Something in the air?or some London Southern Railway infrastructure from a helicopter?

[Graham_Muz]

And now for something slightly different… Last weekend I was lucky enough to have taken a helicopter ride over parts of London. This post links to my blog where I have posted some of the photographs that I was able to take that are relevant to Southern Railway infrastructure that I thought might be of interest to readers of my blog here http://grahammuz.com/2015/06/30/something-in-the-air-or-some-london-southern-railway-infrastructure-from-a-helicopter/ 

 

An example image is below:

 

[stewartingram]

My office is there! The brown roof (nearly flat), right by the country end of the canopy, in the centre of the pic!

 

Stewart

[The Stationmaster]

My final 'big railway' office is also there - but you can't see it because it's hidden by that big glass roof of the station in the centre of the pic.  Nice job Muz - now heading for your blog, and very nice it is too - lovely set of pics thanks. .

[The Lurker]

Nice pictures, thanks for posting the link. You can see the roof of my office in the London Bridge shots....

[Strathwood]

Crikey it looks so different now from the setting for the 1945 film Waterloo Road, directed by Sidney Gilliat. starring John Mills, Stewart Granger, Alastair Sim, Joy Shelton.

 

Kevin

[bécasse]

Crikey it looks so different now from the setting for the 1945 film Waterloo Road, directed by Sidney Gilliat. starring John Mills, Stewart Granger, Alastair Sim, Joy Shelton.

 

Kevin

If you want to see a few Southern London views that were frightening different when they were taken, in colour, by the late Dick Riley c1958, have a look at the Cannon Street station/bridge spread in the current issue of Backtrack. Inter alia they show some interesting features on the rolling stock portrayed, tail lamp brackets either side of the cab windows on early 4-EPBs and the experimental red tail blinds on 6-L 1017 (full height and still requiring the use of a tail lamp), for example. However the real surprise is the almost total lack of high-rise buildings in the City at that date, and the one that can be seen under construction - Bucklesbury House - has since been demolished.

[Simond]

What do they use the Eurostar platforms for now?

 

I suspect I haven't been to Waterloo since HS1 opened...

 

Ace photos too - thanks for posting

 

Best

Simon

[phil-b259]

What do they use the Eurostar platforms for now?

 

I suspect I haven't been to Waterloo since HS1 opened...

 

Ace photos too - thanks for posting

 

Best

Simon

 

Not a lot as such. One of the platforms was returned to domestic service a year or so ago after holes were made in the wall dividing the international and domestic platforms 19 / 20. Further platforms have also returned to service after the 'Orchestra pit' (as the former Eurostar terminal entrance was known) was covered over.

 

However for much of the time since Eurostar pulled out the whole place has sat disused (the theatrical production of the Railway Children not withstanding) - not helped by its status as being part of London & Continental Railways NOT Network Rail, leading to many in the Treasury harbouring desires to sell it off for non railway redevelopment.

 

The BIG problem with any attempts to make extensive use of the platforms is NOT anything to do with the terminal itself however, the problem is the signalling installed to cover moves in and out. Basically while elementary suitable for the hourly Paris & Brussels traffic it is way to restrictive for a suburban rail operation with its quick turn round times and the desire to have lots of parallel moves taking place to enhance throughput in the station throat area (Please remember it connects with the Windsor / Reading lines and cannot be reached by trains coming from Wimbledon / Woking etc without massively capacity killing moves on the flat between Clapham Junc and Vauxhall).

 

As such the former International platforms will only really be put to proper use when the station throat is rebuilt / resignalled (which is a requirement for 10 car trains via Wimbledon anyway as platforms 1- 4 are too short at present) the delivery date of which is still uncertain.

[The Stationmaster]

So presumably the platform stepping distance has been dealt with then Phil?

[phil-b259]

So presumably the platform stepping distance has been dealt with then Phil?

Presumably so, but I admit I have no first hand knowledge.

 

However as with the various 'humps' that have been installed around the country stepping distances (where a gap needs to be reduced) are easily sorted with few sheets of plywood. As a man of your experience knows, such things are relatively easy to do - certainly much quicker and easier than major signalling or layout mods at any rate.

[Joseph_Pestell]

What do they use the Eurostar platforms for now?

 

I suspect I haven't been to Waterloo since HS1 opened...

 

Ace photos too - thanks for posting

 

Best

Simon

 

If they used them as extra Central London capacity for HS2, it would make it much easier for those of us south-west of London.

[The Stationmaster]

Presumably so, but I admit I have no first hand knowledge.

 

However as with the various 'humps' that have been installed around the country stepping distances (where a gap needs to be reduced) are easily sorted with few sheets of plywood. As a man of your experience knows, such things are relatively easy to do - certainly much quicker and easier than major signalling or layout mods at any rate.

Talking of which I'm still waiting for the Lime Streeet controls I asked for at Waterloo International to be installed - hmm, I think the S&T fell short on that one.

[autocoach]

And now for something slightly different… Last weekend I was lucky enough to have taken a helicopter ride over parts of London. This post links to my blog where I have posted some of the photographs that I was able to take that are relevant to Southern Railway infrastructure that I thought might be of interest to readers of my blog here http://grahammuz.com/2015/06/30/something-in-the-air-or-some-london-southern-railway-infrastructure-from-a-helicopter/ 

 

An example image is below:

 

But the coaching stock are all funny colors....no Bulleid green or even BR/SR green.

[Peter Bedding]

And now for something slightly different… Last weekend I was lucky enough to have taken a helicopter ride over parts of London. This post links to my blog where I have posted some of the photographs that I was able to take that are relevant to Southern Railway infrastructure that I thought might be of interest to readers of my blog here http://grahammuz.com/2015/06/30/something-in-the-air-or-some-london-southern-railway-infrastructure-from-a-helicopter/ 

 

An example image is below:

 

Yes, but where has the London of my yoof gone?

 

The ochrous brickwork, the smog which obscured the far side of the road, STL buses with fares of tuppence, lorries which carried a 20mph plate on the rear, and cars with re-cut cross-ply tyres. All this modernisation will never catch on.

 

PB

[phil-b259]

Talking of which I'm still waiting for the Lime Streeet controls I asked for at Waterloo International to be installed - hmm, I think the S&T fell short on that one.

 

What are they then? - I have not come across that term yet.

[Colin]

Got to say, that T gauge stuff looks quite good from normal viewing distance.....

[The Stationmaster]

What are they then? - I have not come across that term yet.

Basically 'train length measuring controls' (normally used in terminal platforms although I'm not sure if they are still installed).  SSP 76 then SSP80 and subsequently GK/RT0044 (it is specifically referred to in Issue 1 but not by name in Issue 2 which came out in 2013.

 

The principle is that track circuits are divided in such a way that they measure the amount of space left in a terminal platform and ensure that there is sufficient room in it for what is next being signalled into it.  Reputedly named after controls installed at Liverpool Lime St following an incident when a train was signalled into an occupied platform when there wasn't room for it (I'm not sure if there was or was not a collision in that case).  Without looking at what I still have of the scheme plans I believe there was possibly an element of it being included in the 'Midland side' of St Pancras International where there was at one stage a spec for trains of various different lengths to be accommodated at those platforms.

[bécasse]

Yes, but where has the London of my yoof gone?

 

The ochrous brickwork, the smog which obscured the far side of the road, STL buses with fares of tuppence, lorries which carried a 20mph plate on the rear, and cars with re-cut cross-ply tyres. All this modernisation will never catch on.

 

PB

 

It wasn't a real smog unless you couldn't see your feet and had to feel your way along the hedges, walls and fences at your side. Fortunately it only happened to me once - and I had just got off a bus, the driver being guided by his conductor walking in front in the gutter holding out a lighted flare.

[Colin]

I never got caught in it but my Dad, who was a sales rep, once had to abandon his Ford Anglia (side valve 100E version) in a smoggy east London street as he couldn't see further than the front of the bonnet. He went back by bus the following morning to recover the car, which of course was still there and untouched. These days it would have been either festooned in parking tickets or sitting in a pound somewhere!

[melmerby]

These days it would have been either festooned in parking tickets or sitting in a pound somewhere!

Wheels missing and burnt out more likely!

 

Keith

[beast66606]

Talking of which I'm still waiting for the Lime Streeet controls I asked for at Waterloo International to be installed - hmm, I think the S&T fell short on that one.

 

<off topic>

 

Rather amusingly my son has just phoned me to tell me that Lime Street controls have failed - he's on a 4-car 156 which has been signalled into an occupied platform (at Lime Street) but only the front half of the front coach fits, all passengers detrained via the front door only ! - oops.

[The Stationmaster]

<off topic>

 

Rather amusingly my son has just phoned me to tell me that Lime Street controls have failed - he's on a 4-car 156 which has been signalled into an occupied platform (at Lime Street) but only the front half of the front coach fits, all passengers detrained via the front door only ! - oops.

Ooops indeed!

[Simond]

Is t'other end blocking the throat, either literally, or because the track circuits don't show it clear?

 

Best

Simon

[beast66606]

My lads photo of the "Ooops" moment

 

https://flic.kr/p/vHGBxL