Met Electrics 50th Special

There were two tours, one on 16th July and one on 10th September.

I have a DVD [Think its London's lost underground trains, Online video]

It shows No 5 [John Hampden] on the Chesham branch with a down through working, in pouring rain, great sequence.

Which were the ones at the Railway Technical Centre, RUGBY please? Quaerae whether the motors were ever used?

Duh! Sorry TP!

I couldn't find a reference to Derby in the K Benest book on them. Some went to Rugby - Nos 2, 7, 16 & 18 but nothing is said about Derby. I don't know about the motors either.

Not quite the font of knowledge you suggested

I forgot about Ken Benest! Names flood back after so long, and I knew them all in LURS.

Dear old Ken. I probably spent months of my life (if not years) huddled over books in libraries with him, from the old British Railways Board Records Office at Paddington (where records for LT and its predecessors used to be kept), through GLC Records at County Hall, the old Public Records Office in Chancery Lane and on to the new PRO at Kew, etc, etc. He is the man who showed me how to find what I wanted and, if I ever asked him a question to which he did not know the answer, he would often surprise me by appearing behind me some days later with an opened book and mutter in his fake library whisper, "Is this what you were looking for?"
He had a passion for the Met and knew its history inside out, but he still had time for those of us with other interests.
I really miss Ken.

'A Substation ? " (Reply # 9 )

It has,obviously, been rebuilt since I last saw it. In my time Substations didn't have any windows !

Hi,

Me again...

I've added another shot of the Met Electrics tour:

geoff-plumb.fotopic.net/p34924659.html

which according to my rudimentary notes at the time is at Eastcote. I would be very grateful if someone was able either to confirm this or correct it if it is somewhere else. I'm not sure as there is a gasometer in the far distance which could be the one near Northolt that used to have "NO" written on it in large letters!

The train at the time was en route from Uxbridge to Acton Town.

Thanks in anticipation once again

Regards,
Geoff

And why did it have "NO" written on it?

Answers on a Postcard to:

NO HEATHROW PLANES HERE,
NORTHOLT AERODROME

Northolt used London Approach and the inevitable has happened: two 707s landed by mistake, one after being lightened flew out and the other was taken apart reputedly. There was also the gasometer at Southall which was pased by planes landing on Heathrow's cross runway.

Runway 23 I think it was was taken out of use last year. I distinctly remember it as I lived in Hounslow West and had friends who lived in Heston, so it was interesting to see. It was when closed used by 0.1% of traffic! There was also a take-off faciility of course, and at one time a reciprocal element and a parallel runway.

Wasn't it orignally for the Harrow Gasworks in South Harrow? It was in fact South Harrow Gasometer...Southall Gasometer was used as a lining-up point for Heathrow. I gather it has now gone. Hasn't Southall's also gone? I remember it well when I was a volunteer inthe GWRPG in the old Wall's margarine shed.

According to Harrow Council the site is now occupied by Waitrose supermarket.

www.harrow.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/download/asset/?asset_id=299157 and search for "gas works".

Streetmap - tinyurl.com/pmxa6

South Harrow Gas Works had a High Level connection off the viaduct from the Rayners Lane direction.
Two crossovers on the main Line allowed the loco to run round.
It was controlled by a local Ground Frame originally but was afterwards remotely controlled from the 'new' Rayners Lane SB about 1936.
Goods trains ran from Harrow on the Hill Yard.