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Post by suncloud on Nov 24, 2007 23:33:50 GMT
Is that on top of the £500 ?
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Post by suncloud on Nov 8, 2007 8:43:44 GMT
Two weeks ago I was running late and instead of the usual bus I take to get into my current work I got on a decker that showed up first on a similar route. I got paranoid when it suddenly turned off the road I was expecting in towards a little village. I was thinking 'How on earth does it get from here to where I'm going?' Once it reached the village it stopped in the middle of the road, next thing I knew it was performing a 'reverse around a corner' to turn round and head back to the main road! As a scheduled move... (forbidden hey?)
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Post by suncloud on Oct 27, 2007 8:12:01 GMT
Thank you that was very interesting. To a London Underground user the freqency and punctuality of the Moscow trains seems wonderful.'
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Post by suncloud on Oct 21, 2007 17:44:20 GMT
Reading Joe's Link would indicate the bridge is only one of the reasons... they're doing trackwork, OHLE work, this bridge demolition and Olympic related improvements around Stratford, busy few days then! Evidentally the Christmas period is the only time they can get away with shutting the whole of the station, certainly for more than 2 days. Think of the extra loading on Central and Victoria lines if this was any other time (including weekends). Might as well make the best use of the closure.
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Post by suncloud on Oct 5, 2007 21:57:58 GMT
They'll make their way in due course I'd hope. Larger/more expensive items might be sent on a courier rather than through the post anyway. (or is available as a cost option).
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Post by suncloud on Sept 21, 2007 7:06:45 GMT
How many kiosks are there left on platforms? Woodford and South Woodford (or maybe Snaresbrook) have Frothy Coffees. Both on the Londonbound platforms and generally open for morning peak only as far as I can tell.
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Post by suncloud on Sept 20, 2007 20:30:41 GMT
Most on platform kiosks are only open for some of the day... the machines theoretically would be working all day... there's been a number of times when I've thought i need some chocolate to get me home and it's not available...
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Post by suncloud on Oct 12, 2007 9:45:28 GMT
New tender = new buses on many occasions... They maybe increasing the number of vehicles allocated to the 453 and it may well have maintenance etc. advantages to have them all from the same batch. And as the post says they're going back to TfL (I believe they own most of London's bendies and there's some sort of lease arrangement to the tendered operator). So that means I imagine they'll probably be used to replace the burnt out ones add extra capacity to other routes rather than be sent out of London.
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Post by suncloud on Oct 10, 2007 21:03:57 GMT
ISTR in the days of crewed buses there was a bell code to signal an emergency to the driver... but most drivers these days will have never driven a crewed bus! so wouldn't know it if it was attempted
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Post by suncloud on Jul 1, 2007 14:09:33 GMT
ooh i should get into that... I did a little bit of CAD work at uni
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Post by suncloud on Mar 8, 2007 19:59:14 GMT
Or put some 'slime' in your inner tube...
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Post by suncloud on Mar 8, 2007 19:45:59 GMT
I've used the Halford's kit and it's worked fairly well... not that i'm using my bike much these days though... And all the advice above sounds right. I gather that best practice is to repair your first puncture, and when you get a second it's time for a new inner tube.
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Post by suncloud on Mar 5, 2008 21:20:41 GMT
... south of Loughton and then branch off to meet the Chingford line (I've not looked at the terrain, but it is quite hilly around Loughton so this might be expensive). Yes there are a fair few hills around... But perhaps just a big obstacle is Epping Forest. It is very strongly protected, not just standard development control and green belt etc. but also by the Epping Forest Act, which protects the forest from being 'enclosure' to preserve it as a public space. Any surface railway would probably be considered a breach of the Act, and even tunnelling may be strongly contested (especially cut and cover), and undoubtedly expensive.
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Post by suncloud on Dec 1, 2007 17:58:29 GMT
When at uni I started going out with this girl. It didn't occur to me to get her number, because we were crossing paths enough or we'd arrange to meet after a lecture or in the bar sometime... (It was a small place). When freshers flu caught hold and she was off for a day or so I had to ask a friend for her number. How embarassing!
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Post by suncloud on Dec 1, 2007 17:20:03 GMT
If I'm travelling with two cases I'll try and plan for level interchange or lifts... However it's not unknown for me to attack the Spirals at Bank in morning peak with a suitcase in tow, just my small one though... It does get a bit of a bashing going full pelt through the tube though... It also adds a bit more of a challenge when going for the last tube!
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Post by suncloud on Dec 1, 2007 17:08:51 GMT
hauling endless amounts of heavy bulky luggage around, Sorry, but that's exactly what I'll be doing, probably in morning peak one day this week! I'm working on the South Coast for the next 6 weeks and will be moving down there one day next week (hopefully nice and early on next week, but I have nowhere to stay yet). You can tell people, like me, who regularly tote luggage through the tube. Unlike tourists they don't need to stop every staircase/escalator... Go at commuter pace... gather luggage before the doors open... and if need to stop pull out of the main passenger flow...
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Post by suncloud on Nov 21, 2007 19:01:17 GMT
Thanks Colin, I see now! It still seems strange to me taking a passenger carrying unit out of service to do this job... but there must be some method in the apparent madness. What other lines run Sandite cars? (I've seen pics of an A60 on the met) and do they run a similar arrangement?
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Post by suncloud on Nov 21, 2007 11:24:44 GMT
As to why this particular train is 6 cars, I should imagine there's a minimum length directive to ensure the signalling works properly and/or I assume the Sandite is dispensed from a trailer car which is made up of a 2 car unit without a cab at either end (so you then need two 2 car units with a cab). Also, there's no need to use 8 cars if it isn't necessary as that's one less unit that could be used for passenger service. Both those reasons are plausible. But why run a 6-car empty? Is there any reason for not deploying Sandite from an 8-car train in passenger service? (Even if it has to run unusual diagrams e.g. WER->WHC->EBD->WHC->WER). Otherwise it might as well be an engineering unit.
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Post by suncloud on Nov 20, 2007 23:01:57 GMT
Sandite (corrections welcome if I'm wrong) tackles poor adhesion due to leaves rather than ice...
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Post by suncloud on Nov 20, 2007 11:59:43 GMT
Why would it run as a six car? Would they be able to run a 6car train in passenger service?
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Post by suncloud on Oct 21, 2007 14:00:12 GMT
Fair enough... I was travelling later in the day and only to Liverpool Street. If it had been Euston I was aiming for I may well have gone via Walthamstow (especially if someone would drop me off there, it has been done frequently!)
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Post by suncloud on Oct 21, 2007 13:12:52 GMT
I didn't think it was worth diverting via Walthamstow yesterday, and it wasn't too bad... had a couple of 2 minute waits on the way in (as I had to change at Leytonstone) and it was busier than I might have expected (but there was also a lot of people heading out for rugby too)... then about a 9 minute wait on the way back, which is not unknown that late anyway. There were Epping branch trains going through as I came by (and no Hainaults!) I assume by then they were trying to get trains in the right beds for the night.
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Post by suncloud on Oct 21, 2007 7:33:19 GMT
It seemed to be a right mess yesterday on the central last night. With Severe delays being posted due to signal failure at Stratford both when i went in to town around 5 and came out around half 11. Anyone know why the service never recovered, it doesn't usually take over 5 hours for these things to work themselves out. They were also running most Central London Services to/from Hainault (via NP) with a shuttle doing Leytonstone Epping. I am not sure of the operational advantage of doing that.
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Newbie
Oct 10, 2007 10:15:02 GMT
Post by suncloud on Oct 10, 2007 10:15:02 GMT
Which building? If you're talking about the house on the left i think that's still unchanged. Just less obvious now with canopies over the eastbound platform and passenger bridge.
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Post by suncloud on Sept 28, 2007 9:32:29 GMT
IIRC The current runway is sufficient for 747s although they don't commonly go there. Not sure whether that's because of environmental concerns or lack of suitable facilities or what.
As for extending the Central line it is very unlikely I'd imagine. The Central line doesn't have much spare capacity on peak journeys in and out of London (and even at other times of day) and the journey times would be quite long. The only remotely realistic solution involving the current Central line would be to have a new line linking one the Epping(Stansted) branch to central London (a la Chelsea-Hackney) built to Sub-surface or mainline gauge with limited stops.
As any extension from Epping to Stansted would probably involve a lot of costs. The best value method of improving transport links would be to enhance heavy rail links such as Stansted Express services.
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Post by suncloud on Sept 12, 2007 23:03:43 GMT
The East end of the Central is the bit that has the least amount of sensible alternative routes... and seems to have layouts that make special arrangements work quite well (e.g. Leytonstone can reverse Epping trains in platform 2 and have Hainault trains reverse beyond using platforms 1&3). In previous cases of full line suspension the East end has been the first to get buses sorted out.
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Post by suncloud on Sept 18, 2007 22:04:23 GMT
AIUI Both Debden and Newbury Park are fully signalled Eastbound (towards Epping/Hainault) so train can run in or through the siding in ATO, and have 'proper' signals. However once reversed in the siding the westbound move back into the station is covered by shunt signal and needs to be done in Coded Manual.
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Seats
Feb 27, 2008 10:02:17 GMT
Post by suncloud on Feb 27, 2008 10:02:17 GMT
Don't forget the 92s on the W&C all had a basic refrub a year or so back with CCTV added and general improvements... The 92s are getting due a refurb... They're now the oldest stock not to have had a refurb... and most of the older stocks have been refurbed since the 92s started coming and/or have replacement schemes are well under way. I would have thought they can expect /better/ 'customer information' systems and internal CCTV...
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Seats
Aug 10, 2007 0:29:10 GMT
Post by suncloud on Aug 10, 2007 0:29:10 GMT
I've not done the whole trip in one go... but three stops short... Late at night at night after meeting with friends NW of London it's easier to get a lift to the West end of the central for a simple journey home than faff around trying to make last connections in town...
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Post by suncloud on Jul 5, 2007 22:02:26 GMT
I'm still smiling from my ride on a Routemaster on Rail replacement duties...
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