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Post by wimblephil on Feb 6, 2015 20:32:06 GMT
I read an article a while back which listed the intend routes/times for the initial roll out of these formations (unfortunately I can't quite remember where or find a link). The 06:06 Waterloo-Hampton Court was one of those. As I regularly work nights that enable me to be at Waterloo for 06:00, I thought I'd take a look, and sure enough, the majority I have taken in the past couple of months have been of this formation. ...You can still smell the fresh paint! Edit: Here is a link to a picture I took of the inside of one... flic.kr/p/q8D8bPThey do have some slightly different seat formations which probably would have better for better pictures, but I didn't take any! Nevermind!
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Post by wimblephil on Feb 4, 2015 19:02:47 GMT
Very informative! I find all the information with regards to numbering a bit hard to digest at times. It goes over my head a little. Would be like trying to memorise a (very detailed) spreadsheet...!
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Post by wimblephil on Feb 4, 2015 13:44:26 GMT
Ah I see! Thanks for that!
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Post by wimblephil on Feb 4, 2015 13:00:34 GMT
Conversion is happening quite quickly now. 152 went in last night and I saw the carriage for 153 being delivered. All the '1' series should be done by end of the month, then will start on the '2' series. Excuse my ignorance, but what is 1/2 series?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 30, 2015 4:46:19 GMT
I'm sure I read once that the exact routing of the tunnels was not allowed to be publicised due to safety and security risks, and that actually there were no documents in existence that even showed the accurate positing of them. Or is that all just belloni... !? I have an old Barts Atlas of London, and it appears to show the actual tunnel routing. For example, at Shepherds Bush (Central) it clearly shows the strange Caxton Curve routing. Unless I am missing something, I fail to grasp what is the security risk in showing the routing. The tunnels are many feet underground, and I am not sure how a person(s) with sinister intentions would realistically be able to do anything on the surface to compromise the integrity of the tunnel deep underground. I dunno, it's just something I read once! I wish I could remember where now, I may have mis-read but that's what I took from it!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 29, 2015 6:08:07 GMT
I'm sure I read once that the exact routing of the tunnels was not allowed to be publicised due to safety and security risks, and that actually there were no documents in existence that even showed the accurate positing of them.
Or is that all just belloni... !?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 29, 2015 6:02:03 GMT
Yeah, Charing Cross on the Jubilee line. I'm sure the passengers of that train were really shocked...
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 29, 2015 5:59:35 GMT
Will be interesting to hear the reason why! Does this mean the initial ones that have been S-Stock e.g. 63 & 125 will revert back to D, or will they continue to run as S?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 23, 2015 19:59:58 GMT
I know it's a shame for people in the North, and having lived up North through my teenage years, I can empathise, but reality check; that's life.
If you can't afford new for both, you do the best with what you have. It's like hand-me-down clothes with Kids. You don't buy new for the little'uns and then get some fabric and try and stitch together some rubbish for the bigger ones. You clean up the original, hand it down where it's better suited, and get something more suitable for the bigger ones! It's all about fit-for-purpose!
I was once told the majority of 'new' busses we got in Tyne & Wear, were what the folk of Manchester had deemed scrap-worthy only! Such is life...
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 21, 2015 19:06:11 GMT
I wonder how many Stations get nothing at all?
Wimbledon for example, I have never heard a single announcement about the District line, automated or manual. I don't know if that's largely due to it being a SWT station?
I hate using Victoria now. Every two minutes it's "stand well back behind the yellow line" or "there is a good service on all lines", and I don't wish to cause her offence but the lady who does it, well her voice really is not pleasant to listen to!
I hate the "good service" announcements in general. As a standard one expects a 'good service' and so it should operate on a no news is good news basis.
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 20, 2015 16:07:57 GMT
They need to just combine the Hammersmith&City and Circle lines under a new name and one colour, and operate it as one line with two branches...! I'm pretty sure that's how they actually run them anyway...?
I ended up catching a 'Circle' line train from West Ham on the Sunday. There were a few puzzled faces. The platform indicators were displaying as H&C via Kings Cross, which won't have helped some!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 19, 2015 15:33:19 GMT
I think once you learn the 'short cuts', you have to be wise about when to use them!
Kings Cross is one station where I do actively ignore the signs. The platforms for each line essentially sprout off a central core, so the best route to interchange between any of the lines really only requires a (fairly) short walk. As has been previously said, one reason for the signed routes is for crowd control purposes; if only the shortest route was available/signed it would be gridlock most the time and no-one would get anywhere!
The difference with the Kings Cross shortest route, as opposed to some at other stations, is that you're not really doing anything 'wrong' if you use it, it's just not highlighted for you. At some other stations the shortest route is often not available to you, due to one-way operations that better aid the flow. These, I will generally not ignore, particularly at busy times, as you'll only find yourself fighting the majority, and so you'll probably find yourself slowed anyway, whilst frustrating yourself and many others in the process!
At Green Park I generally take the escalators up to the circulating space, and then back down to whichever line I require because I hate the long walk there! Travelators such as that at Waterloo would probably better encourage the use of the longer routes between lines!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 18, 2015 15:32:17 GMT
Perhaps different operators were doing different things? In slight contrast to what was written in that blog, I boarded a train at Edgware Road which was in the usual 'Circle via Victoria' platform and the train was described as such. At Gloucester Road the automated 'destination of this train has changed' was announced and the train ran as a District to Barking from there. That seemed the most sensible way to do it! I presumed the same would have occurred in the opposite direction at Tower Hill but I never travelled the reverse journey so I don't know! Later in the day I entered Bayswater station and there were signs and announcements every so-often stating something along the lines of 'for circle line stations via Victoria and Tower Hill, please take the Barking train'. The next train to arrive was a Wimbledon service which I boarded, so I didn't get to see if the next via Victoria train was in fact described as Barking at this point, rather than as a Circle as had been my experience earlier that day!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 18, 2015 5:35:00 GMT
Westminster and Waterloo on the JLE does have them. Exactly right, although despite PEDs, the system wasn't altered to remove the unnecessary "please stand back from the platform edge!" To be fair, in order to allow others to alight, people should not stand right near the edge anyway, so it's somewhat justified...!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 18, 2015 5:31:51 GMT
A couple of you almost said (it might have been what you meant) the most obvious thing... ... and then another posts a comment in Flickr... and it was so obvious even I missed it OMG !! I didn't necessarily see that as an error to be honest! It's obvious it's not there, but I thought it's because the diagram only shows where one could catch a Northern Line direct from TCR...!? Surely that was the thinking behind it anyway!?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 17, 2015 22:41:17 GMT
...and should Finchley Central not be shown as an interchange, with an extra 'peak hours only' dashed line for Mill Hill East, to illustrate better that it's generally just a shuttle service (like they do on the in-car diagrams)?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 11, 2015 18:00:15 GMT
It's quite nice and spacious, and it's nice to have a set of escalators up to the street from the ticket hall, along with the set from (just above) platform level to the ticket hall. It's a shame that the subway entrances are closed now and there are no exits on the north side of Oxford Street as it leaves a LOT more people wishing to cross the roads above, which one would presume will only be worse during peak hours. Something that was going to be inevitable for a period though I guess.
There was the odd confused punter when faced with a block to their usual exit, but most were strolling through like there was nothing different! I suppose to a certain amount it could well have been a first use of the station so they may well have known no difference! The real interesting thing to see will be come tomorrow when a lot of the regulars come to alight! I 'spect there may be a few counter-flow clashes for a little while!
Tomorrow I imagine there'll be a lot of commuters in their usual spot down one end of the train, but come Tuesday they'll suddenly all be at t'other!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 7, 2015 21:32:39 GMT
Thanks for this, I'll set the PVR! Could be some interesting stuff!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 7, 2015 21:28:56 GMT
I'm hoping it will be like when the C-Stocks went; they seemed to be hanging on forever, then it felt like there was a sudden influx and they were all gone before you knew it!
Although, on this occasion, whilst I do want to see more S-Stocks operating on the District main, I will very much miss the D's. There's something rather comforting about them!!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 7, 2015 10:16:52 GMT
New indicators on WB platforms west of Putney Bridge are a complete waste of money IMHO. Seriously, what is the chance you are going to get a train terminating at East Putney or Wimbledon Park nowadays? There was no need to install them! As has been said above, it's not all about the destination but the ETA of when the train is due. I find that very important personally...
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 7, 2015 10:13:06 GMT
Thanks redbond! I need to find some time for some aimless travel and hopefully spot one!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 6, 2015 19:46:45 GMT
Interesting thanks. I thought there might be a few more by now! Don't travel them too regularly but am keeping my eyes peeled!!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 6, 2015 10:53:14 GMT
I recently read/saw an image in RAIL magazine showing a 5car unit with the extra carriage in a 'Gift' wrap. Just wondering if this is being used on all the extra carriages or if it was just to mark the first? Also how many 5-car units are we up to now!?
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 5, 2015 17:02:33 GMT
I'm sure someone else can answer with more detail, but I think I spotted a newly erected one at East Putney Westbound too, so hopefully it's something new rolling out...!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 4, 2015 15:46:13 GMT
Just to add to the list; all 'through' services at Eastbourne must reverse there. South West Trains frequently reverse 'through' trains at places like Twickenham during times of engineering works, and just this weekend are routing it's London Waterloo - Shepperton service via Richmond and reversing at Kingston.
I would suggest there is a difference in a 'through route' as opposed to a 'through service'. I would agree a through route would consist of a direct path with no form of reversing required, but a through service would just require no changing of trains for passengers, regardless of a reversal requirement.
The TOC's should probably make it clearer en-route that a reversal will take place, as the worried look on many peoples faces when the train starts travelling in the 'wrong' direction can be quite significant!
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Post by wimblephil on Jan 2, 2015 14:48:39 GMT
Having used SW Trains for over the last year the obvious delay with the door opening is those Siemens trains (even though the time was improved within the last year). The doors on the old red trains are released much quicker. Generally they are, but it does depend on the guard. Sometime's your still stood there forever waiting! My tip (for the Red 'Metro Route' Class 455 stock) is to just push and hold the button once the train is stopping/has come to a stop, as unlike some other stock they don't need to be pressed after the button has lit up for the activation to be recognised, and therefore open immediately upon the guards release - you can really save yourself a milli-second or two!!!
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Post by wimblephil on Dec 10, 2014 14:20:15 GMT
Perhaps (for me personally) it comes from just seeing them at the end of their life. They were run-down, cold, skeletal, often graffitied on the inside, seats too close together to be comfortable and just not nice to be in! That's my reasoning...
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Post by wimblephil on Dec 10, 2014 11:53:40 GMT
I'm pretty sure you'll find there are regular scheduled workings into platform 17 for LO. Can't find my source to quote right now, but have read it somewhere! I do see them there from time to time, and in fact the very first time I took an LO train to Clapham J it terminated in 17 (although of course that's not evidence for regular workings. Just sayin'!).
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Post by wimblephil on Dec 5, 2014 8:48:55 GMT
I have never in decades of using the underground heard or seen any suggestion that one should not lean on the doors. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic in this post. I hope so, otherwise have you ever even used the Underground...?! It is like this deliberately. LUL standards at the time of design specified that DMI scrolling texts had to complete before being replaced by another one. I did't realise that had been made a standard. It's good though; I don't like the way on other stock a message is halfway through and then is interrupted by 'This is X'. One thing that does bug me about the S-Stock displays (although not specific to them!) is just on the approach to the terminus station. Where just after leaving the preceding station it says, 'The next station is X. This is a Y line train to X', then moments later between the stations says, 'The next station is X, where this train terminates'. I think it should just play the second one from the get-go. The first feels redundant!
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Post by wimblephil on Nov 27, 2014 23:50:35 GMT
- The only line that has platform screen doors
Yeah, I don't like those either...! Ha. I'm sure the Jubilee line does have it's plus points, for one I like how fresh it can be at 6am! I just felt like having a bit of a rant; my friends couldn't care in the slightest! I do like that each line has it's uniqueness and personality. In fact, the introduction of S-Stock does make me sad to a degree in that the Sub Surface lines are loosing their identity, particularly in relation to their interior colours. The Hammersmith&City line is cool to go. It has a stupid long name and with the Circle pretty much operates as one line with two branches. Should be combined and rebranded the CityCircle! There's a thought... Apologies, way off topic now. I do think there's certain things where consistency should remain across all lines though, and I think the DVA's is one of them!
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