From a bygone era...

Early-am trains on the Uxbridge branch entering service at Ealing Common, with the reverse happening at the end of the day (i.e. trains leaving Uxbridge with a final destination of Ealing Common). I understand that until 1966 Piccies stabled overnight at Ealing Common depot, with "Dissies" stabling in Northfields depot

Yup, the general pattern seemed to be 4-6 units started/stabled at EC, with 2/3rds the weekday complement on Sundays.

A late evening departure from Uxbridge for South Harrow (I guess it stabled in the South Harrow sidings)

Correct, not common - could indeed be a transcription error from the WTT, majority of SH stablers over the years from the Uxbridge direction would have been empty Rayners turnbacks. However, this is based on just a quick scan of the timetables, although I have just looked through nearly 30 years worth of WTTs.

An early-am northbound train entering service at Finsbury Park bound for Cockfosters. Would this train have been a staff train either originating at Northfields/Ealing Common that waited until Finsbury Park to enter passenger service?

Yes (sort of), f'r 'zample (WTT85 18/6/62) 274 is shewn as a staff and passenger originating 5.36a.m. off Finsbury Park, but coming off Arnos at 5.14a.m.

Just to amplify what my old mate said, 9th October was the last day of Hounslow West DR trains and the next day Northfields trains.

I was living in Feltham at the time, and did not move to HW for several months, i.e. into '65 so was not around when the DR stopped running to HW.

I'm sitll surprised that an Underground Guide from Autumn 1968 still had an announcement about Hounslow branch passengers needing to change to the Piccadilly Line at Hammersmith/Acton Town on the pages for the "main" District.

WTT 89 7/9/64 shows the now 0542 Finsbury Park - Cockfosters as passenger, but was preceded by 0505 Arnos Grove - Cockfosters staff and 0534 Arnos Grove - Cockfosters passenger. Compare that with today where the first passenger is 0518 Boston Manor - Cockfosters arriving at 0627, not exactly an improvement there! This is preceded by 3 empty Arnos Grove to Cockfosters and 1 empty Arnos Grove to Oakwood. Though they are shown to make traincrew stops, is it not time we run a few staff trains again?

I'm sitll surprised that an Underground Guide from Autumn 1968 still had an announcement about Hounslow branch passengers needing to change to the Piccadilly Line at Hammersmith/Acton Town on the pages for the "main" District.

I distinctly remember that the DR car diagrams carried on showing the branch until sticky white labels were stuck over them. I cannot recall though whether the branch was hatched as Peak Hours only. My tainted brain says that it was a solid line. No doubt the labels were tempting even then to be removed by 'interested' passsengers? Of course the answer was new diagrams, which wer neater at the west end.

I would like to know whether there was for a time a suggestion that the service could be reinstated? Perhaps to / from Northfields? There was of course discussion by 1968 of a Heathrow link and in some quarters it would have made sense to use sub-surface stock to run in a loop to Feltham and thence to Richmond. There were however so many suggestions at the time, the worst was a monorail from Feltham, and the most sensible a branch of the SR to the airport which might have been possible to have been considerably above-ground by 1968.

Departs west end to eastbound Shunt Limit before reversing into Boston Manor eastbound platform.

There would not be any westbound Osterley terminators as the distance is too far to work back to the depot. Options are terminate Boston Manor and use shunt off Westbound or terminate Hounslow Central and return over crossover there. As for eastbound terminators, I would'nt have see a lot of need for.

In addition to the above shunt 10 trains depart from west end of depot before 0640 and 1 after 2330, entering service at Osterley on route to Heathrow.