On Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:31:15 -0800 (PST), 77002
wrote:

On Feb 28, 11:25*am, wrote:
On Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:31:25 -0800 (PST)





77002 wrote:
On Feb 28, 10:20=A0am, wrote:
On Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:32:30 -0800 (PST), 77002
wrote:

Much =A0easier to path an out of gauge load =A0along a line with no
passing traffic than anywhere else.

Is sub-surface Underground stock built to a wider loading loading
gauge that NR stock?

Or what is it that makes it out of gauge?

Metropolitan Railway Cars were wider at the Sole Bar than other
British main land rolling stock. =A0North of Quainton Road, Met. Cars
were out of guage towards Calvert, but within guage towards Verney
Junction. =A0"A" stock took advantage of the wider availability. =A0I
cannot speak to "S" stock.

Way back in 1907 the West Somerset Mineral Railway was briefly brought
back into use. =A0The operators used an old Metropolitan Railway Steam
loco which was brought down on the GWR and delivered over a temp
connection from the Minehead branch to the mineral line. By all
accounts it had a few bumps and scrapes with GWR infrastructure on the
way and when the short period of use on the Mineral line came to an
end the GWR is supposed to have refused to handle the Loco again and
it left by sea. So =A0Metropolitan Railway loading gauge being different
goes back a long way.

That says a lot. *The GWR had a generous load guage.

According to wonkypedia the new S stock is 9 foot 7 wide which is about 5
inches wider than the class 378 NR stock on which its based, so the tradition
is being continued. Assuming the entry is correct of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_S_Stock

Thank you Boltar. That is useful. I believe it is also the case the
subsurface stock structure gauge is now a couple of inches shorter
than the mainline.

This has not always been the case. However, IIRC, when LUL acquired a
4TC for rail tours, etc., the roof vents had to be removed. I assume
that the track bed had risen with successive ballast replacements, or
devices have been attached to the tunnel roofs over the years.

Sub-surface stock generally seems to have a flatter roof profile
suggesting a squarer structure gauge so presumably it would have been
centrally-mounted vents causing the trouble. Do I hear a faint bell
ringing somewhere in the distant past concerning brake vans and their
chimneys when passing through the Underground ?