Photograph details

© Transport for London
Collection of London Transport Museum
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Baker Street Offices, the computer room - where London Transport staff records were held. In the foreground, a woman sits at an electronic keyboard linked to a computer. In the background two women load large tape eels into banks of computer machinery. The women all wear dustcoats.

Photographed by Dr Heinz Zinram, 20 Jan 1971

Location: Computer Room, Baker Street main offices, 13 Allsop Place, Marylebone, Westminster, NW1

Image no: B/49A/T/415r

Inventory no: 2005/15301

20th Century London caption: This photo was taken in the computer room at the London Transport Baker Street offices. It was taken in 1971, when computers functioned as mainframe data-processing machines, unlike desktop computers. By the end of the 20th century, almost every office desk included a personal computer. In the early days of computer use, however, they were kept in temperature-controlled rooms. The operating staff in this photo are also wearing blue dust coats to protect the equipment. In the foreground, a woman is typing on an electronic keyboard linked to the computer. In front of her, another member of staff is loading a large tape reel. These were the forerunners of floppy discs.

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