In reply to news post, which Five Cats ] wrote on
Sun, 21 Dec 2003 -
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.
I think the last time the Me trains did not stop at Harrow was for some
peak hour services in the 1980s
Today, off peak Amersham trains call at Wembley Park and more often than
not use the slow lines, thus passing through Northwick Park and Preston
Road. They also often catch up an all stations train and thus
passengers end up being held at signals outside of the stations! I have
been on several trains which have arrived at Harrow on platform 6 at the
same time as an all stations train on platform 5, the all stations train
goes first and the "fast" ex Amersham train follows being held up by the
slower train in front.
There are now more Chiltern trains running from and to Marylebone which
miss out Met stations. None of the peak Chiltern trains call at
Rickmansworth (they have not stopped at Moor Park for years) and there
are a few which run non stop Marylebone to Amersham or Marylebone to
Great Missenden (and return).
Before the 4 track section north of Harrow was opened, there must have
been a real bottle neck as the line had to cope with Met stopping trains
and express services to Nottingham and beyond.
I have some details of the services through Amersham in the 1930s on my
web site - see sig below if you are interested
--
Matthew P Jones -
www.amersham.org.uk
My view of the Metropolitan Line
www.metroland.org.uk - actually I like it
Don't reply to
it will not be read
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