"Mwmbwls" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Nov 8, 8:03 pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
"Neil Williams" wrote in message

...

On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:50:09 -0800, MIG
wrote:

Incidentally, I note an interim stage in plans for Waterloo to be
increasing platform lengths to 10. With most trains in units of 4,
this isn't going to make much difference.

If it is 10 23m coach-lengths, that'd fit a double IC Desiro, surely?

For some reason though platform lengths are normally described in terms
of
20m car lengths, so a 10.444 needs a '12 car platform'...

This has overtones of the story of the space exploration vehicle lost
because one manufacturer was callibrating in Imperial Measures and
another in metric. Canadian aircraft have run out of jet fuel in mid
Atlantic for the same reason. I do hope that this is checked before we
have another Shepherd's Bush platform snafu.


I don't think so - the whole area (SW division of SR) seems to have been
designed for 8 car then some parts for 12 car 20m EMUs. When the 442s came
along they decided upon a 'mainline style' 23m vehicle which would fit the
existing platforms wheen coupled as 2 5 car units. It certainly wasn't
accidental...

The current announcements about platform lengthening are usually about
specific routes and the actual type of stock that runs on, it isn't as
random as you seem to think...

Paul