Bit of a winter chill forecast to hit us soon.....

[ongarparknride]

Anyone want to contribute here actual experiences and conditions on LUL bearing in mind we have a couple of days' warning of returning Winter conditions in mid-March?

Cheers,
OngarParkNRide

[Oracle]

Back in 1982 I think it was, I worked briefly for a firm in Wealdstone. I used to hate driving from Hounslow West and tried several times to use public transport. That meant going by Picc to Acton Town, then change on to a Rayners train, and then getting off at South Harrow. I used to catch a bus from SH to Wealdstone. It would have to be in February or March I think when it really snowed, and the trains had problems getting through with lots of arcing. However when I go to SH, the buses were havign a terrible time, and were getting stuck in jams. In fact I got off the bus and walked all the way!

[Deleted]

I can remember the bad weather we had in the late 80's.

I had just started working in Putney and normally got the BR from my local station Tooting to Wimbledon and then got the District Line to East Putney and walked.

The snow was heavy and our manager let us go about half an hour early ( ).

Got to East Puntey but in those days it was BR staffed so no info on trains. Traffic was a complete standstill so waited for the train. 45 mins later up turned a District Line to Wimbledon. I can remember noting that this was the only train running and those waiting at East Putney going East would've waited for this to get to Wimbledon and return. A wait of at least an hour.

Get to Wimbledon and traffic at a standstill and queues for buses miles long so walk back home. Passed many buses stuck in traffic.

As for the snow we're due to get over the next few days - expect the normal infraco poor planning and the resulting chaos. That is assuming we actually get any serious snow. Can't see it myself (getting prepared to eat my own words)

[Deleted]

January/February 1987... was living in Kent at the time, and cam remember Network South East having to borrow the snowplough from Scotland... Many EMU's were hauled by Diesel engines, one even got stuck in a drift near Maidstone, train was abandoned, while the crew sought help... Snowed again and the train was buried up to level with the roof! Only way the train was found was from the exhaust plume!

Was great fun as a young'un in it all... no fun for those battling it out trying to clear tracks to get services running again...

[Tubeboy]

Hmm, I remember a 56 hauled EMUs!

[TMBA]

I remember as a guard (early 80s) we had a weekend of engineering works because they were replacing the bridge at hangar lane, anyway it was during that weekend that they had removed the old bridge and were overnight gonna roll the new bridge into place but unfortunately the bearings that they were using to actually roll it into place had frozen solid so they couldn't roll into place, someone had mentioned a temperature of -14 overnight.
It took about a week to finish the job ;D ;D

[ongarparknride]

Fortunately current weather forecasts for the Southern / Eastern parts of England have relaxed a bit, with hail or snow falling but not expected to lie.

I hope others here have read "your" memories" with pleasure, and a few others might be tempted to share their recollections please?

[towerman]

The one thing that I often wondered about at 2:30am filling deicers,how come they always seemed to pick the coldest spot in the depot to locate the filling tank!!

[stanmorek]

Taking my Track Competent reassessment and having the track walk at Northfields Depot cancelled because of heavy snow fall on the day.

[Deleted]

I remember 87 - I acted as relief SM Wimbledon as the regular guy was marooned out in the country and as i lived locally and was keen got stuck in.I have never been so cold.

Highlights included

Giving a lift to someone who had an exam in London on the plough train (no trains around)

Clearing the points in a blizzard at Motspur Park Jct with the railman - using a domestic brush and a shovel - it was dark and you couldent see the con rail let alone the points.

Congratulating oneslef one evening when we got 2 platforms on the District side open (frozen points again) - telling the delighted LT controller we were in business - only for the first inward C stock to get stalled on the junction points due to it getting front tripped by the build up of ice and snow. We used the paddles and scrapers and thank God got it moving again (by which time there was aback up of trains to Southfields)

Setting an icecycle covered and snow plastered 4 VEP wrong road on the up slow to take a run at the Wimbledon flyover - it did it with a lot of arcing - the deicer had run out of deicing by that point.

Happy days....

[Deleted]

Crikey! That Motspur Pk Jct bit sounds a tad interesting! They do sound like good times, I would like to see VEPs about again......was this in the days of 455's or 4SUBS?

[Deleted]

hopefully all of this will leave us now as more seasonal weather will be with us...

should be like it was last week or even better now.

[Deleted]

455 were a bit iffy on the Hampton Court line in 1987 as they were only going down there hourly and they struggled to get back up the hill. Arranged a stock swop at Waterloo and sent am 8 VEP down there - which worked a treat.

They tried to clear the Sutton Wimbledon "Wall of Death" with an empty 12 car buffet set - thinking it had enough shoes to break the ice - eventually got back to depot with wrecked motors and scorch marks on the side. Service abandoned down there accordingly.

[Deleted]

davesgcr said:

455 were a bit iffy on the Hampton Court line in 1987 as they were only going down there hourly and they struggled to get back up the hill. Arranged a stock swop at Waterloo and sent am 8 VEP down there - which worked a treat.

They tried to clear the Sutton Wimbledon "Wall of Death" with an empty 12 car buffet set - thinking it had enough shoes to break the ice - eventually got back to depot with wrecked motors and scorch marks on the side. Service abandoned down there accordingly.

Interesting stuff. Those lines are in my neck of the woods.....never knew the loop was known as 'The Wall of Death'!!!

[Deleted]

The Wall of Death relates to the 1930s fairground spectacle where some nutter rode a motorbike inside a large circular wooden tub like thing - gradually getting higher and higher inside.

The Sutton line was orignally Holborn Viaduct to Holborn Viaduct via half of South London i.e a circular and the 1 in 37 gradient approaching Sutton reminded some motorman of said fairground ride.

I guess its a name only used sparingly now .....SW Division

other terms - "round the loop" (Kingston) - "round the houses" (Hownslow) - "round the World " - via Weybridge AND Hounslow !

455 despite being "modern" SUBS - didnt have their ice breaking qualities. Another trivial point - the 4 REP Bournemouth sets used to be marshalled London end - but in extreme weather were marshalled middle of a 12 car to let the TC sets do the ice breaking and protect the motors from driving snow.

[Deleted]

Flooding in Kent in October 2000... Main line between Canterbury West and Ashford shut because sections were under water by around 150mm... Pumps working 24/7 for six days to clear it all, meanwhile 4 car slammer, CEP 1564 marshalled between two class 73s on diesel ran back and forth, until, one 73 conked out and was replaced by a 33... Now, the rain had stopped, the track was pumped dry, Circuit breakers put back in at Substation, CEP sent to Ashford yard to 'dry out'... Later in the day, 1564 was commandeered for a 12 car PEAK HOUR Service, so Shoe Fuses were put back in and the set was coupled between 2 other 4 cars CEP units... Shunted out of East Yard, across the main up through and into Platform 2... runs in... Remember the traction motors are still a tad wet... Water on resistor grids too... Gets the road, driver at head end puts controller to Notch 4... straight away, loses the LINE LIGHT... four fried tractions motors are on the menu, plus fried resistor grid for afters... peak service? Wha' peak service... Overload caused a surge of current, tripped out all the ECB's in substations for THIRTEEN MILES!

Whoops...