victormeldrewsyoungerbrother wrote:
lantern wrote:
I was looking on Google maps at the uxbridge branch of the met line, and I
noticed a spur between Hillingdon and Ickenham.

I followed this spur and it seemed to link to a depot and then towards the
central / chiltern line.

I had no idea this connection existed. Is this connection in use?

Also when LU send stock to leeds / derby for repair why do they use road
freight instead of rail?


Looking at Joe Brown's London Railway Atlas there is no spur between
Ickenham and Hillingdon, but there is between Ickenham and Ruislip.
This was built in 1973 to enable Piccadilly (I think) stock to access
Ruislip Depot for maintenance and repair. There is a head shunt to the
west of West Ruislip station which has connections with the main line,
which used to be used for stock transfer. If it's not used now, I guess
that it's because of the usual daft story - road transport is cheaper.
The Met/Central spur is still in use SFAIA


I think that new stock was delivered to Ruislip depot for commissioning
before going into service, rather than going back there for
maintenance. I don't know how long this went on for or if it still
does.