Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
London Transport (uk.transport.london) Discussion of all forms of transport in London. |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Crossrail rolling stock PIN
On 5 Aug, 11:01, wrote:
On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:10:02 +0100 Neil Williams wrote: On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 10:19:22 +0000 (UTC), wrote: Fair point. But I'm sure they could build some sort of compromise stock that could use the full UIC height and also width above platform level that would still be within UK gauge below platform level. UIC height isn't all that much higher than UK height. *The reason you can do UIC double-deckers and not UK ones has more to do with the width at platform level that allows for a reasonably wide lower deck. Perhaps there could be a compromise type platform as used at St P. That would allow double deck UIC shuttle trains in the centre section but also allow UK gauge trains to use it too. After all, we're only talking a few inches width required either side which is hardly going to create a huge gap to step across. What compromise platforms? St Pancras has UIC platforms on the Eurostar platforms and UK platforms on the Kent, East Midlands and Thameslink paltforms. HS1 was built as a UIC railway from the channel tunnel to the buffer stops at St Pancras, hence the possibility of ICE stock to London (which wouldn't fit a UK platform). Of course it rather begs the question of why the victorians chose such a daft setup in the first place but I guess we'll never know. The Victorians chose to have platforms, while the European railways (and those in most other parts of the world) chose not to have platforms, and board the trains from the trackside, by way of carriage mounted steps. Of course when the Victorians decided to have platforms, a typical railway carriage had 4 wheels and perhaps 4 4-a- side compartments. Your typical 19th century European station was operated with the passengers waiting by the station building, and if the train happened to stop on the far track, then walking across the near track to board it from between the two tracks. Indeed, there are even now, a goodly number of stations that still retain this layout, for example http://commondatastorage.googleapis....l/19186493.jpg There were no platforms at all at first, and this is why whereas in Britain we talk about trains being on platform 2 or whatever, in most other languages (and in the US) trains are refered to as being on track 2 (in the appropriate language), because when the language was established, there were no platforms. By the time the idea of having platforms started to gain favour in Europe, trains were already much larger, and platforms had to be far enough back from the track so as not to foul the steps that carriages still had (still have) to allow for boarding at unimproved stations. Robin |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Crossrail Rolling Stock | London Transport | |||
Chip and PIN on underground? | London Transport | |||
Rolling stock losses in the bombs | London Transport | |||
LUL rolling stock question | London Transport |