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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
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<title>1623/204 -- Subway Series</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<table id="cavepage">
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<tr><th id="kat_no">204</th><th id="name">Steinbrückenhöhle</th><th id="status">5/S x</th></tr>
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</table>
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<h1>Subway Series</h1>
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<div>
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<b><a href="#survey">Survey</a></b> --
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<b><a href="204.html">204 index</a></b></div>
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<hr />
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<p>The Subway series is the deepest level presently known in
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Steinbrückenhöhle. It is in a steeply sloping bedding plane at an
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average altitude of around 1400m. Access is from the <a
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href="subsoil.html">Subsoil level</a> via the Four Pitches of the
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Apocalypse.</p>
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<h3><a id="apocalypse">The Four Pitches of the Apocalypse</a></h3>
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<p> <a href="l/four_pitches.html"><img class="onleft" src="t/Four Pitches of the Apocalypse 1.jpg"
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alt="Four Pitches of the Apocalypse" /> </a>
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This pitch series starts at a chamberette in a
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side passage in the <a href="subsoil.html#fatworm">Fat Worm Blows a Sparky</a>
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area of the Subsoil level. A wide Y-hang across the passage protects a short
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muddy ramp, which is followed by a traverse to the left across a wide ledge to
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the first main pitch. I can't remember anything about this pitch, but the next
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pitch is somewhat damp, and lands at a traverse along the left-hand side of a
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slot until it opens out wide enough to descend. This third pitch is 21m long
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and lands at a small round ledge. Here the water disappears down a narrow round
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hole to one side <i>[XXX Is this not a QM? i can't remember. Perhaps it would
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be too small to get a body through. Certainly a C-- grade lead.]</i>
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while the main shaft continues straight ahead from a Y-hang on the right-hand
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wall (needing 2 maillons to avoid a marginal rub) and an immediate deviation.
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The next pitch is a spacious 34m, with a deviation part-way down. Shortly
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beneath this a swing through a window leads to the main Subway series, while
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continuing down the pitch leads to <a href="#mornington">Mornington
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Crescent</a>.</p>
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<h3><a id="mornington">Mornington Crescent</a></h3>
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<p>The final Pitch of the Apocalypse lands in a chamber floored with boulders,
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with one huge block in the centre. Around 5m off the ground, it is possible to
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swing off onto a ledge, where a hole in the wall reveals a sporting passage
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which spirals down steeply in a corkscrew pattern, passing several short climbs
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and a tight bend (requiring SRT kit removal, at least if you're as fat as
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Dave). Beyond this the passage appears to close down, although there are one or
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two unexplored side branches [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-59" id="qC2005-204-59">C2005-204-59 C</a>], and the passage has not been
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surveyed.</p>
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<p>The continuation of the pitch series is <b>Mornington Crescent</b> [NIAL]
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[<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-60" id="qC2005-204-60">C2005-204-60 B</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-61" id="qC2005-204-61">C2005-204-61 X</a>], which ends at <i>[XXX is this right?]</i> a too-tight
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pitch-head 60m further down.</p>
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<h3>The Tube</h3>
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<p><a href="l/the_tube.html"><img class="onleft" src="t/the_tube.jpg"
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alt="The Tube" /></a>Swinging through the window from the Fourth Pitch of the Apocalypse, a short
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drop belayed off a spike lands on a wide ledge. <i>Traversing to the right
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leads to a steep upward slope, at the top of which a passage leads
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right and left; to the left is [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-50" id="qC2005-204-50">C2005-204-50 C</a>] and to the right is [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-49" id="qC2005-204-49">C2005-204-49 B</a>] (the
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latter has an 11-second rattle).</i> Traversing leftwards reaches a
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short pitch into the spacious, boulder-floored <b><a id="turnstile">Turnstile
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Chamber</a></b>. An aven enters to one side [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-51" id="qC2005-204-51">C2005-204-51 X</a>] while
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continuing on leads to a funnel-shaped hole in the floor. This is rigged with a
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Y-hang from a pillar and a spit, and a deviation to the other wall, but this
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requires some athletic manouvres to pass. The pitch is only 5m deep and lands
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in another large chamber. (The pitch can be bypassed by a climb down through
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the boulders, but this is not recommended, as the boulders are not especially
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stable.). <i>[XXX This is as far as I ever went and everything else here is
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solely based on the survey! XXX]</i></p>
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<p>In this next chamber <i>which I propose be called The Platform</i>, a climb-up the right-hand wall leads to an unpushed crawl [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-52" id="qC2005-204-52">C2005-204-52 A</a>], while straight on leads down a couple of minor pitches past another passage on the right [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-53" id="qC2005-204-53">C2005-204-53 B</a>] to a 9m pitch. This lands in a wide passage, <b><a id="thetube">The Tube</a></b>. There is a hole in the floor [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-54" id="qC2005-204-54">C2005-204-54 C</a>] while the passage continues both north and south.</p>
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<h3><a id="northernline">Northern Line</a></h3>
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<a href="l/mind_the_gap.html"><img class="onright" src="t/mind_the_gap.jpg"
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alt="Mind The Gap traverse" /></a>
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The northwards branch of The Tube soon reaches a downward slope and 5m pitch.
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At the bottom of this is a narrow muddy tube which might be diggable [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-39" id="qC2005-204-39">C2005-204-39 D</a>].
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The way on is a traverse, <b><a id="mindgap">Mind The Gap</a></b>, along a
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shale band on the left-hand wall. Beyond this is a blind pit and an aven
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[<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-40" id="qC2005-204-40">C2005-204-40 X</a>]. Shortly afterwards the passage emerges from the floor of a wide
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bedding-plane ramp. Uphill is [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-47" id="qC2005-204-47">C2005-204-47 C</a>]. Downhill chokes, but there is a passage
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on the left, <b><a id="tooting">Tooting Bec</a></b>.
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This leads on past several
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holes in the floor [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-37" id="qC2005-204-37">C2005-204-37 C</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-38" id="qC2005-204-38">C2005-204-38 C</a>], with the sound of running water emerging.
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<a href="l/morden.html"><img class="onleft" src="t/morden.jpg"
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alt="Pitch into Morden" /> </a><a href="l/morden_pitch.html"><img class="onleft" src="t/morden_pitch.jpg"
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alt="Pitch into Morden" /> </a>
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<i>The largest of these holes was descended for 25m through a wide chamber
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(<b><a id="morden">Morden</a></b>) to a narrow twisty passage. After a
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further drop of 16m this narrows somewhat, but more rift is visible
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beyond [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-46" id="qC2005-204-46">C2005-204-46 C</a>].</i>. Continuing along Tooting Bec leads past yet more
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holes in the floor [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-35" id="qC2005-204-35">C2005-204-35 B</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-36" id="qC2005-204-36">C2005-204-36 B</a>] to a steep upwards ramp [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-34" id="qC2005-204-34">C2005-204-34 B</a>]. There is a
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passage on the left; continuing straight along this ends, but turning right
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partway along leads to another steep upwards ramp, with a slimy muddy floor. At
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the top of this is a fork; the right branch is [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-33" id="qC2005-204-33">C2005-204-33 B</a>] which probably links to
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05-34, while the left branch continues, sloping steeply up; a handline is
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required [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-32" id="qC2005-204-32">C2005-204-32 A</a>].</p>
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<h3>Picadilly Line</h3>
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<p>Heading southwards from the pitch into The Tube, the passage passes under an aven [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-55" id="qC2005-204-55">C2005-204-55 X</a>] soon reaches a complex junction, <b><a id="stpancras">St. Pancras</a></b>. The main passage loops round on itself, passing various small passages [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-56" id="qC2005-204-56">C2005-204-56 C</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-57" id="qC2005-204-57">C2005-204-57 C</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-58" id="qC2005-204-58">C2005-204-58 C</a>]. To the left is a pitch, <b><a id="pigsear">Pig's Ear Pitch</a></b>, which can be either descended or traversed round.
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<i>Traversing across leads to an upward-sloping passage, <b><a id="dlr">Docklands Light Railway</a></b>. At the top of this is a pitch [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-26" id="qC2005-204-26">C2005-204-26 A</a>], with a passage visible across the pitch-head [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-27" id="qC2005-204-27">C2005-204-27 B</a>]. The main passage continues ahead; exploration was halted by a pool of water, which could be traversed over [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-28" id="qC2005-204-28">C2005-204-28 A</a>].</i></p>
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<p>Descending Pig's Ear Pitch from St. Pancras leads to the Picadilly Line, a
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very wide, boulder-floored passage. This slopes downward, passing an aven
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[<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-25" id="qC2005-204-25">C2005-204-25 X</a>]. Beyond this is a junction, with another aven [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-24" id="qC2005-204-24">C2005-204-24 X</a>] above it. On the
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left is a narrower passage leading to <a href="#greenpark">Green Park</a>,
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while ahead Picadilly Line continues, still sloping downwards. After around 50m
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it narrows and swings to the left, passing a passage [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-23" id="qC2005-204-23">C2005-204-23 B</a>] on the left. This
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final section carries a trickle of water in a trench in the floor. At the end
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of the passage this disappears down a hole in the floor [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-22" id="qC2005-204-22">C2005-204-22 B</a>], beyond which
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is a 10m pitch, <b><a id="dogsdinner">Dog's Dinner</a></b>, with very poor
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quality rock. This lands in a large chamber, <b><a
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id="hounslow">Hounslow</a></b>, with a boulder floor. Above is an aven [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-20" id="qC2005-204-20">C2005-204-20 X</a>].
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In the floor are two more holes. The smaller is [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-21" id="qC2005-204-21">C2005-204-21 B</a>], while the larger leads
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to a 24m pitch, <b><a id="dogsbollocks">Dog's Bollocks</a></b>. The water
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rejoins part-way down, and at the bottom is a sump, at a depth of 490m from
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204e.</p>
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<h3>Green Park and the Jubilee Line Extension</h3>
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<p>From the junction in Picadilly Line, an upward-sloping side passage leads
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off. This passes a 2m climb to a juction, <b><a id="greenpark">Green
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Park</a></b>. Straight ahead the passage continues for a few metres between
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large mud banks, but the main route doubles back over itself and emerges in
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another passage, <b><a id="jubilee">Jubilee Line Extension</a></b>, which runs
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for around 50m parallel to and more or less directly above the Picadilly Line.
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Holes in the floor [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-31" id="qC2005-204-31">C2005-204-31 B</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-83" id="qC2005-204-83">C2005-204-83 C</a>] presumably connect. At the end, the passage forks, with walking-size
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passage continuing in both directions [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-29" id="qC2005-204-29">C2005-204-29 A</a>] [<a href="qm.html#C2005-204-30" id="qC2005-204-30">C2005-204-30 B</a>].</p>
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<hr style="clear: both" />
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