Wood Green reversers

For those of us who were enthusiasts in the 1970s, Wood Green was a normal reversing point, and was I think the terminus for Barons Court weekday 'shorts'. These ended in 1979, again from memory. There is indeed a central siding, and I cannot for the life of me been able to recollect seeing any usage of it in modern times even to reverse late-running trains. Perhaps someone can add anything? Oh, the old lightboxes used to have 'WOOD GREEN'.

As I was typing, I was beaten to a reply. I am wracking my brain to try and recall if Wood Green was on the original Hounslow West lightboxes. 'HYDE PARK CORNER' and 'KINGS CROSS' were..possibly 'WEST KENSINGTON'.

I can only speak from experience/memory of before the grand shake-up of the Piccadilly WTT (44? 43?) [1] Wood Green was used about 3, possibly twice per day to sort out a spot of late running: if you've got bunching going into Arnos or Cockfosters then you can gain a little back by short-tripping at Wood Green.

Can't remember OTTOMH [2] when the last booked reversers at Wood Green took place, and Wood Green is indeed available as a TD - had been so ever since that end of the Picc went onto Earls Court, and in fact Wood Green was the first ever relay-based interlocking with automatic reversing worked off the train description when it opened in 1932. I know I've got details of that stashed away somewhere and some notes on the push-buttons for the TD at Earls Court.



[1] quite a lot of work has been done on the Picc WTTs in much the same fashion as the Extended Circle, but with far less trumpeting.

[2] 5 came back in January-September 1997.

I was just thinking that. I remember seeing a photo of the train at Wood Green.

I vaguely remember the East Ham incident - wasn't that in service with the bomber on the train when it went off, and he then shot the motorman? Or was that a different incident?

Wood Green reversers are not booked as part of the normal timetable, it's only used for late running trains or in times of disruption further east. I remember on my first day of training I managed to reverse there twice as we were running late, that was July 06, timetable 43 I believe.

Over the weekend drivers were stepping back four trains and double manning in and out of the sidings to speed the process up. The same shutdown is due to take place in about a months time. I think this time around they may have been working on the points at Arnos Grove.

As the line is not quite at the stage for signalling replacement, at a guess i would say it will be new track being laid, they are quite a few places where we need it in that area.

From a November 1970 WTT, Saturday services northbound alternated between Wood Green, Arnos, and Cockfosters. Wasn't there a period before then when the pattern was something like Cockfosters, Wood Green, Cockfosters, Arnos?

Indeed the Picc WTT story is a complicated one.

In my notes I have (WTT33 - 28/9/97) that (the last of the) scheduled Wood Green reversers were eliminated from this timetable.

Whilst you can save a little by reversing at Wood Green for late running, the current restrictions (i.e. checking train to see it is emptied of punters) and that the T/Op is not scheduled to be relieved at Arnos Grove both have to be considered.

"Green Park" reversers came from the 'east', detraining there and then running empty to and from Down Street siding.

I think you must be right, because there were regular Green Park reversers right up to the late-1950s - date of discontinuing them eludes me at the moment. I too, however, stand to be corrected about the displays on the light box indicators.

Interesing footnote to this is that the Circles are still 5-car sets but H&C are 6-car. I wonder which was the first WTT where they were shown as 6-car. The conversion of Q38s started in November 1958 with the first CO/CP unit getting a trailer in June 1959.

Firstly, off-topic - Circle Line. Trains were increased from 5- to 6-car when 17 Q38 trailers were converted to COP trailers from 9/6/59 to 6/1/60 (dates ex-Acton Works after conversion). It was thus a gradual introduction onto the Circle Line rather than one "big bang" of 6-car trains.

Back to Green Park:

Down Street siding was commissioned 28/5/33.

WTT No.127 (23/10/33) had a small number of Green Park (Down Street siding) reversers in the peaks, as did Hammersmith.

WTT No.3 (3/12/34) saw the peak hour Hammersmith reversers eliminated.

WTT No.11 (3/5/37) notes a reduction in number of peak hour Green Park reversers.

WTT No.17 (28/11/38) - Two Down Street trains MF AM peak, one of which stables in the siding (don't forget there was space in the siding for two trains). The evening peak had one train only, which started from Down Street siding. On Saturdays there were three morning peak reversers, plus one stabler, which started up again for the midday peak.

WTT No.20 (17/7/39) one Down Street stabler MF AM peak and one start up PM peak. Saturdays one Down Street stabler Sat AM peak and one start up midday peak, plus two AM peak reversers.

Not sure when this pair were withdrawn - may have got tied up with early wartime WTTs?

Fast forward to the 1950s:

WTT No.76 (1/4/57) - No Picc line uncoupling on Saturdays.

WTT No.78 (9/6/58) - Barons Court off-peak reversers cut back to Green Park. Green Park reversers introduced MF and SO.

WTT No.80 (2/3/59) - Still Green Park reversers.

WTT No.82 (21/3/60) - First WTT to incorporate no uncoupling on Picc (MF ended 30/11/59 and Sun 24/1/60 - remember that Saturday uncoupling ended in 1957 - see above) with full length trains and no Green Park reversers MF. There are still Green Park reversers on Saturday evenings with full-length trains.

WTT No.83 (14/10/60) - Elimination of Saturday evening Green Park reversers by maintaining the after-midday-peak service (7½/3½-4 pattern) through the evening.

No short 1959s were operated MF/SO as the first went into service on 14/12/59. I rode on it on Saturday 19/12/59 from Ealing Copmmon to Alperton and was surprised to see 2 headlights instead of 5! This was after uncoupling was cancelled for Christmas (and permanently MF/SO). They could just have uncoupled on Sundays but by 24/1/60 (abandonment of Sunday uncoupling) there were only 2x7-car 1959s in service. Whether they did, I cannot say.

However, the 1956s did uncouple, and I have a photo of a 3-car in the middle road at Cockfosters. On the basis that the outer DM ends only had mechanical couplers until some years later, great care had to be taken that these didn't end up facing each other (or a mechanical coupler facing an auto coupler) at coupling up time.

"Turning" is not the problem. I'll try and explain. Let's say that a 7-car 1956 uncouples at Cockfosters.

The west end unit has a mechanical coupler at the west end and an auto coupler at the east end. Off it trots to, say, Hounslow West.

Let's assume (for simplicity) that the second (east end) unit follows the first to Hounslow West, which will have an auto coupler at the west end and a mechanical coupler at the east end. So far, so good.

But then lets assume that the trains then return to Cockfosters for coupling up. The first unit then heads eastbound which has a mechanical coupler at the west end and an auto coupler at the east end. It arrives at Cockfosters with the auto coupler looking at the buffers and the mechanical coupler facing west, awaiting the arriving unit.

The second unit then leaves Hounslow, which has an auto coupler at the west end and a mechanical coupler at the east end. That arrives at Cockfosters into the same platform as the first unit and there you have two mechanical couplers facing each other - embarrassment.

The only way out of it would be for both units to be 'shunted' via the sidings or depot, to recouple with the auto couplers in the middle.

In reality, it was a little more complicated. The following is from my notes with the arrangements in WTT No.80 on Mondays to Fridays from 2 March 1959.

In the WTT, the Standard Stock was shown as '7' or '4', the 1938s as 'U7' or 'U4' (U denoting a train with an UNDM), and the 1956 Stock as 'N7', 'N4' and 'N3' (N denoting 'new' train I suppose).

MIDDAY OFF-PEAK MF

Train 197 Uncouples 09.16 Northfields westbound. Four cars (N4) remain in service, three cars (N3) to Northfields depot and renumbers to train 297. Train 297 (N3) starts 10.11 ex-Northfields depot (west) and runs empty to Hounslow West, starting in service from 10.27.

Train 198 Arrives in Cockfosters depot and uncouples. Train 198 (N4) re-enters service from 10.04 Oakwood westbound and train 298 (N3) re-enters service from 10.44 Oakwood westbound.

Train 199 Stables in Northfields depot after the morning peak – 10.21 empty ex-Hounslow West to Northfields depot.

Train 297 Arrive Cockfosters 15.28 as three cars.

Train 197 Arrive Cockfosters 15.33 as four cars and couple to train 297. Seven-car train 197 departs Cockfosters (N7) at 15.44.

Train 298 Departs Hounslow West at 16.10 in service as N3 to Northfields.

Train 198 Departs Hounslow West at 16.12 in service as N4 to Northfields, coupling to train 298 at 16.27, forming train 198 as N7.

Train 199 Starts ex-Northfields depot as N7 at 16.16.

EVENING MF

Train 198 Uncouples at Cockfosters. Train 198 (N4) forms 20.08 westbound. Train 298 (N3) forms 20.11 westbound. Both units stable separately as short trains back at Cockfosters at 22.40 and 22.44 respectively.

With no service disruptions, then at re-coupling time, the two auto couplers should be facing each other!

Hope that all makes sense.