Lineside signage

[downdc]

Hello all

I wonder if anybody could shed light on something I’ve observed recently on the Metropolitan Line.  

The items in question are signs, which appear to be in the line colour and which have white script on saying ‘Metropolitan Line’, followed by more which I could not read.  I saw the signs at the divergence of Watford North Junction facing trains heading in the southbound direction (/towards Croxley) and between the diverging pairs of tracks after Watford South Junction, just before the substation facing trains heading in the northbound direction.  I would have wanted to get a photo, but there was no suitable vantage point from the footpath immediately south of the formation which is where I noticed the signs at the North Junction, and I saw them following the South Junction from a passing train, so didn’t get an opportunity.

I have to say, and it seems plausible given their location adjacent to junctions, but it looked like the signs were describing the diverging routes at the junctions, possibly also with arrows.  If I am roughly correct with what is shown on the signs, I would then be curious as to their purpose? Clearly, they’re not for telling drivers where to go! This type of sign may well be prevalent elsewhere on the line or the system, but I haven’t travelled on many other above ground sections in the last little while.

As always, many thanks!

[t697]

The smaller text names the diverging route for each direction. It's a safety initiative to address a recommendation from an incident where apparently workers weren't clear about that or the limits of their work space. Appearing across all lines now, including in tunnel divergences.

[Chris M]

One of these featured in the latest Hidden London Hangouts video on YouTube about the disused tunnels around Finsbury Park. Below is a screenshot from 17:32 showing the southbound/westbound divergence point after the Piccadilly-Victoria line link

[downdc]

Many thanks both, I did wonder about their use by staff on the track. I have to agree in feeling that staff should be familiar with their surroundings given the nature of the working environment, but whatever helps to that end…

Edited to say thanks also Chris, I may watch that video, the arrangement around Finsbury Park is one I find intriguing. One of my favourite things about the Underground-related information available nowadays (Tubeprune, this forum, Carto Metro etc etc) is the detail on the various subterranean connections and so forth, which are completely obscured from view literally, as well as figuratively so when I first took an interest 

[DWS]

The days when all staff working on the Track were direct employees of London Underground have long gone, Contractors from many Companies have taken over Protection of Possession for works on the Track. These staff have a high turnover rate and move from one job to another Also some drive for long distance to and from work sites.

[d7666]

Not sure, but I think those plates are less about advising staff where to go, and more about where they are precisely w.r.t. asset/site locations using the identifiers known as BRS codes (no I do not know what the TLA BRS means).

At least, they look like BRS codes to me.

The first 4 characters "A123" are part of a standard series of codes that identify every site asset. I *think* for track it works that the track between each station to station pair has one BRS code. It makes sense then at junctions / divergences as staff need to know where the asset starts and finishes on the ground. I do not know myself, I do not ever go on to track, but suggest the plates are identifier-line-direction.

BRS codes apply to all sorts on things e.g. one building I work in is X163.

[downdc]

Thanks, that would indeed make sense; I clocked for example ‘P’ and ‘WB’ but what would the ‘LO’ be? I was thinking perhaps ‘WestBound Line Only’ as that would make sense in most tunnels, but I also thought ‘road’ might be the more likely official term here

It looks as though the other picture from an earlier post has been removed, that would have shown if ‘LO’ was also part of the reference code on an open section example