Fast Trains on the Uxbridge Branch

When I left this morning, we had trains running 20+ late on the Met, this was due to severe icing on the current rails at SOT. I'm not sure if this new timetable has fast trains ex Uxbridge, if not, it could have been sent down the fast to help with getting it on its booked path or for any number of reasons by my colleague who was working this morning! ;D

I could have been worse. You could have been doing Cardiff-Plymouth all stations on a Class 143 pacer

They were very common in the 70s--running fast between both Rayners Lane and Harrow on the Hill to Finchley Road.

and many trains didn't stop at Harrow-on-the-Hill. There is a youtube video to prove it!

Thats was standard I believe, also on the Uxbridge branch with West Harrow-Finchley Road non-stop.

1) How long ago was that--before or after the Piccadilly was extended to Uxbridge from South Harrow?
2) I have a 114 bus schedule from the 70s stating that the peak-hour shuttles it operated between Ruislip Lido and Ruislip Station were designed to connect to and from the Metropolitan's semifast trains to the city.

I've 1950 timetable (WTT No. 130) which shows that SB Semi Fats trains ran non-stop from Eastcote to Finchley Road, while a 1962 timetable (WTT No. 197) shows only Rayners Lane to Finchley Road non-stop.

I remember reading about that. That seems to be the only time that more Mets reversed at Rayners Lane than Piccies.

Would those trains be for slightly portly people only? ;D

Hmm. Looking through the WTTs there were 5 SB, am peak and 5 NB pm peak - all in WTT 128 and all SE - there were none enumerated for SO.

More to follow, as I've got the early 50's Met. pile next to the 'pooter.

By June 1952 there were 7 in each peak direction - 1 SB being F Stock, but 4 NB being F Stock all MF, none on Sats. Everything that wasn't an F is a P (½½ P6/P8).

Nov. '52 same as June (unsurprisingly). June '53 same as Nov. '52.

June '54 note changed to 'does not stop at West Harrow' for SB (Rayners added) and same as before in all other respects.

September '54 the same, but with Rayners added the other way.

So; as you can see it wasn't a given that the 'Tanks' were on the Uxbridge fasts.

I shall go and have a quick browse in the outer reaches of the Met. to see if anything else interesting turns up.

The F stock only worked on the peak hours services mainly. I never understood this! The seating on the F stock was similar to the O/P cars, just the transverse seats were at the ends of the cars. Surely the greater seating capacty of the F stock would have been a good thing?

I'll have a look on F stock allocations and depot working in the 1958 WTT - as even though it is Met, I have a soft spot for that particular WTT!

F Stock only operated in 8-car sets on the Met main. My recollection is that 8-car trains did not operate in the off-peak because of the platform staffing issues. I know this was the case on the DR. 8-car trains needed what we would call assisted dispatch. I imagine it was true on the Met tunnel section too. Thus F Stock was confined to the peaks.

Yes, in the 1958 WTT the F stock was limited to the peaks - however there are a couple of very late starters on Saturdays (not for the lunchtime peak) - Trains 25 (10.14pm) and 26 (10.29pm) off Uxbridge Sidings: 25 stabled back there at 2.2am and 26 stabled in Neasden at 1.1am.

I did wonder if this was something for late night theatre traffic [1], but it appears not; although 25 did perform a 'sweeping up' operation on its second SB run - after Neasden it swapped to the Bakerloo and then called at all stations Neasden to Finchley Road, it was then the 1.20am NB staff from Baker Street to Uxbridge Sidings.

[1] 25 was the 10.27½ ex Ux, 11.18½ ex BkS and the 12.1½ ex Ux; 26 was the 10.42½ ex Ux, 11.40½ ex BkS and the 12.30½ ex Ux to Wembley Park, stabling at Neasden. I wonder if the extra capacity was thought to be 'a good thing' for the late trains off Baker Street.