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Post by countryman on Oct 31, 2016 18:13:50 GMT
10/10
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Post by countryman on Oct 31, 2016 12:23:11 GMT
Also regarding the intercity 225, what is the issue with having only one panto graph as they still operate up-to 125mph? It shouldn't be too much of an issue to fit a second pantograph. ICE trains in Germany and Austria have 2, but only the rearmost one is used. Also in Austria, some of the 1116 class have 2 pantographs, and I have seen one 1216 with 4. As these locomotives are capable of running on several overhead power systems I wonder whether there is one panto for each system. The 1216s will run in Italy but the 1116s cannot. Also it is interesting that on these locos they always use the rear pantograph.
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Post by countryman on Oct 31, 2016 12:14:44 GMT
What about the 260?
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Post by countryman on Oct 30, 2016 13:40:45 GMT
They have the same nonsense with hospitals. The Hammersmith Hospital is in Shepherd's Bush (well, W12, anyway - you generally have to go through Shepherd's Bush from Hammersmith to get there). If you find yourself in a big hospital in Hammersmith, it will be the Charing Cross. I dare say there's a perfectly good technical reason for this but the locals think it's batty. Not heard the word batty for a while. Gave me a smile. Thank you. At least Hammersmith Hospital is in the old borough of Hammersmith. As a matter of interest (to me at least) is that I was born in Hammersmith Hospital and went to school next door to it! And having red some comments further on, I can confirm that East Acton Station (in Hammersmith) is the nearest station as I did the walk most school days from 1964 to 1971. The main advantage for the council was that the pass would have been cheaper (from Perivale), and you didn't have to cross Westway on the way to White City. Also if you were late you could hop onto a 71 or 72 bus (depending on the year) or the 7.
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Post by countryman on Oct 30, 2016 12:45:22 GMT
I was in the USA last week, and this was a big story while I was there. I am surprised that no-one seems to have picked this up.
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This occurred in the rush hour on the orange line at Back Bay station. I haven't heard the audio on this but this is what appears to have happened. As the train started up, an overheated motor caused smoke to billow into the carriages, which are supposed to be 40 years old, are somewhat decrepit in comparison to LU, and due for replacing in 2-3 years time. The driver stopped the train with the first car in the tunnel. He didn't open the doors immediately as the conductor rail under the first car was on the platform side and evacuating passengers would probably have come into contact with it. Having failed to announce his intentions (failed to follow protocol) he tried to evacuate the first car into the second car, then open the doors. By this time it was too late, and the passengers kicked out the window and escaped. No-one was hurt.
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Post by countryman on Oct 19, 2016 15:44:27 GMT
The issue here is not necessarily whether the train is arriving or departing, but the danger of falling on the live rail when the platform is unoccupied by a train.
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Post by countryman on Oct 19, 2016 15:41:11 GMT
It's to help the collector shoes wear out more or less evenely as opposed to one side constantly under wear. Same reason the contact wire for overhead lines isnt always in the centre staggers left to to even put the wear If the rails were on the same side (say the left) running in both directions, the wear would even out. This also applies if there is a loop. A train leaving Cockfosters and running round Heathrow loop will wear shoes in a certain pattern the first time. When it runs round again the same pattern will wear the opposite side to compensate. If the train runs to Rayner's Lane or Ruislip in between the wear will even out.
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Post by countryman on Oct 19, 2016 15:34:30 GMT
Am I right in thinking that Paris Metro Meteor line trains have steerable bogies? Sorry, could you explain was a Meteor line train is please?
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Post by countryman on Oct 19, 2016 7:06:19 GMT
This might be a stupid question but: I understand that the positive (third) current rail is located on right right hand side in the direction of travel in platforms, for safety reasons, so that it is further away from the platform edge. That makes sense. But why does it then switch to the left outside stations? Wouldn't it have made more sense for it always to run on the right hand side, in the direction of travel? More sense because: - It would be less work and less connections having to transfer the current by cable from left to right on the approach to every station. My understanding is that the rail is, if possible on the side away from the platform edge. When the platforms are in the island configuration this will mean that they will be on the left. Of course, at places with a centre platform, like White City, the rails will have to be close to one platform edge.
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Post by countryman on Oct 18, 2016 15:40:25 GMT
Man, I'm surprised no-one's come up with the fact that Chiswick Park is in fact nearer Turnham Green, which, I believe, is in turn closer to the original Chiswick Park (which I believe is now named Bedford Park). Turnham Green Station is near Chiswick Common, Chiswick Park Station is near Turnham Green, and the destination of the 94 bus (nee 88) is at Acton Green which is near Chiswick Park Station.
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Post by countryman on Oct 17, 2016 20:33:53 GMT
No! As far as I know, Acton has 7 stations, including the 4 compass points. North Acton, East Acton, South Acton, West Acton, Acton Main Line, Acton Central and Acton Town. Ealing also has North, East, South and West stations (although no Central). I haven't come across East Ealing!!!
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Post by countryman on Oct 16, 2016 18:05:54 GMT
Would not the Oyster system be intelligent enough to account for various inconsistencies. Obviously not, as this was some kind of scam. The chap was charged with a fraud offence.
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Post by countryman on Oct 16, 2016 11:36:25 GMT
There was a Canterbury South, on the Elham Valley line (closed to passengers in 1940), not far from Kent CC HQ at Canterbury, but Canterbury East has remained obstinate these 75 years or so! Not forgetting Canterbury North Lane on the Crab and Winkle in railway prehistory: is this the only place in UK to have had 4 stations, each named after the prime compass points? No! As far as I know, Acton has 7 stations, including the 4 compass points. North Acton, East Acton, South Acton, West Acton, Acton Main Line, Acton Central and Acton Town.
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Post by countryman on Oct 14, 2016 17:12:30 GMT
I assume that the DLR trains have a very different wheel profile as they swing from side to side very dramatically at higher speeds.
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Post by countryman on Oct 14, 2016 14:58:23 GMT
-I thought that if you touch in and out at the same station within 15 mins then you were not charged, I discussed this with the Cheshamn supervisor once who was moaning because after a short notice cancellation there was nothing he could do for passengers who had been on the platform for more then 15 mins except tell them to wait or phone the help line. Fine if you touch out and go out. The chap on The Tube touched out and didn't exit.
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Post by countryman on Oct 14, 2016 8:22:46 GMT
I am assuming that steerable bogies would be designed to reduce wheel and track wear. However an issue is that with each wheel fixed on the axle, on a curve the inner wheel has to travel a shorter distance than the outer wheel, entailing wear to both rail and wheel. Which has the greater effect?
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Post by countryman on Oct 14, 2016 8:11:24 GMT
I was watching an old episode of The Tube last night (plenty of shots of A stock and S stock just coming into service). They were trying to catch an Oyster fraudster. What he seemed to be doing was touching in in East London, then immediately touching out again but not leaving the platform. He then travelled to Latimer Road, where he touched out and left the station. My assumption is that he was not charged for the trip at all. So he essentially did what Stapler did and wasn't charged. I assume that Tfl have sorted this in the intervening years. (Sorry if considered off-topic)
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Post by countryman on Sept 8, 2016 13:16:00 GMT
I've heard there aren't many if at all any points on the running line [of the Glasgow Subway] so it is relatively simple line. The only points are the access to the depot. Until 1980 it had no points at all - trains being craned in and out of the depot. If there were no points how did they access the depot. It would mean each train was fixed to inner or outer rail, all trains in service at the same time, no reduction of frequency for off peak etc. Or am I missing something here?
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Post by countryman on Sept 5, 2016 15:40:21 GMT
In my book, the Q stock 4 car units are listed as Semi-permanent Unit Formations.
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Post by countryman on Aug 29, 2016 8:08:25 GMT
Bring back the shuttle, wouldn't have been a problem then! What would you use for this? I'm assuming the bay is too short for an S8 or S7.
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Post by countryman on Aug 28, 2016 21:14:54 GMT
The CP stock I was referring to were listed as District stock. There are also 79x3 car units listed for Hammersmith and Circle but no 2 car. At one time the 2 car units did operate on the Hammersmith and Circle, but by the time of my book it appears that they only operated on the District Line. At the time of my book the Q stock was formed into 4 car units with a driving cab each end and two car units with cab at east end only. So the usual formation was a 4 car unit at the west end and a 2 car or 2x2car units at the east end. The R stock was similar with a 4 car unit at the west end although each set had a driving cab only at the west end, the east car being an uncoupling non-driving motor. So when coupled to the undm of the 2 car unit there were only 2 cabs per train, or of course, 3 in an 8 car train. This meant that it would be possible to operate a 4 car Q stock train but it was not possible with R stock.
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Post by countryman on Aug 28, 2016 15:56:44 GMT
I recently found my Ian Allan London Transport Locomotives and Rolling Stock book from the mid 60s. As well as the 4 car and 2 car sets of Q and R stock, there are listed 3 car and 2 car CP units. I remember being at Ealing Broadway watching R and Q stock trains with 1 x 4 car and 1 x 2 car units being strengthened by the addition of a 2 car unit at the east end. What puzzles me was the 47x3 car and 5x2 car units. I assume that the 3 car units were used as 6 car trains. Were the 2 cars used to strengthen these, or were they run as 5 cars, or were 3 x 2 cars used as a 6 car train?
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Post by countryman on Aug 27, 2016 10:37:26 GMT
Prague is full of pseudo old cars like this!
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Post by countryman on Aug 27, 2016 9:34:01 GMT
Looks like the retro taxis that you see in places like Prague. But this looks like a Polish car, and SK is Katowice.
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Post by countryman on Jul 17, 2016 8:34:30 GMT
The Lodekkas used on the 251/351 were a considerably more modern design than the RT and hence a bit more refined. I frequently used them in the early 70s from Walthamstow to Chelmsford along the then unimproved A12 - a very tedious journey, with a 5-minute loo break in Brentwood High St. To my mind, they were more analogous with RMs. AIRI, the Lodekkas had only painted metal panels on the interior, whereas the RMs were "padded" with Rexine, so the noise was greater on the Bristols. Many of the panels on the staircases are indeed painted, but those by the seats are covered in what I assume is rexine. Some of the preserved ones, including this one: transport-illustrated.blogspot.co.uk/2014_09_01_archive.html?view=sidebar, have much of the rexine removed on the upper deck. And as for being more refined, on those with Self Changing Gears gearboxes the howling from the box is incredible.
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Post by countryman on Jul 16, 2016 18:13:50 GMT
White City?
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Post by countryman on Jul 10, 2016 18:08:24 GMT
Not Salisbury, as that has the tallest spire in Britain at 404ft.
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Post by countryman on Jul 6, 2016 8:24:45 GMT
Interesting that the incident is reported as having happened at 18.00 on Wednesday!!! Either very slow reporting or clairvoyance.
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Post by countryman on Jul 4, 2016 12:36:01 GMT
The only platform with service(?) in both directions?
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Post by countryman on Jul 1, 2016 16:08:08 GMT
This is fine until you find your phone is dead. I posted about a couple who had rail tickets on their phone in Germany, and their battery was flat. This caused a big issue. How do Revenue Inspectors check any of these payment methods to ensure the fare has been paid? A flat battery with Apple Pay may be a problem. Many - but not all - trains have power sockets. When they are universal this may become less of an issue, although the number needed on a crush-loaded commuter train might require an unfeasible number of sockets! Maybe ticket inspectors should be equipped with phone chargers? As long as they either have a suitable lead supplied (can't see them staying long) or you carry a lead with you.
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