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Post by spsmiler on Sept 21, 2021 12:42:33 GMT
In what ways are the NLE stations much much better? Truly curious as I'm not able to visit them for a long while. Much better design and space. Use of colour too. Look at the videos on the thread. JLE stations (such as Canary Wharf and North Greenwich) seem dark, dingy and heavy when compared to the NLE.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 21, 2021 12:27:11 GMT
We know that with the worst part of the pandemic thought to be behind us people are being encouraged to return to normal life. I noticed this at Regents Park station it made me think of the TfL advertising campaign currently underway encouraging people to help repair TfL's finances by returning to public transport. This was filmed through the open doors of a train calling here, I also tried filming from the station platform but could not get far enough away from the wall to include the station name - and was too concerned for my safety to step backwards and get close to the platform edge.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 21, 2021 12:03:39 GMT
From what I have seen on Twitter I thought Battersea Power Station (Station) reminded me of the Jubilee line extension a bit Both stations are much much better than the Jubilee line extension. (Crossrail has a different style and scale) Another present-era station like BPSS with escalators / stairs at both ends is Stratford International DLR. But here the platforms are sub-surface and the escalators lead to ground level. I expected modern stations but when I entered them from street I experienced a wow factor as the escalators reached their lower landings. At platform level I noted the passive provision for platform screen doors I shared these tweets just before midnight but was too whacked to share them further. Apologies for the spelling mistake (to to should have been to two) - as ever I only proof-read what I had written after having pressed the 'publish' button). Nine ElmsThe station's core design reminded me of Gants Hill. Escalators lead down to a spacious waiting area with a high ceiling that extends for about half the length of a train and is located between the two side platforms.
Battersea Power Station station
I now have a video to make!
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 20, 2021 17:10:19 GMT
At platform level Nine Elms station made me think of a present-era version of Gants Hill - with ooldes of concrete.
Battersea Power Station Station is much grander than most UndergrounD stations - a taste of Crossrail / Elizabeth line?
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 18, 2021 13:30:53 GMT
In many ways the ELL extension to Highbury & Islington was a reinstatement of what was there 'until very recently' - and not something brand new.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 18, 2021 13:24:23 GMT
Late 2021 for Ilford and early 2022 for Romford. As is the case with most of the TFL Rail rebuilds, the sites are heavily constrained by their surroundings and limited work windows in certain areas owing to proximity to operational infrastructure. This work is by Network Rail not TfL Rail. Yes me - see tweet, below. Photos taken Friday 17th, from a message on a Google group I gather that the glass was delivered on Thursday.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 23:37:10 GMT
So because of this extension Mill Hill East will be getting through trains again?
I hope to get to Battersea on Monday, have another commitment in the morning but the afternoon should be OK. Its not the most needed extension here in London but it does seem to serve areas that are not well served by mainline services.
I wonder if it will ever be extended? Clapham Junction has been mooted but I read somewhere that a lobby group want it extending to Imperial Wharf, to aid regeneration.
I suppose that if someone in the Imperial Wharf area has £1bn in loose change under the sofa then they might just strike lucky!
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 23:27:41 GMT
What an interesting idea - I too had never heard about this before, but it could be a way to attract visitors! Yes I would go to this, just for the trains. Especially if easily reached by mainline train.
If successful then maybe when the 1973ts becomes available they will want one of them too?
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 23:21:22 GMT
Marylebone's platform capacity is already stretched by Chiltern's timetable, with little room to expand. I think Marylebone's fewer onward connection opportunities would also make it a very unpopular place to terminate LU trains. That's notwithstanding the difficulty you might have justifying an extension of a unique electrification sysyem onto NR metals. NR-standard third rail systems are already difficult enough to extend as they are seen to have a dubious safety case. Yes connectivity is poor - but it could be worse (eg: Fenchurch Street, no LU services at all!) I've got an idea .. need crayons .. pure fantasy but to join up some missing links and make better use of existing infrastructure. The Horseshoe line to provide connectivity with Victoria, Waterloo and more. I'll explain more elsewhere here at DD (but only when I've formalised my ideas).
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 23:10:54 GMT
OR, you could continue the LU electrification to Marylebone, and terminate the 'fasts' there, to ease the crowding at Baker Street. Chiltern could eventually obtain some dual-power stock for use in the 'forbidden zone'. Would be cheaper than overhead - especially in the tunnels just outside Marylebone. The overcrowding at Baker Street could be cured by revisiting the proposals to build a route to Edgware Road.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 23:04:32 GMT
It's not all that unusual in the preservation world. The Spa Valley regularly operate their 3-CIG in push-pull working as a sort of "3-TC" and Epping-Ongar have done similar with the 4-CIG they used to own. Operationally there are some particular significant advantages for each case. For the SpVR, the layout of Eridge station does not allow for running round, so ordinarily even a single-train service requires two locomotives top-and-tailing, or swapping at Eridge. Push-pull working allows you to use just one locomotive so is good for the low season. In Epping-Ongar's case, it allowed running to Coopersale without top-and-tailing or running in reverse. On LU, I'm not sure these advantages are worth much as the 4-TC is so often top-and-tailed on heritage workings for other reasons. But when the 4-TC is loaned out to other preserved lines, its capability is often appreciated. no different in many ways to railways which (in steam engine days) ran trains in push pull mode, the Chesham shuttle having been just one of the many examples which used to operate this way here in the UK.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 17, 2021 22:42:10 GMT
Undercoat painted Q38 DM and 1927ts trailer The seating unit for the Q38 needs straightening, I am hoping that placing it in hot (not boiling) water will help here. Ideally I would also like a Q or COP composite trailer. I'm waiting for LTM to finish their working Q stock train as I have no idea of the signage these carried (and the correct colours of the signs). Then the next hurdle will be getting this in OO scale format, as my artistic abilities do not extend to freehand sign writing. Maybe for this taking photos of the signs and printing OO scale size images of these on paper will work (unsure) Now that I have the paints I need I am hoping to find time soon (ideally tomorrow) to start painting the seating units - the insides of the body shells will have to wait until I've done the outsides and this cannot be done until I've been to Halfords to buy the paints for the outsides. With a bit of luck I will get to Halfords this coming week, as (because of the smell) I would like to do my spray painting outdoors and leave the painted models in a garden shed overnight to dry. Ideally this needs doing before the weather turns cold. Station platform lighting fluorescent lighting under construction! This is not quite to scale but once completed will look the part. What you see here is square section hollow plastic tube with 15mm (approx) long brass tube sections (painted with black self etching undercoat) superglued on one side. Plus a temporary use of unpainted circular brass tube which is here to hold what I am gluing in place AND (most important) ensure that it is straight! I used brass (rather than plastic) circular tube because plastic will let light shine through. But I could not also use brass square tube because the circular tube sections might be electrically live and I do not want short circuits. For lights I bought some 3 volt LED cob strip lights on eBay. These are scarily bright! What I plan to do is alternate the electrical polarity of the lights each time, as then I will only need one feeder wire for each end unit (the things which look black here). These feeder wires will power the lights on each sides of the end units. I would prefer to add to each positive polarity feeder wire a resistor for 12v, but am not sure if the resistors will cope with two lights each. My aim is to avoid future accidental blowing of the LEDS by someone giving them 12v instead if 3v. Resistors will be located above the roof, so out of sight - and where there will be enough ventilation to prevent them from overheating. Before fitting the lights I will need to paint everything white. Also slowly coming is the LU signal - the signal head has been painted black and I've drilled out the 'pigs ears' with a manual drill (powered would be overkill) and 0.8mm drill bit. For lighting I am using pre-wired SMD LED lights. These are tiny and to make handling easier I've glued their backs to some black paper. For the front lens I am thinking of adding translucent cereal packet plastic that has been painted black with paint that has been thinned. This will create the right look of darkness when the light is not illuminated whilst allowing the red or green to shine through when required. Something I strongly dislike is LED lights with the colour visible at the front! Thats all for now.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 15, 2021 18:15:47 GMT
I was actually about to create a thread on this topic until seeing someone had already done so. I am happy they had a positive experience but unfortunately I have not, having travelled on the 8th September on Chesham Fast which was diverted along the slow lines. The train slowed down before almost every station between Harrow and Moor Park which was clearly due to it following a stopper (can control room signallers do much about this?). The journey was slowed down as a result and you may as well have just allowed the train to call at all stations.... Sorry but why was the decision taken to alter the Harrow hot working plan? It used to be only Southbound services and now its Northbound ones too. When will the points in the Harrow area (the ones allowing crossing between local and fast trains) be replaced so that they are not reliant on weather conditions? I recall there were plans to change these at some point. Or is this simply some sort of plan to slow the fast services to such an extent that they seem "useless" and gives an excuse to scrap them entirely in future? Hand the fast tracks over to Network Rail and convert Marylebone - Moor Park to AC traction? (Plus Chiltern get some trains that can use it, as part of a policy to end the use of diesel transports within the London Low Emissions Zone).
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 15, 2021 18:08:22 GMT
Can’t remember the blue but anything similar to Ultramarine blue would be ok. For the seats I think a maroon is about right. The scale is just too small to both with the moquette detail. In one of the model railway magazines this month they have a feature about detailing the inside of BR Mk2 InterCity carriages and the person doing this stuck paper that had been printed the correct colours on the seats!
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 15, 2021 16:55:26 GMT
Apart from Merseyside where the Combined Authority bought their own, and I'm not sure if ScotRail and TfW have to ask Whitehall as well as Edinburgh/Cardiff. The majority of English TOCs are at the diktat of Whitehall though. Merseyrail is an unusual setup now as the TOC was transferred from DfT supervision to the Liverpool City Regional body and as such exists outside the regular franchising (or contracting out arrangements under GBR) overseen by the DfT. Like TfL this provides more flexibility in how things are arranged - for example if the owner of the lease for the rolling stock is the local authority but operations are contracted out then an increase in rolling stock will be easier to achieve than on the DfT administered setup where the leasing costs are paid for by the TOC and an increase in rolling stock requires an increase in subsidy from the DfT.
TfLs Overground operation is similar - they hold the rolling stock leases (or own the stock outright), but contract out operations. Unlike TfL however Merseyrail still receives some grant funding from the DfT via the aforementioned Liverpool City Regional authority
ScotRail is the responsibility of the Scottish parliament and it is moving towards a 100% Government owned and operated setup having previously been franchise setup as per the DfTs model. The Welsh Government is doing the same with TfW sponsored rail services - though in both cases rolling stock will still be leased from the private sector rather than being owned outright. Funding for Scotrail comes from the Scottish Government and funding for TfW comes from the Welsh Government - though you could argue that as they both get a large grant from the UK Treasury every year ScotRail and TfW are indirectly partly funded by the DfT
The odd one out in all this of course is England where the ideological aversion to state ownership by the ruling party means that even under the much trumpeted GBR virtually everything will remain in private hands (including the TOCs leasing rolling stock) with the DfT continuing to give out contracts (that are basically franchise agreements with the revenue risk element stripped out and placed with the taxpayer).
As with many other things (indoor smoking ban, plastic bag levy, end to capacity enhancing road building - not to be confused with schemes that address safety issues, etc) the devolved nations are leading the way in the provision of rail services while the English Governing party is more concerned about protecting their wealthy shareholding mates / the financial sector and continue to waste vast amounts of money on reshuffling the deckchairs while ignoring they key role railways (and things like electrification) can play in tackling climate change.
I feel sure that all the light rail / tram services in several British towns and cities plus the Tyne & Wear Metro / Glasgow Subway are in a similar situation as London, especially as they also own their own infrastructures.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 12, 2021 18:53:44 GMT
!50s (20 of them) are going on GWR being replaced with 165/166s but the cascade is delayed by lack of 769s. The turbo trains would be a candidate for conversion but the the quick turnaround times at termini on the branches don't leave a lot of time for a charge. GWR also have an experimental 802 intercity as a battery train charging as it goes when under the wires. The thinking being that overhead wires would not be needed at stations and complicated trackwork as overhead electrification confined to runs between stations that would be a lot cheaper. I like the concept of topping up batteries whilst the train is travelling as an alternative to extended dwell times charging batteries at the route terminus. Its so logical. Overseas this concept has already been proven successful with buses, where its called in-motion charging (IMO) but here in the UK only the railways see the value of this concept. I wonder if LU have ever thought of adopting this concept as a way of removing potential dangers of electrified rails from most stations.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 11, 2021 20:56:30 GMT
More painting today ... I now have a black signal head and base; also discovered that I need silver paint for the metal pole (I'm using brass tubing and also painted it today using an etching primer designed for metalwork)
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 11, 2021 20:48:08 GMT
A heads up for anyone using the Central Line this weekend, just reported on the ASLEF WhatsApp group, there will be a shortage of control room staff at Wood Lane so there will be a special service, rumoured to be 26 trains Lummey
And as if things weren't bad enough RMT is reporting that anti-vaxxers are sticking up posters on the Tube with razor blades hidden behind them to injure anyone who tried to remove them. The "word" scum seems too mild for these sort www.rmtlondoncalling.org.uk/content/anti-vaxers-who-target-tube-lacing-posters-razor-bladesLast year I expressed my gratitude to public transport workers in keeping things running during the first crisis. Firstly i want to express my continued gratitude. Personally I wear a mask. Sure I don’t like them but it is not about me. In the peaks, ridership seems quite low and from Ealing I see more than most wearing masks, curiously at Shepherds Bush it seems to drop. I don’t get why people ignore the recommendations or hide blades etc - I am not going to offer anything beyond expressing my disgust at this. I don’t understand it and will not attempt to try to. All I can say is that me and probably most travellers do appreciate the risk being taken by tube workers and are not ‘selfish’ enough to not wear masks or follow the recommendations. They should be legally enforced but in all honesty those who ignore them now would continue to do so, and the police and other authorities are busy enough. So, I guess I am finishing this with another thank you - us travellers would be stuck without everyone working for TfL, please carry on doing the job you are not really recognised for. re: gratitude to the staff keeping the service going, I too would like to express gratitude, even though I was not allowed to use the services they were operating. re: the Central line service this weekend, I suppose that this is a side-effect of the inability to train staff due to covid restrictions, etc. As for the razor blades .... if true then I am horrified at the very thought of such depravity. I won't criticise them for their points of view about the vaccines, but I strongly condemn them for such unjustified evil. Causing what potentially could be life-changing harm to railway staff removing their flyposters is not the way to resolve the issue.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 11, 2021 20:27:17 GMT
Does anyone have any updates on Ilford Station. Will the main entrance on Cranbrook Road reopen soon? That would be an astonishment. I walked past it yesterday, from the street it looks like very little is happening. Certainly none of the glass wall frontage has been installed. But it did look like the lift shafts for platform 1 and platforms 4 / 5* are currently under construction. The lift shaft for platforms 2 / 3 has been there for a while, alas carefully located so as to block the closest stairway between the street entrance and the platform used by London-bound trains. Whilst there is another stairway it is a distance along the platform and since passengers using the passageway to this other stairway will have plenty of time (ie: more time than they had when using the now blocked-off stairway) to see if a train is at the platform one can guarantee that more passengers than before will run down the stairs in the hope of reaching the train in time to catch it. *Although the track has been removed from platform 5 it still exists, as a disused entity. As an aside, but still related to Ilford station and Crossrail / Elizabeth line, it seems that the staffed ticket offices were recently equipped with new ticket machines and these do not work with Oyster cards. In other words in an act of disjointed thinking TfL's own smart card ticketing solution has been withdrawn from the staffed ticket offices. I'm told that the same applies to London Overground stations. Self service ticket vending machines still retain Oyster functionality - as does the POPs tobacconist retail shop next to Ilford station (in days gone by I often bought Travelcard tickets here as there was rarely a queue to be served - unlike the station ticket office).
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 11, 2021 20:03:39 GMT
A second life for more and different types of train.... surely not the diesel powered Pacers, however?
Also not any tube trains when they become available (1972, 1973, 1992 fleets)
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 3, 2021 21:44:42 GMT
Thank you. This will save me from trying to make my own using plasticard or something... I like this version having seats but was really hoping for a version that had lights - which could be adapted to actually work. Maybe what I should do is get the drawings (if possible) and have it 3D printed. Photo from here: c20society.org.uk/building-of-the-month/loughton-station-essexI’m looking at making some of these for my Harrow layout so I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 3, 2021 21:35:41 GMT
btw, Fully automated and unstaffed trains (and unstaffed stations) have existed in Lille, France for something like 40 years. The stations have platform doors.
By way of contrast, two systems which feature the same degree of automation but without platform doors are the Vancouver Skytrain which has been running since circa 1986 and Lyon metro line D which has been running since circa 1991.
I do not know what either system does to detect intruders (on the tracks) and to ensure safety when trains close their doors and depart from stations.
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Post by spsmiler on Sept 3, 2021 21:09:31 GMT
Thanks for that information - I emailed Phil Radley to tell him that I had discovered a correct colour for the train interiors and now think that I ought to pass on your updated information too.
I am curious about the 'tiny bit of blue paint' which you suggested. Which shade of blue?
I am unsure which colour to use for the seats, especially as these were red and green. Maybe I will use a dark red / wine colour.
This past week I spray painted a grey primer, I did it in the garden and left the models in the shed for the best part of the week, not just to dry fully but also because the paint smells awful!
I now need to test them for translucent-ness. I want to check that when I add internal lighting it does not shine through the plastic body!
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 29, 2021 12:04:20 GMT
Driverless trains, or varying Edgware Road District destinations other than Wimbledon, or whatever is being debated, perhaps I was not clear. Everyone comes up with "but we've always done it that way" reasons against new ideas - no-one [almost no-one] comes up with supporting suggestions or varying alternative options. Well yes, if Earls Court could be unclogged then both High Street Kensington and Edgware Road could be used for more services to more destinations. In addition, if CBTC increases capacity on the southern side of the Circle then maybe more trains could be run between Edgware Road and (for instance*) Plaistow, boosting the Circle line service between Victoria and Paddington. This would not directly affect Earls Court! But capacity issues as Edgware Road might mean that some Wimbledon trains would need to stop at High Street Kensington. *Had it been available Mansion House could have been a better terminus point as the section beyond Aldgate East might not be able to accept more trains. re: train AI and despatch, yes this would likely 'see' people caught in doors, probably even satchels, rucksacks / backpacks, arms, etc (especially as 'doors properly closed' detection would also flag an issue in these situations) but what about long hair, scarves, belts and winter coat cords / toggles? As a young child my gloves were on elastic so that if I took them off I did not loose them... these hung down from my jacket sleeves and could also be easily caught in closed doors.
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 29, 2021 11:51:59 GMT
Oh the value of being able to research things said years ago... I'm looking for paint in the correct 'Cerulean Blue' colour for my Radley Models, a search here at DD has revealed that someone else found just what I'm looking for. This thread: districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/689/london-underground-colours quotes 'Citadel Dark Angels Green'.
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 28, 2021 10:53:01 GMT
I seem to recall the JG Bruce book Tube Trains under London also cites the two serious arcing/fire incidents on Standard Stock in 1958 and 1960 at Redbridge and Holland Park as helping accelerate the decision to just go with 8 car trains of the 1959TS type train which of course became 1962TS for the Central. With hindsight and the problems with motors falling off the trains which replaced the 1962ts fleet in mind, many would say that its a shame that near-identical trains were not built again to replace the life-expired 1962 fleet.
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 28, 2021 10:46:38 GMT
There used to be one above the Jubilee Line line diagrams as you get to the platforms at Bond Street (a photo can be seen here), but I don't know if it's still there after the Crossrail enabling works. very interesting web page - some of them were familiar to me, but not them all. I can see the logic in using differently shaped prongs on plugs (etc) as a way to try and ensure that people do not plug things in where they should not go, although nothing is ever fool-proof. I recall once seeing bare wires pushed in to the wall socket, as an alternative to a plug. This was 'many years ago' when going to Australia - the aircraft had to stop to refuel at Bombay airport and I took advantage of this to stretch my legs in the terminal building.
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 24, 2021 23:30:28 GMT
We have a new timetable on the District from 12th September. Well, when I say new; it's the just the current one tweaked here and there. From the 12th September run times have apparently been "revised to reflect the faster run time offered by automatic train operation". To be honest, having skim read a few random trips here there throughout the traffic day, I don't really see much of a reduction. Maybe a minute or so between Tower Hill and Earls Court on some peak time trips but off peak looks no different. It'll be interesting to see how it works from 12th September but I'll be surprised if there's any dramatic change. Speaking with my driver's hat on the District has always had a very generous timetable whilst I've been on it (17 years) but the difference in driving style between legacy and CBTC signalling really highlights just how generous the timetable actually is. My view FWIW is because CBTC gives the driver a countdown timer in the cab its encouraging drivers to shut the doors and depart platforms much more quickly than was the case under legacy signalling. With experience a driver working on a legacy signalled railway can judge whether to waste a bit of time in a platform or get a move on in order to maintain the timetabled path. With the benefit of repeater signals and knowing how an area works, an experienced driver on the legacy railway can work out the best speed to travel through a particular area. The end result of all that experience is that you end up with a journey that likely appears to be more consistent in speed terms and faster than CBTC between stations. In reality the overall journey time is longer but you don't notice the extra dwell time the driver puts in at various platforms or that the driver controlled the speed between stations in a way that CBTC doesn't. With CBTC its go go go straight out of the traps after its encouraged the driver to get the doors shut and press the go buttons. All that achieves is train arriving at the next station earlier than it would have done. Now the train is running early and so CBTC ends up having to slow itself down. The end result is the appearance that CBTC is slower than drivers under legacy signalling. It seems that things are being allowed to drift.... instead of proactively managed. With proper management advantage would be taken of the quicker / shorter journey durations that are possible with CBTC.
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 24, 2021 23:18:46 GMT
I wonder how much it is hoped to be raised by selling the land for redevelopment?
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Post by spsmiler on Aug 20, 2021 23:08:53 GMT
Its been a while since I updated this thread. Partly because progress has been slow. I never seem to have enough time! Anyway, I still have not built the 'Mind the Gap' tube station - I was searching for some postal tubes which I knew I had in the loft. I will get around to this eventually, but am thinking of making it a recreated tube station located at a transport museum. (The 1825 station at Beamish was relocated to there, brick by brick, so the concept already exists 'in real life'). As no models of gate end stock exist I'll put in a couple of Radley Standard Stock tube train cars. I might modify them to have open doors and people inside. I've recently discovered Kingsway printed stations and buildings and am partway through building some of their designs. For platforms I chose the one based on a 1930s station platform. I very much did not want a Northern line south London style station platform as that has no emotional attachment for me. 2mm square section Evergreen / Plastruct plastic strips painted black can represent the tube style of power rails. I have the Peco power rail chairs. I need to fit lights in the station and have found some 30 mm LED lights which could be used to mimic fluorescent lights. I'd like to have them hang down a little from the platform ceiling but it might be easier to not do this. Having looked at photos of real underground stations I've seen enough varieties to know that whatever I do will be prototypically correct for somewhere. I did experiment with fibre optics of a type designed to leak light along the fibre but the amount of light coming out was too little - its a shame as this would have been an easier - and cheaper - option. This image shows part of a platform. I am hoping that one of the model railway suppliers will make for me the correct LU style of platform edge coping with tactile 'dots' (I have asked but await a reply). Then I can add the rest of the platform and get rid of the white cardboard edge seen here. I also need to add adverts, platform end signs, seats, passengers etc. If available I'll also add platform end barriers. I am unsure what to do about litter bins. The name Hitherton comes from something I bought in the late 1990s when the London Underground Railway Society (LURS) were given permission for members to have model railway station names printed using the correct LT logo. I had to choose a name... and that was all I could think of. That said, Kingsway agreed to use my choice of station name as seen here - but I intend to use some of the LURS signage on 'open air' platforms at this station. As Kingsway do not offer passageways with matching tiles I am looking at using a similarish colour card (full colour / not printed) and printing on it a fine grid. This station will be modern-era, with some heritage elements (eg: way out signs) similar to stations such as Highgate, Gants Hill, etc. For station building I chose Mile End (printed with my choice of name) as its sort of from the right era and does not look too big physically / will easily fit in a row of shops. I need modern ticket machines and if I cannot find them commercially will look to reduce something that I photographed down to a small enough image and then print it myself. I'm building my two platform kits slightly differently to how they are meant to be built - I plan to make part of one platform a fully circular tube and even add the inside tube from a kitchen roll beyond the station so that it is possible to look through the station and see the approaching train illuminating the inside of the kitchen roll cardboard tube. For the other platform, wait and see! (cheat comment - Its only just arrived and I cannot build it whilst using a computer). Just to test the concept I pushed an unbuilt kit by Radley of a Standard Stock tube car plus some track in to a kitchen roll cardboard tube. It looks like the cardboard tube will need cutting and widening at the base, but otherwise it will work. As an aside, the tube car kit is a delight, everything just fits together, even the bogie components. So it should be easy to make. When it comes to painting I will have a choice of three colour schemes - plain red, red with cream window frames or red, cream window frames and blue stripe. This third livery was used on trains that went to all the way to Watford Junction instead of just Elephant & Castle - Queens Park.
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