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Post by abe on May 22, 2007 7:24:18 GMT
(Aldgate East is one solution to the second question, although it also doesn't have any information boards). Aldgate East has two of the 'light box' destination indicators on the WB platform, one at each end. These show all usual District line destinations, as well as the H&C trains. I've waited there often enough, hoping fervently for an H&C train and not another District...
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Post by abe on Mar 6, 2008 8:47:58 GMT
why couldn't two of the 4 ex-Amersham trains per hour off peak be projected to Chesham? The problem with this idea is that it deprives Amersham of two trains an hour, whereas if the through trains continue to Amersham the shuttle still provides Chesham with a service.
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Post by abe on Mar 6, 2008 8:46:35 GMT
I think you'll find that the trains to Amersham and Chesham get just as delayed as any other service. In the morning peaks, any disruption in the City area causes trains from Amersham/Chesham to be terminated at Harrow in preference to Uxbridge and Watford trains. So I don't think that it's a valid complaint, and sounds more like a chip on shoulder problem.
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Post by abe on Mar 18, 2008 8:27:03 GMT
Is this section of the Met the only part of the Underground that has a "leaf-fall" issue? It's not the only part of the Underground with leaf-fall problems, but the reason that it gets a special timetable and signalling is that it's an uphill gradient all the way from Rickmansworth to Amersham (and then beyond, to Dutchlands summit). Adhesion problems are made worse by the gradient; downhill trains have to brake more gently to avoid skidding and getting wheel flats - hence the extra time allowed between stations.
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Post by abe on Mar 7, 2008 7:32:07 GMT
Yes. A special timetable booklet is produced for passengers. Some years ago this would identify itself as the leaf-fall timetable, with some information about the problem and how LUL worked to resolve it. One year (at least) the cover was the northern end of the line shown vertically, with autumn leaves coming from it - rather inventive! For the last few years the timetable has had no mention of leaf-fall through. I understand that during the season Chiltern are banned from running two-car units on their own, and that a switch is operated somewhere to change the signalling system. One of our signalling experts can probably give more details.
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Post by abe on Mar 6, 2008 8:43:02 GMT
They allow about one minute extra between each station from Amersham to Rickmansworth, so three minutes' extra in total (according to the public timetable). At Rickmansworth they get back onto their normal timings. The normal timings are 4 mins per station section each way, although some trains are allowed 5 mins. The WTTs might have slightly different values though, as they can use half-minutes.
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Post by abe on Feb 5, 2008 8:18:05 GMT
It's silly though, sharing track with mainline trains, especially when it's going to be ATO not long from now. The service is not even that good, and it's not even in London, I don't see why they are so special to deserve a metro service when they are way out in the outskirts when some in south London barely have that. I don't think it's silly at all. The service provided by the Met is quite reasonable, and with the Chiltern services it's pretty good. If you see the train loadings in the peak there is certainly the need for both - Chiltern don't run direct to the City either. And, as a resident of Amersham, I object to the claim that we feel we are 'special'. The Met runs to Amersham because it was built there. The infrastructure exists - are you saying that the services should be withdrawn because of some arbitary administrative boundary, rather than on the basis of demand? South London is a completely different situation, so let's not mix the arguments. The main-line companies south of the Thames acted to prevent extensions of the Underground, which were difficult anyway because the London clay is much thinner, and there is a lot of waterlogged gravel and sand. The Northern line was only extended to Morden because of Parliamentary pressure and an agreement to drop any further extension to the south.
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Post by abe on Apr 27, 2007 12:10:00 GMT
No - they were removed early on in the works. I hope that this is temporary, but I rather suspect not. Incidentally, there were two of them, and they had slightly different designs. One was very angular, whilst the other favoured slight curves and arrow head passing through rings (if you know what I mean). Both had been patched many years ago to remove stations at which non-stopping has been discontinued (Rayners Lane, West Harrow, and Harrow-on-the-Hill, if I recall correctly).
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Post by abe on May 6, 2007 7:28:35 GMT
The Railway Gazette issue of 12 June 1914 has a very detailed article about the resignalling of the CLR, and includes a photograph of the movable angles at Liverpool Street. I can post a copy if people are interested - it's slightly blurred though.
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Post by abe on Mar 15, 2007 8:40:43 GMT
I was at Baker Street East (platforms 1-4) last night, about 18.00. The trains were all running a bit late, but unusually for Baker Street there were no platform announcements. It transpired from a chat with the Station Supervisor that due to the noise from wheel squeal on the platforms, Health & Safety had banned staff from remaining there. I returned to the platform, and when a train departed to the City the noise was horrific - one of the worst squeals I've heard on the Underground. About five minutes later a large gang of track staff in hi-vis appeared on Platform 3 with a large tub of grease. A smaller group of uniformed staff were with them - all staring at the track.
Does anyone know what might have caused this - might a track lubricator have failed? And how would they solve the problem during the evening peak - I presume that the current would need to be discharged for them to get on the track?
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Post by abe on Mar 3, 2007 11:35:09 GMT
Interesting - many thanks for providing this information on what must be a rather unusual Underground working. I'll have to see if I can co-ordinate in the Autumn for a ride on the RAT!
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Post by abe on Mar 2, 2007 12:09:43 GMT
During leaf fall season, when the Rail Adhesion Train operates over the branch, customers use this rather than the 4 Car. How does this work then? The bay platform at Chalfont seems to be about 4 cars long, so the RAT wouldn't fit. Also, the actual sandite car in the RAT would need to have its doors locked out of use, including the end doors to prevent passengers entering. I've never seen the RAT in passenger use, and thought (although I freely admit that I don't know for sure) that this was not allowed.
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Post by abe on Sept 17, 2007 7:11:02 GMT
If you scroll north-west to Moor Park the site of another cross-over (long gone) can be seen - trailing, between the fast lines.
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Post by abe on Oct 11, 2007 13:41:30 GMT
TfL have decided not to operate buses through the Rotherhithe Tunnel because the minibuses used last time aren't accessible to the mobility-impaired. See slides 4 and 5 in this file: www.gold.ac.uk/east-london.pdf
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Post by abe on Mar 20, 2008 8:55:36 GMT
South Kensington was unusual before its rebuilding. ... And there were four platforms at surface level There were actually five (or even six) platforms at surface level. A bay platform existed on the central island, accessible from the west. Another bay platform might have existed on the south side of the southernmost side platform as well, with access from the east. I've never had confirmation of the latter, except from one (usually reliable) source, so any further information would be interesting.
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Post by abe on Aug 30, 2007 7:13:40 GMT
There's already such a map in the book London's Lost Tube Schemes. An updated version, including even more proposed lines, was printed in Underground News around April last year.
Any chance that you could post your version for us?
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Newbie
Oct 11, 2007 11:04:45 GMT
Post by abe on Oct 11, 2007 11:04:45 GMT
Richard, if you are not already a member, join THE LONDON UNDERGROUND RAILWAY SOCIETY or LURS, and ask their library. LURS no longer has a library. The whole collection was sold by auction over the last few years. The LTM library was given first refusal on anything that they needed (and was given a lot of material as a result). The rest is now dispersed. As I understand it, the library took up a lot of room in someone's house, was difficult to arrange visits, and with the advent of the LTM reference library was felt no longer to be needed as a separate resource.
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Post by abe on Dec 27, 2006 10:00:38 GMT
An additional note re the present North Acton Station; there were also platforms on the GWR "New Road" (as it was known). These closed on 29 June 1947. Any idea what numbers these were? I can't find any reference to the Central platforms being renumbered in 1947, so I presume that they were 3 & 4. A diagram from the Railway Magazine shows both parts of North Acton station with side platforms, and an extra pair of tracks between them - this connected the GWR west of the station with the West London Line south of Mitre Bridge.
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Post by abe on Feb 8, 2008 11:27:31 GMT
Chesham Bois is pronounced 'boyce' or 'boys' ...and that's because it has nothing to do with woods, but is from the name of the landowners many years ago ('du Bois', and later 'du Boyes').
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Post by abe on Sept 3, 2007 7:28:42 GMT
Ickenham?
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Post by abe on Aug 20, 2007 6:57:08 GMT
It's one of the skylights at Finchley Road. The ceiling panels are missing around it, so it must be a recent picture taken during the refurbishment works.
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Post by abe on Jun 1, 2007 12:14:13 GMT
Is it outside Temple, on the opposite side of the entrance to the heritage map?
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Post by abe on Mar 20, 2007 11:59:01 GMT
#10 is Oval - one stop south takes one to Stockwell, then north on the Victoria line to Finsbury Park which has already been identified as the answer to #11.
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Post by abe on Feb 20, 2007 8:21:38 GMT
It's at one of the Sudburys - probably Sudbury Town - and there is a barometer in matching style alongside. I can't remember if the barometer works, or whether this is the only public barometer on the system.
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Post by abe on Feb 13, 2008 14:43:46 GMT
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Post by abe on Sept 19, 2007 7:18:12 GMT
Superteach are you referring to the old semaphore at Colindale tunnel mouth? It has long gone but it was rumoured to have been used as an "eyesight appeal" by drivers. It was until the mid-Seventies set in the upper-quadrant position I think and then my colleague in LURS who worked on signalling climbed up the mast and moved it down to the "danger" position. It was apparently all rusty as can be imagined! There's a photograph of this signal in Mike Horne's book The Last Link, which was published in connection with the CCE&HR centenary in June.
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Post by abe on Aug 2, 2007 7:31:53 GMT
You mean The Deep level District? Well, at least part of the platform area was indeed tiled out, and latterly used as a Signalling School... I would imagine it's all still down there, closed off or used for equipment, etc. I think that at least part of it was used when the escalators were added in the early 1970s. Follenfant ( Reconstructing London's Underground makes reference to this, but isn't specific about how much was taken. There is a 3D diagram of the station showing what was built and what was planned in London's Lost Tube Schemes.
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Post by abe on Jan 25, 2007 8:51:28 GMT
One of Amazon.co.uk's Marketplace sellers, called gamezonestc, is now selling MSTS for £3.99. My copy should be arriving tomorrow!
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Post by abe on Oct 25, 2007 7:26:03 GMT
Movement authority is given via the display on the driving controls - not certain exactly how, but something like a second needle on the speedometer I checked this out yesterday. There is a fluorescent yellow needle on the speedometer indicating the speed of the train, and a fluorescent orange dot on a black or transparent needle that indicates the target speed. This jerks up in increments when the train leaves a station, but drops back smoothly on approach to a station, with the yellow needle following it closely. I wasn't close enough for a photo, unfortunately.
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Post by abe on Feb 22, 2008 8:14:07 GMT
I've never had cause to complain about the staff at Farringdon. In fact, I've contacted LUL a few years back to commend one of the SAs for his helpfulness.
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