district drivers always complain bout circles !!!

Hi circledriver.

It's not as simple as you think. Even once you've got all the District/Met drivers waving, you've still got the challenge of getting on with the AETs (citysig, harsig, aetearlscourt). ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Ahem! Excuse me but you have just deeply offended me (and no doubt my colleague). AET I'll have you know we are professional signalmen and spend everyday working for a living ;D ;D

As I more or less said in the other thread, whilst it is good to have circledriver here to help balance opinions, I doubt he will be one of the ones who causes the grief. He has after all taken time to sign up and be sociable ;D

anyways we not called aet's no more we called t/o's might of looked strange if i put toearlscourt as my name

and don't believe signalmen work for a living its just a myth ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

aet = automatic equipment technician
t/o = technical officer

remember now, there should be no rivalry between Circle and District lines. Both lines plus ELL and H+C all decended from the Met.
So its like your all Mets children ha ha

The District started as the District and Metropolitan as a separate company from the District so they could raise extra funds to complete the circle, but for a short time with the same Directors as the Met, until they became rivals. Thats when they dropped the Metropolitan name and just became the District.

I keep reading your name as "At Earl's Court" so it wouldn't make much difference


As distinct from t/o = train operator...

Completely agree, except to say that those ECT siggies must have been working to rule for a bloody long time, because they're almost always holding the District up to let their own trains go! (As I understand it, those signallers are paid by the Picc, so I can't say I blame them too much!)

We wish. Alas, a couple of years ago, we became H&C staff. A reall sensible managerial decision. One of those managers who never leaves the desk. I'm not bitter ;D

As a District driver, whilst it is of course good fun, to moan about Circles dawdling slowly along in front ...and having got rid of it at Aldgate a H & C will replace it at Aldgate East. In fairness, i think we accept that not all Circle's are like that ...and a few of our own green boys and girls are as bad. I've stomped up to the DMT to demand to know who was on the (green) train in front before now ! Plus I always wave at Circles when i pass even, if they have their light out ...most give a nice "toot" back.

However, as pointed out by the learned Pic driver, the amount Districts get delayed around Acton Town & Hanger Lane junct really gets my blood boiling ! Not unusual to have lost 15 into Ealing and another 15 on the way back !

Not to be outdone though .... the Network Rail signalman on the Richmond branch always give priority to Silverlink trains too

Had a strange one tonight - second half, ECT-UPM-EBY then empty to Ealing Common depot. Nothing strange in that, but, I had no train in front from Earls Court to Upminster - Greens all the way - now that is strange! I had an unconscious drunk evicted at Upton Park and still got to Upminster on time . Train in front left 5 mins before me from Upminster - and I never saw him again. Greens all the way back to Earls Court, arriving bang on time. Now i'm getting suspicious! ;D
I'm in platform 3, and there's a Richmond in platform 4, with driver looking rather annoyed - He's now 5 mins late and still staring at a red. He get's on the phone 3 times and even has a go at the duty manager (his office is on the platform). After a further 5 mins he get's a green - that's him 10 late and me now 5 late. Next into platform 4 is an Olympia train. A further 2 mins pass, by which time the repeater in the distance has cleared - so why is my signal still red? I get on the blower and the signalman says 'programe machine has been playing up, we've been in first come first served for the last few trains. You'll be out next'. I say 'ok thanks' whilst thinking 'yeah right'. Sure enough the Olympia starts moving - so what happened to first come first served? Eventually I get a green - now 12 mins late. Not bad considering I arrived on time .
I get the chance to make up a little time though as I have a clear road, and Stamford Brook is closed this week as part of it's refurb. I even overtook a Picc going into Acton Town which was being held at a red with an empty platform in front of him
So I get to Ealing and have the train sorted in no time, Signal clears bang on time - only for me to sit at WM1 (Hanger Lane) for 10 mins.

And Signal Operators wonder why us drivers get the hump. I can't think why we do either ;D ;D

I picked up going East at 1655, hardly off-peak. At this time of day, well, it's the first time in a year and a half i've had a run like that, all the way to Upminster.

Trouble is in your time the signals and trains were designed to compliment each other. These days, because of compromised overlaps, the overlap sections are longer - so some signals take longer to clear. The classic examples eastbound are the homes at West Ham, Becontree and Elm Park. Those three areas are a pain in the proverbial rear when you have a train in front.