Speed restriction outside West Hampstead

20mph speed restriction, bumpy track.

Still bullhead through platform 1 at Finchley Road up until almost the end of the Jubilee Line's reversing siding at West Hampstead.

Considering there are no Met or Jubilee trains running past this section this weekend it'd probably be reasonable to assume that some remedial action will be taken to remove the restriction. Although there isn't a cable run separating the Up Chiltern line from the N/B Met for all of the bullhead section so depends where the actual defect is.

I think all the track between Finchley Road and Baker St is still bullhead. Expect a major closure to replace it all!

And despite the long closure for track replacement on the Uxbridge branch a couple of years ago, the pointwork at Uxbridge is still bullhead on wooden sleepers.

What does bullhead and flat bottom mean? Thanks.

Paul

PS: I took the shuttle Chiltern service yesterday. It didn't seem to slow down, but I wasn't paying attention much either, was very tired!

Ah yes, reminds me of some tedious second moment of area calculations around "I-Beams" from years ago! Thanks for the info!

Ah yes, I_xx = (bd^3)/12 - the resistance of a beam to bending about it's neutral axis. 

I think the Chiltern trains switch from Network Rail track to London Underground track just before Harrow On The Hill, there are a few small signs between the tracks which appear to be at the switch point.

I think there probably is still bullhead on the exit to the bay platform at Barking. I base this comment on listening to some video I filmed on this journey... until joining the main route the traditional clickety clack sound can be heard.

Simon

What is the line speed on the Metropolitan line for that section?

If they have not fixed it anywhere from 5-15mph but normally 50mph

Could of been ok I change to 5-20mph

Is track quality the reason for the slow ride between Baker St and Finchley Road, or is it to do with tight curves? Currently the Met isn't much faster than the Jubilee despite it having no stops and the Jubilee having 2!

Track quality, the curves, and the fact that you are coming and going from one controlled area to the next. There's also the fact that the Jubilee is now ATO and can simply achieve more in terms of rates of acceleration/deceleration, whereas humans will all perform differently (as some drivers drive a bit more defensively). That said, on a good day (quite possibly in dreams because it's so rare) where I've had absolutely no-one else in front of me for ages (which is rare now we're always running late), I've been able to get from Baker Street to Finchley Road in 5 minutes – shaving a whole 30 seconds(!) off the official off-peak running time.

If you're really interested in speed limits: Leaving Baker St (platform 2), speed limit is 25mph until you get north of the junction at Baker Street. Pootle along for a little bit, then it drops back to 25mph for a few moments until you get to the Grand Union Canal, where you resume line speed up as far as the cover before Marlborough Road. It then drops back to 30mph going round the cut at Marlborough road, and then back down to 25mph as you go back under cover. Resumption of line speed on the straight bit just before Swiss Cottage. 25mph at Swiss Cottage and over the points, then up to 30mph once you get past, dropping down to 25mph for Finchley Road platform.

Going Southbound is fairly similar. 30mph leaving Finchley Road, resuming line speed for a short distance after Swiss Cottage, before dropping back down to 30mph on the approach to Marlborough Road and just beyond. Line speed up as far as Lords, where there's a 40mph limit going past it, and then dropping down to 25 at the crest of the rise over the Grand Union Canal, and then the speeds vary on the approach to Baker Street, depending on where you're going. Because of the controlled approach into Baker Street however, the reality is that you don't really gain that much more speed once you get past Marlborough Road.

***

In other news; 20mph TSR still remains. APD / Balfour Beatty have been out and about on the track today to conduct inspections (mostly in the Dollis Hill area), but not sure if they made it to West Hampstead. New bags of ballast have since arrived over the last few weeks to pack out the area in readiness for possible work.

There's been a couple of weekend closures between WP and BS, I've been driving the buses for them! there was a lot of heavy concrete equipment at Marlborough Road on both occasions, and loads of track relaying at Willesden Green, Neasden and nearer West Hampstead. Only what I could see from the road when I'm driving past, no doubt someone else will be along later with more info!

The line speed on the Met has dropped considerably over the years. It used to be 60 through Wembley Park in the 1960's, and on the main from HotH 70 if I remember correctly, all quite within the capabilities of A stock when it was reasonably new.

Did they ever fix the horrible bump on the s/b Met at the north end of Neasden paltform, that was there for years, just on the depot exit points.