Other movements on Watford - Euston

Any non tripcock fitted trains are restricted to 40mph on the DC lines - odd moves include the rail treatment train (maybe what you saw last night) , the track recording train plus ballast trains for work on the line itself. Last occasion anything really rare went down there was the post Watford collision in 1996 , when several EWS mail trains plus various light engines went this way.

With regards to late evening services , the old 2337 on the up was the train from hell , with a frequent need to take out of service after comprehensive damage , fire extinguisher discharge etc and the clientele (all riding free) was far from salubrious. The odd normal passenger would walk into this carnage occasionally.

HSTs?! That'd help with the usual interminable crawl

Dave I'd imagined it might have been something like that but I wasn't aware specifically what ran. I also thought about the things you talk about when I was writing about later services, but I think things on the line are a little bit different now? I remember going on it in the not too distant past say mid 90s, when you never saw staff on the stations, they were dim and even more desolate than they are now, and the sort of Wembley Central - Kensal Green section was a white knuckle ride through fear. The trains were a mess, I remember noting how the 313s seat layout allowed wee wee to run through the carriage from one end to the other, nice... BUT it feels to me as a 'customer' quite different nowadays. As mentioned before I'm not a regular in the dead of night but I have travelled through the aforementioned section many times late, there are less menacing types around generally, the stations are much better lit, there's cameras everywhere, the trains have a much safer feel even if they're entirely open, they have cameras too of course, not sure whether or not travelsafe officers ride that late?

Basically, I think that as well as the nature of some of the areas served combined of course with post-11pm being traditional pub kick-out time, some of the negative factors that result were also related to the slummy nature of the line; if noone's about (staff OR 'normal' passengers), no cameras are looking at you and it's dark, people of the wrong inclination are in their element. TBH, I find the most unpleasant journeys to be my Southbound late afternoon journey home which means I get the pleasure of various schools' kids between Harrow and home (Harlesden). Nothing menacing just a LOT of noise, swinging on the bars, pull-ups on the bars, scuffling, playfighting, more noise, stinking food, wanton littering, generally no regard whatsoever for anyone else on the train, more noise, but nothing on an extreme level. When I travel late it's just pretty quiet... I couldn't help feeling that even just one more train to even link up with the slightly later-running Bakerloo south would be good - it wouldn't need to go all the way to Euston, just duck out of the way at Willesden.

The speed of non tripcock fitted trains on the section fitted with train stops between Kilburn and Harrow ONLY, is 25mph for class 1, 2, 5 & 0 and 15mph for all other class's. The RHTT (Railhead Treatment Train) is operated by tripcock fitted DB Shenker class 66's and therefore not subject to the above restrictions. Any tripcock fitted stock that fails the trip tester at Harrow on the up and Queens Park on the down will also be subject to the above restictions.


Also a fair number of railtours over the years with a varid selection of stock including Hastings DEMU's and on one occasion a Watford to Euston motorail special, now that is really another story. One for the history books was an LMS Beyer-Garrett with a reverser fault on a down train that required turning at Watford and this resulted in a quick sortie to the Colne triangle, definately the largest loco ever on the DC line.

I am sure that when UndergrounD News published a photo of an HST rounding the curve on trhe diveunder at Willesden Junction it was stated that the line could only cope with such trains every 30 minutes.

I have seen a photo of a Class 25 at Queens Park BR NB platform with a permanent way train.

Whilst several pictures of the 4-COR tour have made it to the public domain I confess that i have never seen a picture of the 2-BIL tour. I've never seen a pic of the tour south of the Thames with the 501s in the mid-80s either!

In the late 1930’s Tube stock owned by the LMS operated from Watford Junction to Rickmansworth Church Street.

In the 1960’s I remember seeing an 8F at Watford High Street heading for Croxley Green/Croxley Mills/ Rickmansworth Church Street. The latter remained open for goods after passenger services were withdrawn. 3F tanks were also regular performers on these branches. Most can from Watford Junction via Watford High Street however until 1966 there was a Triangle connection to the Croxley/Rickmansworth Branches from Colne Junction which was between Bushey & Oxhey and Watford High Street. There were also oil trains to the Goodyear siding on the Croxley Mills branch and approximately 3 oil trains to the Watford Cardiff Road Power station siding throughout the life of this Power Station! As has already being mentioned the triangle was used to turn steam engines and there was one occasion when 3 Bullied West Country pacifics coupled together that had worked specials to Wembley were turned on the triangle!

In the 1980’s Class 104/105/122 DMUs worked the Croxley Green branch when there was a shortage of Class 501 EMU’s. I saw the 2 car Class 313 working the Croxley Green branch in the late 80’s (its pantograph car was used in the Class 316 AC drive development EMU. Class 31’s ran over the DC lines to Croxley Green Depot to tow Class 501’s for scrapping as well as some Class 504’s that were also stored in the depot. The preserved 2BIL +4SUB both in green worked to Watford in the 1980’s as well. A Bullied 2EPB ran a football extra service from Euston to Wembley in the mid 1980’s as well.

Post 2000 Class 150’s have traversed the DC lines to Watford and of course Farewell to Silverlink tour brought 2 x Class 37’s + Mk1’s to the DC lines to Watford a splendid sight over Bushey Arches.

Xerces Fobe

North Woolwich is cool but the tour in question went to Horsham!

Don't forget the Silverlink Swansong 2 with 50049.

Also around winter 1992 one Sunday night (sorry I can't be more specific) the wires were down south of Watford and an Anglo-Scottish service was dragged into Euston with a Class 47 hauling an 87 and Mk3 set. I saw the cavalcade while waiting for 2357 Euston-Watford that night.

And of course the water-cannons are out and about at the moment.

Martin

The water cannons are most definitely out and about; like the proverbial busses having never seen ANYTHING else on the DC lines I now see this two nights in a row (I'm convinced it was that which I just peeped last night; saw it and indeed heard it in all it's glory at Willesden shortly after I'd arrived on the last NLL from Richmond, tonight it was heading up...)

But it seems from all the posts that it's all happened on the line over the years?? On the genral subject of the Croxley triangle, depot, sheds, Church Street branch etc I've read and seen all the pictures so I'm aware of what once stood but sadly it's just before my time. Have a vague recollection of possibly seeing the carriage sheds as a young un but really I can only picture the area as it is now; the former Colne Junction trackbed is barely discernible from passing trains, and being that I was familiar with it and indeed travelled on it, it's amazing how quickly the Croxley divergence from Watford High St junction has become almost invisible?! Meh

Oracle as for City Loop/the correct name etc etc I recall having read the previous postings on this where you mused on the past, as I recall Mr Lnwrelectric gave it to us straight; that connection is/are the up/down city new lines (or just new lines?) but 'city loop' predates them as the original connection from NLL to WCML slow lines at Willesden, severed when the DC lines came on the scene... If I've remembered right, then check me out!!

Also, track quality was mentioned as a factor in response to my vague query about the slowness of the line; I had thought this was one of the problems

Loving those pics. Keep 'em coming. I don't envy you putting those window bars on though. It's daunting enough knowing that my 'Dreadnoughts'will need them and that's only one per droplight!

Totally agree when the Class 501's were withdrawn I never gave it a second thought - if only.......................!

... They were built at Eastleigh after all!

Just checked the photos and yes footboards were reduced however it looked like a neat job, however with six coaches and maybe with a lack of time the job was rushed and some of coaches were left as stated above.

Xerces Fobe