaur sculptures. The park is situated halfway along Norwood Ridge at one of its highest points. This ridge offers views northwards to central London, east to
8099-461: Was not attached to the train. On releasing the brake, the light vehicle shot off at high speed, covering the distance in 75 seconds, averaging 65 mph (105 km/h). As this was the first commercially operating atmospheric railway, it attracted the attention of many eminent engineers of the day, including Isambard Kingdom Brunel , Robert Stephenson , and Sir William Cubitt . The line continued to operate successfully for ten years, outliving
8190-533: Was technically successful, but the development of more powerful steam locomotives led to its abandonment from 3 July 1860, when steam locomotive ran throughout from Paris to Saint Germain, being assisted by a pusher locomotive up the gradient. This arrangement continued for more than sixty years until the electrification of the line. A correspondent of the Ohio State Journal described some details; there seem to have been two tube sections: An iron tube
8281-555: Was then known as the Welcome Hall (or just Welcome), and it was in that hall in May 1892 that Arthur Conan Doyle was elected President of the society. He was re-elected to the post in 1893 and resigned in 1894. Each occasion was held in the same hall. The writer Deborah Crombie sets her 2013 mystery, The Sound of Broken Glass , in the Crystal Palace area of London. The club were formed in 1905 and initially played their home games at
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