"Roland Perry" wrote in message ...

In message
, at
23:27:38 on Wed, 26 Sep 2012, Stephen Furley
remarked:

Automatic Train Operation was tested on the Woodford - Hainault
section before being introduced on the new Victoria Line. Was this
section operated as a shuttle between these stations at that time

From some old tube maps:

Woodford Hainault.

1951: Through Capacitor
1956: Terminus Capacitor
1986: Through in peaks only Capacitor
1995: Through in peaks only Through
2002: Terminus Through


In the 1960s and 1970s Woodford - Hainault was operated with a 4-car
shuttle, without any through running at either end. This included the period
before and after the shuttle was used for ATO testing.

Currently a full-length train is used which runs through Hainault and
terminating at Woodford, using the reversing siding (No. 21 Road) south of
the station. Sometimes the Live Departure Boards show a train as 'At road
21'. There are a couple of trains in each peak which start from Hainault
Depot, come into passenger service at Grange Hill, and run through to
Central London via Woodford. There are no corresponding journeys in the
other direction, and these are the only through trains between the Hainault
Loop and Leytonstone via Woodford.

Peter

Anyone trying to understand the logic behind the Hainault/Woodford
loop workings should bear in mind that most of the route is in Essex,
not London. Both Woodford and Hainault stations are in the London
Borough of Redbridge but about three quarters of a mile north of
Woodford Station the line enters Epping Forest District Council.
The re-enters London about halfway between Grange Hill and
Hainault Stations. The other point to remember is that the loop
is very lightly used even in rush hour so Epping Forest Council,
cash strapped like every other local authority, is unwilling to stump
up the subsidy for a fuller service.

Until quite recently it was noticeable to passengers travelling
eastbound from central London that there were about three times
as many trains going to Hainault via Newbury Park as to Epping.
This seems to have changed to some extent. I don't know if there
has been an official announcement about this. As Woodford has three
platforms (not two as stated in an earlier post) I've never understood
why no trains from West London terminate at Woodford leaving, say,
every second train to run on to Epping.

On Thu, 27 Sep 2012 23:26:38 +0100
Paul Corfield wrote:
Epping has a x10 minute service off peak and it's x5 to Loughton off
peak. The peak is more frequent than this. I can't think of any
National Rail line that offers stopping services at this sort of
frequency for an equivalent distance out of London at the same fare
level. This would explain the huge volume of railhead commuters at
Epping.

I wonder if it would have made sense to double track the section to north
weald , terminate trains there and capture commuter traffic from the M11.
There are plenty of empty fields around there that could have been turned into
a huge park and ride facility, unlike Epping station which is pretty much
hemmed in.

B2003

wrote in message
...

I wonder if it would have made sense to double track the section to north
weald , terminate trains there and capture commuter traffic from the M11.
There are plenty of empty fields around there that could have been turned
into
a huge park and ride facility, unlike Epping station which is pretty much
hemmed in.

I'd use a station out that way if it was easily accessed from the M11.

I live a little beyond the top of the M11 and quite often need to get into
central London.

I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.


ISTR Newbury Park was built with the intention of being convenient for all
kinds of road traffic (buses and cars) from the A12. I presume in the last
55 years or so, its capacity has become a bit inadequate?

Re-open the Ilford loop, I say! Who needs allotments anyway?

:-)

--
Brian
"Fight like the Devil, die like a gentleman."

On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:01:00 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.

Blackhorse road seems an odd choice. Surely driving all the way into
walthamstow negates any time saving benefits of getting the tube , not to
mention lack of parking?

B2003

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:01:00 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.

Blackhorse road seems an odd choice. Surely driving all the way into
walthamstow negates any time saving benefits of getting the tube , not to
mention lack of parking?

I can time a road journey from home to keep going at a sensible speed down
the M11 and round the North Circ to Blackhorse Road, arriving at about
9.15-9.30.

I've never had a problem parking there at that time.

Doing the last bit by Victoria line means using an efficient method into the
centre of London.

Similarly, getting out (except at the VERY peak time) is easy and I can
listen to the radio on the way home without distressing my fellow
travellers.

--
Brian
"Fight like the Devil, die like a gentleman."

On Tue, 2 Oct 2012 08:05:16 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:01:00 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.

Blackhorse road seems an odd choice. Surely driving all the way into
walthamstow negates any time saving benefits of getting the tube , not to
mention lack of parking?

I can time a road journey from home to keep going at a sensible speed down
the M11 and round the North Circ to Blackhorse Road, arriving at about
9.15-9.30.

I've never had a problem parking there at that time.

In that case I might mention it to my relatives. Perhaps they can try it
instead of redbridge.

B2003

On Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:45:51 +0100
Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 1 Oct 2012 09:07:48 +0000 (UTC), d
wrote:

On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:01:00 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.

Blackhorse road seems an odd choice. Surely driving all the way into
walthamstow negates any time saving benefits of getting the tube , not to
mention lack of parking?

It's about 6-7 mins off the North Circ (Crooked Billet) which connects

6-7 mins on a sunday maybe, not during the rush hour.

to the M11. A lot of people use the car park at Blackhorse Rd and not
just for the usual commute.

What car park? I've just checked on google maps and I can see a private
carpark nearby but nothing for the tube station.

B2003

Even in the morning rush hour the Billet Road/Blackhorse Lane route
works well. Why? Because there are no traffic lights, only a couple
of pesky pedestrian lights! Without God-forsaken traffic lights,
London's road traffic moves quite smoothly.

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:45:51 +0100
Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 1 Oct 2012 09:07:48 +0000 (UTC), d
wrote:

On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:01:00 +0100
"Brian Watson" wrote:
I generally either use Ely station (£3 a day parking nearby) or drive
down
to Redbridge or Blackhorse Road and Tube in from there.

Blackhorse road seems an odd choice. Surely driving all the way into
walthamstow negates any time saving benefits of getting the tube , not to
mention lack of parking?

It's about 6-7 mins off the North Circ (Crooked Billet) which connects

6-7 mins on a sunday maybe, not during the rush hour.

The worst part IS the bottom of the M11, where it narrows over the Crooked
Billet roundabout.

to the M11. A lot of people use the car park at Blackhorse Rd and not
just for the usual commute.

What car park? I've just checked on google maps and I can see a private
carpark nearby but nothing for the tube station.

Right across the road from the station. Easy-peasy.

--
Brian
"Fight like the Devil, die like a gentleman."