Features

London's other underground

Deep below the capital's streets, tourists are getting a unique glimpse of subterranean London. Barry McLoughlin rides Mail Rail

Once you're inside the new battery-powered train- one or two based on original designs- a transparent canopy is secured over your head. It's a bit like boarding a fairground roller-coaster and there's a similar sense of anticipation.

As you set off at a maximum speed of 7.5mph, the tunnel walls with their limescale stalactites re within touching distance. (It;s much slower than the original trains, which averaged 40mph and could get from Paddington to Whitechapel in 20 minutes.)

The journey is punctuated by ingenious special effects. You stop at eerily deserted platforms where projections on to the walls show just how hectic and intensive was the job of loading and unloading the mail bags.

Major historical events such as the Blitz are also features, and a theatrical experience brings the station back to its bustling heyday in the Thirties.

At one point the train comes to a halt and you are left in total darkness in a simulation of the power cuts that sometimes affected the service.

You see trackside sandbags and a special floodgate designed to prevent water from the River Fleet breaking in. Below is a 'graveyard' of old and disused original Mail Rail trains.

It's not one for the claustrophobic...

Because it's in such a confined space, the safety rules are quite strict. in the event of an emergency, trains may have to be evacuated in the tunnels, so visitors must ensure they are comfortable walking without assistance on uneven terrain, in a confined space and with low lighting levels for around 100 metres (382ft).

Mail Rail warns that the carriages are small and may be uncomfortable for some visitors. The trains measure 51in from floor to canopy and 34in from the seat to the top of the canopy. Door-to-door width is 31in and the seats are 17in apart.

After the ride you can wander through the engineering depot-turned-exhibition space. you can step into a replica Travelling Post Office and try to sort the mail as the floor starts to shake to simulate a real-life mail train at speed. Interactive displays allow visitors to race pneumatic cars, and use 'time telescopes' to explore Mail Rail as it was. Also on display are some of the rail-way's original rolling stock, and the remains of a Victorian pneumatic rail car, a 19th century ancestor of Mail Rail. 

Have you been? Read the full story in the May issue of Choice

To keep up to date with all the latest from Choice, or if you have something you want to share with our team, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

Other stories in Features

Motorbike at the National Motor Museum
June's book reviews
Royal robes
Peter Sellers’ Aston under the hammer
National Bingo Day 27th June 2023
Hen Harriers
Air up
Simon Evans reviews the latest CDs
April’s Top DVDs selected by Simon Evans
Here we go, here we go…for the Coronation
Otter
Easter on a budget
‘The Slug’ will race again after 100 years
Bath night for dogs
Classic Motoring Memories
Tios Drinks
Shake up your makeup
New Year, New You
From Italy with love
Mail-order meat comes of age
Christmas recipes
Christmas Crafts Part 2
Back to your roots
In your garden in Winter
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Gift Ideas
Vegan Skincare
Recipes for hope
Beauty Feature - Embrace the grey
Calling all coffee fans!
World Oceans Day 8th June
Beauty Feature - Feet First
Craft Corner - A great Easter basket
Battle of Britain
Claire Foy "I didn't get life until I was 32"
Alexander Armstong: "My family is my priority"
Cosyfeet Community Award 2019
How to Maintain Your Independence in the Kitchen
Ruth Wilson "Audience's don't know who I really am"
1969: The Year The Dream Died
Want to live the (Feel)Good Life? Move to Watford
Pressures of the sandwich generation
Steve Coogan"The most radical thing I can do is talk about love"
Oldie of the Year 2019
Rabble: The Movement keeping you fit and making you money!
Suzi Quatro: "I've always been a rocker at heart"
Giving up plastic
Women in WW1
Do you remember? UFO
Bognor and other Regises
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: 'Imagine'
Bill roache "It's a real privilege to make people happy"
Nana Mouskouri "Music brings me peace, love and hope"
How to Earn Money by Working from Home
How to get the best night's sleep, every night
Ringo Starr "I'm learning to handle life"
Headphones with a built in hearing test
Petula Clark: "I make the most of every moment"
Blue Peter: Here's one they made earlier
Gary Oldman: "Acting is an antidote to self hatred"
Emilia Fox: "I've learnt to find my own voice"
Love Your Gut Week Recipes
Puffin photos help to tackle decline of the 'clowns of the sea'
Craig Revel Horwood: "I don't care what people say about me"
Do you remember? Apple Records
What a Carry On!
Worried about being worried?
"I feel like the unluckiest person in the world."
Death of a Princess
Queen Elizabeth: Happy and Glorious
The Beatles: It was 50 years ago...
Hank Marvin: “Meeting Cliff changed my life”
Nicole Kidman "Children are the joy of my life"
The world of Parry Ray
Monty Python: Something completely different
Staffordshire Day
I always think I'm going to get found out
All shook up...The day that Elvis died
Twiggy: "I thought the world had gone mad"
Peter Capaldi: "I like characters who are strange"
Make eating breakfast a resolution which sticks, with milk&more
"Turning 60 can't be that bad!"Jennifer Saunders
The Enduring Power of the Unknown Soldier
Bradley Walsh "Variety is great for the soul"
Thank you, Brewood
"You never know what's round the corner"
1966 and All That
Remembering the Heroic Olympians
Martina Navratilova: "I Always Question Authority"
Guide for choosing clothes for older relatives
Getting older and disabled drivers behind the wheel
Men in Sheds
Scared to Shop!
Over 40s Named Most Successful Online Daters
Stay at home mum and author re-ignite's her career
Dating in later Life
Great garden getaways
Toton Engineman Review
The Making of Les Mis
“I’m a restless person by nature”
"We’re such country bumpkins”
Still time for tearooms
Hallowed hall of fame