On Sat, 22 Feb 2014 10:52:42 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Saturday, 22 February 2014 18:12:28 UTC, Guy Gorton wrote:

True of the latest improvements but the slow feature was caused by

switching out Blind Lane box outside rush-hour. That meant that all

trains had to use the platform road at Wembley and the access to that

at Neasden was through one turnout away from the Amersham route, then

another towards the platform road and finally through a double slip

taking the right-hand switched route (straight through led to

sidings). I think the limit may have been less that 15mph - perhaps

5 or 10.

Everything was done to make the journey slow and nothing was done to

minimise the cost of maintaining expensive trackwork. That helped the

case for closure, of course.

As soon as BR lost the battle, many improvements came along quickly.


Although in fairness, that was rationalised before the closure proposal;
my first journey on the line was in 1984 and I am sure by then the
track layout between Neasden and Wembley had been simplified
so that there was a simple double junction to the down Northolt
line and the through roads at Wembley, all associated pointwork and
Blind Lane box had gone. The earliest photo I have of Wembley
Stadium station (as it had then become) station dates from 1987:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6053903...57627539951478

It can clearly be seen that the track layout had been rationalised by then.

Happily Blind Lane Signal Box is now preserved at Rothley on the GCR.
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