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Post by croxleyn on Mar 26, 2018 17:35:15 GMT
I joined a group from the IET to visit the Victoria line depot, and use the driving simulator (manual mode, of course!). What surprised me was in order to get optimum stop positioning, the computer expected significant braking on leaving the (curved) tunnel, then needing a little power application before gentle braking to halt.
I can imagine, though, that there are plenty of different profiles (wet, greasy rails etc.) that the instructor could choose...
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Post by croxleyn on Mar 12, 2018 18:07:29 GMT
Chiltern Rail's lathe at the Aylesbury depot is completely in-situ - the carriage is just shunted across it and both wheels are done at the same time. You can see the swarf (trimmings) being pushed along a channel by Archimedes screw to the hopper outside. As it will be completely NC (numerical controlled), the only thing to dictate profile is what the operator requests.
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Post by croxleyn on Mar 10, 2018 16:53:51 GMT
I've seen trains from Watford with Rickmansworth on their displays (crossing Baldwins Lane Bridge) in the past, but can't see any in the timetable now. Have they been removed?
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Post by croxleyn on Mar 3, 2018 10:16:31 GMT
It's fine to have Grenfell on station maps, and the front of the building, when one can consider it sombrely, but the on-train announcements (The next station is...) by their very nature have to be very clear, and almost up-beat, so I'm not so sure of that.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 24, 2018 11:22:11 GMT
For signalling, a different approach to "carriage passing" measurement is gaining popularity as an alternative to axle counters, namely rail stress gauges, which are simply stuck on to the load rails to see the bend with passing axles. I'm sure that these low-price parts should be able to discern carriage loading with a little software analysis. They could be fitted just after the station "exit" to provide info along the line. Maybe they're already being adopted for the new signalling systems?
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 24, 2018 10:03:17 GMT
Surely the announcements need to be on station platforms, before train arrival. Dstock's comment "I would think that S Stock ARE fitted with a capacity sensor... This information would available via TrackerNet and used by Line Controllers etc. once the ATC is commissioned." suggests that software could automate an appropriate announcement.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 17, 2018 21:18:20 GMT
Thanks. The point I wish to emphasise to the WO is that for the cost of the MLE (I live on the "doorstep" so am very aware of the project) there are far more important projects, benefitting hundreds of thousands of passengers, as opposed to the hundreds or maybe thousands I'm expecting for the MLE.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 17, 2018 19:24:28 GMT
Between Turnham Green and Chiswick Park. Indeed: Fisher's Lane from Acton Lane.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 17, 2018 19:16:22 GMT
Does anyone have a ball-park figure for the cost of replacing, for example, the Piccadilly or Bakerloo stock, both I gather needing retirement... The reason for asking is that I get fed up with the Watford Observer repeatedly showing local dignitaries moaning that Mr Kahn won't fork out an extra 40, 50 ... million pounds for the Metropolitan (Vanity?) extension. I feel like writing a letter, but then negative views are not newsworthy, so probably won't be printed.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 17, 2018 18:57:39 GMT
Will these new inverters provide regenerative braking? I know it's easy with a DC controller but they weren't generally implemented. Then there's the issue of how high do you allow the rail voltage to rise, especially with DC stock still on the tracks.
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 3, 2018 14:34:14 GMT
I used it in '89 (electric traction), when there were basically no passengers during the day. Got on at Croxley with my toddler daughter, then off at West Watford. The guard, in the driver's cab, was astonished to see us, but not interested in any fare when I waved some money towards him!
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Post by croxleyn on Feb 3, 2018 14:23:16 GMT
I'm guessing C is somewhere on the DLR? Does that rate for a clue?
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Post by croxleyn on Jan 31, 2018 18:49:46 GMT
Was it Croxley Green BR?
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Post by croxleyn on Jan 30, 2018 18:40:13 GMT
S Stock air conditioning can't be said to be quiet, and it never stops! The old A-stocks, once the noisy compressors had shut off, were far quieter, at least out of tunnels.
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Post by croxleyn on Jan 4, 2018 17:47:19 GMT
An attractive tree: Cyprus (Cypress)? Absolutely amazing: One of the Claphams?
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Post by croxleyn on Dec 16, 2017 16:16:45 GMT
According to the Watford Observer, a new train has been ordered for the St. Albans Abbey Flyer line. Wow. I bet the users would be overjoyed to have that, but not a reliable crew to drive it!
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Post by croxleyn on Dec 9, 2017 16:36:51 GMT
With two alternative routes to get onto the West London tracks, I can't see any justification for any major expenditure for a third. And isn't that diesel-only in parts, anyway? Although not a fan of road improvements, there are a multitude of road junctions that could be substantially improved with a fraction of the £££s required for a tunnel.
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Post by croxleyn on Nov 3, 2017 18:42:43 GMT
As mentioned earlier, the new stations need to be close to housing, so that skyscraper car parking can be minimised. Running along the Ebury Way (well, I frequently cycle it but many others do run) would only provide a station a steep walk up to the hospital, and possibly another station for the lottery workers at Camelot + adjacent businesses, which do have parking and a reasonably free-flowing road. The justification to close Watford Cassiobury and Croxley stations would be severely challenged, needing possibly two trains to run this spur, and we know how much they cost! TfL are only keeping the Cassiobury spur to provide stabling tracks for the stock they've already got.
Another hidden justification for the MLX is to access the new Croxley Danes secondary school at the bottom of Baldwins Lane, which although intended to provide for local pupils, will quickly get over-run by the adjacent large conurbation!
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Post by croxleyn on Nov 2, 2017 18:27:50 GMT
norbitonflyer, the only reason Watford Council want this link is to provide justification to saturate West Watford with housing, adjacent to the two new stations. However, the political arguments have changed: the Ascot Towers development was proposed on the basis of the Cassiobridge station being built. But, even realising the link probably would fizzle out, WC have still nodded the plans through, with minimal car parking space. The jokes of the original proposal were a) the developer asked for something like 18 stories but WC upped it to 24-odd despite their planning rules on skyscrapers, and in front of the artist's impression of the station, there was a new Boris bus!!!
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Post by croxleyn on Oct 13, 2017 11:01:08 GMT
Can anyone confirm memories that not long after moving to Croxley in 1982, there were proposals to shut the Watford branch entirely, and curtail the "all-stations" trains at Northwood?
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Post by croxleyn on Sept 23, 2017 19:00:44 GMT
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Post by croxleyn on Sept 20, 2017 17:33:05 GMT
If you are starting your Oyster journey at Stratford you need to touch on a yellow reader. That's not strictly true (unless it's changed). Some years ago, I changed from Finchley Rd Metropolitan to the North London O/G at Frognal, touching in as I thought. This should have been an OSI change, i.e. free. Got to Stratford and decided to do the Docklands LR to Stratford International journey, touching the pink reader (necessary or not).
Looking at my journey history later, I realised that Frognal had not registered the entry (even though it beeped). I was then charged a new journey from Stratford to SI.
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Post by croxleyn on Sept 8, 2017 22:04:01 GMT
Thanks for the fascinating link - would have never thought of a French website... I had wondered about the realities of a multi-voltage traction power supply.
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Post by croxleyn on Sept 8, 2017 20:08:16 GMT
I'm not familiar with the track layout at Barking, but what would the viability be of running a District or H&C line spur to Riverside over the new tracks? It would likely mess up the S stock requirements (use the spare Croxley train?), but would probably be far more popular than the Gospel Oak line. The latter would not need to be so frequent to Riverside...
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 28, 2017 8:35:25 GMT
Benefits to Croxley Residents: few. Possible use is to Watford Junction for northbound WCML. There's a reasonable bus service to Watford (& WFJ), without the steep stair climbs at each end or longer walks, but the tube might be a little cheaper (for those without bus passes!). Detriments to C.R: Reduction of the semi-fast service in the rush hours: there won't be enough stock to run these extra services - TFL at a local liaison meet would only say that the standard (15minute) pattern would remain, and denied that the original proposals were for two extra S-stock, to achieve what we have at the moment. Swamping of the new Croxley Danes secondary school with pupils from outside the area. Closing of the nursery at Sea cadets whilst major sewer diversion is carried out for the viaduct footings - this will probably kill the business entirely. Noise of the trains crossing viaduct and the new points near Baldwins Lane. A tremendous amount of road disruption at the viaduct site.
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 27, 2017 7:36:06 GMT
If you're starting along those lines, what's going to happen when West Midlands Trains Ltd take over LM? Or, looking further ahead, when HS2 starts running, with all the extra goods trains that'll get freed WCML paths?
There are suggestions of linking the WCML to the new Old Oak Common station to take the strain off Euston during the inevitable works disruption, but that's never likely to happen due to the tight radii needed to branch off the Cricklewood to Acton lines, or bulldozing of Kensal Green cemetery.
So, if we are to have many Euston blockades, as per this weekend, could Watford Junction be a useful terminus, with the MLE making the final link to London? That would be far preferable to Rail Replacement coaches from Hemel Hempstead to Stanmore!
UPDATE:
I gather that on the morning of Friday 15th Sept, there was a major fire north of Harrow & Wealdstone, seriously affecting all Euston services (from another forum). Once again, the MLE would have provided a through service for the WCML.
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 26, 2017 11:41:55 GMT
#2: Bramcote Lane (Dracula)?
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 25, 2017 17:26:01 GMT
The facts of financial reality... With the zonal fare system, each passenger is unlikely to add more than £1.50 to a journey made from an existing station (i.e. what TFL would relinquish).
I'm taking a wild guess at footfall, but it can't be more than a few thousand each day. So, let's say that with returns, that's £5000 a day at most, which would barely cover the staff costs of this extension. OK, you would re-deploy the Watford Met station staff to save a little.
So where would one find an investor willing to front up the hundreds of millions for an almost zero return, at least from the farebox?
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 12, 2017 17:22:41 GMT
Excuse my ignorance, but if a train can stop at Baker Street H&C, then why should it not be able to go out the way it came in, but over a set of points? I have many times had to wait outside of BS until we get clearance to enter the platform.
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Post by croxleyn on Aug 8, 2017 17:21:07 GMT
This link is included in the "Out-of-Station Interchanges" so you can change onto another TFL service without breaking your journey and being charged again (Oyster or contactless). However, you've only a meagre 10 minutes to touch out then back in. No dawdling! (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/out-of-station-interchanges)
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