Recent content by rob w

is it a complicated job to action such things?

Was on the 18:02 ex MYB to Birmingham. Was routed onto the slow at South Ruislip and then the mess started. The slow in front was sat outside West Ruislip for ages and by the time we got going we were almost 70 mins down. It seems that the section from West Ruislip to Beaconsfield was one block...

A special timetable will be running on the London - High Wycombe - Banbury - Birmingham line all day on Saturday. Online journey planners have been updated. A copy of the special timetable may be downloaded here.

The northbound trains have to wait for the southbound service to clear Princes Risborough so that they can cross over to P2. They are then running wrong line to Bicester South Junction where they change lines and onto Bicester North.

agree with you Many years ago when I was at school in Old Coulsdon I could hear the thumpers and couldn't foghorn out why. Looking at the map its only 1.5-2 miles away

I wonder what price the thumper would have sold for.

Many years I remember reading in the railway press an article about the widened lines modernisation and it mentioned that due to clearances in the tunnels slab track was needed and even then the pantograph’s of the 317’s were fully depressed hence a 30 mph restriction was needed. Ive no idea if...

Yup only if they were kept on full power. The 60 restriction at South Croydon used to be quite far north or the platform but seems to have been brought further south now. Had some crazy runs where we were still doing around 80 passing the platforms at South Croydon with the brakes on hard.

Always wondered why this is? I remember years ago being able to access this area and walk between units

I definitely remember taking a hastings unit in the evening to East Grinstead and I think it was before the electrics started. Its used to be pretty quick between Hurst Green and Lingfield.

The northern part of the tunnel

Yup they are pretty sharp basedon this pic: https://500px.com/photo/116554929/oxted-tunnel-1-by-adrian-backshall

especially if the stock is limited to 75mph

Some years ago on one of the Network Day events I travelled on a Weymouth fast ex Waterloo. I cant remember if I was expecting a REP or WES (need to check the dates) but it was a 12 CIG or VEP formation which disappointed me. I remember standing near the intermediate cabs and timing the speeds...

Have always wondered why Oxted tunnel straight for 75% and then has an S bend.