A days research

[Going Underground]

Just thought I would share some random things that happened yesterday while researching door positions and runs for the rather unusual High Barnet Cockfosters CiN full network next month...

Firstly while waiting for an Eastbound district line at Acton Town the tannoy announced that "the next train to arrive at platform 2/3? (the Eastbound Picc platform anyway) was for West Kensington" and the same was shown on the destination board! Intrigued to see what arrived it was a Picc train and the destination on the front was Oakwood.

I boarded my District line train to see a very good Joss Stone look-a-like (It may have even been Joss) with a couple of 8-10 year olds and she got off at a very busy South Kensington. A lot of half term museum visiting going on here...

At Kennington I dashed from the Northbound straight onto a Southbound just as the doors were closing... 5 seconds later they opened wth the announcement "this train terminates here" I must have been close to getting a spin around the "loop"

A couple of very witty Irish chaps boarded a very crowded Westbound Circle line at Victoria and with Fiddle and Banjo played some jolly tunes and asked the passengers to "take their partners and waltz and dance" "clap and sing along if you like" "if you don't like awkward social situations just pretend you cant see or hear us"
I gave them a few "coffers" as we alighted together at Gloucs Road

Heading up to Upminster we boarded the C2C and chatting away I suddenly noticed Dagenham Dock out of the window an commented "oh don't remember stopping here before" to Nozzacook... Our next stop was Rainham where a 30 minute wait and a spot of luncheon took place in the Essex rain / sunshine before heading back to Barking / Upminster

We them heard an announcement later in the afternoon that the westbound platform at Rayners Lane was closed due to "safety reasons" and passengers would have to alight at Eastcote and come back to the Eastbound platform to alight. I can only imagine this was related to the torrential downpour earlier...

Finally the news that the Circle / District were suspended due to a "one under" at Embankment. If memory serves it was the same scenario at that very same station that thwarted a certain GWR when waiting at Turnham Green with only Chiswick Park and a T5 finish remaining when being well up on schedule...

[The Raven]

You have to be so careful with announcements on trains. At the last R15 at Brett Cross a train that arrived on the northbound platform announced "this train is for Morden" (we were heading up to Hendon Central) so we risked it and it did indeed go to Hendon Central!

Has anyone accidentally gone round the loop. Rumers say it's haunted!

[tubeguru]

Rumers say it's haunted!

Who are they then?

[Going Underground]

Rumers say it's haunted!

Who are they then?

Yes funnily enough I was going to say "the haunted loop"

Drivers have reported doors banging and opening when taking trains around the loop with no others passengers or staff being on onboard...
Unless what nearly happened to me yesterday occurred

[The Raven]

Who are they then?

London Underground train drivers apparently. Something like hearing footsteps and cries will waiting in the tunnel, eventhough there's no one on the train but the driver.

Mind you spending 20 mins in a dark tunnel, doing nothing would start to play with MY head!

[RichieG]

New name for tube drivers then is it?

[Garion]

Apparently the rumors are that an invisible person goes from the back to the front of the train, opening and closing the interconnecting doors along the way. One driver looked down the train and he saw no-one, but all the doors had been opened...

[Garion]

I knew about that. The northbound Northern Line platform partially follows the route of the old loop. When the line was extended south, new tunnels were built and this is why the southbound platform is not connected to any other platforms by low level passages (in other words, passengers must go up to the sub-surface concourse below the District/Circle line platforms to change).

[moley]

People say that Kings Cross is a 'complicated' station, or perhaps Oxford CIrcus. I'd actually argue that if you were trying to draw it as a 3D cutaway diagram (as i have attempted, and failed to do), then Embankment is actually the most complicated station...

It was before the Northern Line was extended south but this is a good diagram http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6272261785/

[Garion]

People say that Kings Cross is a 'complicated' station, or perhaps Oxford CIrcus. I'd actually argue that if you were trying to draw it as a 3D cutaway diagram (as i have attempted, and failed to do), then Embankment is actually the most complicated station...

Agreed, not trying to sound big-headed, but as good as I am with the Underground, I always get lost and confused at Embankment.

[Garion]

I presume you can still get to it? I didn't really notice it until you said

[Garion]

Westminster..easy Kings Cross, well before they messed around with it, that was easy for me too I don't like the way you got to go to get to the Northern Line now :/

[Root]

I don't think Westminster is particularly complicated either. Those escalators aren't much fun, but I'd definitely put it behind a number of other stations in terms of complexity. Camden Town springs to mind.

[Garion]

Camden Town is kinda easy in my opinion. One way up/down besides the emergency stairs. I guess I'd find most easy as I've seen maps of the layouts of most stations.

[Root]

I was thinking of all the passages connecting the various different platforms, and the fact that, going southbound, you have to choose between the Edgware and High Barnet branches, and you could end up missing an earlier train to your destination depending on which you choose. Isn't there an exit-only exit as well?