The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground
"tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use
electric traction. Originally intended for cable-hauled trains, the
collapse of the cable contractor while the railway was under
construction forced a change to electric traction, an experimental
technology at the time, before the line opened. When opened in 1890, it
had six stations and ran for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) in a pair of tunnels
between the City of London and Stockwell, passing under the River
Thames. The diameter of the tunnels restricted the size of the trains
and the small carriages with their high-backed seating were nicknamed
padded cells. The railway was extended several times north and south;
eventually serving 22 stations over a distance of 13.5 miles (21.7 km)
from Camden Town in north London to Morden in Surrey. Although the
C&SLR was well used, low ticket prices and the construction cost of the
extensions placed a strain on the company's finances. In 1913, the
C&SLR became part of the Underground Group of railways and, in the
1920s, it underwent major reconstruction works before its merger with
another of the Group's railways. In 1933, the C&SLR and the rest of the
Underground Group was taken into public ownership. Today, its tunnels
and stations form the Bank branch and Kennington to Morden section of
the London Underground's Northern Line.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_and_South_London_Railway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
French Revolution: After being found guilty of treason by the National
Convention, King Louis XVI was guillotined in front of a cheering crowd
at the Place de la Révolution in Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France>
1919:
The First Dáil Éireann first convened at the Mansion House in Dublin,
adopting a Declaration of Independence calling for a new sovereign
state: the Irish Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_D%C3%A1il>
1948:
The Flag of Quebec , featuring a white cross and four fleurs-de-lis on
a blue field, was adopted and flown for the first time over the Quebec
Parliament Building in Quebec City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Quebec>
1968:
Vietnam War: The Vietnam People's Army attacked Khe Sanh Combat Base, a
U.S. Marines outpost in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, starting the
Battle of Khe Sanh.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh>
2008:
The Eyak language in Alaska became extinct after Marie Smith Jones, the
language's last native speaker, died, an event that became a symbol in
the fight against language extinction.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyak_language>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
beneficiary (n):
(law) One who benefits from the distribution, especially of an estate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beneficiary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Was a revelation to be made known to us, it must be accommodated to our
external senses, and also to our reason, so that we could come at the
perception and understanding of it, the same as we do to that of things
in general. We must perceive by our senses, before we can reflect with
the mind.
--Ethan Allen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen>