Track Bashed

[Deleted]

Does anyone bash rare trackage on the Underground when the opportunity is available (i.e. the Highbury crossover)?

[Tubeboy]

Funny, I was just on the TFL site regarding engineering works.

The District will reverse East-West at West Ken [normally used by works trains to/from Lillie bridge] in the new year.

[Oracle]

I used to do! One you can't do now is Croxley Tip. Also probably Ealing Bdy District-Central, and in due course Finsbury Park Picc-Vic. Perhaps one day they wil do railtours and I can bash Lillie Bridge, via West Ken and also the Olympia branch. Oh, and Kilburn and the High Roads, or is that a band? Also I have never, despite always wanting to, bashed Acton Works reception roads.

From memory rare track I have bashed includes:
KING'S CROSS & EUSTON LOOPS
FINSBURY PARK
EALING BDY DISTRICT-CENTRAL IN 1967 STOCK!
BAKER STREET BAKERLOO-JUBILEE
[EPPING-ONGAR]
ORIGINAL HOUNSLOW WEST PLATFORMS 1, 2 AND 3!
HATTON CROSS P1 AND 2 VIA EAST END CROSSOVER
HOUNSLOW CENTRAL TRAILING CROSS-OVER
NORTHFIELDS DEPOT
MORDEN DEPOT
RUISLIP DEPOT
COCKFOSTERS DEPOT
NORTHUMBERLAND PARK DEPOT
HIGHGATE WOOD SIDINGS
UXBRIDGE SIDINGS
RUISLIP SIDING THROUGH THE CONNECTION TO RUISLIP DEPOT
NEASDEN DIVEUNDER
KENNINGTON LOOP
CENTRAL SIDING LOOPS BOTH WAYS [LOUGHTON AREA]
WOODBURY PARK-HAINAULT IN ATO MODE IN 1967 STOCK AND COMPLETED LOOP
BARONS COURT SIDING
NORTH CURVE and CROXLEY TIP
WATFORD SIDINGS


NORTHFIELDS-ACTON TOWN E.B. LOCAL and Piccadilly - Acton Town e/b local-fast crossover
NORTHFIELDS-ACTON TOWN FAST [SARAH SIDDONS] IN TESTING OCCUPATION

[Deleted]

tubeboy said:

The District will reverse East-West at West Ken [normally used by works trains to/from Lillie bridge] in the new year.

The points will probably fail.

[Oracle]

Did they ever fail when the Piccs reversed there each day?

[Deleted]

oracle said:

Did they ever fail when the Piccs reversed there each day?

No, but when ever they have been used recently it seems they have failed to normalise etc etc etc

[Deleted]

theonekea said:

Does anyone bash rare trackage on the Underground when the opportunity is available (i.e. the Highbury crossover)?

Occasionally, but I usually have better things to be doing.

I've track bashed the lesser used crossovers at Paddington (Bakerloo), Queens Park (facing), Hyde Park Corner, Highbury&Islington, Warren Street, and the Kennington Loop. I've travelled the "wrong way" down to Bank on the DLR. Oh, and the reversing siding at Biblioteque on Line 14 in Paris.

[Deleted]

its not the problem with the points it is a problem with the lever operation circuits the whole site is set up very strange indeed but next time you look at the points in the platform (chairlocks btw) why is it one box is painted blue and the other is painted yellow (yes a little question answers on a postcard please) and sometimes the fault itself is that the signal operator if new on that particular desk does not know about special arrangements what have to be in place before they attempt to reverse a train east to west via WC9

[Deleted]

I've done the Kennington Loop many times. ;D

I would love to do the blue line extension to Ealing Broadway one day as well! ;D

[Tubeboy]

I have done the Kennington loop in the cab! ;D

Was close to doing the Euston loop, but a cruel hand intervened!

[Deleted]

So have I, and back to High Barnet!

In BVE... ;D

[Deleted]

My own list:

Central - Bethnal Green crossover
Central - Newbury Park siding
Central - North Acton center loop (w/b and e/b)
Central - White City center loop (w/b)
Circle - Baker Street Junction crossover
Circle/H&C - Edgware Road pfm2 through line
District - Whitechapel pfm1 loop
Metropolitan - Amersham pfm2 loop
Metropolitan - Baker Street s/b-pfm2 facing crossover
Metropolitan - Harrow-on-the-Hill fast line crossover
Metropolitan - Harrow-on-the-Hill pfm6-s/b-n/b Uxbridge crossovers
Piccadilly - Acton Town e/b local-fast crossover (?)
Piccadilly - Northfields w/b local-fast chord
Victoria - Highbury & Islington crossover

I'm hoping to get the Moorgate Northern crossover when that line shuts for maintenance between there and Stockwell.

[mandgc]

Reading about other people's obsessions somehow seem to make my own almost normal. :-)

[Oracle]

I could not wangle Liverpool Street Inner Rail-Outer Rail despite trying this year! Has anyone done Liverpool Street Bay as was? I never did do it when I was at College at Farringdon.

Someone on this forum may have been on a battery loco on the stock transfers that used the trailing cross-over to/from the Up Moorgate Widened Lines at Farringdon to the Inner Rail.

Others to do:
Gloucester Road EB-WB
Northfields WB Fast Fast
Wood Green siding
Holborn main-Aldwych

[greatplum]

Apologies for not knowing, but what are these 'loops' - eg Kennington Loop?

[Oracle]

I am no expert but I would suggest, under correction. that there are in practice two kinds/types of loops:

a) Loops as in "Goods Loop" or "Freight Loop": these are lines with points at either end to enable trains to be overtaken or even in the case of the Central, as sidings.

b) Loops as in "Heathrow T4 Loop", "Hainault Loop", "Kennington Loop", or say on Network Rail "Hounslow Loop", "Catford Loop", and "Loop Line": circular or near-circular or lines that basically send the trains 180 degrees.

c) The Circle Line is a circular line I have seen it said...there are a few other railways in the world that are "circles" or "circular", such as the Galsgow Underground. And whilst I have not checked the track maps, the Haymarket Circle? Here trains can go 360 degrees.

[Chris M]

The Yellow Line on the Tyne and Wear Metro is a loop in the sense that trains cal back at the same station, but the line is "e" shaped rather than circular, with the trains passing through Monument twice on different platforms at right-angles to each other. Complicating matters is the non-passenger Mannors curve, which does actually complete the circle!

[Deleted]

theonekea said:

My own list:
Piccadilly - Acton Town e/b local-fast crossover (?)

That reminds me, I've also done the e/b District to Picc crossover at Hammersmith.

[Tubeboy]

Anyone done Totteridge, or Embankment [Circle]?

[Oracle]

I've also done the e/b District to Picc crossover at Hammersmith.

Not sure if I have done that or not now! However we did Hammersmith EB Picc to Barons Court siding, thence into the sand drag [the middle track of the three BC end] then back into Hammersmith WB Picc. So, "BARONS COURT SAND DRAG road" is one that will never ever be done again! Neither will Northfields-Hounslow Central in SS stock, and the southern Finchley Road Met-Jubilee cross-over; another one I never did! T & W is one that I still hope to achieve one day.

Do they still use the Fast-Slow/Local at Acton Town for Picc trains using the slow/local to Northfields?

[Deleted]

oracle said:

Do they still use the Fast-Slow/Local at Acton Town for Picc trains using the slow/local to Northfields?

Yep. WL25 rte 1 via 40 crossover is used by w/b Picc trains terminating at Northfields; these trains usually tip out on the w/b local platform at the latter station.

In the e/b direction, if you are lucky you can get a Picc train from the Heathrow or Uxbridge branches into the e/b local platform at Acton; both make use of WL106 rte 2 via 67 crossover, but the former also gets you WL97b rte 1 via 75 crossover ;D

Incidentally, this thread contains the list of planned engineering closures:
districtdave.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1161380020

If you look closely, you'll see a chance to get several more bits of rare track:
- Northwood trailing crossover (need it)
- Woodford east end trailing crossover (used when the loop is not available for the trains via Chigwell - already have it)
- Whitechapel trailing crossover (need it)
- Liverpool Street trailing crossover (really need it - a biggie!!!)
- White City center loop crossovers (facing w/b, trailing e/b - already have it)

Is there an Underground equivalent of the National Rail PSUL?

[Oracle]

Is there an Underground equivalent of the National Rail PSUL?

PSUL already has some Underground workings. However it's about time we did one! We would include Heathrow T123 direct, and perhaps have a section for Rusty Rail movements, e.g. Hounslow Central, and Northfields Depot west end exit. Perhaps we can beg a section of DD's site, otherwise if someone writes It I can host it on a site.

Looking at Liverpool Street #-over, regrettably I never managed to wangle a Circle reverser when the engineering works were on. Embankment in January however looks as though it will be in passenger service?

At least I can say that I have done Hounslow West "old" P123!

[Deleted]

oracle said:

Looking at Liverpool Street #-over, regrettably I never managed to wangle a Circle reverser when the engineering works were on. Embankment in January however looks as though it will be in passenger service?

20th & 21st " Embankment-Whitechapel closed.
" " " No H & C L/St- Barking,no Circle,no Met Baker St- Aldgate(renewing No 7 X over Tower Hill)

That implies that trains will be running passenger over the crossover at Liverpool Street, via signal OD4. In this case however trains will be shunting over the crossover at Embankment, not reversing, since the closure is east of that station and not to the west of it.

So your long ambition can be fulfilled next year ;D ;D ;D

oracle said:

At least I can say that I have done Hounslow West "old" P123!

Blargh

I've managed to miss Hatton Cross TWICE so far - let's hope that I can get it the third time engineering works close the Picc west of there.

I also wish the Jubilee would break down again sometime (hopefully when citysig and Harsig are off duty so as not to impugn on their tea time) so that I can get some of the JLE crossovers.

*insert ramble about endless service breakdowns so as to "get" all the crossovers*

[Tubeboy]

Dont forget the Moorgate crossover next weekend!

[Deleted]

tubeboy said:

Dont forget the Moorgate crossover next weekend!

Definitely not - I shall be on it at least once ;D

[Deleted]

Regarding HT123 direct, it's all trains after 0011 from Hatton Cross (interestingly, this one starts straight from depot) or 2354 from Acton Town (2253 from Cockfosters). Last train down there is the last train ...

In the mornings the only train to go direct is 0534 off Hatton X.

[Colin]

theonekea said:

Is there an Underground equivalent of the National Rail PSUL?

oracle said:

PSUL already has some Underground workings. However it's about time we did one! We would include Heathrow T123 direct, and perhaps have a section for Rusty Rail movements, e.g. Hounslow Central, and Northfields Depot west end exit. Perhaps we can beg a section of DD's site, otherwise if someone writes It I can host it on a site.

Can one of you translate that into laymens terms?

[Deleted]

PSUL is Passenger Services over Unused Lines.

Basically it's a site with services listing rare track.

[Oracle]

Now you know what it's lile with jargon! I do indeed think it's about time to do a UD PSUL!

I had forgotten about Hatton Cross!

[Harsig]

theonekea said:

oracle said:

Looking at Liverpool Street #-over, regrettably I never managed to wangle a Circle reverser when the engineering works were on. Embankment in January however looks as though it will be in passenger service?

20th & 21st " Embankment-Whitechapel closed.
" " " No H & C L/St- Barking,no Circle,no Met Baker St- Aldgate(renewing No 7 X over Tower Hill)

That implies that trains will be running passenger over the crossover at Liverpool Street, via signal OD4.

I hate to bring you down to earth but advertising the H&C service as suspended between Liverpool St and Barking implies to me that east of Liverpool St the H&C trains are being diverted to Aldgate to reverse. Mind you this does offer the possibility, by no means guaranteed of departing from the Outer Rail platform westbound towards Liverpool Street.