Things change, nowadays, more rapidly than ever. Whereas the explorers of the past would write about their adventures, the introduction of photography meant they could record them visually for the reader. For the last 10 years or so, the Exploring scene consisted of pictures on Flickr, website forums and personal websites/blogs. However in the last year or so (N.B. article originally written in June 2016), Instagram has taken off as one of the most popular forums for mostly younger explorers to show their adventures. Although this mostly involves gurning to the camera, hanging over very high drops, or showing one's legs hanging off a building. Creativity replaced by stupidity one might argue. I posted a few random pics on Instagram to join in the 'conversation' so to speak. It attracted a number of messages from those looking to do something different than dangle their legs off buildings. One had taken a few nice pics, and seemed to know what was going on with one group of explorers. Keen to catch up on gossip, I invited Minuteglass along for a trip I'd been thinking about for a while.

One of my clients occupies a building near the Hammersmith Broadway, so every now and again I was in the area. I'd witnessed the buildings near the main shopping mall being demolished, and new structures going up. I was keen to see some of the views from up there. I was also interested in the old viaduct that had been left redundant for exactly 100 years, it being closed in 1916. I'd spent many moments plotting how to do it in my head and finally had some free time to do it. I met Minuteglass in West London, to look at another project I was interested in, however, there were track workers busy repairing track in our way. So we came over to Hammersmith. The construction site on Beadon Rd was devoid of security devices or security, so was an easy access job. We quickly got up one of the towers to have a look at the area. As we looked down at the tracks, we could see workers busily doing whatever they do. I was concerned our track access would be thwarted again, but they moved on after a quarter of an hour.

The viaduct was built around 1868, as part of the rail line from London Waterloo to Richmond. The line was operated by London & South West Railways (LWSR) and featured a kink/loop around Brook Green. It was used by other companies, namely the Metropolitan Railway and Great Western Railway. 7 short years later, the loop's future was doomed, as the District Railway, now District Line as part of TfL, built a line cutting across the loop to Ravenscourt Park Station. When the tracks became electrified in 1906, the Metropolitan and later GWR services swapped to the faster District Railway line. In 1916, the SWR abandoned the loop, leaving it redundant. The loop lay dormant, although Hammersmith Grove Road Station survived to the 1950s, storing bananas amongst other things. All traces of the loop had gone by the 1960s, except the viaduct which remains to this day.

Looking out West, the tracks in the centre of the pic. The workers party can be seen in the centre top third of the picture, heading towards Ravenscourt Park Tube station, lit up just ahead of them.

Seeing the coast was all clear, we scampered down the structure's stairs to the lower levels. I wanted to get down to one of the two footbridges that cross the tracks here. After a bit of fumbling, we got to the right spot and quickly walked over the roof, and dropped down onto the viaduct. An identical looking footbridge to the one in the pic below sits just behind the camera. Something was covered in black tarpaulin just ahead, and we dropped down onto it, and then onto the tracks. It was Minuteglass's first dealing with live tracks, although the current was likely off, you can never know for sure.

We opted to go down the tunnel into Hammersmith Tube Station, we took the tunnel on the left, as the workers had used the one on the right.

Although it was only 100m, it seemed like a mile. There was nowhere to hide, and as it was on a curve, we couldn't see ahead. The two tracks return to similar heights, as they enter the station.

Minuteglass sits for a pic on the station girder supports. The new breed are fearless it seems, I held back, conscious of the fact we would be on the station's cctv at this point.

Safely back in the open, and no sign of activity. The viaduct curves over the tracks, the Eastbound track squeezed in on the right going under the viaduct. The two footbridges visible over the tracks.

The Eastbound District line tracks, underneath the viaduct.

Looking back at where we'd climbed off the footbridge, and down onto the tracks. My lovely 40mm pancake lens giving brilliantly sharp night pics.

The viaduct wall, a mass of Victorian bricks. The apartment block tower next to the King's Mall soon to be equalled in height.

The viaduct a pit of thorns and brambles at this point. The Ashcroft Square estate on the right, car park on the left, demolished shortly after this trip.

Looking west, as the tracks cross Cambridge Road. The last section of the viaduct lies ahead.

Eastbound tracks

The end of the viaduct, and Hammersmith's rising apartment block corridor.

Ravenscourt Park Station

The East and Westbound tracks either side of the camera. On the far right, the Westbound District line tracks.

We went our separate ways, as I wanted to pop back up the taller of the two under construction towers, hoping for a nice dawn. Looking South West over the Ashcroft Square estate to the Thames and Barnes.

Hammersmith Mall all quiet on this early Sunday morning. On a normal day it's rammed.

Looking North over the Hammersmith & City Line station to Westfields mall. The mass of cranes in the upper left corner, is the TV Centre development. The building with the green roof, just making it onto the bottom of the picture, is where the Hammersmith (Grove Road) station once sat, it used to sit on the line that continued onto the Viaduct.

There was to be no warm orange and yellow sunrise, instead the familiar buildings of the centre of London sat in fog. The London eye just visible hugging the left side.

I cracked out my other favourite lens, the 100mm, to grab a shot of the always lovely Trellick Tower. Seen at the back of this shot with Shepherd Bush's tower blocks dotted around the Westfield Mall. The green dome at the bottom right sits on top of an amazing mesh roof of what was a storage facility, but is being converted at the moment.

Fun had, it was time to head off to a warm cosy bed. Thanks to Minuteglass for company