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Mill Hill East
Tim Roll-Pickering:
Does anyone know why the Aldwych branch was built in such a way as to be useless? I've never seen an explanation of that. Clive Feather has never seen an explanation of that. From recollection the southbound branch tunnel is linked to the northbound mainline tunnel whilst the other two aren't linked at all, ruling out both through services to Aldwych and using the branch for reversing ... Right. In addition, there was no crossover north of Holborn on the main line that would have allowed the branch junction to be worked as a "single-lead junction" even if they'd wanted to; they put one at Covent Garden instead. Nor was there a crossover at the south end of the branch, only near Holborn on the branch. Here's an ASCII version of the diagram in Rails Through the Clay 2nd edition (RTTC2): to Finsbury Park | | | | | |# * |# /| |# /#| |# HOLBORN /##| |# /# #| / /# #| ( /## #| _/ # # = #| __/ # | | __/ _ ) # | * __/ __/ | /| _* __/ |/ | / |.__/ * | /# * | | /# #/ | | COVENT GARDEN | | and on to Hammersmith | | | | | | | | | | STRAND # | | # (- Aldwych) # | | # # | | # = = Ian Jelf: Because what eventually became the Piccadilly Railway was actually conceived as two separate lines which joined together at Holborn. The Northern of these two had been planned to continue south to "Strand" (as Aldwych was originally called) and was built anyway... Tim Roll-Pickering: That explains why it was built but not why the connection at Holborn is so useless. Had it been built as a more conventional branch then it could have been useful... Exactly. RTTC2 says the branch was originally worked using only the east track off-peak and with a train on each track working independently at peaks. By 1912 it was down to a single shuttle at all times, using the branch crossover, and in due course the other tracks were lifted and this became the only possible route. In the very earliest days of the line there were through services from "Strand" (not sure if it had been renamed at that point) to the then Northern terminus of the Piccadilly to cater for late evening theatre traffic. These ceased very early on and information about them is patchy. It was still Strand... Yes, it changed in 1915. As I understand it the theatre through service was only one a night. Before the branch opened, this train started from Holborn and ran express to Finsbury Park, calling only at King's Cross and Holloway Road. It was then altered to start at Strand (Aldwych), at 11:13 pm (later 11:28). From 1908 it called at all stations. [RTTC2] I don't see anything to say when it stopped running. -- Mark Brader "Remember, this is Mark we're dealing with. Toronto Rationality and fact won't work very well." -- Jeff Scott Franzman My text in this article is in the public domain. |
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Mill Hill East
In message , Mark Brader
writes ( the Aldwych Theatre train): It was then altered to start at Strand (Aldwych), at 11:13 pm (later 11:28). From 1908 it called at all stations. [RTTC2] I don't see anything to say when it stopped running. End of 1908, according to Croome's monograph on the Piccadilly line Not altogether surprising, though - Aldwych is right on the far easterly corner of "theatreland", so Covent Garden, Leicester Square or TCR have always been more convenient for the majority of theatre-goers. -- Paul Terry |
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