Steam - Electric traction changeover on the Metropolitan query

[The Stationmaster]

The speed of this uncoupling ,coupling was amazing a shunter would just drop down inbetween the loco and coaches no hassle I bet today there would no way this would be allowed.No protective clothing just a pair of gloves and a flat cap I have never heard of any problems arising with the job .

I'm not really surprised at the time it took - the blokes doing the job were at it for 8 or 12 hour shifts so they had plenty of practice and the track layout was clearly designed for 'smart' engine changing which can make an enormous difference.  Back in the 1970s I was at a place where loco changes on passenger trains became rather commonplace asa  result of loco failures (on one, particularly bad, day we replaced 16 Class 50s   ) and the layout was not designed for rapid loco changing - on the Up we were taking 10 minurtes or more to change engines.  I set the Station Chargemen target of no more than 7 minutes for an Up change and within a few weeks they were doing it in between 6 & 7 minutes provided the fresh engine was in place and we had 2 Drivers available, and we had to do a Brake Continuity Test in that time.  If we'd had a similar layout to that at Rickmansworth we would possibly have been a couple of minutes quicker - but no better than that.  And all of that was with far heavier couplings of course,