*From:* Clive
*Date:* Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:21:22 +0100

In message , Charles
Ellson writes
Neither the 38 or 62 stock that I worked on had any kind of
interlock to
cut power if any door was open.
AFAIR the only interlock was (allegedly) with the guard's bell.
There was no interlock, the doors could be opened at any time, any
place without affecting traction current to motors or anything else.
--
Clive


Being able to motor with the doors open had great advantages - for example
departing the depot in the afternoon after the train had been standing in
the heat since the AM stabling at Morden. At least this let some fresh air
into the train, as long as you remembered to close the doors before the
train reached the wash (it wasn't unknown for a train to get a good
washing inside as well!).

The most useful feature of their being no interlock was that the driver
could "notch up" (attempt to motor with the brakes on) in order to attempt
to shake a sticky door shut. Technically, this was forbidden, but most
drivers did it. It saved the Guard or driver having to walk down the train
to give the door a kick when it was partly stuck in the crap that used to
collect on the door runners of the 38 and 59 stock. Unfortunately, it was
not so easy to notch up on the 72 stock because the motor and brake were
on one handle (CTBC) and so it became an art to be able to begin to motor
and then quickly apply the brake. The effects wasn't as good, though.


One thing I used to find as a driver was that because that you would often
go into auto pilot mode. When you got to station X, you could remember
stopping at station A, but nothing of what happened anywhere in between. A
red signal or something unusual would bring you back to normal.
One problem this caused was that, coming out of auto pilot, you suddenly
thought "did I get a bell?" and then looked out of the fire extinguisher
window (38 stock) or the (inevitable) spy hole on the 59 stock door to see
if you could see if the doors were closed.


Guards being quick on the bell combined with slow drivers was another
problem, and this was often associated with the bounce you mentioned -
either contact or door. A Guard would get the pilot light and give the
bell, only to find the pilot light lost. The correct procedure would then
be to call the driver over the (mostly) crap Loudaphone or pull the handle
down before re-opening and closing the doors or leaving the train.
A driver might be slow starting because he was rolling a fag or poring his
tea. The usual thing a driver sid if there was a delay before he was ready
to go was to notch up for another bell, just to make sure it was still OK
to go. Some drivers didn't do it and just started when they were ready.

There have been several cases in the past where the Guard, after giving
the bell and then lost his pilot light, has got off the train to go deal
with the problem door and meanwhile the driver has started the train and
left the Guard on the platform. The train then going off to the next
station minus a Guard and with the Guards door open. Passengers rarely
pulled the handle down when this happened. The first that a driver knew
anything was wrong was when he arrived at the next station and the doors
didn't open. There was no train radio until a few years before the 59
stock left the Northern line, so there was no way of contacting the
driver.

Roger