On Thu, 13 Dec 2007, Paul Scott wrote:

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...
On Wed, 12 Dec 2007, Andy wrote:

On Dec 12, 6:21 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
On Wed, 12 Dec 2007, Andy wrote:

and there would be no connection back onto the LUL system for major
servicing anyway.

The St. Mary's curve to the District / Hammersmith & City lines is due to
be taken out early next year and so the line will be 'on its own' with no
connections to NR or LUL for a long time.

Why is this link being removed? Are platforms being extended over it or
something?

Its only purpose is for ELL trains to get back to their main depot -
Neasden is it? Once the ELL is rebuilt for main line spec trains, they
will have no requirement to enter the LU system, indeed they are
probably out of gauge for length anyway. The power supply and signalling
systems at either side of the curve will be incompatible, so the track
connection would appear irrelevant and unnecessary.

I smell circular reasoning! Why can't the ELL going to use A stock?
Because St Mary's curve is being taken out. Why is St Mary's curve being
taken out? Because the ELL isn't going to use A stock!

If the curve was left in, and other provisions made for continuing to run
tube trains, the line could reopen soon and carry on running as before
until the extensions are ready, at which point it could go over to NR
operation. Yes, this would be more difficult and expensive than the
current plan, but it would also mean that an entire line didn't have to
close for three years!

Apart from having a fourth rail, what would need to be done to make the
line tube-friendly? I imagine NR signals would be fine, you'd just have to
train drivers to read those instead of LU signals (do they do this already
towards Richmond and Amersham?). What's the situation with platform
height?

tom

--
Any Christmas message which ends with "... everything's pointless
...." probably doesn't need sharing -- cleanskies