Elementary canal

[hirez]

(From a conversation last night)

Here's an idea to play with (If somewhat China Mieville):

For whatever reason, underground railways never took off, so London's underground is canal based. Phrases like 'the distant glint of the Crouch End aqueduct' and 'locking up to the Camden interchange' spring instantly to mind.

Marvellous.

Comments

[steer]

Complete grid-lock on the underground again.

[d_floorlandmine]

Inspiring concept.
All you'd need is to have it so that railways never overtook canals (or we never managed the long pieces of straight metal required ...)

[samoth]

Having trundled narrowboats through some very long tunnels, and also pootled around some of the mine tours that are boat based, that sounds like a rather wonderful mental image.

I'd like to see some overenthusiastic victorian engineering applied to it too, although boat lifts and the like are pretty bloody overenthusiastic on aboveground canals...

[squiddity]

In Berlin many young men each year would die when 'train surfing', this being the practice of standing on top of a moving underground train singin along to beachboy's hits while making exaggerated balancing stances.

All these deaths would be saved by this innovation and the name would be substantially more fitting.

water

[sheridanwilde]

...though the amount of deaths on the water would increase greatly - in the days where the natural choice of crossing the thames was by boat, rather than bridge, similarly stupid men would run the rapids around old london bridge and die in the attempt.

[goth_twiglet]

When I'm in charge.........