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[email protected] · May 20th 16, 12:59 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On Thu, 19 May 2016 18:12:29 -0000 (UTC), Recliner
wrote:

Paul Corfield wrote:
On Thu, 19 May 2016 09:07:00 +0200, Robin9
wrote:

I've always thought the train service through Leyton
Midland runs at fifteen minute intervals and never goes
further than Barking at one end and Gospel Oak at the
other. I normally use the service only at off-peak periods.
Yesterday I travelled in the rush hour and just missed a
westbound train. I assumed I would have to wait another
fifteen minutes.

Instead I found another train announced: the 08.08 to
Willesden Junction. Clearly this train runs beyond Gospel Oak.
The train was quite full so an additional train is financially
justified. I didn't know spare train sets were available for
extra duties in the peak periods.

I got off at Blackhorse Road. I would have liked to have
stayed on to see how the train negotiated the Gospel Oak
junction.

It doesn't stop at Gospel Oak. It runs on the freight tracks andthen
heads to Hampstead Heath. After kensal Rise it dives underneath the
NLL and terminates in the bay platform by the Watford DC platforms.

I intend to have a ride on it before the blockade starts because I
suspect it may not run after the blockade finishes.

Is it mainly to move stock to the depot, and might as well carry pax?

It's a congestion buster on the east end of the line. It uses the
"spare" train so sometimes it can't run if there is a fault. The AM
peak overcrowding into Blackhorse Road is, I am told, chronic and
that's why it was added. As you say LOROL could have run it oos from
Blackhorse Road into Willesden and not carry anyone but they took the
sensible decision to run in service given it has a path.

Other special workings in the timetable don't all run in service from
the depot and that's fair enough as they run at slightly less busy
times for their positioning runs.

Running otherwise empty stock in service is rather hit and miss. They've
just extended a Kings Cross-Royston train to Cambridge which used to run ECS
from Royston while cutting back another to run to Royston instead of
Cambridge. It runs ECS to Letchworth.

I sometimes catch the 16:40 Cambridge-Liverpool St (arr. 17:46). That's
another otherwise ECS move to provide stock for the 18:07. OTOH the 16:05
Cambridge to Liverpool St runs as a class 3 ECS move arriving 17:26 to
provide stock for the 17:37. I think this doesn't carry passengers because
it gets looped at Broxbourne for 5 minutes.

--
Colin Rosenstiel