That's fabulous.

I remember in the early 80s when I used to commute through Upton Park station (District Line), there was a guy working there who used to write poems on the boards. One I remember particularly began:

"Now the weather's cold and damp
Don't forget your coat and gamp"

I forget the rest of it but I always remember it for the use of the word 'gamp'.

When he retired, he wrote a long poem about the many years he'd worked for London Underground.

There also used to be a man who worked at Liverpool Street on the Central Line who would stand on the eastbound platform and recite all the stations the train was going to. For the Epping service, that was a lot of stations and he always got them in the right order. Everyone would applaud when he'd finished.

I'm old enough to remember when there was a bar on the Circle Line platform at Liverpool Street. It was as if someone had taken an old-fashioned pub and plonked it down in the middle of the platform.

Ugh, and the smoking carriages too - second from the front and second from the end. If you got in one by mistake you'd be kippered by the time you got out. It's astonishing to think that it wasn't all that long ago that people were allowed to smoke on the Underground.

These days, there is no such thing as platform staff. If you need help, you have to access a 'help point', press a button, wait for someone to answer and then wait another 15 minutes for them to drag their arses down to the platform from the sealed offices they inhabit in the ticket halls. In the meantime, the hoodies who've been harrassing you have had plenty of time to mug everyone on the platform and make their escape on a train.

I know it's essential for staff to be safe, but I think it's fairly common knowledge that if there are staff on the platform, there's less likely to be trouble.

End of rant.

When there is a member of staff on the platform it often makes travelling just that much nicer an experience. There was a man at Victoria Station a few years ago who used to make announcements in a peculiarly cheerful, elongated lilting accent - he seemed genuinely happy to be there and he always cheered people up. My office moved over Westminster way so I haven't seen him in a while. I hope he's still there.

who would stand on the eastbound platform and recite all the stations the train was going to. For the Epping service, that was a lot of stations and he always got them in the right order

I can do that! Hooray for useless knowledge!

hey greycap, I wonder if I'm thinking about the same Victoria Station bloke? He'd be on the northbound Victoria Line platform in the mornings, and he would be really cheery and friendly even in the middle of rush hour, and he'd make sure people were evenly spread along the platform ('there's more room towards the right hand end, folks'). Always used to make me smile.

I can do the Central Line going the other way (out to Ealing Broadway) but that's no great feat.

Yes that's him! He was great.