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Old November 10th 06, 03:19 PM posted to uk.transport.london
Heracles Pollux Heracles Pollux is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Apr 2006
Posts: 12
Default Dealing with failed LU trains


wrote in message
ups.com...
If an LU train fails between stations and comes to a stand do following
trains successively apply the "stop and proceed" rule leading to an
enormous queue of trains with minimal distance between each one? Does
the train immediately behind the failed train shunt the failed train to
the next station and subsequently to the depot? Is it feasible that the
train behind the failure could be incompatible with the failed train in
which case what happens then?

--
gordon


If memory serves me correct:

A 6 car LU train actually has 3 or 4 motor cars, and at least 3 conductors,
and a similar number of redundant pneumatic braking systems.

So given that the most likely cause of failure would be 1 out of 3 or 4
parts of the system, I understand a driver can simply toggle off a failed
motor or compressor, and hence limp back to a depot.

I was once on a District line train where the motor in the second last car
(in front of me) caught fire bellowing out toxic black smoke. I decided to
wait until we got to the station before pressing the alarm. (I didn't fancy
being stranded between stations with smoke heading my way.)

The driver simply turned off the burnt out motor by opening a service hatch
and turning a lever, and then drove back to the depot.

I would think the most likely scenario to jam up the tube would be "signal
failure", power grid problems (given our third world approach to power
continuity), or broken track.

I would think a driver would know by feel and by gauges if there were
compressor / brake pressure leakages or voltage problems and go out of
service as soon as he suspected the merest problem.