London Banter - View Single Post

Colin Rosenstiel · January 9th 07, 12:06 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article . com,
(MIG) wrote:

The CO/CP/COP stock could only couple one way, and did sometimes
run on the Circle till C stock took over the Edgware Road branch. They
managed to get it back to the District Line facing the right way.

O/P stock was used on the Circle from the early 1950s.

The Northern Line stock could only couple in one direction but,
because of Kennington, half the units could never couple to the other
half. They seemed to cope somehow. The same on the Picadilly after
Terminal 4 was opened.

I remember the 1962 stock on the Central always facing the right way
for years, despite the obvious loop. Maybe anything that went in
the depot from the Grange Hill end always left that way, but then one
year in the 1980s or so they seemed to stop bothering and it ended up
fairly random.

Given that all BR and some Underground stock had universal
couplers, I never understood by the Underground gave itself the
problem of couplings that had to face the right way.

It was a problem with the introduction of automatic couplers. The
original (1938) designs didn't have enough contacts to duplicate
connections so they could couple both ways round. Previous District
mechanical Ward couplers were handed, IIRC.

--
Colin Rosenstiel