Converting old London Underground train door buttons into light switches

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Converting old London Underground train door buttons into light switches

7 May 2026

Specifically, a Hue light switch, using an old door opening button from a Jubilee line train.

I lived in London for a few years awhile back, and the District line also had door buttons you’d press to open or close the train doors. As I recall it, the doors on all other lines were controlled by the guard. These passenger operated door buttons could be something of a double-edge sword though.

I was travelling to Richmond one afternoon, and a passenger — possibly still on the way from home from the night before — and wanting to alight at a station, was getting the action all wrong in constantly pressing the door button.

He was — unawares, I was pretty sure — cancelling out the efforts of someone on the platform trying to open the door to board the train. There was confusion on one side of the door, frustration on the other, as the door went through a cycle of partly opening, then partly closing.

Maybe these door open and close actions are better controlled centrally, and the door buttons should be used as light switches instead.

3D maps of all London Underground tube stations

29 June 2022

Ian Mansfield has posted axonometric diagrams of every station on the London tube, or underground rail network, which were released by Transport for London.

Axonometric diagrams?

They are technically axonometric diagrams, which is 3D-like, but not to scale, which becomes obvious when you see some of the vertiginous descents offered on some stairs and escalators.

Balham station is exactly as I remember it, as is Brixton.

Farewell Concorde, we will miss you, but not your booming engines

24 October 2003

The supersonic aircraft is no more, after making one final, much hyped, flight.

While some people will find this ending of an era a little sad, others may see things somewhat differently. My aunt in London lives under one of the flight paths into Heathrow airport, and there was no missing the twice daily flights of Concorde.

The whole house literally shook as the aircraft prepared to touch down. This was no sonic boom though, just the engines operating normally. But after a few days of hearing Concorde approaching Heathrow, other aircraft noise seemed positively inaudible in comparison.

And here I refer to the likes of those massive, lumbering, Boeing 747’s…

Originally published Friday 24 October 2003, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.