Edgware Roads

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to today's edition of 'Moron Watch'!

The first moron who will feature on today's show is: me.

I got up at around about 08:10 - which was fine - and got myself ready reasonably quickly. I realised, though, that I'd probably just miss the 08:54 train and decided to get my things together and then spend just a few minutes generally relaxing in the warmth, before getting on my way. In a truly magnificent feat of moronry - despite intending to leave at 09:05 - I lost track of time and left at about 09:10. I must have missed the WOO train by 10 seconds, but I still arrived in class 20 minutes late. While waiting to cross the road on my way to ROV, I spotted moron number 2 using a mobile phone whilst driving. Don't do that. I hope she got a flat tyre. I'm not a vengeful sort, but you really shouldn't be driving along while using a mobile, it's not acceptable.

Anyway, having had the doors close before I'd even made it to the platform, I headed back over the bridge, with the vague hope that the HAI (Hainault) train would be running late and could take me round via the loop. It was and it did. I was quite excited, actually, I haven't had a chance to go round the loop in the daylight for a while. It didn't disappoint, either, it was a truly beautiful day.

It wasn't all good news, though. We were held at the signal outside HAI for a good while, waiting for platform 1 to clear. The train we waited for didn't seem to be quite as nippy as ours either. We were again held at a block marker board immediately after leaving BAR (Barkingside) and again at the signal controlling access to NEP (Newbury Park). After that it was very smooth all the way in to HOL (Holborn) really.

I decided to go to HOL 'cause I was running late and I just missed the Cockfosters train. Still, no trouble, I walked along the platform and then caught an Arnos Grove train in to Russell Square. Had to let one lift go, but the new one arrived almost immediately and I eventually reached class quite embarrassingly late :P

That's it for the journey in, but I wanted to mention moron the third for today's show. This was a guy I saw at MIE (Mile End) last week and forgot to mention. He was standing on a Hammersmith & City line train (heading, er, westbound, I think) when those thoughtless doors decided that they would close!This would leave him trapped on the train he had walked on to - disaster. There was only one thing any reasonable person could do in that situation, so he flung himself into the doors, which closed on him. Now the new S stock have a nifty little feature I haven't seen before. Upon closing on our dear moron, those particular doors reopened slightly - allowing him to make his graceless escape - before finishing their closing. Quite a nice feature, I thought.

Anyway, I have a two hour gap between two of my classes on Mondays and today I didn't really have anything to fill said gap with. Naturally, therefore, I decided to go on a bit of a trip.

I walked down to Euston Square and had a bit of a wait there for an all stations Uxbridge train. Now, I was planning on going to Edgware Road, so I should really have changed at Great Portland Street (a station I'm a big fan of, as it happens), as you are advised to do. This is because it means you can wait on the same platform, rather than having to hurry around Baker Street. I, however, decided to stay on the Met to Baker Street and simply walk into the backmost carriage. There are a number of reasons for this, for one thing, I quite like Baker Street and I had a full two minutes until the Hammersmith train arrived and I knew where I was going, so I was quite happy to walk to the right platform at Baker Street. Also, there's a small, slightly silly, part of me that would always prefer to take the first train and change only where absolutely necessary. There is a crossover outside Baker Street and - in theory (though this is extremely unlikely) - a problem on the line could potentially lead to trains running from Hammersmith to Baker Street only. Now, it's unlikely that - even if this event were to occur - I would be any better off changing at Baker St. not Gt. Portland St., but anyway, I made my decision and I stick by it :P

Well, anyway, that wasn't really all that important, the point is that I changed at Baker St. for a Circle line train and took that to Edgware Road - a beautiful station:

The ever-interesting Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines). (Image courtesy "Sunil060902" (via Wikipedia))

Edgware Road is, to me, a fascinating station, because of the four platforms, with multiple different routes through and to it. Unfortunately, I'm not that knowledgeable about what happens in the tunnels just outside the station, but I can tell you that the track layout does allow numerous possible workings from and to each platform. However, the standard, timetabled pattern allocates platforms as follows:

• Westbound platform 4 is served by the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines towards Hammersmith. Naturally, these trains arrive from Baker Street. Note that in the case of the Circle line, trains heading through westbound 4 will have begun their journey from Edgware Road (platform 2).
• Platform 3 is the District line platform, used to reverse trains on the Wimbledon-Edgware Road branch. District line trains then depart from this platform towards Wimbledon, via Earl's Court
• Platform 2 is the Circle line platform which is these days used to reverse Circle line trains which have arrived via High Street Kensington. Circle line trains then depart from this platform, forming a Circle line service via High Street Kensington and Victoria. Eventually, of course, the train will make its way all the way around the loop, pass through Edgware Road again (using westbound platform 4) and head on to Hammersmith
• Eastbound platform 1 is served by the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines in the direction of Euston Square and King's Cross St. Pancras. These trains arrive from Hammersmith and, in the case of the Circle line, will - of course - continue all the way around the loop and eventually arrive at Edgware Road again to terminate in platform 2

This is all shown in the diagram below, but note again that this shows only the standard service pattern. I have focused purely on the station itself and it's important to note that outside the station there are numerous sets of points allowing access to various different routes.

A diagram showing the allocation of platforms at Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines)

So anyway, after a bit of a poke around, I made to leave the station, which is when it started pouring down. Happily, it poured down for all of 30 seconds or so and then it was fine. All rather odd. Still, I made my way outside and took a look at the rather lovely exterior of Edgware Road:

Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines) from the outside. (Image courtesy Tony Hisgett (via Wikipedia))

And then took a short walk to the newly reopened Edgware Road (Bakerloo line):

Edgware Road (Bakerloo line) from the outside. (Image courtesy "Oxyman" and "DavidCane" (via Wikipedia))

Which I happen to think is also quite cute and the old-fashioned tiling and stuff on the inside is quite "characterful", I suppose one would tend to say:

An example (and not, in my opinion, even the best) of the lovely old-fashioned tiling at Edgware Road (Bakerloo line). (Image courtesy "Prioryman" (via Wikipedia))

Similar tiling can also be found over at Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines). Phew, the two different Edgware Roads is getting quite confusing :P There has been a proposal by Murad Qureshi, a London Assembly member, to rename Edgware Road (Bakerloo line) "Church Street Market", which I think is probably quite a good idea. Although, perhaps a shorter name might work better :P

Anyway, back to the Bakerloo line station and - although newly reopened - there's still only one lift running. I took it down to the platform and just missed one Elephant & Castle train. No problem, there was another one along straight after and I got on that and rode it down to Piccadilly Circus. There, I crossed over to the northbound platform, to enjoy the classic view of the crossover and the southbound platform:

The view from one end of the northbound Bakerloo line platform at Piccadilly Circus. The southbound platform (with a train in it) is clearly visible, but sadly the crossover, which is behind us, is not shown. (Image courtesy Chris McKenna (via Wikipedia))

After looking my fill I got the Picc (Cockfosters train this time) back to Russell Square (yup, another journey to a station with a dodgy lift situation). Now, having been twenty minutes late this morning, did I make sure I got back to class on time after this little excursion? You can bet your life I didn't - but this time I was but 10 minutes late! (Which, for a 2 hour lecture, is nothing :P)

After a miserable class, I walked back to Euston Square, caught an Aldgate train to LIS (Liverpool Street) and changed for the Central. Though I got to the platform in good time and it wasn't too busy, I had to let the EPP (Epping) go, because it seemed I managed to stand in exactly the wrong place - right in between two sets of doors. Still, I got the HAI via NEP (Hainault via Newbury Park) and decided it was probably best to stay on it to HAI (Hainault) and catch the WOO train from there, which I'd noticed was only 3 minutes behind - so it was another journey via the loop.

The only thing of note, really, was that we were held for a brief while just outside GRH (Grange Hill) waiting for what must have been the GRH via WOO train to cross our path onto the wash road, which allows access to the depot. If I recall correctly, I also saw a train on what I think is called 70 road, where I think I'm right in saying most(/many/some) trains stabling in the HAI depot end up, before reversing and being routed to wherever they're going.