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Post by countryman on Jul 1, 2016 16:05:24 GMT
I saw this today. Yesterday I was at Hayes and Harlington station at ~18.00. There was a lot of police activity with Blues and Twos, and an ambulance arrived as well. When I first saw this, I thought it explained the situation, then I saw the date!
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Post by countryman on Jul 1, 2016 9:36:59 GMT
if you use Apple Pay, is that via Oyster or Bank Card. On a non tube note I started using Apple Pay and I assume the management think smartphone payments will be the norm and no doubt the end of Big Oyster 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.
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Post by countryman on Jun 28, 2016 18:12:51 GMT
As far as I know, that episode of Foyle's War was filmed in Ireland (not sure if the Republic or NI) and the Routemaster may have been the only vehicle anywhere near appropriate. Is was filmed around Dublin, the architecture suited the time scale. If they were so inclined I'm sure they could have shipped over an RT but maybe costs was the factor. I remember in 'Hanover Street' they used a mixture of pre and post war RTs. The film 'Let him have it Chris' used a mixture of RTs and RTLs although RTLs weren't used on the 109s. I supposed to the general masses a bus is a bus and a steam engine is a steam engine. I drive my wife mad Not quite true. On Saturdays in early 1964 on the 109, 39RTs and 3 RTLs were scheduled from Brixton as well as 9 from Thornton Heath. This is, of course 10 years after the date of the setting the film. I also drive my wife mad. I don't look for errors; they just jump out at me.
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Post by countryman on Jun 28, 2016 14:27:55 GMT
Yes, i noticed that when it was first broadcast: along with the anachronistic Routemaster bus- about five years too early- and the very rural, and Southern Railway, station. Better than the Routemaster that turned up in Foyles War set in the mid 1940s! As far as I know, that episode of Foyle's War was filmed in Ireland (not sure if the Republic or NI) and the Routemaster may have been the only vehicle anywhere near appropriate.
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Post by countryman on Jun 26, 2016 14:58:33 GMT
As an ex Londoner, I haven't got a clue where Three Rivers is!
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Post by countryman on Jun 17, 2016 16:29:12 GMT
An empty train went through a red light 'causing an automatic derailment'(or close to that). What it really means is that the catch point did its job.
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Post by countryman on Jun 17, 2016 8:46:46 GMT
But then it is a more difficult change to get to STP, involving a significant walk to Baker street.
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Post by countryman on Jun 15, 2016 10:23:41 GMT
When I was living in London in the 60s and 70s,I used to travel a lot on Twin Rovers, and I did go to Watford Junction on the Bakerloo and Ongar. I don't think I ever made it to Aldwych. Since I have been going back in recent years, I have ensured that I have covered all of the system, apart from not being sure I have been to Brixton. I have also covered all of the Overground, but not TFL rail.
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Post by countryman on Jun 15, 2016 8:24:09 GMT
They use this on DB, although obviously in German, When they approach a terminus, the recorded announcement tells you the station, then the conductor/guard makes the platform announcement live.
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Post by countryman on Jun 8, 2016 18:10:28 GMT
As a note about South Ferry, the station has since been rebuilt, straightening the platforms and removing the loop. The original South Ferry is still in use, temporarily, while the 'new' station opened 16 March 2009, is repaired following substantial damage from Hurricane Sandy. The old station was still in operation in late April 2016.
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Post by countryman on Jun 8, 2016 13:48:55 GMT
Perhaps this is slightly off topic. In New York, South Ferry station at the southern end of the 1 line is on a loop with a very sharp curve. The platform is on the outside of the curve, and would make the gap between the platform and the doors in the centre of the train huge. Their solution is to have platform extensions which, when the train has stopped, extend out to the doors.
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Post by countryman on May 24, 2016 20:31:12 GMT
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Post by countryman on May 16, 2016 11:01:08 GMT
These are my wishlist items for 100 days and beyond too: - Key ticket offices should reopen. - Improve the balance between security and privacy in wake of a certain spying scandal by improving and assuring the confidentiality of customer and CCTV data. - Replace the annoying holograms with simpler digital signs. - Maybe scale down the Cable Car promotions so that Emirates will have less reason to keep the sponsorship. - A single but more unique jingle, and a single automated announcer for all station announcements like what the SNCF does: Ding dongs are getting boring after I visited France many times. - Multilingual announcements for certain topics (public safety, etc) to make tourism a lot easier. - A mascot for the tube, preferably a mole or a Japanese animé character. - Make the interior of the NTfL more exciting like the 1990s. - Bid to operate other metro systems like what RATP does. - Railfan windows that allows customers to see ahead like a normal window but not annoy operators. Although I know something like this exists, I don't remember the exact type of window that does that. - Update the Liveries to fit both the GLA and TFL brands. - Return the TfL logo to mixed case and remove the motto, as UPPERCASE text is basically shouting like that Drill Sargent in Apocalypse Now. - Line numbers and letters (Undergound Line 1=Bakerloo, Undergound Line 2=Central and so on; Overground A1=North London to CLJ, Overground A2 North London to RMD and so on). - Replace IE on all TFL computers with Firefox and Chrome because modern trend. - Rename a station Nelson Mandela since Paris names stations after famous people. - Have me look after the Tube Map like Paul Garbutt. The only thing I agree with is the hologram thing, which is truly awful and bizarre.
With regards to "railfan windows" I believe this is possible in places such as the NYC Subway where some stock have half width drivers cabs. All LU/LO/Future Crossrail stock have full width cabs, so I'm not sure how it would be possible.
As stated by others, most of the rest of the suggestions are either so trivial so as to be of little relevant to the public/ or simply comical.
Sorry!
I was in New York a few weeks ago. On boarding one train on the rear car I saw a window on the right hand side of a full width cab, giving a view of the tracks behind. Also, in Paris some stock had a heavily tinted window in the inside cab door so you could see a little of the line in front.
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Post by countryman on May 7, 2016 19:52:36 GMT
I would like to point out that the vehicles concerned were the same as the ones that used to run under the bridge years ago, and presumably the organisers had ensured that there would be no problem!
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Post by countryman on May 7, 2016 16:12:49 GMT
There would be no risk to railway users if lorry drivers knew the height of their vehicle (which AIUI should be marked in the cab) and obeyed the road signs regarding maximum height (on a mainline railway forum there is a thread about this issue where at least one professional lorry driver insists he knows better than the road signs what bridges he can get under*). This may be true of rigid lorries, but with artics with varying trailers, I have seen this marked on the trailer as the height when attached by a standard height 5th wheel. It would not be appropriate for this to be displayed in the cabs.
I went on a vintage bus running day in Watford and was somewhat surprised when the 14ft 6 inch RT I was on went under a bridge with a 14ft 3 inch warning at Bushey!
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Post by countryman on Apr 27, 2016 15:14:17 GMT
In Paris a few years ago, I was on a bus on a Sunday morning when an MPV stopped in front of us and 4 men got out. The bus driver opened the door and everyone was checked without the opportunity to get off. They found one with no ticket, and they didn't take any bull.
In Berlin the U-bahn and S-bahn are both barrier free, but we were checked several times during a 4 day stay, including twice on the same train.
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Post by countryman on Apr 27, 2016 12:55:27 GMT
Taken whilst on the way home from a show in Otley, we all stopped for a drink in the market square; the engines included (ours is behind me)! Perhaps OT - but how do you give the engines a drink? I can't see any kind of pump to hand, so I guess you bring a water bowser with you? I can't imagine that you'd want to fill it up with glasses of water from the pub! You can fill from any source, be it tank, hose or river. They are equipped with a steam powered pump, similar, I think, to the injectors to charge tank or tender water to the boiler on a railway steam loco, except it delivers into the water tank.
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Post by countryman on Apr 26, 2016 15:54:47 GMT
You could try the system they once proposed for the TV licence: Charge everyone, and those who don't travel can apply for a refund! This is theoretically possible for a TV license, as there is only one price for the year (unless you have a black and white set) but how to you charge everyone to use the tube? Each customer is individual, and have different travel journeys, some use occasionally. Who do you charge, Londoners only! I live in Dorset, so how do you charge me? How do you charge tourists?
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Post by countryman on Apr 24, 2016 9:49:21 GMT
When I was at Amersham in October (at the Amersham and District Motorbus running day) several southbound Chiltern trains reversed in the siding next to the multi-storey car park.
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Post by countryman on Apr 13, 2016 7:47:57 GMT
Happens at Earls Court on the District line quite a bit. In fact, some trains are timetabled to arrive before another train, then leave after it. The off peak trains from Wimbledon to Tower Hill often arrive in the platform and wait for 2 - 3 minutes. In that time, a train to Upminster from Ealing or Richmond arrives then promptly leaves. perhaps if they did not wait here then there would be greater capacity on the District Line, which would result in more trains running! Simon Do the trains wait at Earl's Court because trains to HSK have a path clash with Circle trains to HSK, and trains to Victoria and beyond have to fit in with Circle trains in both directions due to the flat crossing, or is it due to driver change?
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Post by countryman on Apr 12, 2016 19:38:58 GMT
they certainly don't seem to've been applied to every car on the units that did. At one time I believe the branding (whether lettering or roundel) was only applied to motor coaches. Presumably DMs, not NDMs!
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Post by countryman on Apr 12, 2016 15:47:49 GMT
Many of the Yellow Buses in Bournemouth have leather upholstery!
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Post by countryman on Apr 1, 2016 8:38:52 GMT
When I went to Boston (MA) in 2001, I travelled on the T. The carriages were fitted with huge soft leather covered seats that were almost like sofas. I went back autumn 2014, and was most disappointed that they had changed the seating over to fabric. On our trains and buses it isn't the surface that is important in giving comfort but what is underneath. Try travelling on one of the ex Green Line RMCs or RFs in preservation, which are much better than the standard RM and RF seats, which in turn are much better than the plastic seats now fitted to buses. Local to me Yellow Buses have many buses fitted with leather seats.
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Post by countryman on Mar 29, 2016 17:00:31 GMT
I used to get hassled at Hounslow West, but not recently
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Post by countryman on Mar 28, 2016 8:23:29 GMT
Just been looking at the previews on the site. There is a short scene of a GWR saddle tank and one coach arriving at East Milton. I've tried to Google it but it gives nothing!
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Post by countryman on Mar 20, 2016 22:08:53 GMT
I used to travel to school from Perivale to East Acton in the late 60s. When going home I remember that the service from East Acton at ~15.30-16.00 was 10 trains per hour, alternately to West Ruislip and Ealing Broadway, giving a service home every 12 minutes. I wonder how that compares with the current service?
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Post by countryman on Mar 16, 2016 20:52:55 GMT
I remember in the 60s on a rare trip into Greenford on a railcar where you could see out of the front through the cab. I was very perturbed when we appeared to be going over a wrongly set trailing point. Obviously a sprung point, but I wasn't aware of them then.
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Post by countryman on Mar 10, 2016 7:58:07 GMT
Inset, Canterbury?
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Post by countryman on Mar 7, 2016 8:43:49 GMT
Inset in location B : Battersea Park
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Post by countryman on Mar 4, 2016 8:52:45 GMT
I heard Lynn Bowles on the traffic report yesterday saying that Heathrow Express were accepting Heathrow Connect tickets.
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