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Post by howda62 on Nov 23, 2023 18:24:03 GMT
I noticed today that the sighting mirror on Amersham platform 1 has been replaced, complete with new mounts and new pole in the ground. From what I saw off peak, Chiltern trains were again using P1 northbound normally and Met trains were reversing via the sidings.
It's a recent change as just a few days ago the Chiltern I was on used P1 (which has been a rare event for me) - so I checked the mirror and it was still out of use but station staff were on the platform, presumably to assist the dispatch.
So after 9 months or so, this hopefully means we're now back to not needing footbridge dashes when departing and less two-way congestion over the bridge on arrival.
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Post by howda62 on Oct 2, 2023 8:40:51 GMT
It's one of mine I believe. Taken around 5pm on a weekday in August 2020, so a few weeks after Covid travel restrictions had been lifted, I was surprised at how quiet it was.
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Post by howda62 on Nov 23, 2021 18:15:21 GMT
Not sure how wide the target audience was, but I did get an email update from TfL yesterday warning of the strikes yesterday:
The email also mentioned the Saturday night strikes for the Central & Victoria planned for the next 4 weeks:
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Post by howda62 on Feb 2, 2021 10:46:48 GMT
Why would you not provide stairs on both sides? Are funds that tight? I'm not party to any reasoning but there isn't enough space for stairs down onto Platforms 1/2 at this location without extending the platform at the point it narrows to a single face on Platform 2 only. So that would no doubt have increased costs. The staircase fitted down to Platform 3 is also quite narrow (practically single file I think) and is gated at the bottom with a handle on the inside, so it must be intended for exit only if one of the lifts fails and you're stuck on the bridge. The width of Platform 3 at this point would have prevented this being a normal width staircase. They would have had to build over the bike racks. Perhaps this wouldn't have been too difficult to do but without a staircase on the other platform the need for such provision greatly reduces. With the main access to/from Platforms 1/2 being the old stairs, when travel gets back to normal I can potentially see a rush for the lifts to avoid the queues at the stairs when a busy train arrives.
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Post by howda62 on Feb 1, 2021 17:29:14 GMT
I frequently pass by Amersham station on my daily exercise. Today I saw a notable change - the work sites inside the station have been completely removed in the past few days. The lifts do have a piece of A4 paper stuck over the lift controls - presumably to indicate the lift is not yet in use. So it seems the step-free work must be pretty much complete now. Also in the past few days, the new lift tower has gained a National Rail logo in addition to the Underground one, as seen here: IMG_0329 by howda62, on Flickr Here are some photos I took inside the station in December on my last use before tier 3 rules took effect. The fenced off work sites were still present back then. The staircase down to platform 3 is narrow and gated, so is likely for emergency egress only. IMG_0320 by howda62, on Flickr IMG_0323 by howda62, on Flickr
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Post by howda62 on Dec 7, 2020 19:36:52 GMT
Amersham certainly appears to be almost complete, in fact it's looked nearly complete for a few weeks. The main construction works were completed and the lift mechanisms fitted months ago. Lift engineers were working on site in the days before the recent lockdown (I had assumed for commissioning) and I did wonder if the lifts would open during the lockdown period. Using the station last week, there still seems to be a small amount to do around the lift doorways, but the completion surely can't be far off.
The new bridge over the tracks is only for the lift access. Whilst there is a narrow stairway down onto platform 3, it is gated at the bottom with a handle inside, so I presume intended for emergency exit only if the lifts fail, and there is no stairway from it down to Platforms 1 and 2 - there isn't space for one. So the existing footbridge will continue to be the main access route to Platforms 1 and 2.
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Post by howda62 on Jul 7, 2020 20:31:33 GMT
The May 2020 pocket map (the top map) does. The December 2019 map (the bottom map) doesn't. I've just realized what howda62 put up. My bad My posting the maps in reverse chronological order wasn't overly helpful , I added the December one whilst formulating the post. I've edited the earlier post to try and make it clearer. My bad too
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Post by howda62 on Jul 7, 2020 17:01:36 GMT
Picked up one in Chalfont today. They're still printed on thin paper so apologies for the image bleed-through from the reverse side: TFL_May20_Front by Howda62, on Flickr TFL_May20_Back by Howda62, on Flickr I've not spotted any changes over those mentioned above, except to note that on the pocket map Goodmayes is marked as step free. Goodmayes was already marked as step free in the December map as shown below (and East Ham also had no blue dagger): TFL_Dec19_Front by Howda62, on Flickr
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Post by howda62 on Jun 5, 2020 6:29:20 GMT
Beel Close, Little Chalfont
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Post by howda62 on Mar 21, 2020 17:16:09 GMT
The location is accessed from gates into the station car park, and I've seen it used in the past as a point to bring road-rail vehicles onto the tracks. So possibly not just the space around it being a factor, but installation could have been achieved entirely from road without the need to bring in parts on maintenance trains, making installation achievable during running hours. No idea if this is how it was actually done. Overall this location is also pretty quiet aside from the noise from the trains themselves (oh, and not forgetting the no doubt many station announcements ) - there's a road to the back of the building in shot, which is the car park access road, and the other (quiet) road from which the photos are taken is above the cutting.
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Post by howda62 on Mar 21, 2020 11:04:14 GMT
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Post by howda62 on Jan 3, 2020 9:19:37 GMT
South Hampstead for A
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Post by howda62 on Dec 10, 2019 10:36:02 GMT
A looks like it's the footbridge off Broadhurst Gardens crossing over the Chiltern/Met/Jubilee lines east of West Hampstead Station.
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Post by howda62 on Nov 6, 2019 9:17:14 GMT
I've been wondering exactly the same. I tried to view Met trains at Baker Street shortly after SMA2 went live and the app just closes. Been the same every time I've tried since. I now end up checking for trains at Kings Cross or Finchley Road to see what trains might be near Baker Street.
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Post by howda62 on Oct 7, 2019 9:02:47 GMT
movingmillion Prompted by an early concept image of the new SSL trains I just saw in the back of Clive Foxell's Rails to Metroland book (printed 2005), copyright accredited to Bombardier, I've managed to locate a copy of said image online: I also found a clip of the same image in a BalfourBeatty presentation online dated 2003, so it's at least that vintage.
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Post by howda62 on Sept 19, 2019 7:59:06 GMT
Well 'tt' anywhere in the name . The lighting looks like Swiss Cottage, didn't notice until seeing the clue picture.
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Post by howda62 on Sept 19, 2019 7:51:43 GMT
Swiss Cottage for A? It follows the 'tt' letters in the name theory
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Post by howda62 on Sept 15, 2019 22:39:30 GMT
Good to hear - it was an automated message, so probably not amended.
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Post by howda62 on Sept 15, 2019 22:17:12 GMT
Announcements at Finchley Road this afternoon and early evening were apologising for train cancellations whilst the new signalling system is being established, so presumably there were such cancellations today. The Uxbridge services were terminating at Harrow due to the planned track work, but they didn't cite that as the reason for cancellations.
Hopefully it is all sorted soon, and perhaps today is indeed the last day of cancellations.
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Post by howda62 on Sept 8, 2019 19:23:46 GMT
Amersham for D
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Post by howda62 on Mar 8, 2019 19:00:28 GMT
I notice the train describer on Amersham Platform 3 now shows estimated arrival times for southbound Chiltern trains whilst they are some distance away - 7 minutes away showing for a train when I was there. A useful and welcome update . The info is also presented in the tube train mobile app I use, where it seems trains are listed from as far away as Stoke Mandeville (16 minutes), presumably the same applies for the platform describer.
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Post by howda62 on Feb 6, 2019 17:58:26 GMT
The committee paper that snoggle yesterday linked in the Crossrail delayed opening thread lists Harrow-on-the-Hill in the step-free access works as "Harrow-on-the-Hill (South)", and as being due in the Jan-Mar 2020 timeline. Presumably the South qualifier means the step-free will indeed be via the back entrance. There is no mention of "Harrow-on-the-Hill (North)" in any of the step-free plans listed through to 2024. Whilst the link worked yesterday, it no longer appears to work for me, so reading that now off a copy that was still open in my browser.
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Post by howda62 on Oct 28, 2018 16:31:50 GMT
Due to a funding shortfall? Without checking back on details before I posted, that is how I remembered the situation - TfL not having enough budget to cover all the work it wanted/needed to undertake, and that funds for these elements would be re-purposed for other projects or activities that were now more important. Having now checked, from the TfL Business Plan for 2010/11 through 2017/18 that was published for review in October 2009, the actual reason cited there is: which kind of makes sense. knap, thanks for those planning links I'll take a look.
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Post by howda62 on Oct 28, 2018 9:45:45 GMT
Following reports at the start of the year that Amersham station was due to have step-free work commencing later in the year, I was pleased to see a poster now up at the station indicating lift installation work is due to commence this week (31st October).
There was of course an aborted attempt at lift installation back in 2009, with a good deal of work being undertaken before the work was abandoned (at Amersham and at some other stations also with step-free work underway) due to a funding shortfall. The other recent news that Crossrail needs loads of extra money does make me slightly concerned that another abandonment may yet still happen on this second attempt. Fingers crossed.
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Post by howda62 on Sept 19, 2018 20:24:45 GMT
A is the odd one out because there is no track junction at that location, there are track junctions at the others?
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Post by howda62 on Aug 29, 2018 14:07:52 GMT
What amazes me most is that the EXIF data here had accurate GPS data at all :-) When I bought the camera I thought having built-in GPS would be helpful when trying to recollect exactly where a photo was taken. In practice though it only really worked well if GPS was left permanently on and that of course meant charging the camera battery every few days, even if not using it. So I ended up mostly using a setting to switch off GPS when the camera is off, with the down side being that it takes several minutes to get a GPS fix when switched on. Hence having double checked, my degree of surprise that the EXIF GPS data here was correct as I wasn't at the location for long. I took a few shots whilst I was there and the first few do indeed have a GPS location of Portsmouth! Obviously that must have been where I was the last time I took a photo before these.
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Post by howda62 on Aug 22, 2018 11:04:06 GMT
I noticed yesterday evening that the describers are now also installed at Chorleywood (though not yet operational).
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Post by howda62 on Aug 9, 2018 9:40:06 GMT
I've been away a few days but the describers at Amersham were active last night (August 8). For Platform 1 it showed the Aylesbury train I had just arrived on. For platform 2 it showed two trains being due, first "Terminates Here" and second "Check front of train". The terminating train wasn't listed for Platform 1 and it was still 10 minutes away, so there's some logic there that the Met train is not going to that platform. (The app I use lists Met trains as going to either Platform 1 or 2 right up until they arrive.) Over on southbound Platform 3 the describer was not showing any train due but a Met train was already pulling in from the siding. The board sprang into life identifying the train when it was about half way down the platform. Hopefully they'll be able to get info on Chiltern services before they reach LU territory, like they do for northbound services at Harrow.
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Post by howda62 on Aug 9, 2018 9:27:00 GMT
This early 1950s map seems to indicate that two of the three tunnels built out of Marylebone and under Lords merely provide siding/shunting space: Link to nls map siteUse the overlay slider to compare to current day. It's amazing on that map to see how large the railway site used to be at Marylebone with the carriage shed to the east and all the parcels and goods yards and coal depot to the west. There's a wealth of old photos of the Great Central line construction around Marylebone to have a browse around on this site: Link to railwaysarchive siteHere is one showing the tunnels being built at Lords: LinkAnd here is one showing the tunnel portals being built at Canfield Place: LinkI can't find any reference to line construction over the West Coast Main Line apart from the 2 track girder bridge, so it seems from just beyond Lords the line was only ever two track. Where the line surfaces at Canfield Place there are two tunnel portals apparent with only one in use but I seem to recall reading somewhere a while back that the other tunnel only went back a few yards, probably just created with potential future expansion in mind.
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Post by howda62 on Aug 3, 2018 9:09:56 GMT
Theydon Bois?
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