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Post by rheostar on Apr 12, 2020 19:57:46 GMT
not as low anywore moved it higher a few years ago and now got a lit 10mph speed restriction at start of platform if it's showing red Showing my ignorance, I've been off the Picc for two years now.
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Post by rheostar on Apr 11, 2020 9:02:39 GMT
This is one of the notable changes that nobody can quite understand since the introduction of PICU - it is before my time on the Pic, but my understanding is that prior to PICU, PJ320 served to allow a train to berth into platform 4 as described, but with PJ31 route 1 clear. That's probably not such a bad thing as there were so many SPADs at PJ320. The main reason for the SPADs is that PJ320 is low down at track side on the left hand side. Despite bigger back plates to make the signal more visible, drivers kept hitting it.
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Post by rheostar on Mar 27, 2020 22:41:42 GMT
My brother's been working at home for the past couple of weeks. He said that with his laptop and mobile phone, there wasn't much he couldn't do in regards to his job. The only thing he's really missed is going for a pint after work!
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Post by rheostar on Feb 27, 2020 8:42:42 GMT
There used to be a station cat at Cockfosters that lived in the supervisor's office.
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Post by rheostar on Feb 18, 2020 13:51:18 GMT
Or, if somebody is "thinking outside the box", to be cut up and sold via the LTM shop! Carrying a shoe off a train or a fishplate is hard enough, so anything more than an inch long section of juice rail would be so heavy!
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Post by rheostar on Feb 17, 2020 8:24:04 GMT
Certainly no Arnos Grove to Green Park extras as the moment. Anyone know why? Around 13.45 there was a report of smoke at the east end of Hyde Park Corner station, this later required traction current off in the siding to investigate, the Down Street trains were cancelled as a consequence. From what I've been told, this was the wrong road starter trainstop catching fire.
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Post by rheostar on Jan 18, 2020 14:14:27 GMT
I know I was We were probably talking to each other. ;-)
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Post by rheostar on Jan 17, 2020 13:38:29 GMT
Was that the one at Barons Court a few years ago? Yes it was Barons Court and it wasn’t years ago. We did go through a spell in the early 00’s of contractors even though couldn’t prove it throwing ballast up to them which caused them to break. Last time it did break was around 18 months to 2 years ago now Think I was on shift for that one!
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Post by rheostar on Jan 17, 2020 10:58:29 GMT
No I hit one from another don’t ask long story but I got one spare and they are rare as rocking house poop Was that the one at Barons Court a few years ago?
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Post by rheostar on Dec 3, 2019 8:25:13 GMT
The minimum requirement for somewhere to have a meal relief was a hot water point, a cooker or facility to heat food and somewhere to sit.
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Post by rheostar on Nov 30, 2019 10:21:11 GMT
I travel to Tottenham on match days between Borxbourne and Northumberland Park. So far it's been pretty good. There's never any problems going in from Broxbourne, with the existing service coping quite well.
Coming home, there's some crowding to get into the Northumberland Park northbound platform. The most I've had to wait gettting onto the platform's been about ten minutes, but that was the West Ham game so security was a bit tighter. On average, I've waited for five or six minutes for a Broxbourne train. It'll probably be rubbish coming home from the Bournmouth game later today!
All things considered, the service is coping well.
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Post by rheostar on Nov 10, 2019 10:10:04 GMT
I thought that they were painted those colours. I seem to remember newly overhauled units having white ceilings in DMs and yellow in trailers and NDMs. You could always tell newly overhauled units as the roofs were a much lighter colour. That's because the panels were so stained the cleaners couldn't get the yellow out of them.
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Post by rheostar on Nov 6, 2019 9:03:00 GMT
I used to avoid smoking cars unless I had to travel in one. The state of the car interior roof panels gave away what happened to the lungs of those who smoked/lived with smokers; they were off white in the non-smoking cars and light umber in the smokers... When changing ends I used to hold my breath going through the smoking cars. As you say, the roof panels were a dirty yellow colour. The wooden floors were covered with burn scars, cigarette butts and empty packets. The smoking ban was one of the best things for the Underground.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 6, 2019 7:09:09 GMT
I hope you mean "braking distance" ! Oops! Dyslexic fingers! Mind you, in the case of Holborn perhaps I was right. :-D
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Post by rheostar on Sept 5, 2019 21:44:20 GMT
Prior to this incident, as Motormen we were taught that there was always 'a safe braking distance' between a signal and a train in section ahead. Afterwards, this was changed to 'a breaking distance'.
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Post by rheostar on Aug 22, 2019 7:51:10 GMT
During a strike, the service level is dependant on the number of T/Ops that report for duty. The Piccadilly line would aim to run a service between Heathrow and Hammersmith at the west end and Cockfosters and Arnos Grove on the east. For the signalling staff, these two services are relatively easy to operate. With the introduction of PICCU it'll be even easier to run. The Piccadilly Line between Northfields and Heathrow is still controlled by signallers at Earls Court, who could be part of the strike. It all depends on who's on strike. If it's just the T/Ops then there'd be a full compliment of SOs. If the SOs were to join a strike then the desks would be worked by managers. In the past, I've worked both the Northfields and Acton Town desks during a strike. I forget the exact timeline now, but I think the Acton Town desk migrated to South Ken quite recently with Northfields at some point later this year. The OP asked what it's like for Service Control staff during strikes. It's actually quite relaxing! Only running say ten trains between Hammersmith and Heathrow is a doddle compared to the 79 that's normally out on the railway.
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Post by rheostar on Aug 21, 2019 8:56:35 GMT
Although a controller may argue that running less than a certain number of trains may cause crowding issues when word gets out that a service is running. As I said the Sevice Manager in conjunction with Higher Management will decide on the service to be run on a strike day, if stations are over crowded they will be closed. I have been working on strike day in the past when on the Piccadily Line it has run short shuttle services at each end of the line. Each strike day it's different, but plans are in place to manage it but are not put out to the public until they can be sure of the available resources. During a strike, the service level is dependant on the number of T/Ops that report for duty. The Piccadilly line would aim to run a service between Heathrow and Hammersmith at the west end and Cockfosters and Arnos Grove on the east. For the signalling staff, these two services are relatively easy to operate. With the introduction of PICCU it'll be even easier to run.
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Post by rheostar on Aug 1, 2019 7:42:21 GMT
wonder why arnos grove sidings isn't included in this It seems strange that Arnos Grove isn't included. Without those seven sidings, there isn't enough space for the current fleet, let alone additional trains during the change over period.
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Post by rheostar on Jul 6, 2019 6:19:18 GMT
Elderly neighbour tells me that he used to catch a Piccadilly Line train in the early morning at West Kensington to go to Northfields. Surely he is mistaken. I cannot think of a single reason for a Piccadilly Line train to ever be on the slow line (District Line tracks) east of Baron's Court. We used to do that move in the early mornings as part of a night shift. Think it stopped in the early eighties.
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Post by rheostar on Jun 12, 2019 7:17:10 GMT
Thanks, that makes more sense with regards to the Picc line, although the district does serve acton town as well, and this seems ok to run a picc service. District has it's own tracks at Acton Town. The District doesn't have it's own tracks, the District just uses the local east and westbound platforms. The signalling for both the fast and local roads comes from the same IMRs.
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SPADs
Jun 11, 2019 7:06:50 GMT
Post by rheostar on Jun 11, 2019 7:06:50 GMT
Once inside the tunnel, slow the train to 35 then look for the reflection of A655 on the left hand running rail. If it was red then apply the brakes, if it was green then back into full parallel to Earl's Court. (My bold) If a reflection is what was relied upon then it doesn't surprise me this signal was often passed at danger! There's ample sighting distance for A655 if a T/Op's doing the correct speed. Looking for the refelction to change just allows the T/Op to go into full parallel earlier and go faster. It's all about knowing the road.
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SPADs
Jun 10, 2019 7:43:02 GMT
Post by rheostar on Jun 10, 2019 7:43:02 GMT
Now enforced by a 25mph timing section on the first automatic signal inside the tunnel, something that superteacher and I remember before installation! The timing section has always been there for A655. The speed limit used to be 35mph into the tunnel mouth, but was changed to 25 in the mid '90s due to the large number of SPaDs at A655. From Barons Court we'd go into full parallel down the hill into the tunnel mouth. Once inside the tunnel, slow the train to 35 then look for the reflection of A655 on the left hand running rail. If it was red then apply the brakes, if it was green then back into full parallel to Earl's Court. A SPaD is a SPaD and is a safety issue. As has already been said in this thread, it's not the actual SPaD that's the problem, it's what the T/Op does afterwards that's the issue.
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Post by rheostar on Jan 10, 2019 14:02:01 GMT
The trains are heavier after refurb and are worked a lot more than when new. Also in as delivered condition they were fitted with wheel slip/slide detectors but it didn't work and it was removed. The refurb was in 1999 although they have always had a few flats but nothing like we saw in 2016 so something somewhere must have changed Following the refurb, I believe that each car was about a ton heavier. When I was a guard I remember my driver pointing out the piled up redundant slip side equipment in Northfields depot. That must've been about 1979 so it didn't last long on the 73 stock.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 28, 2018 9:08:14 GMT
Last week I was chatting to one of the Piccadilly line Service Controllers. He was saying that one of the T/Ops complaints was that they don’t like the way the Controllers speak to them or give instructions over the radio. The RMT train side reps insisted that all Piccadilly line Controllers go on a course on ‘how to speak to people’ or something of that ilk. However, the Controllers with their RMT and TESSA reps are refusing point blank to go on any courses. They believe they’ve done nothing wrong and are just doing their job. This could run and run. Point of order its TSSA as in Transport Salaried Staff Association not TESSA. If the Service Controllers on the Piccadilly are anything like those on the Central then some of them certainly need training as they don't seem to have had much practise communicating with other human beings (or maybe they consider drivers to be a lower form of life) Re TSSA....oops! You'd never think that I was a member! Re controllers - That's simply not true as most of the Picc controllers are ex Picc T/Ops.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 27, 2018 16:29:30 GMT
So is the RMT on both sides of the negotiating table? So it would seem.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 27, 2018 15:28:36 GMT
Last week I was chatting to one of the Piccadilly line Service Controllers. He was saying that one of the T/Ops complaints was that they don’t like the way the Controllers speak to them or give instructions over the radio. The RMT train side reps insisted that all Piccadilly line Controllers go on a course on ‘how to speak to people’ or something of that ilk.
However, the Controllers with their RMT and TESSA reps are refusing point blank to go on any courses. They believe they’ve done nothing wrong and are just doing their job.
This could run and run.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 26, 2018 17:23:59 GMT
Now that it's been decommissioned, it should be OK to post some pictures of the HP1000s that ran PEECS at Earl's Court. These are the three HP1000s in the equipment room. There's two main computers with the far right one being a spare. Untitled by rheostar, on Flickr This is the main unit. Untitled by rheostar, on Flickr Think this one worked the graphics, can't remember now. Untitled by rheostar, on Flickr This is what the control desk looked like in 1982. As far as I know, this is the only picture of the original 'Metal Micky' that we have. Untitled by rheostar, on Flickr Just for interest, these are the King's Cross and Hyde Park Corner program machines located not too far from the HP1000s in the relay room. Untitled by rheostar, on Flickr If I get time, I'll try and write up a potted history of PEECS in the next day or so.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 26, 2018 17:11:36 GMT
I'd just like to point out that the actual computers were not at fault (I don't know the system but that's not a possible failure mode for any CPU). Rather it would be the software, or ancillary hardware that was at fault. Nice to see a shot of a proprietary commercial computer that LU used though, so thanks for that link. That's very true. The actual HP1000s worked without too many problems, although they did overheat at times. It was the other kit and software that caused the problems with the signalling system.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 24, 2018 16:00:02 GMT
I thought this had been discussed before. North End is indeed right. On the T5 section, X402 and X399 are to prevent more than one train occupying a tunnel fan ventilation section. The 3 X signals east of Manor House, X855, X883 and X887 are explained as data collection signals. This was indeed to do with the archaic computer that controlled that area (known as Metal Mickey). Now that the PICU signalling upgrade has taken place, those X signals will revert back to standard automatic signals at some stage. Actually, that's not quite right. The X signals between Manor House - Turnpike Lane, Wood Green - Bounds Green are not data collections signals. They were introduced to protect the PEECS (Piccadilly East End Computer System (Metal Micky/Evil Edna)) system. When the computerised signalling system was introduced there were so many problems. Trains were taking 30/40 minutes to travel between Wood Green and Cockfosters, it was an absolute nightmare. The computers kept losing data and instead of having the correct number on the diagram each train was labelled '000' as it's data was lost. It was discovered that if a train applied the rule at A855, as soon as it passed over the next block joint and entered the occupied section ahead, the computer wouldn't recognise it when the train ahead left the signalling section. The computer thought there was a track circuit failure as the track stayed down so put up the three zeros. Us Motormen found out about this, so boys being boys, as soon as we arrived at A855 and the stick was on, we'd wait exactly one minute then apply the rule knowing that the train's data would be lost. To stop us doing this, the automatic signals on the boundaries to PEECS were changed to X signals, eliminating some problems. However, most of the problems remained until the introduction of PICU last year.
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Post by rheostar on Sept 3, 2018 8:05:38 GMT
Thought you might find this interesting.
Mr AV's been taking drone video of the new Spurs stadium build, but now he's moved onto the railway.
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