District line - Thursday 8th Dec

Sounds like a nice quiet day. At least the District had a better start to the day than the H&C which started with six consecutive signals failing at Kings Cross for the first train.

Oh, what a shame I've got training all week! ;D

Yes I was greeted by a lot of angry passengers at Chalfont this morning, who like to have their trains on time, strange lot! ;D

I could have sworn I heard the District controller on the train radio today, saying "driver there is nothing I can do, the blocking back is being caused by Baker Street holding cirlces".

I thought of you as soon as I heard it ;D

It all went tits up again at about 0025! Yet another unattended item left on a train, so comlpetely suspended through the city for about 20 mins.

The drivers of the last trains would have been happy! ;D

On that branch all that generally means is that one train has been cancelled.

Yep, Colin did! See This Thread
;D

To add to this my experiences of the day, seeing as they fit quite neatly between TMBA and Alan's working times lol!

Booked on at 12:38 for a spare turn!!

The piece of paper I was handed stated the following....

"T72 13:44 ECTW -> 14:30 ECTE

Meal break 14:50 - 15:20

T30 15:29 ECTE -> 17:25 ECTW"

Well, that was fine EXCEPT THAT.....

72 finally turned up at 14:08 and we got back to Earls Court at 14:50 - just in time for our grub.......

30 was only about 5 mins late for our pick up, and we should have gone to Barking to reverse via the sidings with the train booked to go back to Wimbo.

A reasonable run through the city suggested that we should be back on time, all things being equal, for our departure from Barking, but no!

A passenger was taken ill at West Ham (fitting I believe) and they couldn't move anything until the ambulance attended. So the controller started turning some trains so that at least there was some sort of w/b service through the city. We were instructed to reverse at Whitechapel and were routed into Platform 1 as 2 was already occupied by a D stock ready to go back west. Therefore we would have had to do the mainline shunt to get to Platform 3.

But of course, that was too simple!

I leave the cab to shut the doors up while my trainee is doing the PA's and tring to placate the customers who were there usual understanding selves

Having achieved this, the Supervisor appears and says that there's been a change of plan, and we're to do a 'stock and crew' with the train that is just arriving in P2, so we open the doors up again and say 'sorry folks, change of plan' etc. Oh yes, and we'd been told that the train would go to Richmond.

I spoke to the driver of the train in 2 and told him of the Cunning Plan.

So all this is achieved. We go to the west end and set up the CIS for Richmond. Then I notice the signaller is attracting my attention; change of plan again - we're now to go to Wimbo as booked. So the CIS is duly reprogrammed and finally we leave.

All fair enough so far.

On arrival at Tower Hill the train's being described as a Richmond, and this is the same at each station so at Mansion House I call the Controller who confirms that yes, there's been another change of plan and the train will be for Richmond after all and we'll then go back to High Street for our booked w/b working - yeah - right!! CIS changed again......

Of course, we get back to Earls Court early, so I go and see the DMT and ask what he wants us to do. As I said I've been told we're getting off at 17:25; the Earls court DMT is under the impression we're on it until 18:15 for relief Earls Court East. Now, I'm not too bothered, as we're well within times and it's good experience for my trainee, so off we go to richmond, and it's certainly clear that there hasn't been a train for quite a while as the platforms are all packed - and already a crowd on Richmond waiting for an e/b service (add to this too that Silverlink seem to be in their usual mess too!!)

So, a quick turn round, destination set to High Street and away we go.

All to easy! We get to Hammersmith and I see that the train is now up as an Upminster so I call the Controller again who confirms that it's wrong, and we are to go to HSK, then to Parsons Green to reverse for our e/b working.

So, up to HSK, another quick turn round and off to PG where we tip out. Only 22 Road is available, so in we go.

Shut down, change ends, get it all set up for it's e/b working and then wait for the signals to clear; at this point it's about 18:05 and we're looking good to get to ECT for 18:15.

At this point I note that the train next to us in 21Rd is unmanned......

At about 18:10 there's the sound of points throwing so I expect the shunt to clear; but no - the shunt has cleared for 21Rd - next to us, the road which has no driver on the train! I call the Controller and tell him this. 'Thanks very much driver, I'll have a word with the signaller'. This is followed fairly shortly by the shunt going back and of course we now have a delay while a release is taken.

Finally we get the route, so off we go, sailing serenely past the packed platform at PG e/b as we can't enter service there.

We arrive at ECTE at 18:18.

Now, officially we've still got over two hours of our duty left. So I call the Acton DMT and ask him if he's got a job for us. 'I'll call you back - I may have one I need you to stable' he says. So we go to the canteen for a cuppa and to await his call. At 19:15 he still hasn't phoned, so I phone him again. He hasn't got anything for us, so we're to go back to Acton. At this point I let the trainee go, as he lives 'east' anyway, and it's unlikely that there will be anything much to do anyway.

I then make a fatal error... Bearing in mind the DR is pretty devastated I decide to take the Picc back to Acton Town.

A Ruislip turns up almost immediately and I expect to get back to Acton in about ten minutes. HA!!! Thirty minutes later we finally arrive at ACT. By this time I've been getting the stares of hate from every passenger on the train as we stand at pretty well every signal between Barons Court and Acton Town. The driver is doing a few PA's, but it's quite clear he doesn't know why the delay, other than a queue of trains.

So finally I get into the Acton DMT's office at 19:45 - still an hour ahead of my finish time. I get myself a coffee and wait.

I finish my coffee and at 20:00 the DMT (in his caring way) says 'Oi you - I'm breaking the rules with a naughty word off!' Not being one that needs to be told twice I duly do so, so I still got 45 mins out of it

So, sorry colleagues - no overtime for me

Can I remind you now?

I'm speechless. Not at the kind thoughts of me though

The fact that your controller still believes we hold the Circles on purpose to block your railway up, and that we are on some kind of commission. I've said it loads of times, I wish.

I wonder what his excuse was for the blocking back from Whitechapel last night. The signal operator claimed it was because we sent him 2 H&Cs. That we did, but they were both on time so shouldn't have caused problems.

I look forward to the forthcoming move of your controllers to a room near us. Maybe then one of them may become lost and end up in our room, where they can see how it all works - it would be a first.