how many times round?

In my time you did 4 and 4. Sometimes all the same way round. It was mostly Baker Street men that did those though. Ricky and Uxbridge guys did circles too and also some H&C duties. Barking had some ELL turns and ELL men worked some H&C trains

This '3 round 6 max' is yet another example of circles getting too much time to do a circuit. Also it shows how much the southern side SSL has slowed down since the 70's re-signalling. The worst thing they ever did was to take out the advance starters in most places so you can only get 1 train between stations. They then compounded the error by trying to fit services
with different headways into one TT.

EDIT: BTW Baker Street was the ONLY depot that had road training for the WHOLE of the MetMain/Circle/H&C/ELL

As Colin would say if he were not away from home at present

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

A train can bang on round and round for 22 hours of the day if so diagrammed. Exceptions will be if it is re-formed during service disruption. However if it does all day inner rail they make sure it does next day outer rail so eveing out wheel wear

There is a triangle where trains coming and going to and from Barking traverse, Aldgate/Aldgate East/Minories triangle.

There is also the fact that going round clockwise the wheels turn clockwise and the next day if it goes round anti clockwise the wheels do likewise. I will try to explain that better. If a train is heading eastwards then the wheels are turning clockwise. When it comes back westward the wheels turn the opposite way, ergo, anti-clockwise. So wheel wear is equalised. I was once told that going round the outer rail is actually a few hundred yards greater in distance than inner rail but I don't know if that is fact

But of course, as my colleague and other service control like people here are only too aware, when you remove the trips lost as part of the ongoing Edgware Road Train Crew Depot's "Commitment to Service Plan" you're lucky if all 14 trains get even close to that number each day ;D

Oh Blimey - another scientist/engineer on the forum ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

But true, there will only be about 15 metres difference, if that (gets calculator out!!!!!).

Which, presumably, is why one train a day (I think that's what Citysig said) is reversed on the Aldgate triangle. 14 days one way, then reverse and 14 days the other

While fine in theory, the assumption is made that the difference between track centres is constant. However, as can be seen from Clive's guide this is not the case - note for example the different layouts at South Kensington, Tower Hill and Paddington.

Chris

True.
My main thinking was a possible explanation for the descrepancy between your "15 metres" (16.4 yards) and Q8's "a few hundred yards". Clive's guide has the difference at "about 40 metres" (43.7 yards).

Chris

Yes, but the point is - 10m, 30m, 50m, what the heck?

In terms of line length (just over 20miles 32km) a difference of 32m represents 0.1% of the total, an insignificant amount.

I remember once when in serious service disruption sitting with a 6 car level-pegging at Gloucester Road westbound with a Circle train. As it was 'all stop' we were nattering to each other. I asked him if going round and round did not drive him loopy? [no pun]

He said 'Nah 'cos when you been round until you can see in your right ear with your left eye they take you off and the send you round t'other way until you can see in your left with your right'!