Tom
Administrator
Signalfel?
Posts: 4,196 
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Post by Tom on Jul 23, 2021 20:23:01 GMT
I wonder why the trials settled on the R stock from Stamford Brook to Ravenscourt Park only. I guess a modern surface stock train had more space for a trial installation. Presumably it was near to the Signals Dept offices at Acton, and included eastbound workings from both Ealing and Richmond in an automatic signalling area, but the train would make few passes in a day. Did an engineer have to go out to observe each trip? Were all District drivers trained in the special operation of this one train? Any old-timers out there who can recall those days? I can answer some of this. The train which was fitted was allocated to a particular service which spent the day running between Ealing Broadway and Mansion House. The reason Stamford Brook to Ravenscourt Park was chosen was simple; it was the first inter-station run on the route which was 100% automatically signalled with no junctions, allowing the overlaying of the ATO system to be relatively simple. The next stage was the 'full service' trial on the Hainault to Woodford section which had a mixture of automatic and controlled signalling which was, naturally, more complicated. |
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Post by jimbo on Jul 24, 2021 1:32:22 GMT
I wonder why the trials settled on the R stock from Stamford Brook to Ravenscourt Park only. I guess a modern surface stock train had more space for a trial installation. Presumably it was near to the Signals Dept offices at Acton, and included eastbound workings from both Ealing and Richmond in an automatic signalling area, but the train would make few passes in a day. Did an engineer have to go out to observe each trip? Were all District drivers trained in the special operation of this one train? Any old-timers out there who can recall those days? I can answer some of this. The train which was fitted was allocated to a particular service which spent the day running between Ealing Broadway and Mansion House. The reason Stamford Brook to Ravenscourt Park was chosen was simple; it was the first inter-station run on the route which was 100% automatically signalled with no junctions, allowing the overlaying of the ATO system to be relatively simple. The next stage was the 'full service' trial on the Hainault to Woodford section which had a mixture of automatic and controlled signalling which was, naturally, more complicated. Thanks for that. If this service train only operated west of Mansion House, then it would have made a round trip about every 90 minutes. Perhaps it was only rostered to be operated by Acton Town crews, so only the drivers there would have required necessary training. Test crews would have worked it on the test track, which Piers book says was the eastbound fast track at that time. |
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