Rusty rail moves on the H&C and District

Rusty rail moves are booked train movements over points that are rarely used. I can only really speak of my experience in relation to the District line, but I expect other lines will be similar in nature.

Starting at the east end of the line, Hornchurch has a move booked to take place around 10.20pm on weekdays. Now this one only tends to take place if there's a trainee requirement or following engineering work - a train that is to stable in Upminster depot is removed from service at Upminster, then runs empty to Hornchurch, then reverses over the crossover and goes empty back to Upminster and into the depot. The entire thing is done with an empty train so that it doesn't block the main line unnecessarily at Hornchurch.

The next one was also a week days only job & used to use a train that terminated in Dagenham East bay platform at the end of the evening peak - that would be booked to go into the siding & back to the bay road, then empty to Upney and into Barking sidings. Finally it would be booked to run empty from Barking sidings to Upminster depot. The siding at Dagenham is currently decommissioned but having skim read the set working book, this whole working seems to have disappeared.

Plaistow bay road is used by the last Hammersmith & City train to Hammersmith every night.

In the previous timetable there were passenger workings booked through West Ham siding (its colour light signalled), but it was a Hammersmith & City line working so I presume that remains with them if it still runs.

I dunno if its still the case with new timetable (skim reading seems to suggest its been removed too), but there used to be a train booked to run into Mansion House bay road on week day mornings at around 6am - that's probably the most pointless move ever given how often it gets used anyway!! I wouldn't be too surprised if its been removed from the timetable as in reality its rare for it not to be used at some point on any given day anyway.

The Circle line has a move at South Kensington Monday to Saturday at about 0530 - empty train comes through South Kensington on the eastbound, then uses the crossover east of the station to reverse back into the westbound platform where it enters service.

The new one at Gloucester Road - this has caught a few of us out at Upminster!! It's our number 1 duty on a Sunday and we run in service via the middle Circle line platform, then use the crossover to the west of the platform to rejoin the District line to Earls Court. It is booked to take place at 0714.

There's a number of trains that reverse at Earls Court early morning & late evening. If trains arrive in service, they are detrained in platform 2 before moving out east to a section of track known as "the yard". Trains then use a crossover to come back into platform 3 where they either enter service or continue empty, depending on the time of day or where they're heading to.

Another that I suspect has disappeared is a D stock reverse on Putney Bridge, though not sure as to why if it has. That used to take place around midnight on weekdays if memory serves.

The new ones at Barons Court & Hammersmith - don't know anything about them so I presume they are done by the west end drivers.

That's how we roll on the District line!!