"StaticFish" wrote in message
oups.com...
I
didn't think Hyde park corner was the line's controlling station (ie
Earls court for disrict) so why are the trains held and spaced and Hyde
Park and not Piccadilly (or whatever the lines control station is)

I think it has more to do with where is convenient to put the controls on
the signals. Trains are held to time at all sites where there are
junctions - for example an eastbound Picc train from Heathrow would be held
at Heathrow, Northfields, Acton Town and Hammersmith, all of which have
complex junction layouts controlled by programme machines.

At locations where there are little-used crossovers, the signalling is
normally left on automatic mode - continuing the above, this would apply at
Hatton Cross, Hounslow Central and Boston Manor. At these places the signals
normally clear to green as soon as a train passes, though the signaller can
take control of the site if he needs to.

Hyde Park Corner is a controlled site as it has a crossover just east of the
station and also a siding at Down Street, between Hyde Park Corner and Green
Park. This area normally works automatically, but for some reason it was
deemed desirable to place additional controls on the eastbound (only
eastbound) starting signal. It was probably simply convenience - they
presumably wanted somewhere to hold trains to time east of Hammersmith.
Suitable sites were Hyde Park Corner, Holborn and King's Cross, and HPC is
the best out of three as it comes before the busy section through Piccadilly
Circus/Leicester Square.