pitdiver
No longer gainfully employed
Posts: 439
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Post by pitdiver on Sept 2, 2011 12:26:46 GMT
Can I play the role of a good old **** stirrer and ask the following question. Has there been talk in recent years about closing the Chesham Branch. This seemed to be always spoken about when I worked on the Met ()89-96. The rumour was that there were too many senior LUL managers living in Chesham to allow this to happen.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 13:33:14 GMT
Thats what I have heard too, but should add that its not just 'senior LUL managers'. A good number of rather important heads based elsewhere in the city also live out that way, and any proposal to shut this essential line would not go down at all well...
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Post by redsetter on Sept 2, 2011 13:50:47 GMT
my neighbour when i lived in chesham worked for lu. interesting you would say that.
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SE13
In memoriam
RIP 23-Oct-2013
Glorious Gooner
Posts: 9,737
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Post by SE13 on Sept 2, 2011 15:31:29 GMT
If I'm not very much mistaken, there is a thread somewhere about the same thing, I'm sure that it said fairly much the same thing.... I'll have a look around for it a bit later (If I remember)
The one and only time I ever went there, Chesham was packed - But it was the last day of the shuttle.
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Post by andypurk on Sept 2, 2011 15:47:19 GMT
I've heard that the Watford - St. Albans Branch survived for much the same reason, with several BR managers living along the line in the 1960s.
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castlebar
Planners use hindsight, not foresight
Posts: 1,316
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Post by castlebar on Sept 2, 2011 16:32:27 GMT
Funny this, Until quite recently, the Greenford B.R. service to Ealing Bdy didn't run on to Paddington. In the '60s, it was a very poor service, but connected with trains to/from Paddington.
It was common knowledge that quite a few of the higher graded Paddington Pen Pushers lived just over the (then) field on the posher side of the tracks by Castlebar. Sometimes as the train for Ealing was coming up from S. Greenford, we heard the (generally single car class 121 unit with a trailer) blast off as it crossed the Ruislip Road bridge, and half a dozen bowler hats and briefcases ran across the field to the train. So, THAT is what kept the line open!
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Post by malcolmffc on Sept 2, 2011 17:06:39 GMT
Of course, the Greenford branch will no longer run direct to Paddington after Crossrail opens...
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Post by citysig on Sept 2, 2011 17:15:16 GMT
The senior managers we know of that live "north" do not live in Chesham. A couple of them actually live in locations served by Chiltern.
"People of power" from the city are unheard of as well (in terms of having any actual power) . Chesham does indeed have very good letter writers, and has a fairly powerful users group.
It's been a few years since we ran services for Lord Thingy or Sir Such-and-Such or MP Whoever. We run for everybody now. I don't care if it means missing out on my well-deserved knighthood - if the people need an all-stations train, I won't be running one non-stop for anybody ;D ;D
P.s. There are NO plans to close the Chesham single.
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pitdiver
No longer gainfully employed
Posts: 439
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Post by pitdiver on Sept 2, 2011 17:34:55 GMT
Further to my earlier post I remember another rumour that LUL or LRT whoever it was in those days had gone as far as getting the price of a couple of buses in LUL livery to operate a service between Amersham and Chesham. Thus still operating a "service". Apparently it would have been cheaper to operate these buses than maintain the Branch and operate the trains.
Thanks MetControl for confirming the branch won't close. It use to make a lovely trip on a Sunday afternoon. It does amaze me though how little patronage Chesham gets based on LUL own figures.
Keep up the good work all those still working for LUL.
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Post by citysig on Sept 2, 2011 17:38:17 GMT
Thanks MetControl for confirming the branch won't close.  Perhaps I should have said "yet" ;D ;D I have an "Egg on face" reputation occasionally on here, where "doomed by me" A-stocks have re-entered service and Chesham shuttles - never to return as far as I have said - have returned ;D |
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Perhaps I should have said "yet" ;D ;D
