Here's a new phenomenon: carrying out Underground track repairs whilst a train
is in service, which is deliberately held up for that purpose!

Today, around 9.45a.m., I was in the front carriage of an Edgware Road train at
West Brompton. 2 fluorescent-jacketed men got into the driver's cab. About 200
yards from Earl's Court, the train stopped (just before it emerges into
daylight from the tunnel, West of the station) for about 10 minutes. Clanking
could be heard in front of the train - like spanners being dropped on the rail.
All the passengers looked at each other rather bemused. After a few minutes,
came the announcement from the driver: "Sorry for the delay, but we are
checking a piece of trackside equipment"! A few minutes later, the train moved
off into Earl's Court and the 2 men in fluorescent jackets got off, complete
with tools!

Never experienced that before!

Can any of the more experienced aficianados of this site shed any light on this
curiosity?

Marc.

"Mait001" wrote in message
...
Here's a new phenomenon: carrying out Underground track repairs whilst a
train
is in service, which is deliberately held up for that purpose!

Today, around 9.45a.m., I was in the front carriage of an Edgware Road
train at
West Brompton. 2 fluorescent-jacketed men got into the driver's cab. About
200
yards from Earl's Court, the train stopped (just before it emerges into
daylight from the tunnel, West of the station) for about 10 minutes.
Clanking
could be heard in front of the train - like spanners being dropped on the
rail.
All the passengers looked at each other rather bemused. After a few
minutes,
came the announcement from the driver: "Sorry for the delay, but we are
checking a piece of trackside equipment"! A few minutes later, the train
moved
off into Earl's Court and the 2 men in fluorescent jackets got off,
complete
with tools!

I can't offer an explanation but I had a similar experience last year on a
Bakerloo line train. I boarded at Piccadilly Circus to find that the
carriage reeked with a burning smell, a whole bank of seats were lifted and
two engineers were intently watching the traction motor below. There were a
lot of grinding and banging noises (unusual ones) coming from the wheelset
as we progressed towards Queen's Park.

I was surprised that the vehicle was in service. Had it been an overground
TOC then the vehicle would have been locked out of service, rather than full
of after-show revellers on their way home, surrounding working engineers -
but then that's LUL for you!

Jack Taylor wrote:

I was surprised that the vehicle was in service. Had it been an
overground TOC then the vehicle would have been locked out of
service, rather than full of after-show revellers on their way home,
surrounding working engineers - but then that's LUL for you!

Even when cars are "locked out of use" pillocks still walk through the
emergency doors and then complain when they can't get out.

"Jack Taylor" wrote in message
...

I can't offer an explanation but I had a similar experience last year on a
Bakerloo line train. I boarded at Piccadilly Circus to find that the
carriage reeked with a burning smell, a whole bank of seats were lifted
and
two engineers were intently watching the traction motor below. There were
a
lot of grinding and banging noises (unusual ones) coming from the wheelset
as we progressed towards Queen's Park.

I was surprised that the vehicle was in service. Had it been an overground
TOC then the vehicle would have been locked out of service, rather than
full
of after-show revellers on their way home, surrounding working engineers -
but then that's LUL for you!

You'd prefer the entire train to be withdrawn from service?

"Robin Mayes" wrote in message
.. .

"Jack Taylor" wrote in message
...

I can't offer an explanation but I had a similar experience last year on
a
Bakerloo line train. I boarded at Piccadilly Circus to find that the
carriage reeked with a burning smell, a whole bank of seats were lifted
and
two engineers were intently watching the traction motor below. There
were
a
lot of grinding and banging noises (unusual ones) coming from the
wheelset
as we progressed towards Queen's Park.

I was surprised that the vehicle was in service. Had it been an
overground
TOC then the vehicle would have been locked out of service, rather than
full
of after-show revellers on their way home, surrounding working
engineers -
but then that's LUL for you!

You'd prefer the entire train to be withdrawn from service?

No. I'd prefer that the entire car was locked out of use. Be sensible,
Robin.

It's not very good from the customer point of view having the guts of the
car on show - however safe equipment is, it often doesn't look very good in
the 'raw metal/grease'. The guys were struggling to pay attention to what
was occurring with the wheelsets, with customers getting in their way from
both sides and, from the other point of view, some of the female passengers
were looking distinctly unhappy about the possibility of getting grease on
their posh frocks.

"Jack Taylor" wrote in message
...

You'd prefer the entire train to be withdrawn from service?

No. I'd prefer that the entire car was locked out of use. Be sensible,
Robin.

It's not very good from the customer point of view having the guts of the
car on show - however safe equipment is, it often doesn't look very good
in
the 'raw metal/grease'. The guys were struggling to pay attention to what
was occurring with the wheelsets, with customers getting in their way from
both sides and, from the other point of view, some of the female
passengers
were looking distinctly unhappy about the possibility of getting grease on
their posh frocks.

There's no way to 'lock out' carriages. You can stop the passenger doors
from opening on one car but people will just use the interconnecting door to
access it anyway.

"Robin Mayes" wrote in message
.. .

There's no way to 'lock out' carriages. You can stop the passenger doors
from opening on one car but people will just use the interconnecting door
to
access it anyway.

I'm well aware of that - but actually trying is better than nothing at all.

You'd prefer the entire train to be withdrawn from service?

No. I'd prefer that the entire car was locked out of use. Be sensible,
Robin.

For the past few years it has not been LUL policy to run trains with one
or more cars cut out. This is because it is possible for passengers to
access the car through the emergency doors. Personally, if people want to
walk through a door that has a sticker showing no access and then possibly
injure themselves (on broken glass or whatever, or slip and fall over on
vomit etc.) then that should be down to them. Unfortunately in these days
of claiming for everything and courts quite willing to award people
damages when they are harmed during trespassing, LUL, like many other
firms, are just covering themselves.

It does mean, though, that trains are now taken out of service for often
minor things when in the past it just meant isolating a car and carrying
on in passenger service as normal.

Roger

wrote:

It does mean, though, that trains are now taken out of service for often
minor things when in the past it just meant isolating a car and carrying
on in passenger service as normal.

Roger


I was at Uxbridge last week, and tried to get a Met train baack. But
just as it was about to leave, there was annociment saying it is being
taken out of service because of "mess in the train." We all had to get
off and take the next train!

OTOH, It would be nice if SouthCentral could be even half that dedicated
at keeping trains tidy...

wrote:
You'd prefer the entire train to be withdrawn from service?

No. I'd prefer that the entire car was locked out of use. Be
sensible, Robin.

For the past few years it has not been LUL policy to run trains
with one or more cars cut out. This is because it is possible for
passengers to access the car through the emergency doors.

.... which prompts me to ask why passengers are given free access through
the emergency doors. In Paris, the inter-car doors on the Métro can be
opened only by a key, probably the Métro equivalent of LU's J-door key.

On LU, the fact that these doors can be opened by passengers means that
reversing trains at places such as Liverpool Street or Rayners Lane
takes longer, even with station staff involved. Plus the inability to
run with a car locked out. Plus the occasional death or injury through
passenger use. So what's the reason for allowing public access that
doesn't apply in Paris?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)