On 12 Jan, 18:54, Paul Corfield wrote:
Silverlink County did have a rocky patch a number of years ago but like
a number of Nat Ex TOCs they just knuckled down and concentrated on the
basics. IIRC they had the most reliable EMUs in Britain with their fleet
of Class 321s based at Bletchley. *For a railway getting the most boring
basics right day in, day out is absolutely essential and they did seem
to manage that despite the WCML upgrade works.

It's not really a "despite". As part of the WCML upgrade Silverlink
were bought a stack of new trains and 12-car platform extensions and
probably benefited from the other infrastructure upgrades and
renewals. I'd think this goes a long way to explaining the better
reputation of County.

U

--
http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/
A blog about transport projects in London

Mr Thant wrote:
On 12 Jan, 18:54, Paul Corfield wrote:
Silverlink County did have a rocky patch a number of years ago but
like a number of Nat Ex TOCs they just knuckled down and
concentrated on the basics. IIRC they had the most reliable EMUs
in Britain with their fleet of Class 321s based at Bletchley. For
a railway getting the most boring basics right day in, day out is
absolutely essential and they did seem to manage that despite the
WCML upgrade works.

It's not really a "despite". As part of the WCML upgrade Silverlink
were bought a stack of new trains and 12-car platform extensions and
probably benefited from the other infrastructure upgrades and
renewals. I'd think this goes a long way to explaining the better
reputation of County.

It was perhaps also the fact that County maintained their "old" trains
superbly. Their Class 321 reliability was the best of any National Rail
train type for the second year running, and their average miles per
casualty*, at 49,244, was more than twice the figure for One's fleet of
the same class.

By contrast, Metro's fleet of Class 313, admittedly around 13 years
older but maintained in the same Bletchley depot, achieved a miserable
5189 miles per casualty last year, compared to FCC's 11,355 mpc with the
same class.

* Strictly, it's the moving annual average of total miles run divided by
the number of train faults causing at least a 5-minute delay. Figures
from Modern Railways, January 2008.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

I decided on an observational survey trip last Wednesday afternoon to
the former BR/Bakerloo Line joint stations "north of Harrow" on the DC
Lines.

Headstone Lane - ticket office closed, no UTS gates, no visible staff.
Hatch End - ticket office open, no UTS gates, no other visible staff.
Carpenders Park (a dreadful early-1950s BR hole accessed through dodgy
local authority aubways) - ticket office open, no UTS gates, no other
visible staff.
Bushey - ticket office open, no UTS gates, no other visible staff.
Watford High Road - ticket office open, UTS gates fitted and in use,
about 4 revenue staff in ticket hall.
Watford Junction - ticket office open, UTS gates fitted and in use,
visible staff but presumably all part of the London Midland operation.

Temporary exterior LO signs at all LO stations except Hatch End which
I suppose might require listed building consent?

Had my ticket checked for the first ever on the former Silverlink
Metro system, the squad on the 3-car train were at least 8-strong!

I'm sure the Mayor's promises regarding ticket office opening and
general staffing is not being met at many LO stations, and even some
of the new Bakerloo Line stations seem deserted much of the time.

On Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:49:12 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Carpenders Park (a dreadful early-1950s BR hole

Is it really? It has a very LUL art-deco look to it - like a lot of
Heathrow-branch Picc Line stations.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Jan 13, 3:53*am, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
On Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:49:12 -0800 (PST), wrote:
Carpenders Park (a dreadful early-1950s BR hole

Is it really? *It has a very LUL art-deco look to it - like a lot of
Heathrow-branch Picc Line stations.

If remaining as built this might be true, however the subway entrances
have been retiled by the local authority, the ticket hall refurbished
(possibly in the 80s given the NSE red tiling), the supports to the
platform concrete canopy have been retiled, the original high-quality
maroon enamel BR London Midland Region entrance signage and pole-
mounted joint LT/BR totems are long, long, gone and the only original
finish would appear to be the cream tiles in the sloping subway
leading to the ticket hall. The tall retangular window/toplight above
the ticket office, with the east side following the curve of the
booking office counter is the only feature of note, albeit liberally
covered with graffiti to match much of the exterior brickwork. I would
actually find this station, accessed only by unsupervised council
subways, quite intimidating to use at night.

--
Neil Williams

Richard J. wrote:

By contrast, Metro's fleet of Class 313, admittedly around 13 years
older but maintained in the same Bletchley depot, achieved a miserable
5189 miles per casualty last year, compared to FCC's 11,355 mpc with
the same class.

Intially Bletchley but, more recently, Willesden. Reliability plummeted when
Willesden took over responsibility.

On Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:19:51 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:

By contrast, Metro's fleet of Class 313, admittedly around 13 years
older but maintained in the same Bletchley depot, achieved a miserable
5189 miles per casualty last year, compared to FCC's 11,355 mpc with the
same class.

PEP EMUs are crap. But even so, weren't they maintained at Willesden
or Wembley? I forget which but I don't recall seeing any at
Bletchley.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.