In message , Peter Masson
writes

"Jonathan Morton" wrote in message
...

That could of course have been the BR (ex-GCR) lines. South of and
including
Harrow-on-the-Hill they are on the south-western side of the formation,
giving Harrow three island platforms (from south to north Marylebone
down/up, Met down and Met up). I can't remember whether this arrangement
continues north of Harrow Junction.

Sorry, no images, but the dates would be right, co-inciding roughly with
the
intoduction of the A59 and A60 stock (IIRC, "A" for Amersham and the years
'59 and '60). Not sure if the reference to "second pair" of lines is
strictly correct. Certainly the Met south of Harrow is paired by direction
(very efficient use of space, with the slows in the middle, because you
can
use a single island platform where there are no fast platforms, as at
Northwick Park for instance, and one island for each direction where fast
trains stop, Harrow for instance). I think this continues north of Harrow,
but I can't remember exactly. So I would guess that quadrupling was
achieved
by a new track on each side, BICBW.

Stopping pattern for the fast Amershams was Finchley Road,
Harrow-on-the-Hill, Moor Park, then all stations - is it still? The
indicators at Finchley Road always used to have facilities to indicate a
train that didn't stop at Harrow-on-the-Hill, though I've never seen this
in
use - have any trains ever missed the Harrow stop in regular service?

Between Harrow and Moor Park the lines are paired by use, southern pair are
the fast lines, used by Amersham/ Chesham fasts, and by Chiltern Railways
Aylesbury trains, and the northern pair are used by stopping trains to
Watford (and occasionally Amersham). At least at Northwood, the slow lines
were new with new platforms, while the original tracks became the fast
lines, and the original down platform was abandoned. The original up
platform had a wall built along its original platform face, and a new face
built the other side as the new down (slow) platform - Photo in 'London and
its Railways' by r Davies and M D Grant.

In the 1960s there were peak hour trains which ran fast from Finchley Road
to Moor Park, as well as some Watfords which were fast Finchley Road to
North Harrow, and some Uxbridge which were fast from Finchley Road to
Rayners Lane, all of these running through Harrow without stopping. I think
that, at that time, peak trains to Harrow all called at Wembley Park,
Preston Road and Northwick Park.

There were some peak hour trains in the late 60's which might have
stopped once between Chorleywood & Marylebone. Certainly I had to make
sure I didn't get on them to go to school in Rickmansworth...

(of course these were BR not Met trains).

There were also a few through trains to Chesham in the peak hour, but
usually one had to change, I think at Chalfont & Latimer.


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