London Transport Museum

Today I arranged to go to the London Transport Museum with a friend of mine. I can thoroughly recommend it, by the way, it's a very pretty building and well worth a look. There's not an excessive amount to be seen, nor a huge amount of information, but it's good fun and it's very nice to see some old trains (including a 1938 stock train you can sit in) and buses, etc., many of which you can actually board.

So I arrived at ROV wanting to go via HAI (Hainault) and I was sure I didn't have any money on my Oyster card. Happily I was wrong about this, because there was a bit of a queue and the train was pulling in as I was checking if I had any money :P Fortunately I managed to hop on board, saving myself a 20 minute wait, and enjoyed a very pleasant trip round the loop on a lovely winter's morning. It was uneventful after that, apart from a brief wait at STR (Stratford) due to a handle down somewhere up the line and CHL (Chancery Lane) is closed. We changed at HOL (Holborn) for a Picc train one stop to Covent Garden, which is a lovely station, as I've mentioned before. It's nice inside and out to be honest, but it does suffer from having only lifts and a long fixed staircase to and from the platforms. This means a bit of a wait and a cramped journey to the platform (unless you're a much fitter man than I am and can be bothered to walk, that is :P). Nothing of note on the way back, changed at HOL and the next Central line train was for WOO via HAI. Which was nice :P

Also there's a new version of the tube map out, which I always look forward to, because I'm a geek. The main features are that Edgware Road (Bakerloo line) is open again and that Embankment is no longer shown on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. This is because trains on these lines are not stopping at Embankment between January and November next year while major work is carried out on the escalators.

Woo!

I'm on holiday for Christmas (the first thing which warrants a 'woo') so I'm not expecting to make many trips for a while. Nevertheless, today, one of my best friends came to visit and I accompanied her back to LIS (Liverpool Street). All was smooth on the way there and I had no problem getting back to WOO (Woodford), where the fun and games began. Woo. :P

The first thing I noticed was that there was a train in westbound platform 1 and I happened to notice that it was showing Waterloo as its destination :P Waterloo, of course, was not its destination and I imagine the T/Op was simply in the process of choosing the correct destination, because it was showing EAB (Ealing Broadway) by the time my train had departed up to EPP (Epping) and I could get a clear view at the back. Still, a nice novelty to see a train leaving from Westbound platform 1. Why this train was short-turned I don't know, but there was something afoot. There was a big gap in the eastbound service, with no train due east after the next one for about 10 minutes. There was also no HAI train. The Woodford via Hainault train which would usually reverse and become the HAI train eventually arrived, but it was sent through to RUG (Ruislip Gardens), where I imagine it stabled in Ruislip depot. Anyway, for us, there was still no HAI train. Eventually one arrived (whether from ROV or BUH (Buckhurst Hill) I don't know) but it was reversed off of platform 2, which was a nice change. This, I imagine, was done to speed things up, since there hadn't been a HAI train for so long. Why, though, the Woodford via Hainault was run through to RUG, I don't know; perhaps it was late running. Given there was a train in platform 1 when I arrived I can only assume there were some small delays. I might have thought all of this juggling around of the Hainault service was to leave 21 road clear (trains can only arrive at, and depart from, platform 1 via 21 road, which is also the siding normally used to reverse HAI trains), but the train had long since left platform 1, so I've really no idea what was happening. It would have made a nice change and been generally interesting were I not running a bit late. In the end, I got a lift off to visit my grandparents and I didn't even get the fun of going over the crossover :P

I want to ride it where I like...

Today, I managed perfect timing :P Got to ROV with just 2 minutes left to wait for the WOO train. Once at WOO, I noticed the RAT on its way up to EPP (Epping) and then I was soon on my way to LIS (Liverpool Street). At STR (Stratford) the T/Op (Train Operator) came over the PA to remind us:

"Bikes are not permitted on the Central line west of Stratford - please remove your bike. Once again, bikes are not permitted, please remove your bike."

I then noticed someone getting off with their bike in the carriage behind. I do believe they're not permitted in the tunnels because - at least in part - they could hinder an evacuation. I may be wrong, but either way, the Central line gets pretty busy west of STR and is not a good place for a bike, so I - for one - am rather in favour of this measure :P. We were also held for a short while in BEG (Bethnal Green) while a problem was checked; but we were soon on our way. On the way back, I noticed an out of service S7 heading westbound at Barbican and a Met line train (all stations to Uxbridge) in platform 3 at Moorgate. Apart from that nothing much else to say, I'm off to write an essay :(

Peace and Quiet

It took me a few attempts to get out of bed this morning and, when I finally did, half of my mind was on semaphore signalling (that's right - I am that cool). As a result I was a little late getting myself out of the house and I had to have a bit of a jog for the WOO train again. I was utterly wrecked, I have to say :P I do not like exercise :P At WOO I bumped into an old friend - WOO station really does seem to be the place for reunions these days! Anyway, consequently, I wasn't paying full attention, but I do remember that we were a little slow on the way out of LES (Leytonstone). No problems though :)

Nothing much to say about the journey home either. I went for dinner with some friends and ended up getting the Northern line from Leicester Square to the rather forlorn-looking TCR (Tottenham Court Road). TCR is an amazing station, the mosaics are wonderful:

The wonderful mosaics on one of the the Central line platforms at Tottenham Court Road. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

But with the Crossrail works going on at the moment, it's looking a little woebegone.

Anyway, at TCR, I got an EPP (Epping) train to LES, where I changed for the WOO via HAI. I saw that it was 4 minutes behind when I got on the EPP at TCR (and, in fact, by BEG (Bethnal Green) it had caught us up and was only 2 minutes behind) and I wasn't sure if I would get to WOO in time to catch the HAI train and I didn't fancy a long wait in the cold, so I decided to get the WOO via HAI. A good choice, I think - I had the carriage to myself after HAI. Reminded me of the good old days when I went and explored the tube for the first time. Lovely journey, really. Got a chance to catch a train performing a shunt move around the HAI depot while we were waiting at GRH (Grange Hill) too :)

Afternoon tube

I had to take a trip to the doctor's this morning and, as a result, I didn't end up going to class; but I was meeting a friend, so I was still on the railways today - just not until the afternoon. Oh I do much prefer travelling a little later in the day. I had no problem getting to ROV early but not too early and, consequently, had a brief, pleasant (if nippy) 6 minute wait. I noticed that there was also a LES (Leytonstone) through train set to come through ROV 7 minutes after the WOO train. Not being on the through train, I was back in the cold at WOO (although I'd've had to get out into the cold at LES even if I had been intending to leave a little later). Still, no problem, I was soon on my way and made LIS (Liverpool Street) in good time, although - on the way - my NOR (Northolt) train became an EAB (Ealing Broadway) train. I'm guessing this was due to disruption on the Central line. I myself had no problems at all, but when I arrived at Euston Square, I noticed that it was part suspended LES - NEP (Newbury Park) (clockwise only) and there were minor delays everywhere else, I believe. This was due to a one under I'm afraid to report. There were also minor delays on the Met, although I can't quite recall why. When I arrived at LIS I was able to walk onto a Hammersmith & City line train to Hammersmith which seemed to have been there for some time, since passenger door operation was on. It was soon on its way, but we were very slow up to Barbican. I wondered if they were reversing a train at Moorgate. Well, to be precise, I think a train may have been leaving platform 3 or 4, delaying the westbound while this move (which has to be done at relatively low speed, so that the points are traversed safely) was carried out. Then, of course, you have another train in the mix, suddenly, which needs to get well on its way before the trains behind it can start getting up to speed again, so that they're all a safe distance apart. I dunno if that's true, though, but I did notice a Metropolitan line train due to terminate in Moorgate as we approached Barbican. In fact, I do believe it was held at a signal waiting for us to get out of the way before it could work into platform 3 or 4.

On the way home I ended up going from Russell Square, necessitating a wait for the lift and a cramped journey down to the platform. As we headed for STR (Stratford) we got the following more novel PA:

"I know it must be pretty cramped in the back two cars, but please try to avoid leaning on the doors; it'll make our journey into Stratford a lot easier"

:P We were then warned that there was some congestion around LES and that we might have a fairly stop-start journey there. We were slow on the way to STR but, after that, it was fine. I still managed to just miss the HAI train, though. We were stuck at the signal controlling entry to WOO on the eastbound waiting for it to leave without me :(

A Northern line excursion

A very foggy morning this morning and not an ideal one for TUT. I broke a glass on my way out of the house and by the time I'd cleared it all up I was very down on time. I did manage to get one of the last through trains which was going to WHC (White City), though. Nevertheless I ended up being quite late. Predictably, LIS was exceptionally busy but, again, the crowd cleared fast after a relatively empty Uxbridge train hoovered up most people and I was able to get a Circle line train to Hammersmith which took me to King's X.

After class I met a friend and we went to Elephant & Castle, enabling me to sample the TBTC (Transmission Based Train Control, a form of ATO (Automatic Train Operation)) between King's Cross St. Pancras and Angel. The system went live between Highgate/Chalk Farm and Angel/Euston (Charing Cross branch) on 27/10. It was, of course, already live between High Barnet/Mill Hill East and Highgate (the first section to go live "NMA 1" was High Barnet - West Finchley and the second "NMA 2" was West Finchley/Mill Hill East - Highgate. Highgate/Chalk Farm to Angel/Euston (Charing Cross branch) is "NMA 3"). I'd already experienced it north of Highgate (and hadn't been impressed) but I was glad of the opportunity to see what it's like at this later stage in the roll-out. It was, as predicted, a short journey consisting of constant switching between power on and power off, power on and power off, power on and power off. Not especially comfortable and noisy, too. We were also on a refurbished 1995 stock train which is, visually, very pleasant, with its dark blue surroundings. The seats are much much harder, though, which I can't say I'm a massive fan of either. Initially the Jubilee line suffered from an equally noticeable effect, but in my subjective and limited experience it seems to have gotten better. I really hope they get it ironed out soon. Out of interest, the next section to go live ("NMA 4") is Angel/Euston (Charing Cross branch) - Oval, then ("NMA 5") Oval - Morden and, finally ("NMA 6"), Chalk Farm to Edgware.

In spite of this, I do like the Bank branch of the Northern line and it was a nice journey (particular when the train was being manually driven). Elephant & Castle is, I think, lovely, with some wonderful tiling and a nice old-fashioned roundel:

The distinctive tiles and roundel of Elephant & Castle's Northern line platforms. (Image courtesy Phillip Perry (via Wikipedia))

Nothing very exciting on the way back, except that I came home via HAI (Hainault) (where I had quite the wait) since I wanted to see my friend off at her stop. Also, I happened to notice on the way back northbound up the Northern line to Bank that the T/Op was opening his cab door and physically looking out on the platform when opening and closing the doors. Now, I know the 1995 stock has in-cab CCTV for this purpose (checking nobody's caught in the doors, nobody's fallen down the gap, that sort of thing - making sure everyone's safe) so I guess they were broken? In that case you can have a look for yourself on straight platforms, but I do believe on any platform where you can't see all the way to the back of the train 'cause it's on a bend, you have to get the assistance of a member of staff.

Run

After a handful of hours' sleep I was up early this morning. Nevertheless, I managed to get myself out of the house in good time and I was confident I would make the earlier train (the 08:54) to WOO. However, as I was walking towards ROV I saw the thing heading over the bridge over the road just outside the station. Usually this means I'm gonna be out of luck, because I still have to cross a busy road and then I have a couple of minutes' walk, at least, to the entrance, over the bridge and onto the platform. As I waited, frustratedly, to cross said road I also saw the HAI train heading over the bridge, so I'd pretty much given up hope of getting a train from ROV for a good twenty minutes and was thinking of going to BUH (Buckhurst Hill) - which - I thought - would at least give me something to write about, and it was a nice morning for a walk. However, as I neared ROV, I heard the train from BUH heading over WOO junction, which meant that the WOO train was still in the platform at ROV. Getting a move on, I saw that it was still sat there and hastened over the bridge, touched in and rushed onto the train as I saw the signal go white. I would have felt "like a boss" if I hadn't felt so exhausted :P

At WOO I happened to run into the mum of an old school friend, so I wasn't paying that much attention on the way into LIS, but I noticed that we were held in the platform at MIE (Mile End) for a short while, due to a problem up the road at HOL (Holborn) (problem with a train, I think). Also at MIE (again) there were a few heated words exchanged after someone (not that unreasonably, as there wasn't much room at all, but with ill courtesy) refused to move up the carriage. Honestly. I also noticed that the working lights had been left on in the tunnels between Moorgate and Farringdon - never a good thing in my view, makes a horrible addition to the journey.

All very smooth on the way back :)

Not in Service

Another nice winter's morning today. I saw the RAT trundling through WOO as I waited for my train into LIS and then, at SOW (South Woodford), I noticed that a train which was not in service was due shortly on the eastbound. As a result we were held short of LES (Leytonstone) at my old friend signal LES 5760. We had quite a bit of a wait because they were reversing this out of service train off of westbound platform 2. I saw it pass over the crossover ahead of us and head on its way to SNA (Snaresbrook):

A diagram of the track layout around Leytonstone showing the signal LES 5760 at which we were held, my train (in blue) and the out of service train (in brown) reversing off of WB2 (westbound platorfm 2) over the crossover, on its way to Snaresbrook.

I suppose they were taking it back to the depot at HAI (Hainault) via WOO. The reason for this is probably that, as you can see, the eastbound track towards WAN (Wanstead) can't be easily reached from WB1 or WB2 (you have to continue on the westbound and reverse it into EB3, holding up the westbound and eastbound. So, any failure that happens between NEP (Newbury Park) and LES on the westbound usually requires you to get the train back to the depot via WOO.

I don't, of course, know what the matter was, but it was being driven back manually. As a (hopefully) interesting aside, the Central line is generally operated by ATO (Automatic Train Operation). The system is not fantastically advanced, but there's a little bit to it, so I won't go into too much detail. Suffice it to say that the line is divided into sections called "blocks". (This is actually true on conventional, manually operated lines, where each block is controlled by a signal). On the Central line (as with most railways, particularly passenger railways) no more than one train can occupy a block at any one time. This is called "non-permissive block signalling" and the idea is that trains are kept a safe distance apart by this method. If a train is already in the block ahead, the following train will not be able to enter that block. On manually operated railways there will be a red (or "danger") signal, which will not clear until the train ahead has left the block (usually there is actually an overlap for safety reasons - the train needs to be a little way into the next block, to allow the following train to stop short of it if the first train breaks down or something like that). The reason for all of this is that the signals act like the driver's eyes. It's often said that signals are like the traffic lights of the railways. In some cases, such as at junctions, this is quite true. In reality, though, the signals are also there to keep trains apart. The point is that a train cannot swerve, nor can it stop very quickly at all. Therefore, one cannot rely on the drivers of trains to keep them apart, because, at full line speed, if you can see a train that has stopped ahead of you, it will probably be too late, you're going to hit it. So, instead, the line is divided into blocks and signals keep the trains apart.

On the Central line, the principle is the same, but rather than using colour light signals, there is a piece of equipment at the start and end of each block which transmits codes to the train. Most blocks are marked by a "block marker board" (or "block section marker") which looks like this:

A block marker board. The TCR refers to the location of the block (TCR = Tottenham Court Road). A refers to the fact that it is an automatic signal controlled solely by the movement of trains and 4155 is its number. (Adapted from a diagram here: http://www.davros.org/rail/signalling/articles/central.html - a great source for more information about Central line ATO)

Some real block marker boards are clearly visible here at the sidings at WOO:

Woodford bay platform (westbound platform 1) with block marker boards clearly visible. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

These codes are interpreted by the on-board computer, which responds as necessary. If there is a train ahead, the target speed will be stepped down gradually, so that the train stops comfortably short. Obviously this works in reverse. The target speed is stepped up gradually as the train ahead moves away, so that trains are always kept safely apart and always travelling as quickly as they can, within the limits of the technology at the time. The target speed obviously also changes to reflect any permanent speed restrictions on a given section of track. Thus the train can accelerate and decelerate as necessary, keeping a safe distance away from the train in front, keeping to the line speed limit and the ATO also takes care of stopping in the stations.

The blocks are quite close together, generally much closer than on manually driven railways, depending on how close you need trains to travel together. The closer trains are to each other, the more you can fit on the line, but the slower they can travel (because there's not as much room). They will also be placed around junctions, crossovers, sidings and the like and at platforms to control all of these. In general, at these critical locations (sc. junctions, crossovers, sidings, platforms, etc.), colour light signals are provided as well. These are for trains which are being driven manually. They are generally three-aspect signals (although there are some with only two aspects) and may display red:

A Central line three-aspect signal displaying a red aspect

A photograph of an actual Central line three-aspect signal (located at Roding Valley) displaying a red aspect. (Taken from an image courtesy Mike Knell (via Wikipedia))

At which trains are required to stop. The code for the next block will be stop.

White:

A Central line three-aspect signal displaying a white aspect

A photograph of an actual Central line three-aspect signal (located at Leyton) displaying a white aspect. This image is reproduced here by kind permission of the copyright holder - "Flickr" user "bowroaduk". © All rights reserved by bowroaduk. "bowroaduk" is not affiliated in any way with this blog and has played no part in the production of this post. Their kind permission to use this image does not imply any endorsement of the content of this blog. This image has been cropped from the original image available here. Any requests to re-use this image must be addressed to "bowroaduk"

Which indicates that the next block is clear, the target speed is anything other than stop and the speed limit in the next block is anything other than stop. Thus trains which are being driven automatically can proceed, as can trains being driven in "coded manual" (or "coded", more on this later). Trains being driven in restricted manual (or RM, more on this later, too) cannot.


And green:

A Central line three-aspect signal displaying a green aspect

A photograph of an actual Central line three-aspect signal (located at Perivale) displaying a green aspect. This image has been cropped from an excellent image courtesy of "Flickr" user "R/DV/RS" and the original may be viewed here. The license applying to the use of this image may be viewed here.

 Which indicates that the track up to the next colour light signal is clear and all trains may proceed.

Although the signals are present - and some of them are semi-automatic and are controlled by a signalman - codes are still transmitted to the train just like normal, although the equipment works slightly differently at points and crossings. As we have seen elsewhere in this blog, the Central line also has special junction signals and shunt signals as well.

So, when the train is in Auto, the on-board computer responds to the codes received from the track-side equipment. The T/Op opens the doors and uses the CCTV in the cab to close them safely. The T/Op also operates the two start buttons, which gets the train on its way, when the starter signal is cleared. All other normal operation is taken care of by the on-board computer.

This isn't a rant about NoPO (OPO = One Person Operation) but I just wanna emphasise that there's a lot more to it than that implies. Apart from the safety role one is expected to fulfil by making sure that everyone gets on and off the train safely and the customer service role, the T/Op is also expected to fix any problems which might occur which are in their scope to fix and to be the competent authority in charge of the train and communicating with the control room.

Sometimes, though, it is necessary to drive the train "on the handle" in coded manual mode. In coded manual, the codes are still transmitted to the train, but - rather than being acted on by the computer - they are displayed on a screen for the T/Op to act on. The current speed is displayed as a green bar and the target speed as an orange bar beneath it. If the target speed changes, it will change on the screen. If it goes up, there will also be three chimes going up in pitch, if it goes down, there will be three chimes falling in pitch. If the T/Op doesn't take action in time an alarm will sound and the brakes will apply until the speed has dropped below the target speed, when control will be returned to the T/Op (this is ATP (Automatic Train Protection)).

You might wonder why this is necessary. Well, firstly, some failures can necessitate it. I remember my favourite blogger "aslefshrugged" once told the story of how a fault on his train had meant that it wouldn't travel faster than 40 kph (line speed reaches 65 kph) in auto, but he could achieve full line speed in coded and so drove in coded (full story: here). Also, auto doesn't like rain, as a brief perusal of "aslefshrugged"'s blog will inform you, and it tends to stop wherever it fancies once things get a bit wet, meaning that T/Ops are often forced to give up and drive the things themselves. Another reason is after heavy winds, if it's feared there might be an obstruction on the track, the first trains in the morning will often run in coded and the T/Ops to keep their eyes open for anything, which they can then stop short of and inform Wood Lane about. Also, if there's a disturbance, such as a fight, going on on a platform, T/Ops might be asked to pull in slowly in coded, so that they have a chance of stopping short of anyone who might end up on the track. T/Ops are also supposed to drive in coded east of Leytonstone and west of White City, I believe, on Sundays to keep in practice (most of this is in the open) and, at certain times of day, I do believe they're allowed to drive in coded in these sections if they want, but in the busy, dark tunnel sections, I think you're supposed to go in Auto unless you  have a reason not to. Since the train is still being driven on the basis of codes and ATP is operational, these trains can pass white signals.

Restricted manual is used where there's been a full ATO/ATP failure or if there's a substantial problem on a train (or in the depots, where there are no codes). In restricted manual the T/Op drives by sight in full manual mode. The train is limited to 18 kph and the motors cut out at 16 kph. All signals must be obeyed. Since there are no codes, white signals cannot be passed. This is because they indicate that the codes are clear, the next block is clear, but not the track to the next colour light signal. So, if colour light signals are all you have to go on, you can't guarantee that you won't come round a corner and see a train stopped ahead of you. Even at 16 kph, that's not gonna be a happy ending.

Anyway, a pretty whistle stop tour, but that's manual operation on the Central line in miniature. After that wait outside LES, it was pretty plain sailing and there wasn't much to report on the way back, either. The Hammersmith & City line did have delays on it between LIS and Barking by the time I got back to WOO, but I think I managed to avoid getting caught up in them.

Delays

When I got to ROV this morning there were severe delays on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines and severe delays on the Met between Aldgate and Baker Street and between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Watford; minor delays on the rest of the line. This was due to an earlier signal failure at Moorgate. The sensible thing to do in this situation would, of course, be to head to Russell Square instead of Euston Square. I, however, am TUT and I didn't want to miss out on all the fun - especially not when I only had phonology to look forward to. When I got to LIS, though, I was able to walk straight onto a Hammersmith service (H&C) which took me to Euston Square very smoothly. By the time I had got there there were minor delays on the District line and on the Victoria line, but apparently the earlier problems had all been cleared up by then.

On the way back there were also delays. There were severe delays on both the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines between Hammersmith and Edgware road (minor delays on the rest of the two lines). This was all due to a signal failure at Hammersmith. There were also minor delays on my Central line (an obstruction on the track at EAA (East Acton) - presumably due to the heavy winds we've had today.) Happily, I was able to get onto a Met line train to Aldgate which got me to LIS quite happily. I noticed at Farringdon that the delays were having their effect and the departure board was showing "Terminates here" and, after that, (or perhaps before?) "Not in Service". I noticed up the road at Barbican a C stock showing Farringdon as its destination which was, presumably, going into the sidings. That much makes sense; but it was being tipped out there. I'm not entirely sure why - availability of staff, perhaps? I dunno, but it seems strange it didn't continue in service to Farringdon to be tipped out there. I wasn't paying that much attention, though, maybe there was a train already at Farringdon being tipped out there and one being tipped out at Barbican. That would make some sense, because it would mean that the second train that was tipped out at Barbican could run into the sidings without needing to be tipped out. So, rather than having a train pull into Farringdon, be tipped out and taken it into the sidings, then having another one arrive, needing to be tipped out, holding up the whole of the westbound service, you have one being tipped out at Farringdon and one being tipped out at Barbican at the same time, to keep things behind them running more smoothly.

Anyway, whatever the case, there was also a train out of service in platform 4 at Moorgate. The lights were off so it wasn't going anywhere soon. At LIS, though, apart from it being slightly busy, I didn't have any problems getting an EPP train out of central London. We were quite a bit slower than usual between MIE (Mile End) and STR (Stratford), with a number of stops and starts. Apart from that, though, we didn't have many problems. Bit of a wait at WOO was all, but I noticed the Westbound wasn't having a great night. The departure board was showing NOA (North Acton) Held and WHC (White City) 16 mins away. It kept chopping and changing - at one point it showed a train that was going to be short-turned at MAA (Marble Arch) - which would've been a nice change, but - in the end - I think it ended up as an EAB (Ealing Broadway) train. A train did, eventually, pull into WB2 probably after only 5 mins or so and everything seemed pretty much back on track after that, it definitely didn't take 16 mins for that WHC to turn up (if it did indeed go to WHC in the end, I think it did :P). No real problems for me, though, and I was home soon enough.

Rail rage

Happily, there was a strike yesterday :) I didn't quite manage to get through the reams of work I was hoping to get through; but the day off was more than welcome and I managed a bit. Today, though, it was back to class and, therefore, back to the railways. I, myself, was quite happy to be on the Central line this morning, but a couple of my fellow travelers who got on at MIE (Mile End) were not so happy. Presumably there'd been a bit of pushing, one of them shouted out "don't push me!" there was an angry retaliation and, ultimately, a minor shouting match. In the end, happily, nothing came of it - just a bit of "commuter rage"; but, still, it's not want anyone needs in the morning. *Sigh*. Still, I'm glad they didn't start fighting in a packed tube train, in the long-ish tunnel between MIE and BEG - when they started with "what you gonna do?" I was a little concerned. I was wondering what the best course of action would be. Obviously it's nice to think you'd be able to just calm them down with a few well-chosen words (I'd've had to shout, though, they were in a throng a little way away) but this doesn't always go to plan and I'm not exactly built like a man mountain. I think this'd be an occasion for the passenger emergency alarm, then the T/Op could alert the station staff and a few of them (and maybe the BTP) could attend, make sure they were taken off the train and calmed down. Still, London Underground are encouraging us not to use it if we can help it - if you're ill, you're supposed to just seek help at the next station. Maybe they'd prefer it if you go over to one of the help points at a station, but I imagine the train'd be on its way by then and you really need some prompt assistance.

Anyway, no action was required and I was safely onto a Met train at LIS heading to Uxbridge. The journey started well, it started well. A few seconds into the tunnel between Liverpool Street and Moorgate, though, we were stopped - quite hard, actually - outside Moorgate due to a problem on a train up the road at Barbican. There, indeed, we remained for a good few minutes, too. Yet again, I was late for Hindi :P Still, I think I woulda been late anyway - but less so!

 

Not much going on on the way back, just a nice, sunny winter's journey.

Variety is the spice of life

On Thursday I came over all diseased, so I wasn't able to write anything. Not that there was all that much to write about. Since I wasn't feeling very well, I decided to go to Russell Square - rather than Euston Square. At HOL (Holborn) I boarded an Oakwood train, which is fairly uncommon, although a few of them are timetabled, especially towards the end of the day, when they run straight into Cockfosters depot for the night. The train was actually held in the platform for a fair while, so I dunno if there was a problem, but we were on our way soon enough. The journey back was uneventful and I took Friday off, so there's not much else to add.

This morning, however, was much more interesting. I was actually running quite early (yes, even though I still have a bit of a cold - give the man a medal; anyway) and got the early WOO train from ROV. At WOO I was surprised to see the junction indicator pointing straight on, which meant that the train, having terminated, proceeded out of the station and stopped on the westbound mainline, not in the siding (21 road) (see: Woodford station  (specifically South Woodford via 21 road) for more details). A few minutes later and a WOO train (from SOW (South Woodford)) proceeded up 21 road and terminated in westbound platform 1. I ain't never seen that before, although it's not a huge rarity and it explains why 21 road was left clear (to allow access to platform 1, which can only be reached that way.) So that of course meant that the NOR train which arrived a minute later and which I took into LIS (Liverpool Street) had to go round the WOO train via 21 road. A nice novelty for me, there :P There was also an army of workers who made their way down onto the track, as I was waiting at WOO, from eastbound platform 3. Looked to me like they were doing work on the trees nearby, complementing the efforts of the RAT.

I also noticed a few people standing on the old, disused Thameslink platforms at Barbican on my journey to Euston Square on the H&C. What they were doing I don't know, there hasn't been a train calling there since March 2009 and there's work going on on the tracks leading to the platforms too (I think to do with Crossrail, but don't quote me on it :P). It might have been an exercise of some sort? I can't believe they were actually hoping to catch a train and I had thought the platforms were usually locked, so maybe it was that they were doing something?

On the way back there wasn't much to report. When I arrived at LIS, the first train was to EPP and the one behind was for WOO via HAI. In my experience, getting the EPP train to WOO would leave me waiting there in the cold and dark for 15 mins, so I took it as far as LES and changed for the WOO via HAI. I do believe I actually pulled into ROV just a touch earlier than the HAI train I would've got from WOO, so it was the right decision I think (and the warm one :P). While at LES, I noticed the train in westbound platform 1 headed on to LEY (Leyton) via the crossover (as shown):

The track layout around Leytonstone, showing in blue the route from WB1 (westbound platform 1)
westbound to Leyton via the crossover immediately outside WB1

 This is relatively uncommon, it is far more usual for the train to proceed past this crossover and merge with the track from WB2 as shown:

The track  layout around Leytonstone, showing in blue the usual route from WB1 westbound to Leyton

Why this was not done this evening I don't know, perhaps there was a signal or points failure? Or perhaps there was some less interesting reason, I don't know, but the second route is definitely the more common :P

Emergency engineering work at Baker Street

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.

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 :)

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:

The site of former platforms at Marlborough Road. (Image courtesy "Oxyman" (via Wikipedia))

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:

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))

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):

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.

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:

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))

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:

1. Epping
2. Hainault
3. Debden

Then, when the Epping train had come through, it changed again to

1. Hainault
2. Not in service
3. Epping    Held

 Apparently there was a good service on the Central line, but that EPP train continued to be indicated as held and was still shown as held when I got on my HAI train. Looks to me like there must've been a small problem somewhere down the line - LES perhaps?

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:

1973 stock train on the Piccadilly line. (Image courtesy "Janderk1968" (via Wikipedia))

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:

A view of the tracks from Chiswick Park's westbound platform. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

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:

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))

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:

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))

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 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))

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:

2009 stock train on the Victoria line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia))

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:

1995 stock on the Northern line. (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia))

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:

1992 stock on the Central line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia))

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):

1996 stock train on the Jubilee line. (Image courtesy Joshua Brown (via Wikipedia))

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):

1992 stock train on the Waterloo & City line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

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:

A62 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Antje" (via Wikipedia))

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):

S8 stock train on the Metropolitan line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia))

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:

1972 stock train (Mk2) on the Bakerloo line. (Image courtesy " Hahifuheho" (via Wikipedia))

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):

C stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia))

Nowadays, as regular readers will know, there are a number of S7 stock trains on the line:

S7 stock train on the Hammersmith & City line. (Image courtesy "Edgepedia" (via Wikipedia))

 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:

Class 378 Capitalstar train on the London Overground (specifically the East London Line). (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

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:

Class 172/0 Turbostar train on the London Overground (specifically the Gospel Oak to Barking Line). (Image courtesy "mattbuck" (via Wikipedia))

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:

C stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

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):

S7 stock train on the Circle line. (Image courtesy "X2K9" (via Youtube))

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:

B90 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy Stefan Baguette (via Wikipedia))

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:

B07 stock train on the Docklands Light Railway. (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

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):

D78 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Tom Page (via Wikipedia))

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.

C stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy Chris McKenna (via Wikipedia))

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).

S7 stock train on the District line. (Image courtesy "Spsmiler" (via Wikipedia))

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:

The Emirates Air Line and its gondolas

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:

1. Central line
2. Metropolitan line
3. Piccadilly line
4. District line
5. Northern line
6. Circle line
7. Hammersmith & City line
8. Bakerloo line
9. Victoria line
10. Waterloo & City line
11. Jubilee line 

But this is obviously changeable :P