Interesting Movement Last Night

The problem was identified beforehand but I suspect this may have proved the thoery that it can happen.

I know a few people on the combine who remember the Kings X runaway very well - I'll ask one of em later.

I've had a go on the handle of a 73; I must say it takes some getting used to driving left handed...

Sorry mate no pity from me, an east end driver who has forgotten virtually everything about those piles of c*** known as C stock

I know one UPMIN driver who still uses both hands in the course of his duty, Jim does East Ham come to mind? ;D

NAH you lot have got it easy. 3 different types of stock Two different types of controller and brake handle. Two differing ways of opening the doors. Pilot lights here there and anywhere. We had all that and it was FUN

POOH........ you lots got toy trains

Heh. I've got you beaten!

When the C20 stock was started to be introduced here in Stockholm, at the same time as the ATP signalling was slooowly brought on line at the green line, we had the following cabs/stocks all potentially running as leading units:

C4 (only on the red line). I've posted pictures of these in an old thread somewhere. Basically, a coffe grinder controller and separate brake handle. Contactors and mechanical relays.

Refurbed C6 -a quite nice cab, with a foot pedal as a safety device, a single joystick handle on the right, good design overall. The pilot/door light system was rebuilt, givign you a red warnign light if you lost the dorr light -in old stocks, you just had to watch for the green lamp to go out. Camshaft control, good cab, rotten cars.

Unrefurbed "two-handle cab" Tom has a pic of this kind of cab on his fotopic site. Two spring-loaded handles, moved longitudinally. Big bell & buzzer for the cab signalling system. Used on C7-C15 stock.

Refurbed "two-handle cab". A quick'n easy conversion to the old two-handle cabs in order to combat problems with repetitive strain injuries. The spring-loading of the handles was gone, replaced by a foot pedal and a hand button -you could alternate between them as you wished. The pilot light/clear signal system was also slightly altered, giving you a red warning light if you lost your door closed light, similar to the refurbed C6.

TLS6 cabs. C13, C14 and C15 stock rebuilt with new electronics for the ATP system. A desk looking quite like the one on the refurbed C6, with a single joystick handle on the right. You could either press down the handle, or a button, or a foot pedal as a vigilance device. They also recieved the red warning light. The seat was still not bolted to the floor, so you could move it away if you wanted to stand and drive. While noisy and drafty, the ease with which you could vary your operating position made them in some ways the best cabs we have had.

C20 -a completely different, and new cab, not like anything we have had earlier on the Metro. Controller handle and computer screen on the left, small side unit on the right, nothing in front of you. Very silent, good seat, but problems with ventilation and heat management. There ought to be quite a few cab pics either in some of my earlier posts, or on Tom's fotopic site.

So, all in all: Six different cabs, all with their own idiosyncracies and varying styles, construction and placement of the equipment.

Of course, that was only for a short transitory period, but we still have three different cab styles (refurbed C6, TLS6 and C20) cabs running in daily service.

Until you have to look at the logistics and supply chain side of maintaining six different cabs and 13 different types of rolling stock, who, even though there were a lot of common components, also had their own little unique features.