Piccadilly Circus (BP)

[Deleted]

I wish I had known this yesterday...

According to issue 542 of Underground News, the entire LU section of the Bakerloo Line was suspended for 25 minutes from 04:55 due to an assault on a northbound train at Warwick Avenue. The issue blurb notes that on November 30 of that year, the crossover at Piccadilly Circus was taken out of commission until further notice.

Two things about this suspension puzzle me:

1. Why couldn't the line be suspended from Paddington to Queen's Park?

2. Why was the crossover at BP taken offline? Are the gemoetry issues that have plagued that crossover for so long still present and causing problems?

[Oracle]

I remember when there was the original scissors there...quite famous really as photos of it appeared in encyclopaedias and the like.

[Tom]

theonekea said:

I wish I had known this yesterday...

According to issue 542 of Underground News, the entire LU section of the Bakerloo Line was suspended for 25 minutes from 04:55 due to an assault on a northbound train at Warwick Avenue. The issue blurb notes that on November 30 of that year, the crossover at Piccadilly Circus was taken out of commission until further notice.

Two things about this suspension puzzle me:

1. Why couldn't the line be suspended from Paddington to Queen's Park?

Then the service that is available is so limited it isn't worth it.

2. Why was the crossover at BP taken offline? Are the gemoetry issues that have plagued that crossover for so long still present and causing problems?

A 'Camden Town' style switch blade is the cause of the latest problem, from what I can gather.

[Deleted]

tom said:

theonekea said:

I wish I had known this yesterday...

According to issue 542 of Underground News, the entire LU section of the Bakerloo Line was suspended for 25 minutes from 04:55 due to an assault on a northbound train at Warwick Avenue. The issue blurb notes that on November 30 of that year, the crossover at Piccadilly Circus was taken out of commission until further notice.

Two things about this suspension puzzle me:

1. Why couldn't the line be suspended from Paddington to Queen's Park?

Then the service that is available is so limited it isn't worth it.

Oh? I didn't know London Road spent the whole day empty.

tom said:

2. Why was the crossover at BP taken offline? Are the gemoetry issues that have plagued that crossover for so long still present and causing problems?

A 'Camden Town' style switch blade is the cause of the latest problem, from what I can gather.

Oh dear.

[Tom]

theonekea said:

tom said:

Then the service that is available is so limited it isn't worth it.

Oh? I didn't know London Road spent the whole day empty.

There are 9 trains from L/Rd each day, but they aren't enough to run a service with. Besides, 0455 is call-back time at Q/Pk, so you don't get any train movements before 0515 at the earliest. (First Train is 0538.)

[Deleted]

tom said:

Besides, 0455 is call-back time at Q/Pk, so you don't get any train movements before 0515 at the earliest. (First Train is 0538.)

What is 'call back time' please?

[Tom]

When working on the track in Engineering Hours, you register with the track access controller to go out at the beginning of the night.

When registering, you are given a time, known as 'Call Back Time' by which you must call back and say you, your tools and equipment are clear of the track and it is safe for trains to run.

[Deleted]

Thank you Tom.

[Deleted]

Are there any switch blade issues at Elephant&Castle, as at some point in the last year or so, the speed limit NB through the crossover from the SB platform seems to have been lowered to 10mph?

[Tom]

Not that I know of - I haven't been down there for a few months.

[Deleted]

...

[Oracle]

Does it EVER get used these days?

[Tom]

oracle said:

Does it EVER get used these days?

There's a booked move over it early each morning. I have been over it as a passenger once.

[Deleted]

stephenk said:

Are there any switch blade issues at Elephant&Castle, as at some point in the last year or so, the speed limit NB through the crossover from the SB platform seems to have been lowered to 10mph?

Trains using Elephant crossover either SB line to NB plat or SB plat to NB line have been 10mph for years as far as I know.

25mph otherwise down there, with policemen in the platforms.

[Deleted]

prakash said:

stephenk said:

Are there any switch blade issues at Elephant&Castle, as at some point in the last year or so, the speed limit NB through the crossover from the SB platform seems to have been lowered to 10mph?

Trains using Elephant crossover either SB line to NB plat or SB plat to NB line have been 10mph for years as far as I know.

25mph otherwise down there, with policemen in the platforms.

Whilst not wanting to question you, but....

...as you all know I am quite interested in terminus capacity. Up until some time in 2005 (ish) I had timed the roll out roll in time (RORIT) in the SB platform on many occasions at approx 80secs, with the departing train leaving at a fair speed (at a guess approx 20mph). I timed things again quite a few times last year (2006), and the RORIT for the SB platform was approx 90secs, with the departing trains travelling much slower through the crossover (approx 10mph).

[Deleted]

a lot of drivers like to speed on the bakerloo, (don't ask me why -you should never speed) but as far as i know its always been 10mph both ways over the crossover - 15 tops. i'll have words with my mate over there and get back to you though.

on a side note, am i the only person who thinks the 5mph tsr the entire length of regents park platforms makes it slower than trains coming in at line speed and stopping as normal?