| 204 | Steinbrückenhöhle | 5/S x |
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The Subway series is the deepest level presently known in +Steinbrückenhöhle. It is in a steeply sloping bedding plane at an +average altitude of around 1400m. Access is from the Subsoil level via the Four Pitches of the +Apocalypse.
+ +This pitch series starts at a chamberette in a +side passage in the Fat Worm Blows a Sparky +area of the Subsoil level. A wide Y-hang across the passage protects a short +muddy ramp, which is followed by a traverse to the left across a wide ledge to +the first main pitch. I can't remember anything about this pitch, but the next +pitch is somewhat damp, and lands at a traverse along the left-hand side of a +slot until it opens out wide enough to descend. This third pitch is 21m long +and lands at a small round ledge. Here the water disappears down a narrow round +hole to one side [XXX Is this not a QM? i can't remember. Perhaps it would +be too small to get a body through. Certainly a C-- grade lead.] +while the main shaft continues straight ahead from a Y-hang on the right-hand +wall (needing 2 maillons to avoid a marginal rub) and an immediate deviation. +The next pitch is a spacious 34m, with a deviation part-way down. Shortly +beneath this a swing through a window leads to the main Subway series, while +continuing down the pitch leads to Mornington +Crescent.
+ + +The final Pitch of the Apocalypse lands in a chamber floored with boulders, +with one huge block in the centre. Around 5m off the ground, it is possible to +swing off onto a ledge, where a hole in the wall reveals a sporting passage +which spirals down steeply in a corkscrew pattern, passing several short climbs +and a tight bend (requiring SRT kit removal, at least if you're as fat as +Dave). Beyond this the passage appears to close down, although there are one or +two unexplored side branches [C2005-204-59 C], and the passage has not been +surveyed.
+ +The continuation of the pitch series is Mornington Crescent [NIAL] +[C2005-204-60 B] [C2005-204-61 X], which ends at [XXX is this right?] a too-tight +pitch-head 60m further down.
+ +Swinging through the window from the Fourth Pitch of the Apocalypse, a short +drop belayed off a spike lands on a wide ledge. Traversing to the right +leads to a steep upward slope, at the top of which a passage leads +right and left; to the left is [C2005-204-50 C] and to the right is [C2005-204-49 B] (the +latter has an 11-second rattle). Traversing leftwards reaches a +short pitch into the spacious, boulder-floored Turnstile +Chamber. An aven enters to one side [C2005-204-51 X] while +continuing on leads to a funnel-shaped hole in the floor. This is rigged with a +Y-hang from a pillar and a spit, and a deviation to the other wall, but this +requires some athletic manouvres to pass. The pitch is only 5m deep and lands +in another large chamber. (The pitch can be bypassed by a climb down through +the boulders, but this is not recommended, as the boulders are not especially +stable.). [XXX This is as far as I ever went and everything else here is +solely based on the survey! XXX]
+ +In this next chamber which I propose be called The Platform, a climb-up the right-hand wall leads to an unpushed crawl [C2005-204-52 A], while straight on leads down a couple of minor pitches past another passage on the right [C2005-204-53 B] to a 9m pitch. This lands in a wide passage, The Tube. There is a hole in the floor [C2005-204-54 C] while the passage continues both north and south.
+ +Heading southwards from the pitch into The Tube, the passage soon reaches a complex junction, St. Pancras. The main passage loops round on itself, passing various small passages [C2005-204-56 C] [C2005-204-57 C] [C2005-204-58 C]. To the left is a pitch, Pig's Ear Pitch, which can be either descended or traversed round. +Traversing across leads to an upward-sloping passage, Docklands Light Railway. At the top of this is a pitch [C2005-204-26 A], with a passage visible across the pitch-head [C2005-204-27 B]. The main passage continues ahead; exploration was halted by a pool of water, which could be traversed over [C2005-204-28 A].
+ +Descending Pig's Ear Pitch from St. Pancras leads to the Picadilly Line, a +very wide, boulder-floored passage. This slopes downward, passing an aven +[C2005-204-25 X]. Beyond this is a junction, with another aven [C2005-204-24 X] above it. On the +left is a narrower passage leading to Green Park, +while ahead Picadilly Line continues, still sloping downwards. After around 50m +it narrows and swings to the left, passing a passage [C2005-204-23 B] on the left. This +final section carries a trickle of water in a trench in the floor. At the end +of the passage this disappears down a hole in the floor [C2005-204-22 B], beyond which +is a 10m pitch, Dog's Dinner, with very poor +quality rock. This lands in a large chamber, Hounslow, with a boulder floor. Above is an aven [C2005-204-20 X]. +In the floor are two more holes. The smaller is [C2005-204-21 B], while the larger leads +to a 24m pitch, Dog's Bollocks. The water +rejoins part-way down, and at the bottom is a sump, at a depth of 490m from +204e.
+ +From the junction in Picadilly Line, an upward-sloping side passage leads +off. This passes a 2m climb to a juction, Green +Park. Straight ahead the passage continues for a few metres between +large mud banks, but the main route doubles back over itself and emerges in +another passage, Jubilee Line Extension, which runs +for around 50m parallel to and more or less directly above the Picadilly Line. +Holes in the floor (which appear to have both been given the same number, +[C2005-204-31 B]) presumably connect. At the end, the passage forks, with walking-size +passage continuing in both directions [C2005-204-29 A] [C2005-204-30 B].
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