We had a slight delay on the way in this morning at LES (Leytonstone) westbound (platform 2). A handle down at MAA (Marble Arch) meant that we were held in the platform for a few minutes or so. There was also trouble on the Met. When I arrived at ROV it was part suspended Wembley Park - Aldgate due to emergency engineering work at Baker Street. By the time I reached LIS (Liverpool Street), though, it was getting back up to speed. As I made my way onto the westbound platform I noticed that an Aldgate train had just pulled into the opposite platform. Also, when we reached Moorgate, there was a train that was not in service in platform 4 and, as we came to a stop, the lights came on in the carriages so someone was getting it ready to bring it back into service. I also noticed, at King's Cross, that behind us was a Wembley Park train and behind that a semi-fast Uxbridge train. When I left King's Cross there were severe delays on the entire line and, actually, there were still minor delays when I made my way back home. There were also minor delays on the Circle line and I noticed a train in Farringdon sidings. As we headed out of LES eastbound, approaching SNA (Snaresbrook), we got a novel PA:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is for you in the rear car, we've just had someone get on board to hopefully fix a problem with the cab door, so if you hear some banging and crashing - and probably a bit of swearing as well - don't be alarmed."
I guess he got the job done, 'cause I noticed him getting out at WOO (Woodford). I also saw the RAT come trundling through as my HAI (Hainault) train pulled out. I imagine they reversed it back east off of westbound platform 2 (there was (and often is) someone in the back, which speeds this up, as the driver doesn't have to walk back up the train) since I saw it passing over the bridge outside ROV as I headed home.
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Peak hours
It was an early start for me this morning so I was able to take the WER (West Ruislip) train (via WOO) from ROV. It really does make the journey flow much more smoothly. LIS station was unbelievably busy on the subsurface lines this morning, but - happily - although I could not get onto the platform when I arrived, a largely empty all station Watford train arrived from Aldgate very quickly and most people were able to get on that. All the same, I still had to let a pretty full Hammersmith & City line train go before getting a semi-fast Amersham train on towards King's Cross. I happened to notice a Metropolitan line train for all stations to Harrow-on-the-Hill in platform 3 at Moorgate - quite a short working that. Not that there's anything terrifically unusual about this, but, as you know, I do like the different workings employed at rush hour on the Met. At Barbican I spotted the Hammersmith & City line train to Moorgate that was presumably ready to take the Met line train's place :P
All very smooth and perfectly sunny on the way back :)
All very smooth and perfectly sunny on the way back :)
Monday 25 November 2013
Impromptu Travels 2
I've no idea why, but when I arrived at ROV this morning the destination indicators were showing that the WOO train would be later than expected. I saw it approaching and began to make my way up the platform, as usual, to be at the front, which is better for LIS (and HOL). Since the platform is on a curve, you can't see approaching trains (or the destination indicators) from this end of the platform, so I usually wait down at the other end until I see the train approaching. I reached my usual spot and expected to see the train pulling into the platform as usual. It didn't come. Curious, I made my way back down the platform to see it held outside the station, which I've never seen before. No train can surely have been through ROV for 20-25 mins. I don't know what it was waiting for, but it pulled in in the end. We still had a bit of a wait for the train coming down from BUH to clear WOO junction though. By this time I was late for Hindi (although I should stress that I wasn't exactly running early to begin with) so I ended up deciding to go to Russell Square. It made a nice change, I suppose, but the journey isn't as enjoyable and the lifts are a real nightmare.
I was still late for Hindi though :P And after that I had some time to spare and I couldn't resist the temptation to take a spur of the moment trip up the Met to Wembley Park and back. So I did. I walked back to Euston Square, got a Hammersmith train to Baker Street and got aboard a Watford train that was in platform 4. Soon enough we were on our way heading towards Finchley Road. Along the way I made sure to catch a glimpse of the disused Marlborough Road station. You can't see very much of it these days, it's been closed since 1939, but the site of the old platforms is visible:
And, in fact, from the train, a ledge of some sort is actually quite noticeably visible where part of the platforms used to be. The station was closed in 1939 - although the surface building remains - due to heavy congestion on the Metropolitan line between Finchley Road and Baker Street. To alleviate this problem, deep level tunnels were constructed between Finchley Road and Baker Street and these, along with the branch to Stanmore (which was then part of the Metropolitan line) became part of the Bakerloo line. Nowadays, of course, this has been transferred to the Jubilee line. Prior to this, three stations (Swiss Cottage, Marlborough Road and Lord's) had existed between Finchley Road and Baker Street on the Met. All three stations were replaced by two entirely new stations - Swiss Cottage and St. John's Wood.
After Finchley Road, the Met emerges into the sunshine and it's a very pleasant journey up to Wembley Park. As I mentioned over the weekend, for much of the way, there are four London Underground tracks, as can be seen here at Dollis Hill:
As I mentioned in the caption, two Chiltern Railways tracks also run alongside London Underground's tracks. These are on the Aylesbury route, between London Marylebone and Aylesbury (with one of the two trains per hour continuing to Aylesbury Vale Parkway).
This can be clarified by showing all of this in a simplified diagram (signals etc. not included):
This is a pretty accurate representation of the track layout between Finchley Road and Neasden, with the Jubilee line having island platforms between its northbound and southbound tracks. The Met has no platforms at West Hampstead, Kilburn, or Dollis Hill. At Willesden Green and Neasden, the Met also has platforms which are only used in times of severe disruptions or emergencies:
There are also sidings at West Hampstead and Willesden Green to complicate this picture slightly, but the diagram of Dollis Hill gives a very good idea. Beyond Neasden and, in particular, around Wembley Park, things do become much more complicated and I'm afraid I simply don't have the information to go into the track layout around those stations.
Anyway, it's a very pleasant journey, shooting through these stations at speed and between West Hampstead and Kilburn there are some truly spectacular views over the city. Admittedly, on the trip up to Wembley Park, the Sun was in just the wrong place, but all the same it's still very pretty and I was able to enjoy some great views on the way down. You can also get marvellous views of Neasden depot.
When I got to Wembley Park I was delighted to see the Metropolitan line's A-Stock RAT in the fast platform (the platform called at by trains which do not stop at Preston Road or Northwick Park; it is the leftmost platform at Wembley Park (looking towards Preston Road)) and I was sure to have a good look at it. We also passed a heavily graffitied unit of A-stock which had been preserved and is currently sitting looking rather forlorn in the depot. Still, while at Wembley Park, I also noticed an out of service train which was heading for the depot. I watched it be cleared by the shunt signal and head off to the depot and, when my Aldgate train pulled in, we caught up with it making its way around Neasden depot, which was nice. I also caught sight, again, of the track recording train in Neasden depot, so it was a good day for spotting unusual trains :P
After that it was back to Euston Square, but at least I was 10 minutes late for class, in consequence of not quite timing my journey right :P
The trip home was not eventful, but when I got to WOO, I was disappointed to see that 2 EPP trains and a DEB reverser were indicated as the next trains through, on the destination indicator. After one of the EPP trains had gone through, though, the board started displaying:
I was still late for Hindi though :P And after that I had some time to spare and I couldn't resist the temptation to take a spur of the moment trip up the Met to Wembley Park and back. So I did. I walked back to Euston Square, got a Hammersmith train to Baker Street and got aboard a Watford train that was in platform 4. Soon enough we were on our way heading towards Finchley Road. Along the way I made sure to catch a glimpse of the disused Marlborough Road station. You can't see very much of it these days, it's been closed since 1939, but the site of the old platforms is visible:
 |
| The site of former platforms at Marlborough Road. (Image courtesy "Oxyman" (via Wikipedia)) |
After Finchley Road, the Met emerges into the sunshine and it's a very pleasant journey up to Wembley Park. As I mentioned over the weekend, for much of the way, there are four London Underground tracks, as can be seen here at Dollis Hill:
 |
| Southbound platform 2 at Dollis Hill, looking toward Willesden Green. On the far left is the Metropolitan line towards Finchley Road, on the immediate left is the southbound Jubilee line towards Willesden Green, on the right hand side of this island platform is the northbound Jubilee line (obscured by the platform itself in this shot) towards Neasden, to the right of that (visible in this shot as the first line on the right) is the Metropolitan line towards Wembley Park. On the right of this is the Chiltern Railways line. The track nearest to us leads towards the terminus at London Marylebone, the outermost track on the right leads towards Harrow-on-the-Hill (and on to Aylesbury). (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
This can be clarified by showing all of this in a simplified diagram (signals etc. not included):
 |
| The track layout around Dollis Hill station. SB = southbound, NB = northbound, SB2 = southbound platform 2, NB1 = northbound platform 1. The Metropolitan line is shown in purple, the Jubilee line is shown in silver and the Chiltern Railways line is shown in white and lilac. |
 |
| The northbound Jubilee line platform at Willesden Green. This is an island platform, the southbound Jubilee line platform is on our left. Visible on the extreme left and (most easily visible) on the extreme right are the little-used Metropolitan line platforms. Trains usually pass straight through these platforms at (near-)full line speed. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
Anyway, it's a very pleasant journey, shooting through these stations at speed and between West Hampstead and Kilburn there are some truly spectacular views over the city. Admittedly, on the trip up to Wembley Park, the Sun was in just the wrong place, but all the same it's still very pretty and I was able to enjoy some great views on the way down. You can also get marvellous views of Neasden depot.
When I got to Wembley Park I was delighted to see the Metropolitan line's A-Stock RAT in the fast platform (the platform called at by trains which do not stop at Preston Road or Northwick Park; it is the leftmost platform at Wembley Park (looking towards Preston Road)) and I was sure to have a good look at it. We also passed a heavily graffitied unit of A-stock which had been preserved and is currently sitting looking rather forlorn in the depot. Still, while at Wembley Park, I also noticed an out of service train which was heading for the depot. I watched it be cleared by the shunt signal and head off to the depot and, when my Aldgate train pulled in, we caught up with it making its way around Neasden depot, which was nice. I also caught sight, again, of the track recording train in Neasden depot, so it was a good day for spotting unusual trains :P
After that it was back to Euston Square, but at least I was 10 minutes late for class, in consequence of not quite timing my journey right :P
The trip home was not eventful, but when I got to WOO, I was disappointed to see that 2 EPP trains and a DEB reverser were indicated as the next trains through, on the destination indicator. After one of the EPP trains had gone through, though, the board started displaying:
- Epping
- Hainault
- Debden
- Hainault
- Not in service
- Epping Held
Saturday 23 November 2013
Adventures
Well, as it's the weekend, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you some of my first wanderings on the tube, which contributed greatly to my interest in it.
I had, of course, heard about the "tube challenge" where people try to visit every London Underground station in one day in the fastest possible time. To complete this challenge you can only use public transport (or your own steam), but that does, of course, mean that you don't have to visit them all by tube - you can run, or take a bus. You also don't have to use every line, you just have to go to the stations. I didn't really have the will or the way to attempt this stunt, though - it often takes lots of planning and, generally, a night in a hotel at one end of the network or another :P But I did want to see them all and I also wanted to have travelled the whole extent of a line. So, one evening nearly two years ago (8th Janurary) I decided I would go to every station on the Piccadilly line. I chose the Picc because I was living around King's Cross St. Pancras at the time and it struck me as suitably interesting, but not so long that I would not be able to finish. I decided on some moderately arbitrary criteria that I wanted to have actually stopped in a station, in order to say I'd been to it (not merely passed through it) but, because of time constraints, I didn't get out or have a look around, I just wanted to have called at every station.
So, I got on at King's Cross St. Pancras, took a train northbound to Cockfosters and came back to Uxbridge. I had a small problem, though, because Piccadilly line trains do not serve Turnham Green all day. Nowadays, the map gives you the following very useful information:
"Turnham Green
Served by Piccadilly line trains until 0650 Monday to Saturday, 0745 Sunday and after 2230 every evening. Other times use District line"
When I went on this journey, though, it merely said "early morning and late evening only". Now "late evening" is a pretty vague phrase and I wasn't sure if I would miss it, or - indeed - if I'd already missed it. So, coming back from Uxbridge, rather than changing for the Heathrow branch at Acton Town, I decided to stay on to Hammersmith, to see if we'd stop at Turnham Green. Helpfully, at Acton Town, the T/Op came over the PA and told us "the next station for this train is Hammersmith" (meaning we wouldn't be stopping at Turnham Green) but he then closed the doors and I didn't make it off in time. So I had a fairly pointless journey back to Hammersmith before coming back through Turnham Green and on to Heathrow Terminal 5. I then got a train back to Hatton Cross, went round to Heathrow Terminal 4, waited there for about 8 minutes (at the end of which I noticed someone just miss the train, having got caught at the ticket barriers - bad luck) and headed back round through Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, back through Hatton Cross (again) up to Acton Town and back to King's Cross St. Pancras, stopping - at last - at Turnham Green.
The Picc was definitely a good place to start, it's a really nice line. I couldn't quite enjoy it as much as it was dark by the time I got out of the tunnels, but hey, I've mentioned before how nice I find the central section and the four tracking between Hammersmith and Acton Town means you can pass through stations at speed (always nice). Also, the somewhat vintage 1973 stock is quite pretty and gives a very comfortable ride:
Acton Town - Hammersmith
Just for those who might be interested, between these two stations there are four tracks, as can be clearly seen in the picture below:
The leftmost track is the westbound District line towards Acton Town (and, ultimately, Ealing Broadway). To the right of this is the westbound Piccadilly line towards Acton Town (and, ultimately, Uxbridge and Heathrow). To the right of this is the easbound Piccadilly line towards Hammersmith (and, ultimately, Cockfosters) and on the far right is the easbound District line towards Turnham Green (and, ultimately, Upminster). So you can see that the two Piccadilly line tracks are sandwiched, on either side, by the District line. At Chiswick Park the Picc has no platforms, at Turnham Green there're two island platforms in between the Piccadilly and District line tracks:
At Stamford Brook, there is an island platform between the westbound District line tracks and the westbound Piccadilly line tracks; however, it's almost never served by the Picc, being a historical holdover. There is no eastbound Piccadilly line platform:
And at Ravenscourt Park, we have a similar arrangement as at Turnham Green, however the Picc does not call at Ravenscourt Park, except during service disruption, engineering work, etc.:
The Vic
So, anyway, after such success on the Picc, I decided I had to keep it up and I had a free evening later that week and decided, on a whim, to do the Victoria line. Getting on at King's Cross St. Pancras I went up to Walthamstow Central, all the way down to Brixton and back to King's Cross St. Pancras. Easy. It's a nice line, it's fast, it's modern, it's handy (with Pimlico being the only station that doesn't provide interchange) and the new 2009 stock are nice and modern:
They get pretty warm, though, and aren't as comfortable as the old 1967 stock. Also, the only part of the line which isn't in tunnel is the Northumberland Park depot (and a short part of the track which leads to it from Seven Sisters). As such, a passenger on the Victoria line doesn't see daylight again until they leave it :P
The Northern
Next up it was the Northern line (an obvious choice from King's Cross St. Pancras). I took a High Barnet train up to Finchley Central where I changed onto the scenic Mill Hill East branch. With Finchley Central - Mill Hill East - Finchley Central done, I continued up to High Barnet, came back down to Camden Town and changed onto an Edgware branch train. At Edgware I specifically waited for a Kennington via Charing Cross train so that I could finish at King's Cross St. Pancras. I got one and took it to Golders Green, where we had a small wait. There's a crew depot here and we'd had a brief dwell on the way up so I wasn't surprised. The T/Op came over the PA and informed us there'd be a short delay while they changed drivers and then, as we were about to head off, the new T/Op informed us "this is now a Morden via Bank service, ready to depart". So I rushed off it (nowadays I'd've simply stayed on it until Camden Town) and waited on the freezing, dark platform at Golders Green - very very cold and the next train through was Morden via Bank as well. Anyway, I was soon on a Kennington via Charing Cross train and into the tunnel, which begins just outside Golders Green. I continued onto Kennington, changed for a Morden train and made my way back home up the Bank branch to King's Cross St. Pancras.
I am quite a fan of the Northern line. I know a lot of people who don't like it and before the introduction of the 1995 stock:
It was known as the "misery line". I do like the 1995 stock, actually, they may not be ultra-modern, but they're some of the newer trains on the network - first entering service in 1997. (Actually the 1995 designation seems to be purely formal, to distinguish it from the very similar 1996 stock, as the carriages are stamped with the date 1996. The 1995 and 1996 stock are almost identical and were built around the same time by the same company. The 1995 stock is actually the more modern one, though, with a more advanced driving motor. The cab and carriages are also laid out slightly differently.) But yes, despite complaints, I like it - the High Barnet branch is very scenic and the various branches make it an interesting line to traverse. This is ultimately set to become something of a thing of the past. It has long been an aspiration to split the two branches of the Northern line and, with the extension to Battersea underway, it seems like that, eventually, all trains will only from run Edgware to Battersea via Charing Cross or from High Barnet to Morden via Bank. In order to achieve this split, however, a lot of work will need to be done at Camden Town. Planning permission has been refused once, but with lessons learned (especially from the Bank upgrade) it seems likely that, the long-desired split of the Northern line will go ahead, probably around the mid 2020s.
I must say, though, I'm not a fan of the new ATO (which wasn't in use then) which has been rolled out, now (as of 27th October, I think), between High Barnet/Mill Hill East/Chalk Farm and Euston (Charing Cross branch)/Angel. The ride is not at all smooth, with the motors constantly powering and then switching off. The sound of it is quite annoying as well.
The Central line
As the Central had always been my line, it loomed large on my to-do list, but I wanted to be sure to do it during the day time when I could enjoy it. So, one spare weekend, I took the Picc to HOL (Holborn) and made my way to EAB (Ealing Broadway). I then came back to NOA (North Acton) ran up to WER (West Ruislip), did a full trip to EPP (Epping), came down to WOO and got the HAI train all the way round to Stratford (via NEP and LES). At Stratford I decided I would to the Jubilee line
Yes the Central line has its faults, the very nice 1992 stock:
Was built to a budget, the ATO (Automatic Train Operation) is far from cutting edge, the doors come open easily (often leading to jerks as you try to pull out of a platform, where the doors open and the emergency brakes come on as a safety precaution). I like the look of them, though and I find they offer a comfortable ride, which is generally smooth (even with the ATO). The rolling stock may not be perfect, but the line is so, so pretty, it's my link to London and it holds a lot of childhood memories for me. It is by far my favourite line, as I'm sure you'll've gathered :P
The Jubilee line
As I said, on a whim, I decided I might as well do the Jubilee line at Stratford. So, I changed lines, took a train to Stanmore, took one back to Baker Street and managed to get a Circle or H&C line train back to King's Cross St. Pancras, I believe.
I do love the tube, but the Jubilee line is probably my least favourite part of it. There are some really nice views (which it was too dark for me to enjoy that time) up at the north end of it, the whine from the old motors (these are one of the differences between the 1996 stock on the Jubilee and the 1995 stock on the Northern - the ones on the Jubilee are actually older, with the specs having been frozen in 1991 - the technology is simply outdated, but they sound great) is really nice, too. However, I don't really find it very interesting, the extension is nice and has some great architecture on the surface, but underground the dark blue look doesn't appeal. I also don't like the announcer's voice, the ATO system is (and was then) the same as the Northern line's and, while it seems to have improved, it's not as nice a ride as it could be. I, also, don't personally like platform edge doors, I find they ruin the view of the platform from the train and vice versa. Some say they're worth it - I'm unconvinced. The 1996 stock, although (as mentioned above) actually slightly more out-of-date than its 1995 stock counterpart on the Northern line, does have its merits (fancy a game of spot the difference :P):
Apart from the noise they make, they're modern, bright and comfortable enough (ATO problems notwithstanding).
W&C
I suppose I should just mention the Waterloo & City line now. Since there're only two stops on it, having been on it, I had seen all of it. I actually did this a while before I started taking trips all over the tube. I was coming home from, I think, Oxford Circus and I decided to take a trip on it (and the Bakerloo line, as I hadn't been on either), so I changed at BAN, took the W&C to Waterloo, took the Bakerloo back to OXO and made my way home as if nothing had happened :P
It's a useful little line; not terribly interesting. The whole thing is entirely underground, including the depots, and trains have to be lowered onto the line from street level by crane. The line is operated by 1992 stock, but there are various differences between the ones on the W&C and the ones on the Central such that the two are not interchangeable any longer. For one thing, the W&C does not have ATO and there're various cosmetic and technical differences too (time for another game of spot the difference? :P):
The Met
After that, I decided to do the Metropolitan line. I was coming home for university one day, I had plenty of work to do and had meant to do my washing but, as I passed Russell Square, I found myself unable to resist the lure of the Met. It was a beautiful evening, just a few days after we had had heavy snow and many of the platforms were actually still covered in snow and ice. Anyway, having made up my mind, I took the Picc to King's Cross and changed for the Met to Aldgate. I then went up to Amersham (taking care to get an all stations Amersham train), taking in the glorious views between Finchley Road and Wembley Park in the setting sun. I then came back to the frigid Chalfont & Latimer, where I sat in the waiting room and did my reading. Unfortunately, since old Chalfont & Latimer was then (and is now) bereft of electronic indicators - relying on signs and timetables - I got confused and ended up just missing the Chesham, having tried to make sure that a train which had just pulled in on the other platform definitely wasn't mine. So I was there for about an hour, before finally catching the Chesham train. I took that train back to Moor Park and changed for the Watford service, before coming back to Harrow-on-the-Hill for the Uxbridge, which brought me back to King's Cross.
Throughout the whole journey, though, I didn't once get an S stock (which were being newly rolled out at the time). Instead I did the whole journey on the old A60 and A62 stock trains:
As with the C69/C77 designation, the number refers to the date of production. Actually, only one full unit was built in 1960, the rest of the A60s technically being made up of units built in 1961. Still, by the time the last one was withdrawn on 26/09/2012, most were over 50 years old. The A, by the way, stands for Amersham.
Nowadays, of course, the whole line is operated by brand new S8 stock trains (8 for the 8 carriages, S for sub-surface):
These new trains are very nice - bright, spacious, air-conditioned and with excellent information available through the digital displays. They're not quite as comfortable as they might be, though, and there have been a few teething problems (e.g. wheel bearings). Still, I really like the Met: the views are great; it runs over part of the oldest section of bona fide underground railway; the various branches; the fast, semi-fast and all stations running and the multiple tracks along the length of the line to accommodate this, plus four tracking with the Jubilee line between Finchley Road and Wembley Park (where there are actually even more roads) akin to the District and Picc mentioned above all make it an interesting and enjoyable line to go and see.
The Bakerloo line
My next journey was very spur of the moment. We had a power cut at the halls and, knowing that these tended to knock the internet out for some time, I decided to take a trip on the Bakerloo line. Having not yet ridden an S stock train, I made sure to take one to Baker Street from King's Cross. There, I changed onto the Bakerloo and went up to Harrow & Wealdstone before coming back to Elephant & Castle, where I took the Northern line back home to King's Cross. As we were coming into Lambeth North and then in the tunnel towards Elephant & Castle, the train was braking very noisily and was juddering a little. The T/Op then informed us:
"There is no cause for alarm, we were just testing the secondary breaks, which - er - don't appear to be all that good, actually, but the train is fine and we will soon be stopping at Elephant & Castle." :P
The train in question was a train of 1972 stock. The history of this stock is slightly complicated, with 30 "1972 Mk1" trains initially being ordered to replace ageing stock on the Northern line. It was based heavily on the 1967 stock of the Victoria line. Later, an additional 33 "1972 Mk2" trains were ordered for use on the Jubilee line. These were slightly different on the inside and the outside. The 1972 Mk2 trains made their way onto the Bakerloo line via the Northern line, when they were replaced by the short-lived 1983 stock on the Jubilee line. The 1972 Mk1 stock trains, when replaced by 1995 stock on the Northern line, were converted and used on the Victoria line and are now all, I believe, retired (apart from 2 which were converted and are used on the Bakerloo line). 1 remains permanently at Aldwych for use by film crews:
Those trains may be old, but they're kinda cute - not too dissimilar to the 1973 stock, either. They're also very comfortable, if very squeaky. I enjoyed my journey, the line passes alongside Wembley stadium, which is very nice, it also passes through the train sheds at Queen's Park - the only line where this is done in passenger service. Also, when you get up to the northern end and to places like Harrow & Wealdstone, you can stand and see the mainline trains pass at very high speed - even when you're not on their platform you can really hear and feel them as they come through - very exciting. It is, to be fair, a bit grotty and grim when you get out of the tunnels, but it's a nice trip, it is.
The H&C
If I recall correctly, the next line I did was the Hammersmith & City line. One weekend I took the opportunity to head from King's Cross St. Pancras to Barking. It was very cold at Barking, but the old C stocks have a handy feature where, at the terminus, all but the end doors in each carriage close, to try and keep it a bit warmer, but still allowing people on and off. We then headed back to Hammersmith and home to King's Cross St. Pancras. It's quite a nice line, y'know, the H&C. A lot of it is through fairly grotty east London and, these days, since it was separated from the Met, it's just a single route - no branches. But the trip down to Hammersmith has its moments, and I quite like grotty east London, it reminds me of the London I knew as a child, visiting my grandmother in Newham. There are, also, plenty of open air sections and it, too, runs over the oldest Underground line (as a reminder, this is, essentially Paddington - Farringdon. For more, see my second blog post.) I also love going from Aldgate East - LIS, you can clearly see Aldgate station from passing trains :)
Of course, back when I did this, the line was solely operated by C69/C77 stock (C stands for circle):
Nowadays, as regular readers will know, there are a number of S7 stock trains on the line:
In fact, the current timetable provides for only 2 C stock trains Mon-Fri on the H&C (I assume there're more in the peaks):
Again, these are essentially the same as the S8s and so they lend all of the advantages to the H&C that the S8s lend to the Met. The C stock, while ageing and breaking and generally not performing (the carriage lights, for instance, flicker on and off, giving the impression of a run down old school building or something). But they're comfortable and are a bit like the big red buses of the Underground. Since they're found on so many lines, they seem a little bit like the archetypal tube train :P
LO
Technically, the London Overground network is not part of the London Underground, but it is on the tube map, so I wanted to do it as well. I set aside a day of my week off specially, so that I could see as much of it as possible in the daylight. The London Overground is actually a franchise uniting a number of historically independent railway lines under a single identity. I began my trip, of course, at King's Cross St. Pancras and took the Northern line to Euston, from where I got on the "Watford DC Line" (Euston to Watford Junction). I travelled up to Watford Junction and then returned to Willesden Junction (a nice station with pretty interesting views). There, I believe I changed for a train to Clapham Junction (Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction is the "West London Line" (WLL), a short but important line, which carries a fair amount of freight, if I recall.) I then returned to Willesden Junction. I believe trains from Clapham Junction alternately terminate at Willesden Junction and continue on towards Stratford. Richmond to Stratford is the "North London Line" (NLL), so you can see that, under LO, the lines have largely lost their independence, with half of the trains from Clapham Junction serving only the WLL and half of them merging with the NLL. It was the NLL which was next on my route and I took a train down to Richmond and then all the way back to Stratford. Here, I made my way back to Canonbury and changed for the "East London Line" (ELL). Now the ELL is even more complicated. Prior to 2007 there was an East London Line that was part of London Underground. It ran between New Cross/New Cross Gate and Shoreditch. Although, the underused Shoreditch was actually closed in 2006, but a replacement bus service was provided. From then on, the line operated only as far as Whitechapel, until the whole line was closed in 2007. It was then upgraded and extended progressively (over some entirely new tracks and some old, disused ones). Shoreditch was replaced with the new Shoreditch High Street station and the line was extended to Dalston Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. It was also later extended to Highbury & Islington. This is the line as it was when I visited it (Highbury & Islington - New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon). I took a train to Crystal Palace, then returend to Sydenham and got a train to West Croydon, before returning to Surrey Quays and going to New Cross. I then headed up to Whitechapel and got the H&C to Barking. Nowadays the line has been further extended between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, forming an "orbital railway." Slightly confusingly, much of the track is taken from what used to be called the "South London line", but I believe it's technically referred to as the "East London Line extension phase 2". Anyway, I rode along that a few days after it had opened. We had a brief scare with a signal failure that meant the line had been suspended, but it got up and running and I went from Highbury & Islington (actually: Russell Square-King's Cross St. Pancras-Highbury & Islington) to Clapham Junction, where I actually connected with a train to Stratford and got the Central line home to ROV where, at that time, I was already living. So, anyway, Barking. Barking was where I began my journey over the last part of the London Overground from Gospel Oak to Barking. I used to think that this line had the least imaginative name (the "Gospel Oak to Barking line") until I learned that it is usually abbreviated as GOBLIN - which is a great name for a railway. Anyway, I went to Gospel Oak, then to Highbury & Islington again and took the Vic home.
Phew. The day was every bit as long as it sounds. It was quite a tough day to be honest. The trains are nice, the different routes do make it interesting and the orbital nature is quite cool. However, it is pretty slow, the service (particularly on the branches) is not amazingly frequent and it's difficult to reach civilisation. All the same, it is mostly overground, wich is nice, although a lot of the areas it passes through aren't very scenic. I must say, it doesn't quite hold the magic of the tube for me.
Those trains, by the way, are mostly Class 378 Capitalstars. These are used everywhere except on GOBLIN, because GOBLIN is not electrified. They're nice trains, very spacious, modern, good information with new LED displays and they have walk-through carriages:
On the GOBLIN, a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) - the Class 172/0 Turbostar - is used. I must say, this train is not as nice. It's modern and a perfectly good piece of kit, it's just not as nice. For one thing you can really feel the diesel engines, which I don't find as comfortable, it's quite noisy and the seating layout (rows of seats facing forward, with two seats on either side of a central aisle) is not as nice, either:
Circle
The Circle line was next. I'd had to wait for Blackfriars to be re-opened, but when it was, I soon took the opportunity. I had thought it'd be a good idea to go to Hammersmith, then do a full loop to Edgware road, before crossing over and taking the direct route to King's Cross St. Pancras via Baker Street and Great Portland Street. However, I soon realised that Cannon Street was only open until 21:00. Fearing that it would be shut by the time I reached it, I went back in the other direction to Edgware Road via Liverpool Street and Tower Hill, then changed at Edgware road for a train to Hammersmith, before returning to King's Cross St. Pancras via Paddington and Baker Street.
I do like its loop nature and I think Edgware Road is a fascinating station. It also runs over that oldest Underground section (which, by the way, is very nice, as well as being of historical note) and I suppose it is what you might call an "icon". It doesn't have any stations to itself, barely any of its track is its own and it only appeared as a separate line from 1949 (a little late in its history, considering the line itself was basically completed by 1884). However, it does go all through central London serving some important and very pleasant stations. It's definitely a nice line, even if it is mainly in cut and cover tunnel.
As with the H&C, when I first rode the length of it, it was solely operated by C stock:
However, these days (as of 02/09) S7 stock is also in operation on the line. (6 C stock are provided on the Circle line (Monday-Friday) in the current timetable. Again, I assume this is off-peak):
I must say, the new destination indicators and modern announcements and the like really do make navigating the Circle line much easier.
DLR
At this stage I'd moved back and was living near WOO. I had a spare day around Easter and decided to take a trip on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). So I took the Central in to STR and changed for the DLR to Statford International. There, I believe, I went down to Woolwich Arsenal, before heading back to Canning Town and getting a train to Beckton. I then went back to Bank, before returning to Shadwell to get a train to Tower Gateway (in order to make sure I stopped at West India Quay, which is not served by trains from Bank before 21:00). This I took as far as Canary Wharf, where most trains stop at that time of day. I changed for a train to Lewisham, before returning to STR, where I got the Central line home.
I like the DLR. It may not have the history and the "character" and the intrigue of the tube, but it's fun. You can sit at the front of the train and look out on the tracks, which is very cool. It's got plenty of branches which add interest. It has fantastic views of London City Airport and, because of all the sharp corners and flyovers, the wheels are actually set at a slightly higher angle than usual. This means that the train wobbles about a bit at speed. It's kinda like being on an incredibly tame roller coaster - it's good fun.
The DLR is operated by two different types of train - B90/B92/B2K and B07 (the B is for Beckton). Again the numbers refer to the dates (2K = 2000). Of course, as with many other trains (e.g. the Central line's 1992 stock, which first entered service in 1993) the date used in the designation is not necessarily the date when the trains entered service, I believe it varies, but I think it has to do with when the train was commissioned, or first built, or something similar. Ultimately, it's a largely formal designation. Anyway, the B90 (eventually replacing the original P86 and P89 stock) was built in 1991 and 23 vehicles were produced. An additional 47 vehicles of B92 stock were built between 1993 and 1995. These were the same, but the 24 vehicles of B2K stock built between 2001 and 2002 were cosmetically slightly different. I do not believe the differences are retained any longer:
The B07 stock, meanwhile, are much newer and more advanced. I understand that 55 such vehicles are in operation, the first having been delivered on 22/12/2007:
They're nice. They have good disabled access, they're quite spacious (at least when not crammed full of commuters they are, which you could say about any train, but there's plenty of room to move around, the seats aren't all crammed together), they're modern, being able to see out of the front is cool and, of course, they have the usual trappings like electronic destination indicators and the like. I don't like NoPO (OPO is short for One Person Operation, referring to the days when guards were replaced by CCTV cameras and T/Ops, so you can guess what NoPO means :P) really, however (but that's a rant for another time).
District
I had a long wait for an opportunity to visit every station on the District line. This is because, back then, Cannon Street was closed all weekend, but Kensington (Olympia) was (and is) only "open weekends, public holidays and some Olympia events". So I needed a public holiday and I found one. I think it was a jubilee of some sort, but whatever it was, they were both open, so I visited the District line. I was at WOO at the time, still, so I went to MIE (Mile End) and took a train up to Upminster. I then came back to Earl's Court and got that elusive train to Kensington (Olympia), which took me back to High Street Kensington. There I changed for a Wimbleware (Wimbledon - Edgware Road) train up to Edgware Road, which took me back to Wimbledon. I then came back to Earl's Court, went to Richmond, then back to Turnham Green and, finally, to Ealing Broadway. The plan was to get the Central home, but there had been delays on it for a while and then it was suspended between WHC and MAA (White City and Marble Arch). So I came back to Acton Town and foolishly changed for a Picc train, thinking to make the most of express running to Hammersmith. It probably took me just as long to get to Hammersmith, but the train was busier. I decided to continue to HOL, but, really, I'd've been better off staying on the District to MIE. It took about 20 minutes for the next train to arrive and by this time HOL's platform was absolutely packed. So was the train, which arrived full. It was like that at every station, a full train pulling into a full platform. I don't think I've ever had a worse tube journey and, with little kids crammed on this train (although, I've gotta say, as a parent I'd have to have a really compelling reason to take my child on such a train, rather than getting home by bus, taxi, or even just waiting a few hours, because that was dangerous) I've never been as scared for the safety of myself, or my fellow passengers on a tube train. All, however, was well and we made LES without incident. If I recall, it was a HAI via NEP train, with all trains from EPP being short turned at LES and reversed off WB2 back to EPP. I managed to catch a train to EPP and was home fairly quickly after that.
Anyway, the District line. It does go through the far from scenic parts of east London (but, as I say, I have a bit of a soft spot for these areas and the journey to Upminster isn't bad). But it does go to some really nice places. It's the only Underground line to cross the Thames by bridge (between Putney Bridge & East Putney and Gunnersbury & Kew Gardens) and that's very nice. The central section also has some very nice stations on it, such as brand new Blackfriars, Sloane Square, etc. The branches add interest, I like it a lot.
On the District, we mostly have D78 stock trains. (The D, you won't be surprised to hear, is for district):
These, particularly post refurbishment, are actually quite nice. They're very square and look a bit like a 70s Rover to me, but the green interior is actually quite nice, they're comfortable, and they have digital displays and CCTV and the like. These, as I've mentioned before, are used on the whole line, apart from High Street Kensington to Edgware Road. This could only be operated by C stock (due to the platforms being too short for the D stock) and, indeed, the C77 stock were ordered to operate the "Wimbleware" (Wimbledon - Edgware Road) service. I believe C69 and C77 stock are now used interchangeably, though, and both are used on the "Wimbleware" and on the rest of the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. There were some minor cosmetic differences when the C77s were first built, but they are no longer present.
Anyway, as I've said, these run purely between Wimbledon and Edgware Road and do not, generally, serve other District line destinations (obviously this doesn't include H&C and Circle line trains which call at stations which are also on the District line). Some also serve Kensington (Olympia), although it is more common for a train of D78 stock to operate a shuttle service between Kensington (Olympia) and High Street Kensington. As I mentioned before, though, some D78 stock trains do run from central London to Wimbledon via Earl's Court. They will, also, then return to central London and proceed to Tower Hill, or beyond, from Wimbledon. They simply do not proceed beyond High Street Kensington, for the platforms can't accommodate them.
However, we also (since 02/09) have an S7 operating on the District line. As I've also mentioned before, it's currently running between Kensington (Olympia) and West Ham, but it's expected that all C stocks will be replaced first (so it should be on the Wimbleware soonish) and then it will begin to be phased in across the whole line. I believe the whole line is scheduled to be operated by S stock by 2016, but we'll see just how well that works out, given that all S stock roll-outs have been delayed (with the possible exception of that S7 on the District which was not expected).
Emirates Air Line
This hardly counts, but it's on the map (for now) so I have to do it. This is really just a waste of good money that could have been better spent, say, doing something to help the homeless people who continue to suffer on the streets of London. Or, if you don't care for things like human decency and compassion, it could at least have been spent on improving worthwhile services in London. But, it wasn't, it was spent on a publicity stunt by the arse in charge of city hall. It's pointless. It is, though, fun. Sadly, I did enjoy both rides on it. Sure, it offers really very pretty views of London. It isn't a useful commuter link and it's scarcely a decent tourist attraction given the price and that the London Eye is just better, but it was fun. First time, I rode on it on the way back from a visit to the O2. I took the Air Line from Emirates Greenwich Peninsula to Emirates Royal Docks, where there's a fairly substantial walk (one of the reasons, including the price, the length of the journey, etc., why it's not a practical solution for commuters) to Royal Victoria, where I got the DLR back to STR and the Central line home to ROV (which was home by then). It doesn't really have rolling stock, it just has gondolas which look like this:
They're nice enough. Quite hard to get onto, though, as they're constantly in motion. It does have disabled access though and I'm not entirely sure how it works :P
And those are really the full extent of my travels. To end on something interesting - while writing this, I was thinking about a question I'm sometimes asked: how would I rank the tube lines, in order of preference? I'm gonna exclude the DLR, LO and the Emirates Air Line, because they aren't London Underground lines and, also, none of them hold me enthralled as the tube does. So, after that, my list would be as follows:
I had, of course, heard about the "tube challenge" where people try to visit every London Underground station in one day in the fastest possible time. To complete this challenge you can only use public transport (or your own steam), but that does, of course, mean that you don't have to visit them all by tube - you can run, or take a bus. You also don't have to use every line, you just have to go to the stations. I didn't really have the will or the way to attempt this stunt, though - it often takes lots of planning and, generally, a night in a hotel at one end of the network or another :P But I did want to see them all and I also wanted to have travelled the whole extent of a line. So, one evening nearly two years ago (8th Janurary) I decided I would go to every station on the Piccadilly line. I chose the Picc because I was living around King's Cross St. Pancras at the time and it struck me as suitably interesting, but not so long that I would not be able to finish. I decided on some moderately arbitrary criteria that I wanted to have actually stopped in a station, in order to say I'd been to it (not merely passed through it) but, because of time constraints, I didn't get out or have a look around, I just wanted to have called at every station.
So, I got on at King's Cross St. Pancras, took a train northbound to Cockfosters and came back to Uxbridge. I had a small problem, though, because Piccadilly line trains do not serve Turnham Green all day. Nowadays, the map gives you the following very useful information:
"Turnham Green
Served by Piccadilly line trains until 0650 Monday to Saturday, 0745 Sunday and after 2230 every evening. Other times use District line"
When I went on this journey, though, it merely said "early morning and late evening only". Now "late evening" is a pretty vague phrase and I wasn't sure if I would miss it, or - indeed - if I'd already missed it. So, coming back from Uxbridge, rather than changing for the Heathrow branch at Acton Town, I decided to stay on to Hammersmith, to see if we'd stop at Turnham Green. Helpfully, at Acton Town, the T/Op came over the PA and told us "the next station for this train is Hammersmith" (meaning we wouldn't be stopping at Turnham Green) but he then closed the doors and I didn't make it off in time. So I had a fairly pointless journey back to Hammersmith before coming back through Turnham Green and on to Heathrow Terminal 5. I then got a train back to Hatton Cross, went round to Heathrow Terminal 4, waited there for about 8 minutes (at the end of which I noticed someone just miss the train, having got caught at the ticket barriers - bad luck) and headed back round through Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, back through Hatton Cross (again) up to Acton Town and back to King's Cross St. Pancras, stopping - at last - at Turnham Green.
The Picc was definitely a good place to start, it's a really nice line. I couldn't quite enjoy it as much as it was dark by the time I got out of the tunnels, but hey, I've mentioned before how nice I find the central section and the four tracking between Hammersmith and Acton Town means you can pass through stations at speed (always nice). Also, the somewhat vintage 1973 stock is quite pretty and gives a very comfortable ride:
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| 1973 stock train on the Piccadilly line. (Image courtesy "Janderk1968" (via Wikipedia)) |
Just for those who might be interested, between these two stations there are four tracks, as can be clearly seen in the picture below:
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| A view of the tracks from Chiswick Park's westbound platform. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound District line platform at Turnham Green. We are looking west, so the track on the right is the eastbound District line from Chiswick Park and Gunnersbury. District line trains call here and head towards Stamford Brook. On the left is the eastbound Piccadilly line towards Hammersmith. Trains from Acton Town (we are looking towards Acton Town) call here at certain times of day only and during service disruption, engineering work, etc.. On the left of that is the westbound Piccadilly line towards Acton Town. The platform is called at by trains from Hammersmith at certain times of day. Finally, on the other side of that platform there is the westbound District line. At Turnham Green, trains from Stamford Brook can continue to Chiswick Park and on to Acton Town and Ealing Broadway, or head onto the Richmond branch. Note that we have two island platforms, the eastbound platform which we are on in this picture splits the eastbound District and Piccadilly lines, then, on the left, there is the westbound platform, which splits the westbound District and Piccadilly lines. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound District line platform at Stamford brook, served by trains from Turnham Green heading towards Ravenscourt Park (in this picture we are looking east towards Ravenscourt Park). Note that there is no eastbound Piccadilly line platform, with the tracks on the near right (just to the right of the eastbound District line) being the eastbound Piccadilly line tracks. To the right, you can see the island platform with the westbound Piccadilly line on the left of it and the westbound District line (towards Turnham Green) is on the right of it, out of shot. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| The eastbound platform at Ravenscourt Park (looking west towards Stamford Brook). You can see the eastbound District Line tracks on the right (called at by trains towards Hammersmith) and the eastbound Piccadilly line tracks on the immediate left (passed through by Piccadilly line trains heading towards Hammersmith, for example the one in the picture). To the left of this is the westbound Piccadilly line and on the far left, on the other side of the island platform, is the westbound District line platform served by trains heading towards Stamford Brook. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
So, anyway, after such success on the Picc, I decided I had to keep it up and I had a free evening later that week and decided, on a whim, to do the Victoria line. Getting on at King's Cross St. Pancras I went up to Walthamstow Central, all the way down to Brixton and back to King's Cross St. Pancras. Easy. It's a nice line, it's fast, it's modern, it's handy (with Pimlico being the only station that doesn't provide interchange) and the new 2009 stock are nice and modern:
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| 2009 stock train on the Victoria line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
The Northern
Next up it was the Northern line (an obvious choice from King's Cross St. Pancras). I took a High Barnet train up to Finchley Central where I changed onto the scenic Mill Hill East branch. With Finchley Central - Mill Hill East - Finchley Central done, I continued up to High Barnet, came back down to Camden Town and changed onto an Edgware branch train. At Edgware I specifically waited for a Kennington via Charing Cross train so that I could finish at King's Cross St. Pancras. I got one and took it to Golders Green, where we had a small wait. There's a crew depot here and we'd had a brief dwell on the way up so I wasn't surprised. The T/Op came over the PA and informed us there'd be a short delay while they changed drivers and then, as we were about to head off, the new T/Op informed us "this is now a Morden via Bank service, ready to depart". So I rushed off it (nowadays I'd've simply stayed on it until Camden Town) and waited on the freezing, dark platform at Golders Green - very very cold and the next train through was Morden via Bank as well. Anyway, I was soon on a Kennington via Charing Cross train and into the tunnel, which begins just outside Golders Green. I continued onto Kennington, changed for a Morden train and made my way back home up the Bank branch to King's Cross St. Pancras.
I am quite a fan of the Northern line. I know a lot of people who don't like it and before the introduction of the 1995 stock:
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| 1995 stock on the Northern line. (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia)) |
I must say, though, I'm not a fan of the new ATO (which wasn't in use then) which has been rolled out, now (as of 27th October, I think), between High Barnet/Mill Hill East/Chalk Farm and Euston (Charing Cross branch)/Angel. The ride is not at all smooth, with the motors constantly powering and then switching off. The sound of it is quite annoying as well.
The Central line
As the Central had always been my line, it loomed large on my to-do list, but I wanted to be sure to do it during the day time when I could enjoy it. So, one spare weekend, I took the Picc to HOL (Holborn) and made my way to EAB (Ealing Broadway). I then came back to NOA (North Acton) ran up to WER (West Ruislip), did a full trip to EPP (Epping), came down to WOO and got the HAI train all the way round to Stratford (via NEP and LES). At Stratford I decided I would to the Jubilee line
Yes the Central line has its faults, the very nice 1992 stock:
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| 1992 stock on the Central line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
The Jubilee line
As I said, on a whim, I decided I might as well do the Jubilee line at Stratford. So, I changed lines, took a train to Stanmore, took one back to Baker Street and managed to get a Circle or H&C line train back to King's Cross St. Pancras, I believe.
I do love the tube, but the Jubilee line is probably my least favourite part of it. There are some really nice views (which it was too dark for me to enjoy that time) up at the north end of it, the whine from the old motors (these are one of the differences between the 1996 stock on the Jubilee and the 1995 stock on the Northern - the ones on the Jubilee are actually older, with the specs having been frozen in 1991 - the technology is simply outdated, but they sound great) is really nice, too. However, I don't really find it very interesting, the extension is nice and has some great architecture on the surface, but underground the dark blue look doesn't appeal. I also don't like the announcer's voice, the ATO system is (and was then) the same as the Northern line's and, while it seems to have improved, it's not as nice a ride as it could be. I, also, don't personally like platform edge doors, I find they ruin the view of the platform from the train and vice versa. Some say they're worth it - I'm unconvinced. The 1996 stock, although (as mentioned above) actually slightly more out-of-date than its 1995 stock counterpart on the Northern line, does have its merits (fancy a game of spot the difference :P):
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| 1996 stock train on the Jubilee line. (Image courtesy Joshua Brown (via Wikipedia)) |
W&C
I suppose I should just mention the Waterloo & City line now. Since there're only two stops on it, having been on it, I had seen all of it. I actually did this a while before I started taking trips all over the tube. I was coming home from, I think, Oxford Circus and I decided to take a trip on it (and the Bakerloo line, as I hadn't been on either), so I changed at BAN, took the W&C to Waterloo, took the Bakerloo back to OXO and made my way home as if nothing had happened :P
It's a useful little line; not terribly interesting. The whole thing is entirely underground, including the depots, and trains have to be lowered onto the line from street level by crane. The line is operated by 1992 stock, but there are various differences between the ones on the W&C and the ones on the Central such that the two are not interchangeable any longer. For one thing, the W&C does not have ATO and there're various cosmetic and technical differences too (time for another game of spot the difference? :P):
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| 1992 stock train on the Waterloo & City line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
After that, I decided to do the Metropolitan line. I was coming home for university one day, I had plenty of work to do and had meant to do my washing but, as I passed Russell Square, I found myself unable to resist the lure of the Met. It was a beautiful evening, just a few days after we had had heavy snow and many of the platforms were actually still covered in snow and ice. Anyway, having made up my mind, I took the Picc to King's Cross and changed for the Met to Aldgate. I then went up to Amersham (taking care to get an all stations Amersham train), taking in the glorious views between Finchley Road and Wembley Park in the setting sun. I then came back to the frigid Chalfont & Latimer, where I sat in the waiting room and did my reading. Unfortunately, since old Chalfont & Latimer was then (and is now) bereft of electronic indicators - relying on signs and timetables - I got confused and ended up just missing the Chesham, having tried to make sure that a train which had just pulled in on the other platform definitely wasn't mine. So I was there for about an hour, before finally catching the Chesham train. I took that train back to Moor Park and changed for the Watford service, before coming back to Harrow-on-the-Hill for the Uxbridge, which brought me back to King's Cross.
Throughout the whole journey, though, I didn't once get an S stock (which were being newly rolled out at the time). Instead I did the whole journey on the old A60 and A62 stock trains:
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| A62 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Antje" (via Wikipedia)) |
Nowadays, of course, the whole line is operated by brand new S8 stock trains (8 for the 8 carriages, S for sub-surface):
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| S8 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia)) |
The Bakerloo line
My next journey was very spur of the moment. We had a power cut at the halls and, knowing that these tended to knock the internet out for some time, I decided to take a trip on the Bakerloo line. Having not yet ridden an S stock train, I made sure to take one to Baker Street from King's Cross. There, I changed onto the Bakerloo and went up to Harrow & Wealdstone before coming back to Elephant & Castle, where I took the Northern line back home to King's Cross. As we were coming into Lambeth North and then in the tunnel towards Elephant & Castle, the train was braking very noisily and was juddering a little. The T/Op then informed us:
"There is no cause for alarm, we were just testing the secondary breaks, which - er - don't appear to be all that good, actually, but the train is fine and we will soon be stopping at Elephant & Castle." :P
The train in question was a train of 1972 stock. The history of this stock is slightly complicated, with 30 "1972 Mk1" trains initially being ordered to replace ageing stock on the Northern line. It was based heavily on the 1967 stock of the Victoria line. Later, an additional 33 "1972 Mk2" trains were ordered for use on the Jubilee line. These were slightly different on the inside and the outside. The 1972 Mk2 trains made their way onto the Bakerloo line via the Northern line, when they were replaced by the short-lived 1983 stock on the Jubilee line. The 1972 Mk1 stock trains, when replaced by 1995 stock on the Northern line, were converted and used on the Victoria line and are now all, I believe, retired (apart from 2 which were converted and are used on the Bakerloo line). 1 remains permanently at Aldwych for use by film crews:
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| 1972 stock train (Mk2) on the Bakerloo line. (Image courtesy " Hahifuheho" (via Wikipedia)) |
The H&C
If I recall correctly, the next line I did was the Hammersmith & City line. One weekend I took the opportunity to head from King's Cross St. Pancras to Barking. It was very cold at Barking, but the old C stocks have a handy feature where, at the terminus, all but the end doors in each carriage close, to try and keep it a bit warmer, but still allowing people on and off. We then headed back to Hammersmith and home to King's Cross St. Pancras. It's quite a nice line, y'know, the H&C. A lot of it is through fairly grotty east London and, these days, since it was separated from the Met, it's just a single route - no branches. But the trip down to Hammersmith has its moments, and I quite like grotty east London, it reminds me of the London I knew as a child, visiting my grandmother in Newham. There are, also, plenty of open air sections and it, too, runs over the oldest Underground line (as a reminder, this is, essentially Paddington - Farringdon. For more, see my second blog post.) I also love going from Aldgate East - LIS, you can clearly see Aldgate station from passing trains :)
Of course, back when I did this, the line was solely operated by C69/C77 stock (C stands for circle):
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| C stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| S7 stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia)) |
Again, these are essentially the same as the S8s and so they lend all of the advantages to the H&C that the S8s lend to the Met. The C stock, while ageing and breaking and generally not performing (the carriage lights, for instance, flicker on and off, giving the impression of a run down old school building or something). But they're comfortable and are a bit like the big red buses of the Underground. Since they're found on so many lines, they seem a little bit like the archetypal tube train :P
LO
Technically, the London Overground network is not part of the London Underground, but it is on the tube map, so I wanted to do it as well. I set aside a day of my week off specially, so that I could see as much of it as possible in the daylight. The London Overground is actually a franchise uniting a number of historically independent railway lines under a single identity. I began my trip, of course, at King's Cross St. Pancras and took the Northern line to Euston, from where I got on the "Watford DC Line" (Euston to Watford Junction). I travelled up to Watford Junction and then returned to Willesden Junction (a nice station with pretty interesting views). There, I believe I changed for a train to Clapham Junction (Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction is the "West London Line" (WLL), a short but important line, which carries a fair amount of freight, if I recall.) I then returned to Willesden Junction. I believe trains from Clapham Junction alternately terminate at Willesden Junction and continue on towards Stratford. Richmond to Stratford is the "North London Line" (NLL), so you can see that, under LO, the lines have largely lost their independence, with half of the trains from Clapham Junction serving only the WLL and half of them merging with the NLL. It was the NLL which was next on my route and I took a train down to Richmond and then all the way back to Stratford. Here, I made my way back to Canonbury and changed for the "East London Line" (ELL). Now the ELL is even more complicated. Prior to 2007 there was an East London Line that was part of London Underground. It ran between New Cross/New Cross Gate and Shoreditch. Although, the underused Shoreditch was actually closed in 2006, but a replacement bus service was provided. From then on, the line operated only as far as Whitechapel, until the whole line was closed in 2007. It was then upgraded and extended progressively (over some entirely new tracks and some old, disused ones). Shoreditch was replaced with the new Shoreditch High Street station and the line was extended to Dalston Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. It was also later extended to Highbury & Islington. This is the line as it was when I visited it (Highbury & Islington - New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon). I took a train to Crystal Palace, then returend to Sydenham and got a train to West Croydon, before returning to Surrey Quays and going to New Cross. I then headed up to Whitechapel and got the H&C to Barking. Nowadays the line has been further extended between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, forming an "orbital railway." Slightly confusingly, much of the track is taken from what used to be called the "South London line", but I believe it's technically referred to as the "East London Line extension phase 2". Anyway, I rode along that a few days after it had opened. We had a brief scare with a signal failure that meant the line had been suspended, but it got up and running and I went from Highbury & Islington (actually: Russell Square-King's Cross St. Pancras-Highbury & Islington) to Clapham Junction, where I actually connected with a train to Stratford and got the Central line home to ROV where, at that time, I was already living. So, anyway, Barking. Barking was where I began my journey over the last part of the London Overground from Gospel Oak to Barking. I used to think that this line had the least imaginative name (the "Gospel Oak to Barking line") until I learned that it is usually abbreviated as GOBLIN - which is a great name for a railway. Anyway, I went to Gospel Oak, then to Highbury & Islington again and took the Vic home.
Phew. The day was every bit as long as it sounds. It was quite a tough day to be honest. The trains are nice, the different routes do make it interesting and the orbital nature is quite cool. However, it is pretty slow, the service (particularly on the branches) is not amazingly frequent and it's difficult to reach civilisation. All the same, it is mostly overground, wich is nice, although a lot of the areas it passes through aren't very scenic. I must say, it doesn't quite hold the magic of the tube for me.
Those trains, by the way, are mostly Class 378 Capitalstars. These are used everywhere except on GOBLIN, because GOBLIN is not electrified. They're nice trains, very spacious, modern, good information with new LED displays and they have walk-through carriages:
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| Class 378 Capitalstar train on the London Overground (specifically the East London Line). (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| Class 172/0 Turbostar train on the London Overground (specifically the Gospel Oak to Barking Line). (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia)) |
The Circle line was next. I'd had to wait for Blackfriars to be re-opened, but when it was, I soon took the opportunity. I had thought it'd be a good idea to go to Hammersmith, then do a full loop to Edgware road, before crossing over and taking the direct route to King's Cross St. Pancras via Baker Street and Great Portland Street. However, I soon realised that Cannon Street was only open until 21:00. Fearing that it would be shut by the time I reached it, I went back in the other direction to Edgware Road via Liverpool Street and Tower Hill, then changed at Edgware road for a train to Hammersmith, before returning to King's Cross St. Pancras via Paddington and Baker Street.
I do like its loop nature and I think Edgware Road is a fascinating station. It also runs over that oldest Underground section (which, by the way, is very nice, as well as being of historical note) and I suppose it is what you might call an "icon". It doesn't have any stations to itself, barely any of its track is its own and it only appeared as a separate line from 1949 (a little late in its history, considering the line itself was basically completed by 1884). However, it does go all through central London serving some important and very pleasant stations. It's definitely a nice line, even if it is mainly in cut and cover tunnel.
As with the H&C, when I first rode the length of it, it was solely operated by C stock:
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| C stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
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| S7 stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "X2K9" (via Youtube)) |
DLR
At this stage I'd moved back and was living near WOO. I had a spare day around Easter and decided to take a trip on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). So I took the Central in to STR and changed for the DLR to Statford International. There, I believe, I went down to Woolwich Arsenal, before heading back to Canning Town and getting a train to Beckton. I then went back to Bank, before returning to Shadwell to get a train to Tower Gateway (in order to make sure I stopped at West India Quay, which is not served by trains from Bank before 21:00). This I took as far as Canary Wharf, where most trains stop at that time of day. I changed for a train to Lewisham, before returning to STR, where I got the Central line home.
I like the DLR. It may not have the history and the "character" and the intrigue of the tube, but it's fun. You can sit at the front of the train and look out on the tracks, which is very cool. It's got plenty of branches which add interest. It has fantastic views of London City Airport and, because of all the sharp corners and flyovers, the wheels are actually set at a slightly higher angle than usual. This means that the train wobbles about a bit at speed. It's kinda like being on an incredibly tame roller coaster - it's good fun.
The DLR is operated by two different types of train - B90/B92/B2K and B07 (the B is for Beckton). Again the numbers refer to the dates (2K = 2000). Of course, as with many other trains (e.g. the Central line's 1992 stock, which first entered service in 1993) the date used in the designation is not necessarily the date when the trains entered service, I believe it varies, but I think it has to do with when the train was commissioned, or first built, or something similar. Ultimately, it's a largely formal designation. Anyway, the B90 (eventually replacing the original P86 and P89 stock) was built in 1991 and 23 vehicles were produced. An additional 47 vehicles of B92 stock were built between 1993 and 1995. These were the same, but the 24 vehicles of B2K stock built between 2001 and 2002 were cosmetically slightly different. I do not believe the differences are retained any longer:
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| B90 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy Stefan Baguette (via Wikipedia)) |
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| B07 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia)) |
District
I had a long wait for an opportunity to visit every station on the District line. This is because, back then, Cannon Street was closed all weekend, but Kensington (Olympia) was (and is) only "open weekends, public holidays and some Olympia events". So I needed a public holiday and I found one. I think it was a jubilee of some sort, but whatever it was, they were both open, so I visited the District line. I was at WOO at the time, still, so I went to MIE (Mile End) and took a train up to Upminster. I then came back to Earl's Court and got that elusive train to Kensington (Olympia), which took me back to High Street Kensington. There I changed for a Wimbleware (Wimbledon - Edgware Road) train up to Edgware Road, which took me back to Wimbledon. I then came back to Earl's Court, went to Richmond, then back to Turnham Green and, finally, to Ealing Broadway. The plan was to get the Central home, but there had been delays on it for a while and then it was suspended between WHC and MAA (White City and Marble Arch). So I came back to Acton Town and foolishly changed for a Picc train, thinking to make the most of express running to Hammersmith. It probably took me just as long to get to Hammersmith, but the train was busier. I decided to continue to HOL, but, really, I'd've been better off staying on the District to MIE. It took about 20 minutes for the next train to arrive and by this time HOL's platform was absolutely packed. So was the train, which arrived full. It was like that at every station, a full train pulling into a full platform. I don't think I've ever had a worse tube journey and, with little kids crammed on this train (although, I've gotta say, as a parent I'd have to have a really compelling reason to take my child on such a train, rather than getting home by bus, taxi, or even just waiting a few hours, because that was dangerous) I've never been as scared for the safety of myself, or my fellow passengers on a tube train. All, however, was well and we made LES without incident. If I recall, it was a HAI via NEP train, with all trains from EPP being short turned at LES and reversed off WB2 back to EPP. I managed to catch a train to EPP and was home fairly quickly after that.
Anyway, the District line. It does go through the far from scenic parts of east London (but, as I say, I have a bit of a soft spot for these areas and the journey to Upminster isn't bad). But it does go to some really nice places. It's the only Underground line to cross the Thames by bridge (between Putney Bridge & East Putney and Gunnersbury & Kew Gardens) and that's very nice. The central section also has some very nice stations on it, such as brand new Blackfriars, Sloane Square, etc. The branches add interest, I like it a lot.
On the District, we mostly have D78 stock trains. (The D, you won't be surprised to hear, is for district):
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| D78 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia)) |
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| C stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Chris McKenna (via Wikipedia)) |
However, we also (since 02/09) have an S7 operating on the District line. As I've also mentioned before, it's currently running between Kensington (Olympia) and West Ham, but it's expected that all C stocks will be replaced first (so it should be on the Wimbleware soonish) and then it will begin to be phased in across the whole line. I believe the whole line is scheduled to be operated by S stock by 2016, but we'll see just how well that works out, given that all S stock roll-outs have been delayed (with the possible exception of that S7 on the District which was not expected).
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| S7 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia)) |
This hardly counts, but it's on the map (for now) so I have to do it. This is really just a waste of good money that could have been better spent, say, doing something to help the homeless people who continue to suffer on the streets of London. Or, if you don't care for things like human decency and compassion, it could at least have been spent on improving worthwhile services in London. But, it wasn't, it was spent on a publicity stunt by the arse in charge of city hall. It's pointless. It is, though, fun. Sadly, I did enjoy both rides on it. Sure, it offers really very pretty views of London. It isn't a useful commuter link and it's scarcely a decent tourist attraction given the price and that the London Eye is just better, but it was fun. First time, I rode on it on the way back from a visit to the O2. I took the Air Line from Emirates Greenwich Peninsula to Emirates Royal Docks, where there's a fairly substantial walk (one of the reasons, including the price, the length of the journey, etc., why it's not a practical solution for commuters) to Royal Victoria, where I got the DLR back to STR and the Central line home to ROV (which was home by then). It doesn't really have rolling stock, it just has gondolas which look like this:
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| The Emirates Air Line and its gondolas |
And those are really the full extent of my travels. To end on something interesting - while writing this, I was thinking about a question I'm sometimes asked: how would I rank the tube lines, in order of preference? I'm gonna exclude the DLR, LO and the Emirates Air Line, because they aren't London Underground lines and, also, none of them hold me enthralled as the tube does. So, after that, my list would be as follows:
- Central line
- Metropolitan line
- Piccadilly line
- District line
- Northern line
- Circle line
- Hammersmith & City line
- Bakerloo line
- Victoria line
- Waterloo & City line
- Jubilee line
Friday 22 November 2013
Well Well Well
There are no boring days on the tube, but some animals are more equal than others :P So:
I arrived at ROV to a very pleasant surprise. For once, on a Friday morning, I was actually early to class, despite having left at about the same time. The reason for this will become clear when I tell you what was being shown on the destination indicator for platform 1 (services via WOO):
Having seen one rare train (well, a perfectly ordinary train working a rare service), I was in for another small treat courtesy of the Central line. I noticed, as we were sat in westbound platform 1 at SNA (Snaresbrook) that the next train due was not in service. However, the train which passed us in the other direction, as we approached LES (Leytonstone), looked like it was showing Epping (EPP) (it's hard to tell at speed, the text is not very big on the front of the 1992 stock) and looked very much in service. I suspected that the train which was not in service had been held. Sure enough, we began to slow down on the approach to LES and the signal controlling access to LES (LES 5760) was indicating that we would be routed into westbound platform 1. As I've mentioned before, on the Central line, junctions are controlled by junction signals, which display an arrow pointing in the direction of whichever route is set (on most railways, only a divergent route will be indicated and, also, three single lamps arranged in a line are used instead of an arrow on an LED display.) Given below is a drawing of such a signal (sc. the type used on the Central line), showing a "proceed" (green) aspect and indicating that a route diverging to the left is set:
Below is a photograph of an actual such signal. The signal is actually LES 5761, unless I'm much mistaken, and is the starting signal at LES eastbound platform 3. It is indicating that the train is cleared on towards WAN (Wanstead):
Were the train in question cleared towards SNA, the arrow would be pointing straight on.
This is to be contrasted with the more traditional junction signal, which looks like this:
So, anyway, in this case LES 5760 (the one controlling access to the platforms at LES from the EPP branch) was showing an arrow pointing to the left (visible from the carriage in certain places), indicating that we were cleared into westbound platform 1.
I'm sure I'll go into more detail about LES, but for now, I will just give you a diagram of the track layout. I'm pretty much certain it's still like this, but I don't have any footage of the track taken since the work was done so perhaps there're some small differences?:
For reasons of straight simplicity, it is most common for trains from WAN to use WB1 and for trains from SNA to use WB2. However, both platforms are available from both WAN and SNA by the scissors crossover (the crossover just to the right of LES 5760 that looks like an X). This made me think that the not in service train was, indeed, still in WB2 at LES and, sure enough, the RAT was sitting in WB2 when we pulled into WB1. As we came to a stop, it got on its way, heading up towards EPP.
After that it was an uneventful journey into LIS (Liverpool Street) and, as I had expected, it's much smoother heading out of WB1 than WB2 - much more comfortable where the tracks merge.
At LIS I got onto a Hammersmith & City line train to Hammersmith and all was going well until we reached Farringdon. We stopped and I noticed the doors hadn't opened, which was when I glanced towards the front of the carriage to see that the most of the front doors were beyond the gate at the end of the platform - a minor overshoot. On a number of lines this would have probably been a small big deal, I think. Happily, however, we were on an S7 and, as you may remember, S7s have selective door operation for the platforms which (unlike the nice, roomy one at Farringdon) are not long enough. I understand that at these platforms, the CSDE equipment (more on this soon) checks that the train is correctly berthed and then enables only the doors which are adjacent to the platform (and none which are not fully within the limits of the platform) to open. It's come to my attention that the S Stock trains use a new track-mounted position detector, which is different to the old-fashioned CSDE loops, but the principles and functions must surely be about the same. It may even be called CSDE equipment. Anyway, by whichever means, only the appropriate doors in the front and/or rear carriages will not open at short stations. Sometimes this is quite a few, as at Baker Street, sometimes it's only one or two. At Farringdon, though, all of the doors will usually open. So, what would have happened on our incorrectly berthed train is: the CSDE (or equivalent equipment) would have found that the train was not correctly berthed and would not have allowed the doors to be opened as normal. This is because that would allow a set of doors which was not fully within the platform to open, which could be a safety risk (people ending up on the track, that sort of thing.) In this case, actually, the train was simply beyond the gate, but there was still a bit of platform there. Even so, London Underground does not have the safety record it does without fail-safes. So, as per procedure, the T/Op opened his cab door, got out on to the platform, visually confirmed which doors were adjacent to the platform, confirmed that it was safe to open them and opened the doors in all carriages but the first (cue one person hurrying back to the second carriage when the message played informing that the doors in the first carriage would not open). The T/Op then closed up, checked all the doors were closed, got back in his cab and we were away. Whether the choice of doors which are left closed and the ability to open any doors is affected by the new equipment, I don't know, but I am certain that all doors usually open at Farringdon, that we had overshot by a small amount and that the T/Op left his cab. No problems, of course, just something new for me. I guess our T/Op was slightly new to the S7s because as we approached King's X we were held at a red signal and, as we were trying to get on our way, the train rolled back before the T/Op caught it and proceeded on to King's X. Quite an experience, actually, realising your train is going backwards :P
CSDE
So, CSDE. CSDE (Correct Side Door Enable) is a handy bit of kit that, as with all things London Underground, does what it says on the tin. It makes sure that the doors can only open on the correct side of the train (so that they're not opened on the wrong side by mistake) and that they can only be opened if the train is properly berthed. It's also the bit of kit controlling SDO (Selective Door Operation) as well, as we saw above. It's a simple loop that sends a signal to a bit of equipment on the train - it's pretty straightforward. If the station is closed or if the train is not correctly berthed, the doors can't be opened. If the train's in the right place, they can - but only on the correct side. Simple. The new S Stock equipment does pretty much the same job with a small bit of track-mounted kit - rather than a loop - and is presumably involved in the fancy SDO now required.
In some situations, though, it's necessary to override this piece of equipment, for example if there's a fault, or if there's been an overshoot on a train without SDO. (In some cases it would be necessary to continue to the next station, or obtain permission to "set back", where the train is driven back into the platform from the rear cab.) This can be done with the Door Enable Override, which allows the doors to be opened on either side. This is obviously potentially dangerous, though, so the T/Op is supposed to make sure that the station is open (generally it's obvious if it's not), operate the door enable override, open the cab door, put one foot on the platform to make sure they're about to open the doors on the correct side and then open the doors. Certainly this is the old procedure and I've no reason to imagine anything has changed on the S stocks.
This might seem like overkill, but actually the following blog post from a great blog by a Central line driver should give you an idea why:
http://aslefshrugged.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-reasonably-uneventful-week-highlight.html
You can read the full story there, but - in this case - aslefshrugged mistakenly opened the doors on the wrong side. Obviously he quickly closed them, opened the doors on the right side, made a PA requesting passengers to pull a handle (pull one of the passenger emergency alarms) if anybody had fallen out and then informed Wood Lane (the control room) of what had happened. The next train came through nice and slowly checking there was nobody on the tracks and aslefshrugged was taken off at the next depot and given an alcohol and drugs test. Happily, nobody was harmed, but this is why convoluted procedures are still used. aslefshrugged is an experienced, careful and (from reading his blog) very good T/Op - it's too easy to press the wrong button by mistake (e.g. I'm sure I'll find many typos when I check this post at the end :P).
So, anyway, we eventually made Euston Square without further problems and it was shaping up to be a fairly normal ride home - although I did again spot a C stock Circle line train in Moorgate platform 3 (I think it was 3, might've been 4). (See previous posts for why that's fairly noteworthy :P) I got a Loughton (LOU) train at LIS and everything was going well until we reached STR (Stratford). As we were sitting there, sonia came over with "this is a Central line train to Leytonstone." The T/Op then informed us that, due to late running, the train would now be terminating at LES. We were advised to change at LEY (Leyton). This is a good move because trains terminating at LES will generally (unless something really interesting's going on :P) use WB2 (see the diagram). As you'll notice, you then have to cross over (in this case, going down and alongside the ticket hall) to EB3 to continue eastbound. At LEY, of course, you just get out and wait on the same platform. I, however, wasn't that fussed about catching the HAI via NEP train behind us, I haven't been into WB2 from central London in a long while and, to be honest, in the event of any problems, LES is a much better place to be stuck than LEY. So I stayed on the train, but was sure to make my way to the back to make the change easier at LES.
So we pulled into WB2 and I set off - having enjoyed going over the crossover for a change - for EB3. I'd expected that the train I'd just left would be taken back out WB pretty quickly and was expecting it to be a pretty speedy, straightforward reverse. Indeed some people were boarding the train as I left. However, I noticed that it was being closed up and then we were informed over the PA that the train on platform 2 was out of service. Apparently it wasn't heading back into central London for a little while (hence it was closed up so that people would get on the train on WB1 and not waste time sitting in a train that wasn't going anywhere soon.) So here's what I think must have happened. I believe there are limits regarding how long a person can drive a train without a break and also without a meal; but I'm not really sure how much that would have had to do with it. One is entitled to overtime, though, if one is forced to work overtime when stuck somewhere and paying it is not something London Underground are that keen on. So, I imagine, the T/Op driving my train was probably stuck somewhere up the line and his train was behind time. I imagine Wood Lane thought they were going to find a spare (T/Ops who are reserved specifically for this kind of eventuality, who can be called on to take over a train when necessary) or somebody to take over the train at LES (hence it was still showing LOU until STR). But, presumably they couldn't find anyone, so the train was terminated in WB2 until somebody could be found to take it back into central London, hopefully when it would be back on time (as in, it would leave LES when it would have left LES had it been up to LOU and then come back according to its timetable). That, of course, meant many more trains being worked into WB1 from the EPP branch :P
And, after that, it was a very nice, sunny journey home over a lovely stretch of the Central line :)
I arrived at ROV to a very pleasant surprise. For once, on a Friday morning, I was actually early to class, despite having left at about the same time. The reason for this will become clear when I tell you what was being shown on the destination indicator for platform 1 (services via WOO):
- Northolt 4 mins
- Woodford 6 mins
- Hainault 3 mins
- Hainault 7 mins
Having seen one rare train (well, a perfectly ordinary train working a rare service), I was in for another small treat courtesy of the Central line. I noticed, as we were sat in westbound platform 1 at SNA (Snaresbrook) that the next train due was not in service. However, the train which passed us in the other direction, as we approached LES (Leytonstone), looked like it was showing Epping (EPP) (it's hard to tell at speed, the text is not very big on the front of the 1992 stock) and looked very much in service. I suspected that the train which was not in service had been held. Sure enough, we began to slow down on the approach to LES and the signal controlling access to LES (LES 5760) was indicating that we would be routed into westbound platform 1. As I've mentioned before, on the Central line, junctions are controlled by junction signals, which display an arrow pointing in the direction of whichever route is set (on most railways, only a divergent route will be indicated and, also, three single lamps arranged in a line are used instead of an arrow on an LED display.) Given below is a drawing of such a signal (sc. the type used on the Central line), showing a "proceed" (green) aspect and indicating that a route diverging to the left is set:
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| A drawing of a junction signal on the Central line. This signal is showing a green aspect, but it can also display white or red. The junction indicator indicates the route to the left is set |
.jpg) |
| A junction signal at Leytonstone showing a green aspect. The junction indicator indicates the route to the left is set. (Cropped from an image courtesy Matthew Black (via Wikipedia)) |
This is to be contrasted with the more traditional junction signal, which looks like this:
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| A diagram of an old style signal with junction indicator |
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| A signal controlling Hanger Lane junction on the District and Piccadilly lines showing a proceed aspect with junction indicator lit. This indicates that the route to the left (towards Ealing Broadway on the District line) is cleared. Note that if the indicator were not lit, this would indicate that the straight route towards North Ealing on the Piccadilly line was cleared). (Image courtesy http://www.districtdave.co.uk/html/signalling.html) |
I'm sure I'll go into more detail about LES, but for now, I will just give you a diagram of the track layout. I'm pretty much certain it's still like this, but I don't have any footage of the track taken since the work was done so perhaps there're some small differences?:
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| A schematic diagram of the track layout around LES. The signal in question (LES 5760) is highlighted by showing green in this diagram |
After that it was an uneventful journey into LIS (Liverpool Street) and, as I had expected, it's much smoother heading out of WB1 than WB2 - much more comfortable where the tracks merge.
At LIS I got onto a Hammersmith & City line train to Hammersmith and all was going well until we reached Farringdon. We stopped and I noticed the doors hadn't opened, which was when I glanced towards the front of the carriage to see that the most of the front doors were beyond the gate at the end of the platform - a minor overshoot. On a number of lines this would have probably been a small big deal, I think. Happily, however, we were on an S7 and, as you may remember, S7s have selective door operation for the platforms which (unlike the nice, roomy one at Farringdon) are not long enough. I understand that at these platforms, the CSDE equipment (more on this soon) checks that the train is correctly berthed and then enables only the doors which are adjacent to the platform (and none which are not fully within the limits of the platform) to open. It's come to my attention that the S Stock trains use a new track-mounted position detector, which is different to the old-fashioned CSDE loops, but the principles and functions must surely be about the same. It may even be called CSDE equipment. Anyway, by whichever means, only the appropriate doors in the front and/or rear carriages will not open at short stations. Sometimes this is quite a few, as at Baker Street, sometimes it's only one or two. At Farringdon, though, all of the doors will usually open. So, what would have happened on our incorrectly berthed train is: the CSDE (or equivalent equipment) would have found that the train was not correctly berthed and would not have allowed the doors to be opened as normal. This is because that would allow a set of doors which was not fully within the platform to open, which could be a safety risk (people ending up on the track, that sort of thing.) In this case, actually, the train was simply beyond the gate, but there was still a bit of platform there. Even so, London Underground does not have the safety record it does without fail-safes. So, as per procedure, the T/Op opened his cab door, got out on to the platform, visually confirmed which doors were adjacent to the platform, confirmed that it was safe to open them and opened the doors in all carriages but the first (cue one person hurrying back to the second carriage when the message played informing that the doors in the first carriage would not open). The T/Op then closed up, checked all the doors were closed, got back in his cab and we were away. Whether the choice of doors which are left closed and the ability to open any doors is affected by the new equipment, I don't know, but I am certain that all doors usually open at Farringdon, that we had overshot by a small amount and that the T/Op left his cab. No problems, of course, just something new for me. I guess our T/Op was slightly new to the S7s because as we approached King's X we were held at a red signal and, as we were trying to get on our way, the train rolled back before the T/Op caught it and proceeded on to King's X. Quite an experience, actually, realising your train is going backwards :P
CSDE
So, CSDE. CSDE (Correct Side Door Enable) is a handy bit of kit that, as with all things London Underground, does what it says on the tin. It makes sure that the doors can only open on the correct side of the train (so that they're not opened on the wrong side by mistake) and that they can only be opened if the train is properly berthed. It's also the bit of kit controlling SDO (Selective Door Operation) as well, as we saw above. It's a simple loop that sends a signal to a bit of equipment on the train - it's pretty straightforward. If the station is closed or if the train is not correctly berthed, the doors can't be opened. If the train's in the right place, they can - but only on the correct side. Simple. The new S Stock equipment does pretty much the same job with a small bit of track-mounted kit - rather than a loop - and is presumably involved in the fancy SDO now required.
In some situations, though, it's necessary to override this piece of equipment, for example if there's a fault, or if there's been an overshoot on a train without SDO. (In some cases it would be necessary to continue to the next station, or obtain permission to "set back", where the train is driven back into the platform from the rear cab.) This can be done with the Door Enable Override, which allows the doors to be opened on either side. This is obviously potentially dangerous, though, so the T/Op is supposed to make sure that the station is open (generally it's obvious if it's not), operate the door enable override, open the cab door, put one foot on the platform to make sure they're about to open the doors on the correct side and then open the doors. Certainly this is the old procedure and I've no reason to imagine anything has changed on the S stocks.
This might seem like overkill, but actually the following blog post from a great blog by a Central line driver should give you an idea why:
http://aslefshrugged.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-reasonably-uneventful-week-highlight.html
You can read the full story there, but - in this case - aslefshrugged mistakenly opened the doors on the wrong side. Obviously he quickly closed them, opened the doors on the right side, made a PA requesting passengers to pull a handle (pull one of the passenger emergency alarms) if anybody had fallen out and then informed Wood Lane (the control room) of what had happened. The next train came through nice and slowly checking there was nobody on the tracks and aslefshrugged was taken off at the next depot and given an alcohol and drugs test. Happily, nobody was harmed, but this is why convoluted procedures are still used. aslefshrugged is an experienced, careful and (from reading his blog) very good T/Op - it's too easy to press the wrong button by mistake (e.g. I'm sure I'll find many typos when I check this post at the end :P).
So, anyway, we eventually made Euston Square without further problems and it was shaping up to be a fairly normal ride home - although I did again spot a C stock Circle line train in Moorgate platform 3 (I think it was 3, might've been 4). (See previous posts for why that's fairly noteworthy :P) I got a Loughton (LOU) train at LIS and everything was going well until we reached STR (Stratford). As we were sitting there, sonia came over with "this is a Central line train to Leytonstone." The T/Op then informed us that, due to late running, the train would now be terminating at LES. We were advised to change at LEY (Leyton). This is a good move because trains terminating at LES will generally (unless something really interesting's going on :P) use WB2 (see the diagram). As you'll notice, you then have to cross over (in this case, going down and alongside the ticket hall) to EB3 to continue eastbound. At LEY, of course, you just get out and wait on the same platform. I, however, wasn't that fussed about catching the HAI via NEP train behind us, I haven't been into WB2 from central London in a long while and, to be honest, in the event of any problems, LES is a much better place to be stuck than LEY. So I stayed on the train, but was sure to make my way to the back to make the change easier at LES.
So we pulled into WB2 and I set off - having enjoyed going over the crossover for a change - for EB3. I'd expected that the train I'd just left would be taken back out WB pretty quickly and was expecting it to be a pretty speedy, straightforward reverse. Indeed some people were boarding the train as I left. However, I noticed that it was being closed up and then we were informed over the PA that the train on platform 2 was out of service. Apparently it wasn't heading back into central London for a little while (hence it was closed up so that people would get on the train on WB1 and not waste time sitting in a train that wasn't going anywhere soon.) So here's what I think must have happened. I believe there are limits regarding how long a person can drive a train without a break and also without a meal; but I'm not really sure how much that would have had to do with it. One is entitled to overtime, though, if one is forced to work overtime when stuck somewhere and paying it is not something London Underground are that keen on. So, I imagine, the T/Op driving my train was probably stuck somewhere up the line and his train was behind time. I imagine Wood Lane thought they were going to find a spare (T/Ops who are reserved specifically for this kind of eventuality, who can be called on to take over a train when necessary) or somebody to take over the train at LES (hence it was still showing LOU until STR). But, presumably they couldn't find anyone, so the train was terminated in WB2 until somebody could be found to take it back into central London, hopefully when it would be back on time (as in, it would leave LES when it would have left LES had it been up to LOU and then come back according to its timetable). That, of course, meant many more trains being worked into WB1 from the EPP branch :P
And, after that, it was a very nice, sunny journey home over a lovely stretch of the Central line :)
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