London Banter - Metropolian Line question

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Metropolian Line question

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 22:05:34 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Masson"
wrote:

and some Uxbridge which were fast from Finchley Road to
Rayners Lane,

The pedant in me wishes to point out they were fast from Finchley
Road to West Harrow, an exhilarating trip in a "tank" (F-stock)

--
Bill Hayles

http://billnot.com

Metropolian Line question

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 21:31:35 +0000 (UTC), "Jonathan Morton"
wrote:

Stopping pattern for the fast Amershams was Finchley Road,
Harrow-on-the-Hill, Moor Park, then all stations - is it still?

Most now also stop at Wembley Park. I revisited the line during a
visit to the UK in October. The speeds in general were very much
lower than I remember, although the A stock looked in excellent
condition given its age.
The
indicators at Finchley Road always used to have facilities to indicate a
train that didn't stop at Harrow-on-the-Hill, though I've never seen this in
use - have any trains ever missed the Harrow stop in regular service?

Very much so. Many peak trains in the sixties were non-stop
Finchley Road to Moor Park, including some on Saturday lunchtime.

--
Bill Hayles

http://billnot.com

Metropolian Line question

In article ], Five Cats wrote:
In message , Jock Mackirdy
writes
In article ], Five Cats wrote:

I remember the engine being changed at Rickmansworth when we went on
holiday to my grandparents in Kent.

After the end of steam at Rickmansworth the 75?-year old ashpit burned on for
another ten years, in the same manner as a colliery tip.

Now that I don't remember. Where was it, please?

Down the embankment beside Rickmansworth engine siding. Where else would it be?

--

Jock Mackirdy
Bedford

Metropolian Line question

In article , Bill Hayles wrote:

The pedant in me wishes to point out they were fast from Finchley
Road to West Harrow, an exhilarating trip in a "tank" (F-stock)

Was that before F stock was demoted to work the East London Line? I
rode one there not long before they were scrapped.

--

Jock Mackirdy
Bedford

Metropolian Line question

In message , Jock Mackirdy
writes
In article ], Five Cats wrote:
In message , Jock Mackirdy
writes
In article ], Five Cats wrote:

I remember the engine being changed at Rickmansworth when we went on
holiday to my grandparents in Kent.

After the end of steam at Rickmansworth the 75?-year old ashpit
burned on for
another ten years, in the same manner as a colliery tip.

Now that I don't remember. Where was it, please?

Down the embankment beside Rickmansworth engine siding. Where else would it be?

I think I can only remember that after it was altered for the electric
trains - several siding on the N. side of the track. However surely it
was still burning when those sidings were enlarged etc.?

--
Five Cats
Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

Metropolian Line question

In article , Jonathan Morton
writes
A recent
photo
shows a second set of lines on the south west side of the station.

That could of course have been the BR (ex-GCR) lines. South of and including
Harrow-on-the-Hill they are on the south-western side of the formation,
giving Harrow three island platforms (from south to north Marylebone
down/up, Met down and Met up). I can't remember whether this arrangement
continues north of Harrow Junction.

No: the six platform tracks at Harrow are connected thus:
Northwards Southwards
1 Northbound fast Down ex-GCR
2 Southbound fast Up ex-GCR
3 Northbound slow Northbound fast
4 Northbound Uxbridge Northbound slow
5 Southbound Uxbridge Southbound slow
6 Southbound slow Southbound fast

The Uxbridge pair cross under 1-3 through the diveunder. There are
various other connections; in particular, the fast lines north of the
station connect to 3 and 6 as well and 1 and 2, and there are scissors
between the 3/4 and 5/6 pairs south of the station.

Clive's UndergrounD Guides web pages say "Traffic on the Metropolitan
was
heavy enough that it was quadrupled from Finchley Road to Kilburn in
1913,
Wembley Park in 1915, Harrow in 1932, Northwood Hills in 1961, and
Croxleyhall Junction (north of Moor Park) in 1962." I am right in
understanding this to mean that the second pair of lines were built in
1961.

Does any one have information on this second set and/or any images of
their
construction.

Sorry, no images, but the dates would be right, co-inciding roughly with the
intoduction of the A59 and A60 stock (IIRC, "A" for Amersham and the years
'59 and '60).

A60 and A62, actually.

Not sure if the reference to "second pair" of lines is
strictly correct.

All the doublings involved a second pair of tracks but some reshuffling.
It was never as simple as just adding a second pair alongside.

Certainly the Met south of Harrow is paired by direction

But only since some date around 1938; before then it was paired by
speed. The rearrangement (including new signals for two tracks) was done
in two weekend (Sat pm to Mon am, I think) blockades; between the two
dates, there was a flat crossing between the centre pair of tracks
somewhere around Dollis Hill.

(very efficient use of space, with the slows in the middle, because you can
use a single island platform where there are no fast platforms,

But this arrangement has disadvantages, including requiring a wobble in
the fast tracks and problems at junctions.

I think this continues north of Harrow,
but I can't remember exactly.

No, north of Harrow the pairing is by usage.

So I would guess that quadrupling was achieved
by a new track on each side, BICBW.

You are, I'm afraid.

--
Clive D.W. Feather, writing for himself | Home:
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work) | Web: http://www.davros.org
Fax: +44 870 051 9937 | Work:
Written on my laptop; please observe the Reply-To address

Metropolian Line question

In article , Ronnie Clark
writes
Presumably, the four tracks heading towards Rickmansworth pair off to two
tracks after Moor Park

Not quite. The Watford branch turns off the slow pair, then the two
pairs continue together for a little further before merging into one.
Exact distances are on my web site.

This pairing by direction does not appear to continue north of Harrow,
judging by the track-plans I have. It merely separated the GC and Met lines.

No: north of Harrow all four tracks belong[ed] to the Met. The GC just
ran over the fast (or the slow when things were broken).

--
Clive D.W. Feather, writing for himself | Home:
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work) | Web: http://www.davros.org
Fax: +44 870 051 9937 | Work:
Written on my laptop; please observe the Reply-To address

Metropolian Line question

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:58:22 GMT, Jock Mackirdy
wrote:

In article , Bill Hayles wrote:

The pedant in me wishes to point out they were fast from Finchley
Road to West Harrow, an exhilarating trip in a "tank" (F-stock)

Was that before F stock was demoted to work the East London Line? I
rode one there not long before they were scrapped.

In 1951, the F stock was renovated and moved from the District to
the Metropolitan and was based at Neasden. It was powerful and fast,
and ideal for the fast Uxbridge service (the slow service was the
domain of COP stock). Then, as now, the East London line was served
by units kept at New Cross but nominally based at Neasden, and stock
was rotated regularly.

With the advent of the A60 and A62 stock, scrapping started in
either 1961 or 1962 (I'm not sure). The last Uxbridge service was
on 15th March 1963, and the last of all on the East London line on
7th September 1963.

It's a shame none were preserved. They were unique, quite like
anything before or since.
--
Bill Hayles

http://billnot.com

Metropolian Line question