Animals of the Underground

Have a read of this very old thread Chris

districtdave.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1115748510

It is a pretty varied environment along there (for those of you who don't know it ) so in many ways I'm not too surprised.

I agree though that I'd like to see the full list, particularly as it's only a couple of mles from 'here'.

Interesting too to appreciate how adaptable 'species' are to human intervention.

The cynic in me thought the animals were in reference to the public! ;D

Hi, Chris W, thanks for digging out the old thread and posting the link.

As an administrator, please can you clarify if "new" points arise should one start a new thread or resurrect an older but relevant thread?

I note a "similar" problem arose very recently on the BBC 4 Tube Night topics.

Personally, I rate the ability of a forum to search the archives for answers and relevant topics to resurrect to either ask new questions, or add information is a privilege of posting and adding to the forum's knowledge pool on subjects that will assist those with similar specialist interests.

I'd be very grateful for your comments, please.
Apologies if the site's "netiquette" means I should PM you over this, or post in the overall guidance/admin threads? Having taken time in reading and trying to observe the latter, I got a rather offensive and personally directed PM that rather muddied the waters apart from other things.

Cheers,
OngarParkNRide

Cheers,
OngarParkNRide

In my experience getting meaningful results from the search engine on this forum is not an easy task, so I use a combination of (a) my memory of what has been discussed and (b) looking in some obvious places.

My memory isn't perfect (and anyway the original thread dates from before I joined the forum!) and I obviously didn't go back far enough in this case. Nobody (except perhaps Colin ) is perfect at finding old threads!

In my experience of various internet forums, the longer ago a thread was the less people are bothered by another one on a similar topic. Also, the only time I personally have a problem with people digging up old threads is if what they are saying is irrelevant to it, or just bumping it for the sake of bumping it.

I once encountered a fox using the pedestrian subway at Chiswick Park after the station had closed for the night. Another time there was this fox using Ealing Common Depot as a short cut and it absolutely reeked.

Speaking of which, there was one time I had to go up a scaffold that had been put up next a bridge abutment. It hadn't been used for months and the local pigeons had made it home. Since it there wasn't enough headroom to walk through I had to crawl along my front through months worth of pigeon droppings...

Lots of foxes around on the District, especially on the Wimbledon branch.

I once saw a cat going the other way (on the adjacent track) at enormous speed in the tunnel between Bayswater and Notting Hill Gate. That was a bit surreal.

It amazes me that more animals don't electrocute themselves crossing the track.

If a fox touches one of the live rails and the ground at the same time, doesn't it get fried? I must admit I don't really understand how electricity works - I just know that if I don't touch either live rail I'm OK!

Assuming that everything is working correctly, that is perfectly true. It used to be a common sight to see staff hopping on and off of running rail - negative - running rail when crossing track; or shunters jumping onto or walking along positive rails. As long as no other part of the body is earthed it is 'theoretically' safe. However, I can testify through personal experience that things do not always work as they should.
I have received a hefty belt when placing my foot on a wooden crossing in heavy rain - presumably by current leakage from the positive rail. That is understandable. What is less easy to understand is the occasion when I was thrown off of a negative rail in dry weather while not apparently in contact with anything else. This was accompanied by a shock that felt like the muscles in the back of my leg were being ripped out while being hit with a cricket bat. I was subsequently given a technical explanation by a senior member of the depot staff about a hairline crack in the rubber sole of my shoe coupled with a train on the section with a positive earth. This was then disputed by another member of staff who came up with an even more complex explanation.
So yes, a hop-skip-and-jump should be safe but I urge you not to rely on it. Electricity can be less predictable than we expect.