Dave Arquati wrote in message ...
Clive D. W. Feather wrote:
In article , Dave Arquati
writes

Out of interest, why did they decide to have a slow/fast separation
here and how was it used? Did trains skip either/both of these
stations, and if so, was it really worth it?


Yes, many District trains skipped various stations, including both
Gloucester Road and South Kensington.

In 1964 there were 8 non-stop trains in the morning peak. Analysis
showed that non-stopping didn't help: the run wasn't long enough for a
non-stopper to overtake a preceding stopper, and 5 or 6 of those 8
trains would typically be held at the convergence point. A new timetable
introduced late that year eliminated the non-stoppers, and experience
showed this worked; this led to the track simplification.

That's interesting. Where did the non-stop trains run from - Richmond,
Hounslow or Ealing Broadway? And I presume they used the current
Piccadilly tracks between Acton Town and Barons Court?

There were definitely fast Wimbledons at one stage. They used platform
3 at EC, then skipped West Brompton. This allowed them to overtake a
train slowing to stop at West Brompton on the line from EC p4. Whether
it worked in practice is another matter.