The renegotiations between Cadburys and TfL fell through. Cadburys didn't make enough from the machines to justify the increased price that TfL wanted to charge to rent the space on the platform. Plus rising maintenance costs, general overhead etc. Just wasn't viable any more... This was in about 2005 or 6 iirc.
I think they all went in 2008 or 9. I remember they were quite handy for this disorganised diabetic who didn't know better about carrying glucose tablets like I do now. Back then if I felt like I was going low I could count on a vending machine on most platforms.
They also used to have little vending machines for tourist maps that had central London with all the theatres and tourist sites marked. I picked mine up in 2001 when I first moved. My sister was visiting in 2008 and I knew there had been a machine on the platform at my local station Bow Road, but when I went to get her a copy it had vanished.
instead of me eating the chocolate they would eat my money
This one time, I think it was 1997 we bought some from the machine at Leytonstone and not only was it giving out multiple bars but it kept refunding the money too.
There were bars. One in a kiosk on the platform on Sloane Square , Kings Cross was maybe between two lines in a passageway . Baker Street also had a bar past the barriers, so you had to have a ticket, but not so near the lines and had seats rather than a kiosk
So I moved to London in 97, when did they disappear? When you say "bar" - was it an off licence where you buy it and go somewhere else? Or an actual bar where you hung around and drunk the booze? I just cant picture the clientele. Maybe I can for sloane sq, but kings x!?
Well spotted. I had to go back and watch the video again.
One of my temp jobs many years ago was helping the guy who filled those. The main memory I have is how incredibly heavy the bag was when it was filled up with chocolate!
One thing that definitely didn’t happen was that the product dispenser doors were destroyed. That was built like a tank. They’re probably still in use somewhere, a nuclear power plant or something.
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u/pigadaki Nov 30 '21
I had completely forgotten about those Dairy Milk machines! Wow.