Here's a good site, with some links to old LHR photos and charts (and indeed, many other UK and foreign airports and air bases):

https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202.../heathrow-atc/
https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...ow-atc-part-2/
Here's some more old charts - not all LHR, but a good few, further down: https://atchistory.wordpress.com/202...proach-charts/

I've been a visitor to LHR since the early 1990s and for all its faults (and a far, far better today than it was then), I've always loved the place. Was born in late 1960s, so missed the "golden" jet age.

My first flight as a pax through LHR was in March 1981, 40 years ago last week, flying to KWI on a KAC 747.

The West Drayton to Staines line terminated at Staines West station. The Station building in Staines is still there but was converted to a house many years ago, The line ran across the remote Stanwell Moor area with a station at Colnebrook and a wooden 'halt ' at Poyle which was basically a wooden platform and hut in the middle of the moor and which to my horror at the time was claimed to have been burned down by a friend of mine. Considering the number of rail lines around LHR it is incredible they took so long to build the Heathrow express line and even then failed to connect it to the Westward part of the GWR line whereby it could have gone on to Reading which must have the best connectivity to anywhere in UK . Basically the entire country except for East Anglia.

Cains Lane is still there as junction off the A30 , the turning after the now famous Myrtle Ave, I didn't know it origibnal went right across the airfield I just thought it was little residential road in Bedfont . I also dont know why back then, 1965 , no one spotted from Myrtle Ave .

To all intents and purposes LHR was my home town , I grew up and got married in Stanwell to a girl from Cranford who I met in Longford who worked for both BA short haul and long haul (back then moving from one to the other was basically seen as treachery) . My rather was BEA Ops my father in law BA Ground Ops , my wife BEA engineering secretary later Speedbird London HF-SSB operator . My best man BA cargo and I played footbal for two airprot teams ever though I never worked there. itwas different living there comapred to most places because certainly in Stanwell back then most people worked at LHR/LAP . When the Airways Housing trust or whatever it was called developed a large new estate based around Clare Road virtually evryone worked at LHR mostly of course for BEA/BOAC although there were some ministry people too. Of course all those shiny planes ,especially the early jets were a complete fascination with destinations that were far more exotic back then than in todays shrunken global world

Having moved to the west country i miss it for all sorts of reasons, down here an airliner is the silver dot at the end of a contrail

Sorry for the thread drift but like several this has been a real nostalgia thread for me

Great thread!
I used to be taken to LAP/LHR as a pre teen in the late 1950s before we left London in 1959.
Remember getting a bus tour of the "airside" the from newly opened Queens Building. I was really impressed when the bus came around a corner in the BOAC maintenance area and met a Brittannia, which promptly backed up to give the bus right of way.

Incidentally I just viewed LHR on Google Earth and was amazed to see that the latest photo has only one aircraft on the whole airport and that is the Concorde beside 27L, amazing and difficult to believe, as this includes the cargo and maintenance areas.

V H F SUPPLIES, I BELIEVE.

You believe correctly.

Staines to West Drayton line - this new video just popped up...

Latest episode posted yesterday:

Have only just looked at this thread,and haven't read it all,but thought I'd post these pic's of two items I recently found in a late friends effects,as they seem relevant.The first two are from a booklet ,1959,last four, 1962.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....93fd0e3167.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fbfba20153.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d6017b5b30.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....42f5973739.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a52e4274bf.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....34a2fddcea.jpg

I have one of those ESSO fold outs somewhere but not in such condition, it was on my bedroom wall as a kid.

"Considering the number of rail lines around LHR it is incredible they took so long to build the Heathrow express line and even then failed to connect it to the Westward part of the GWR line whereby it could have gone on to Reading which must have the best connectivity to anywhere in UK"

But remember by the time LHR started to really expand we were into Beeching era - railways were doomed........... everyone would go by car - hence the M4 right next to the airport. The idea of traveling by Tube to Heathrow was considered to be bizarre - no glamour at all .

Not building the link to Reading & the West was criminal - and selling the land off even more so - but it was probably to protect the vast profits being made by the Heathrow Express. Remember that the GWR stopping service wasn't even allowed to put "Heathrow" on the destination boards at Paddington to start with - they were officially only to W Drayton and then ran into the central area as a sort of hidden service to protect the revenue stream

Question about the Main Runway alignments. Given the steady movement of Magnetic North, what were they when first commissioned? Does anyone know/guess when the changes happened to reach their current designation? Lastly, when might we expect the next?
Cheers.

All of Heathrow's six runways (not including the original 16R/34L that was relocated to build the CTA) were redesignated at some stage during their lifetime.

While many people will remember when the current 09/27s were 10/28s (the most recent change), prior to that the 06/24s became 05/23s and the 16/34s became 15/33s (all subsequently closed). I don't have those dates to hand, but I probably have them kicking around somewhere.

Don't hold your breath for any more changes in the foreseeable future - the 09s are aligned at approximately 89.7° (true) and of course the 27s are on the reciprocal. But with magnetic variation currently about 0.4° E and an annual change of a measly 0.2° E per year, I don't expect I will ever see them becoming 08/26s (nor reverting to 10/28s) in my lifetime.

Thanks DRUK. Do you know when the 10/28s became 09/27?

About 1971 or '72 I think.

Surprisingly, much later than that: 2nd July 1987.

Needless to say, it was a Thursday. :O

The 16/34s became 15/33s some time in 1952; I haven't unearthed the date yet for the 06/24s becoming 05/23s.

So, change them on a Thursday - in time for one of the busiest days of the week? Sounds like a good plan.

I've got the date as 3rd. So was it done overnight from 2-3 with last 28s on 2nd and 1st 27s on 3rd?

Significant ATC changes are almost always on a Thursday: Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC) (icao.int)

I have no idea what time on the 2nd July it happened, but presumably it didn't involve movements having to observe a "Wet Paint" sign. :O

I've now narrowed down the date of the 06/24s -> 05/23s change to 1951 or earlier.

Being picky, but time of change is kinda what I am getting at. You reckon it was 2nd, I have the 3rd, so is it the case it changed at close of play on 2nd, before midnight. and so first movements would be on the morning of the 3rd? So changeover would be dated 2nd but nothing would have used either runway until the following morning?

No harm in being picky. :O

The change would have been promulgated in the AIP, and elsewhere, for the AIRAC cycle commencing on Thursday 2nd July 1987. Given Heathrow's operations, it would be reasonable to conclude that the necessary changes to the runway markings and taxiway signage were accomplished between the last movement on 1st July and the first on the 2nd.

There's a reference to the designation change in this thread: Heathrow runway change from 28L to 27L, including a contribution from Heathrow Director, whom one would expect to know about such things, confirming the 2nd July date.