In fact the Met did it base-over-apex.
Divided Working stopped pretty sharpish with WWII (in common with the rest of the LPTB), then after all other lines that had given it up gave it up for a second time - the District always uncoupled.
The first WTT that was composed of primarily A stock working 227/229 of 14/10/68 had Amersham trains starting as 4 car on Sundays. The next set of winter WTTs 235/237 [1] had Mon-Fri [un]coupling at Amersham, Uxbridge and Watford; midnight splitters in the sidings at Ricky on Sats; and coupling
only on Sundays evenings at Amersham and Uxbridge.
C237 saw quite a bit of cancelled uncoupling due to staff shortages; and the full service (post A-stock introduction) wasn't reestablished until WTT 250 (1/4/75) and then the full uncoupling began again.
There were quite a few WTTs headed 'No Uncoupling' during this period - I shall investigate further when I return from the sorting office.
More to come.......Right - having now got a book partly for
this thread and being slightly amazed that Cantuar sorting office is open to 8pm I'll carry on.....
The biggest complication here in this particular Met. series is twofold - WTTs were issued for both No1/No2 sections and the CWL and ELL
plus there were still Monday - Friday, Saturday and Sunday as three separate WTT books. Without spending a lot of time trogging through the Traffic Circulars, it is almost impossible to be sure which three WTTs were in force at the same time - you can make an educated guess, but something will always catch you out!
Be that as it may, it is clear that for at least some of the period in question the Saturday WTT from the previous tranche of WTTs remained in force and only the weekdays and Sundays were reissued. WTTs 256/257 (M-F and SuO) from 5&4/1/77 are a case in point. These two WTTs for No2 section had no uncoupling, but a year later in January 1977 the weekday uncoupling came back but instead of Amersham uncoupling it moved to Ricky. I did say that it was complicated!
Bit more to follow when I've rearranged the piles of WTTs and swapped them for some fresh ones!.
Now; I don't know exactly what went on with Traffic Circulars - ie. there being a TC instruction that uncoupling of trains were to cease during the winter months but: WTT 279 has [un]coupling at Ricky, Uxbridge and Watford on weekdays, nothing on Saturdays and coupling only at Watford, Amersham and Uxbridge on Sundays. I'm also not sure when this WTT came into force - it has a print date of 6/10/80 and
I think an introduction date of 2/11/8
1!
One thing that is for sure is in the 'Revisions preamble' for the next WTT (280, 6/11/82) has the telling comment: 'uncoupling of trains during service has been discontinued and 8-car trains will operate throughout the week (excluding the Chesham shuttle)'.
[1]This is possibly the most complicated era of Met. TTs as there were individual editions of 235 and 237, and combined editions 235/237 plus C235, C237 and E235. *Very* confusing.
