Trivia: rail replacement services providing direct services that otherwise couldn't be done by rail

[Dave W]

Another one around this bit of North London - during the weekend closures of the Goblin for electrification, the RRBs were split, from Harringay GL the buses went to Seven Sisters instead of South Tottenham. On the other side the buses went to Walthamstow Central. The Victoria Line then becomes a ”rail replacement tube” for the section between the two (including the stop at Blackhorse Road).

I find this quite clever as it happens! For some time the buses on the west portion also stopped at Finsbury Park.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

One running this weekend. Central Line Woodford to Gants Hill and then onto Ilford for TfL Rail.

 

[TFN]

Another LU one, they offer a RRB service that runs from Hammersmith to Putney Bridge non-stop, then all stations to Wimbledon.

 

[JBuchananGB]

Newbury Park is useful for buses on the Great Eastern as it's just off the A12 road, a road which follows roughly the same route as the railway.

Better dropping off passengers at Newbury Park for LU towards central London than to try and run the buses to say Stratford which will probably take a lot longer due to traffic.

It was difficult to know what ticket to buy when boarding RRB (starting journey) at Billericay. Normally I would have bought paper ticket to Stratford, for change to Central Line, tapping my Oyster on Platform 3. Instead I was tapping in my Oyster at Newbury Park. Or in deed in the reverse direction, what ticket was needed after tapping out at Newbury Park to board the RRB. All history now as my years in Billericay are over.

 

[Ian Hardy]

During the Waterloo blockade a few years back (and I expect it has happened since too, but I know for certain it happened then!), there were no trains serving the Chessington branch, and the replacement buses started at Worcester Park (whereas the trains branch off one stop up at Motspur Park).

Similarly, I have heard that RRBs serving the Worcester Park to Epsom stretch when that is closed, but the Chessington branch remains open, start at Tolworth. Geographically it makes perfect sense, but I've not personally witnessed it.

The reason the RRB don't go from Motspur Park is there is nowhere for the buses to layover and the road layout around Motspur Park is not that good, whereas Worcester Park is a lot better.

When the Surbiton resignalling was being done in the late 1990s, RRBs ran from Tolworth via Surbiton to Effingham Jct / Woking / Hampton Court with extra trains running between Chessington and Waterloo.

Also when there is work west of Feltham Junction the RRBs from Windsor / Weybridge / Woking / Ascot run to and from Hounslow, as there is plenty of space at Hounslow to park the buses, whereas at Whitton there is nowhere and the interchange is not very easy.

Additionally when the line through Twickenham is closed the RRBs run from Hounslow to Richmond or Barnes and not from Feltham, because the road layout between Feltham and Whitton is not a straight line and the distance from Hounslow to Whitton is a lot shorter.

I also remember when the River Crane bridge collapsed east of Feltham and there was a rugby match on at Twickenham that Saturday, trains were diverted to call at Kempton Park and the RRBs ran from there to Feltham. At other times the buses ran from Twickenham to Feltham.

 

[Clansman]

Not sure if it counts since its served a couple of times directly per day by rail, but when there's buses between Dundee and Aberdeen, Laurencekirk gets an hourly direct connection to Dundee since it's right on the A90 and it fits nicely for bus driver breaks. Even if the line north of Laurencekirk is open.

So there'd be 2 buses, one slow will call at Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven taking 2 hours, whereas the fast will call only at Laurencekirk and can take as little as an hour. Essentially inverting the rail provision.

Not sure where else this happens.

 

[Ian Hardy]

When the 7/7 bombs went off in London, the Piccadilly Line was suspended between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove. Buses operated from Arnos Grove to Turnpike Lane and then went to Seven Sisters.

When a motor fell off a Central Line train at Chancery Lane the line was suspended until every train was checked so for several weeks there were numerous routes (it was a good bus rally with virtually any spare vehicle in Southern England was used) to give connections with other rail lines into Central London - the east side there were buses from Barking / Ilford / Chingford / Walthamstow Central to Central Line stations, as well as a service from Epping to Harlow Town. I cannot remember what happened on the western branches.

There was also a time when the Northern Line was suspended for a lengthy period (I cannot remember why) and there were buses from Wimbledon to South Wimbledon and up to Tooting. In North London there were connections to Arnos Grove, Canons Park, Finchley Road from Northern Line stations.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Additionally when the line through Twickenham is closed the RRBs run from Hounslow to Richmond or Barnes and not from Feltham, because the road layout between Feltham and Whitton is not a straight line and the distance from Hounslow to Whitton is a lot shorter.

Hounslow also offers connections with trains which can run via Hounslow when the Twickenham route is closed.

 

[LOL The Irony]

When the 7/7 bombs went off in London, the Piccadilly Line was suspended between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove. Buses operated from Arnos Grove to Turnpike Lane and then went to Seven Sisters.

It still ran?

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

It still ran?

Yes. On 7/7 itself the whole network was closed. In the days after the Piccadilly Line was closed to effect investigation, recovery and repair of the line. The service ran then.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Yes. On 7/7 itself the whole network was closed. In the days after the Piccadilly Line was closed to effect investigation, recovery and repair of the line. The service ran then.

The way the OP wrote it made out like the Pic ran between Hyde Park and Arnos Grove.

 

[Ian Hardy]

The way the OP wrote it made out like the Pic ran between Hyde Park and Arnos Grove.

I said that "the Piccadilly Line was suspended between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove", however I should have started the sentence with "In the aftermath of the 7/7 bombs..."