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Post by zbang on Nov 18, 2022 20:33:33 GMT
Nice place, been there a few times. IIRC one of the Diskworld groups used to gather there. Bein' as I'm working weekends and it's a bit of a distance anyway, I won't be there .
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Post by zbang on Nov 14, 2022 3:06:49 GMT
For example, Wednesday November 9 at 530 or 540pm, tfl advertised good service on the jubilee line. Yet, westbound from Canary Wharf at what is absolutely the busiest time at that station there was a nine minute gap, and it took three trains after that one to clear the backlog.
Depends on the definition of "good service" and whether a single station or long (& planned) interval should drag that down for the entire line.
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Post by zbang on Nov 12, 2022 16:23:31 GMT
I'm not sure I'd call it 'false' info as that often implies malice or intent to deceive. I suspect it's more a matter of apathy towards gathering and verifying the info.
Either way, the info given isn't useful to the traveler.
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Post by zbang on Oct 28, 2022 16:35:13 GMT
Is this one of those "spend more to build less" things? (z wonders if anyone considered building with the platform and just walling it off....)
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Post by zbang on Oct 19, 2022 15:09:46 GMT
BTW, in the US licensed elevator/escalator mechanics are rather dear, I imagine the same is true in the UK. (Why? seems like in the last 20-30 years fewer people go into the trades.) Some transit agencies employ their own instead of relying on contractors.
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Post by zbang on Oct 18, 2022 16:16:07 GMT
While "Trav-O-Lator" is a trademark, it appears that travolator is becoming generic (similar to escalator) in casual conversation.
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Post by zbang on Sept 21, 2022 17:43:57 GMT
Geoff Marshall has a book of "Tube Station Trivia"; picked up a copy at the LT museum in Covent Garden.
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Post by zbang on Sept 18, 2022 18:14:40 GMT
NLL - North London Line? LO - London Overground? RTT - Round Trip Time? ECS - Enormous Control System? ECML - Eastern Chocolate Manufacturing Line? Too many TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms), please use fewer .
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Post by zbang on Sept 17, 2022 16:09:19 GMT
As a planner of other train services however, my job is to come up with services that represent the "greatest good for the greatest number" within the available resources and it will inevitably be a compromise with many trade offs (e.g. frequency and run time vs reliability). It is a task that inevitably does include making choices that are worse for a smaller number of people, to make things better for a larger number of people... Unfortunately, I think you're still missing the point-
Holding a train outside a station when there is an empty platform which looks like it can take it then looks like an unnecessary delay to the traveler, even if the train is early! Nothing to do with regulation of service, everything to do with perception.
A bit of this goes back to the concept of making frequent passenger announcements when things aren't moving, although my recent experiences suggest some t/ops no longer bother.
(also see previous posts by aslefshrugged and spsmiler)
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Post by zbang on Sept 16, 2022 16:09:23 GMT
I don't think anyone (well, maybe?) is arguing that occasionally trains need to be held in place for a hopefully-short period; that's still a "delay" to the passenger.
There's also merit to the argument that holding a train outside an empty platform, for whatever reason, is a delay. And if I see my bus leaving whilst we're held out, nothing is going to convince me that there was a good reason (esp if the next bus is in half an hour or more).
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Post by zbang on Sept 16, 2022 15:05:06 GMT
(which may be percived as a delay even if it isn't). It most certainly is a delay in the minds of the travelers and I don't think any explanation will shift that. Anything that holds a train from proceeding is a delay, planned or not; may not count as one in some circumstances, but to the people on the train "We're delayed."
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Post by zbang on Sept 9, 2022 21:11:36 GMT
If the choice is green or amber, might as well use green.
I don't much like how the baseline of lowercase is raised, it almost works visually for the destination but not for "Mins".
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Post by zbang on Aug 10, 2022 21:55:22 GMT
(sort of on topic, sort of not; please move as needed) At about 2120 today I was chatting with a District line driver at Earls Court who was waiting for his Edgware Rd train (delayed) and he mentioned all of the heat-related problems cropping up (a burning sleeper came up in the conversation, as did rail temperatures, temperamental points machines, and such). Mostly minor stuff but it builds up later in the day.
A few minutes in he said that I seem to know a lot about the system and I mentioned "If you want to get into the weeds about this, check out 'District Dave's Tube Forum' online". His next words were "He trained me." We both then took a pause to reflect on DD's passing. Then our train arrived. (Nice fellow, didn't catch his name.)
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Post by zbang on Aug 8, 2022 20:23:31 GMT
Apparently, there was some emergency track work on the circle line around Edgware Rd today (8-Aug) in the mid afternoon; horked things badly. Anyone know what was going on? There were frequent station announcements about "track work" or "track inspection" in that area.
I was going from Kings-X to Paddington, took the Met to BakerSt then the BL to Paddington, probably not optimal but got me there. Probably the first time I've been on the Met in a long while:).
(ETA)
The line status is currently (22:15) reporting- Hammersmith and City Line: No service between Paddington and Edgware Road. Severe delays between Edgware Road and Barking while we fix a track fault at Edgware Road.
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Post by zbang on Aug 3, 2022 17:09:57 GMT
Also, this sort of testing happens under controlled conditions and (I assume) checks all the codes, not just any usual ones. It's kind of like a brake test when leaving the depot*- they ought to work, but let's check anyway.
*I assume this is performed, it's normal on some transit systems.
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Post by zbang on Aug 3, 2022 8:03:44 GMT
If it/they were for farm or estate traffic, those reasons will be long gone. If really curious, refer to 80-100 year old maps for surrounding land uses.
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Post by zbang on Aug 1, 2022 8:14:17 GMT
Just out of curiosity- A few days ago I was southbound on the Northern out of Camdentown. The announcements said that the next station (Mornington Crescent) was closed and we're not stopping there. It continued to repeat this through the platforms until time for Euston announcement. Is this "normal" (the quantity/duration of non-stopping announcements)? I can see how a few would be as we approach, but this seemed to go on for a relatively long time.
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Post by zbang on Jul 25, 2022 22:13:23 GMT
... but I always thought that both were calculated on an empty train, on the grounds that a crush loaded train had the better brake force and would stop faster? A loaded train will have better rail adhesion but also more momentum, the question is which increases faster with loading. I assume that the available braking force remains constant (not true if there are track brakes, but do any of the trains have them?).
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Post by zbang on Jul 22, 2022 14:34:01 GMT
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Post by zbang on Jul 22, 2022 14:20:45 GMT
The Piccadilly service via Terminal 4 is not that frequent. If you have just missed a train it may be quicker to get the bus to Hatton Cross to connect with a train from Terminals 2/3. That's much more rational explanation than "don't use google", thanks.
Turns out I should have been checking for T2 anyway.
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Post by zbang on Jul 21, 2022 22:37:25 GMT
Interesting, using google maps for transit has been fairly good for me; at least in London, Boston, and San Francisco. My only problem is that it doesn't consider the local ferries.
That said, if I shouldn't use it, what should I use (that's missing from the "don't use" post)? And why would they be different?
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Post by zbang on Jul 21, 2022 17:27:27 GMT
With the underground temperatures high* and rising, and with much less range than outdoors, it's possible that the RNT is different for in and out of the tunnels. Anyway, calling it 27-30 seems like a safe bet.
*27(!) on the Bakerloo, and IIRC that's pretty normal now
During installation, whether the rail is heated or not largely would depend on local conditions.
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Post by zbang on Jul 21, 2022 15:33:58 GMT
I happened to check the HR journey planner for a trip from Terminal 4 to Earls Court, it had me taking a bus to Hatton Cross then the train. A few minutes later the google planner had me get on the Picc at the airport. Any reason for the bus part or was that just an exercize in dice-rolling?
(I'm taking the express train next time since my rail pass covers it; this is more curiosity.)
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Post by zbang on Jul 21, 2022 15:28:33 GMT
I am not a permanent-way engineer, but.... Continuous welded raid (CWR) does not have expansion joints. When installed, it's often heated to a target "neutral" temperature (30-40 deg C) and stretched to a design length before being welded. That stretch takes care of expansion and the steel further stretches in colder temperatures. CWR is not adjusted or re-stressed twice a year, there's no need for it. CWR can function in a wide range of temp's (e.g. the US Southwest deserts- >40 to below -10). Yes, there can be "pull-aparts" when it gets cold enough, but that's not 0 deg, it's more like -20. And as observed, when it gets hot enough, it can expand too much and cause "sun kinks". Railways usually manage that to the extent of making sure it seldom happens, but not never because that would cost too much. Weight restrictions have to do with braking force. That force is transmitted via the wheels to the rails and then to the rail mountings. If the rail is not well fixed or is actually under compression from thermal expansion, the braking force can be enough to push the rail out of it's mountings. Higher speed = more braking force.
I expect that the actual style of rail has an effect here, with flat-bottom being more kink-resistant than bullhead. I also expect that the mounting makes a big difference and whether it's spikes into old wood sleepers or Pandrol clips on concrete.
There's a lot of info out there about rails, there's even an annual "rail/wheel interaction" conference in the US.
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Post by zbang on Jul 15, 2022 17:22:19 GMT
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Post by zbang on Jul 10, 2022 16:53:47 GMT
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Post by zbang on Jul 7, 2022 16:24:53 GMT
* Bonus points to anyone who can say where that came form. I'll take the points, then . (But won't yet say to spoil it for others.)
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Post by zbang on Jun 24, 2022 16:33:52 GMT
I've heard it speculated that the reduction in traditional huge coal fired power stations and increase in individually smaller generators such as wind and solar may be relevant. I'm not sure that passes the engineering "sniff test". Yes, fossil plants use rotating machines and wind/solar use inverters, and they latter can generate multiple harmonics in the output, but generally only the fundamental freq should survive transmission of more than a few KM at the outside. AFAIK large-scale inverter facilities try hard to keep the higher harmonics from escaping their plant.
If electrical noise is getting in to the traction power, it pretty much either has to get in through the rectifiers/converters or be induced by local sources.
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Post by zbang on Jun 17, 2022 15:54:45 GMT
How are they? If not already up North*, I have a chance to take one in late July, but I'm not sure I want to spend the time in London just for what looks like only a two hour tour. (It's all a matter of what's open and steaming when.)
*touring restored mills and operating stationary engines, and the Keighley & Worth Valley Ry
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Post by zbang on Jun 9, 2022 17:09:37 GMT
Given that at one time the signals were flags held by a person, the term could well go back to that.
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