RATs are of interest to train nerds, at least partly, because they're fairly uncommon. Also, on the Underground, they're built from converted former passenger trains, which gives us nerds a chance to look at old tube stock. On the Central line, the old 1962 stock trains were converted into the RAT. The 1962 stock:
Apart from that, there's not too much detail worth going into. I got on C-stock (the C is for "Circle", by the way) trains between LIS and Euston Sq. in both directions, but I noticed that the rollout of the S7s is moving along nicely and I didn't see many other C-stocks out and about. Another DEB train and another long wait at WOO on the way home, though, I really must time that better tomorrow. One thing to mention, however, is that I saw a train in the sidings at Farringdon. Again, this isn't fantastically unusual, but it isn't fantastically common either. As far as I know, trains aren't timetabled to terminate at Farringdon during the day, those sidings are mainly used in the case of disruption, or to recover time from late running. I don't know why this particular unit was in the sidings, but I thought it was worth a mention. Farringdon used to have three sidings which, as I say, even recently saw quasi-regular use if a train needed to be "short-turned" (reversed at a station before it's original destination) for whatever reason. A short while ago, however, one of them was taken out of service (25 road I think it's called?), and half of the track has gone. The sidings at Farringdon are not long enough to accommodate the new S stock trains (neither S7 nor S8) so they're going to be redundant pretty soon. There's been a bit of talk recently about what to do with them. I've heard that crossrail, or some of the national rail services that pass through Farringdon mainline station, may make use of them (or, at least, of the space they currently occupy) but I don't think there are any definite answers yet. Farringdon also has a crossover at the King's Cross end of the station (the sidings being just outside Farringdon, between Barbican and Farringdon). A crossover is a vaguely S-shaped bit of track (actually it looks more like this: |\|) that connects two lines. The Farringdon crossover is clearly visible in this picture:
A picture of Farrindon station clearly showing the crossover. (Image courtesy of Dr Neil Clifton (via Wikipedia)) |
As you can see, however, the crossover at Farringdon is actually within the platform and while this was practical for the much shorter C stock, the S stock train is much too long. A C stock train, like the one in the picture, actually comes to a stop in the EB (right hand) platform with the back of the train just past the crossover, so it can be used. The back of an S stock train in the eastbound platform, however, will be much further up the platform than that crossover, so it can't be used, at least not without a palaver involving the train moving forwards on the EB track until the whole train had passed the crossover, and then reversing over it. The crossover couldn't be used in the other direction for the same reason - the front of an S stock train using this crossover would be way outside the platform by the time the whole train had cleared it. The problem with this is that the train would have to continue to Barbican empty before it could re-enter service. In the scenario described above, when the train heads over the crossover into the eastbound platform, from the WB track, by the time the whole train has cleared the crossover, the front of the train will be on its way to Barbican. Thus, with the new trains, the crossover is pretty useless, too. I say that, but I think it is possible that it could be used, it just wouldn't be used very often, because it's such a hassle. This is a problem, as Farringdon is a useful reversing point in the centre of London if there's a problem. There is also Moorgate, King's Cross St. Pancras, Baker Street, Aldgate, Edgware Road (and Tower Hill for the Circle line) but all the same, the loss of reversing facilities at Farringdon will be a loss.
As another little tidbit, some of you may have noticed that a few weekends back a train actually derailed in the Farringdon sidings. It was a very minor incident and I don't really know what happened, but it looks like the train just came off the rails as it was pulling out of the sidings at low speed. Very minor incident, no passengers involved, although it did screw up the H&C and Circle lines a fair bit.
Happy travelling :)
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