In message , at 10:30:28 on
Sun, 25 Feb 2007, Bruce Varney remarked:
And what would you do if the train operators had abandoned the trains and
taken the keys with them?

Trains have keys? Where do they fit - in the side of the steering column?

Yes, believe it or not underground trains need a key or keys to get them
moving, in fact so do most of the mainline trains as well. Up until the
Central Line stock two keys are needed, a control key to turn the train on,
so to speak, and a selector key which allows the train operator to select
which way the train will go.

And these keys are different for each train? Maybe so, but I'd always
thought they were one key that fitted all of them. Isn't it a bit
inconvenient to have a different key for each train if you are reversing
tube trains using the "stepping back" principle (that's where one driver
gets in the far cab and drives the train straight off, while the
original driver walks down the platform to be ready for the next one).
--
Roland Perry