Down Street Siding/Headhsunt

Down Street Siding is used where necessary - if a train needs to be put away because a driver has gone over allocated hours, for instance. I'm not sure if there are any timetabled moves over it, others would be better suited to answer that.

If a train needs to be put away, how would s/he get out from Down Street?

A station supervisor (from Green Park) has to go down to the train, traction current needs to be discharged to walk from the train to the platform, then off on a train.

Most likely!

The siding can be got to from the WB and EB roads, but you can only go out onto the EB road.

I can't recall now but I always thought there was keyswitch protection at HPC which obviates the need to hold a train in the platform by maintaining all the home signals at danger.

I also believe that only the current in the siding would be switched off using the siding T/T panel, however, the walking route from the siding still requires a short walk on the westbound main where the current would still be on. There was/is a board walkway in the four foot on the main from 17s crossover.

From the east end of the siding there is normally no safe egress to Down Street station in traffic hours because the door(s) to the platform corridors are securely bolted from the inside. Also the staff platforms are at the east end of Down St. station with no other route except the running tunnels!

Of course these days H&S has outlawed many proven safe procedures from bygone days. I can certainly recall entering and exiting Down St. siding many years ago from HPC after a quick chat with the SS but without knocking off the juice or holding trains.

When working at Down St. I would either drive there and access the station from the street entrance or jump on the front of the train and get the driver to drop me on the eastbound staff platform. In traffic hours a train could be arranged to stop and pick up staff from the staff platforms. I often arrived there in traffic hours but invariably left in engineering hours after standing by in the IMR!

Are readers aware that Down Street siding used to be able to accommodate two trains?

On 17.11.72 Down Street was 'shortened' to take only one train. This followed the (second) end tunnel wall collision at Tooting Broadway on 04.05.71 (the first was on 07.10.60). Kennington siding was similarly 'shortened from two to one train's berth previously from 22.10.72.

In both Tooting accidents, the trains involved hit the end tunnel wall. In the second the motorman lost his life. In both incidents the two cars nearest the tunnel wall were cut up on site. Bits from the first Tooting collision were retained to be incorporated on the mock-up car at the White City training centre that demostrated guard's controls and equipment. One of the cars was a 1935 trailer and its 'wing-shaped' ventilator grille stood proudly over the 'communicating' door.

Just after the FIRST Tooting accident, yellow warning lamps were installed in tube tunnel sidings, between 1961 and 1964. Siding not done were Angel and Stockwell, which had become disused by then

It does take two trains, you need to trip past the trainstop half way down. Not that I have ever done it, never been in there!

When were the last scheduled HYDE PARK CORNER reversers? It was of course on the TD box at Hounslow West (and Hatton Cross presumably) when HW re-opened. I can't recall GREEN PARK being on any boxes on the WB.

I have to confess that I have been shuddering at the thought of stabling a train down that siding, past the half-way 'cock, and to the tunnel end wall. Especially if there is another train added in front/behind! I suddenly felt very claustrophobic! This from a guy that wanted to live underground since he was a very small boy living in urban Middlesex!

I wonder if my late grandfather who was a p/way engineer from 1930 ever went down there in the ten years or so that he worked on the Underground? Did he have anything to do with the Down Street 'bunker' at former platform level?

Are the first set of Fixed Red lights in the 4 foot or the cess?