Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-septe
mber.org, at 09:01:35 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Additionally the conductor rail has to be removed to allow the passenger
train to run; this is not a problem in itself but it does prevent future
demonstrations of automatic trains (something I'd love to see, but I don't
know if it's on anyone's agenda) if you remove too much of it.

I didn't know the line had been used for trials of automatic trains? How
would they get them up and down, given that the old depot can no longer be
used for surface access?

If there's no surface access, how did they get the tour-trains in there?

The surface access is in the former depot area, now turned into the tourist
train base and station. That's probably partly why it's so shallow, just
below the surface. The running line is deeper, a proper tube railway.

That doesn't answer the question: "how did they get the tour-trains in
there?"

Through the depot surface access, of course.

So they can use that for other trains too.

Not without dismantling the museum.

The museum's the other side of the road - or are you saying they've
entombed the tour-trains having built on the site of a former surface
access to the depot?

I'm talking about the Mail Rail exhibition/museum in the former depot under
the Mount Pleasant GPO site, not the entirely separate Postal Museum.

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:44:49 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Anna Noyd-Dryver remarked:
- They told me that the rest of the railway is still owned and
maintained by the Royal Mail. There is at least the theoretical
possibility of the museum trains doing a longer circuit, perhaps to
the next station, but there appear to be no current plans for such an
expansion. It would obviously need Royal Mail's agreement, and there
would be a significant costs. The current trains may not have the
battery capacity for the extra distances involved.

Problems include lack of emergency exits.

From the site's FAQ:

"Evacuation requirements mean that access to the Mail Rail train ride is
restricted to those who are able to walk unaided on uneven terrain, in a
confined space for up to 100m before climbing 70 steps to the surface."

If the ride was extended to loop round the next station, there would need
to be an evacuation route through that station. The potential walk through
the tunnel would also be much longer, and uphill, to one or other station.

They'd probably also feel obliged to set up additional AV shows on the two
extra platforms traversed. The much longer ride would probably only be run
at less busy times, at a significantly higher price, and aimed at
enthusiasts, not families.

In message
-sept
ember.org, at 09:29:30 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:44:49 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Anna Noyd-Dryver remarked:
- They told me that the rest of the railway is still owned and
maintained by the Royal Mail. There is at least the theoretical
possibility of the museum trains doing a longer circuit, perhaps to
the next station, but there appear to be no current plans for such an
expansion. It would obviously need Royal Mail's agreement, and there
would be a significant costs. The current trains may not have the
battery capacity for the extra distances involved.

Problems include lack of emergency exits.

From the site's FAQ:

"Evacuation requirements mean that access to the Mail Rail train ride is
restricted to those who are able to walk unaided on uneven terrain, in a
confined space for up to 100m before climbing 70 steps to the surface."

If the ride was extended to loop round the next station,

Just so you know, I'm not advocating an extension.

there would need to be an evacuation route through that station.

Every station will have some kind of access to ground level.

The potential walk through
the tunnel would also be much longer, and uphill, to one or other station.

They'd probably also feel obliged to set up additional AV shows on the two
extra platforms traversed. The much longer ride would probably only be run
at less busy times, at a significantly higher price, and aimed at
enthusiasts, not families.

The AV shows aren't aimed at enthusiasts, so probably just a longer ride
would be sufficient.
--
Roland Perry

In message
-sept
ember.org, at 09:29:30 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Additionally the conductor rail has to be removed to allow the passenger
train to run; this is not a problem in itself but it does prevent future
demonstrations of automatic trains (something I'd love to see, but I don't
know if it's on anyone's agenda) if you remove too much of it.

I didn't know the line had been used for trials of automatic trains? How
would they get them up and down, given that the old depot can no longer be
used for surface access?

If there's no surface access, how did they get the tour-trains in there?

The surface access is in the former depot area, now turned into the tourist
train base and station. That's probably partly why it's so shallow, just
below the surface. The running line is deeper, a proper tube railway.

That doesn't answer the question: "how did they get the tour-trains in
there?"

Through the depot surface access, of course.

So they can use that for other trains too.

Not without dismantling the museum.

The museum's the other side of the road - or are you saying they've
entombed the tour-trains having built on the site of a former surface
access to the depot?

I'm talking about the Mail Rail exhibition/museum in the former depot under
the Mount Pleasant GPO site, not the entirely separate Postal Museum.

That's alongside the running tracks down to the tunnels, not in the way
of them. I suppose you noticed that some running tracks remained in the
waiting area?
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-sept
ember.org, at 09:29:30 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:44:49 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Anna Noyd-Dryver remarked:
- They told me that the rest of the railway is still owned and
maintained by the Royal Mail. There is at least the theoretical
possibility of the museum trains doing a longer circuit, perhaps to
the next station, but there appear to be no current plans for such an
expansion. It would obviously need Royal Mail's agreement, and there
would be a significant costs. The current trains may not have the
battery capacity for the extra distances involved.

Problems include lack of emergency exits.

From the site's FAQ:

"Evacuation requirements mean that access to the Mail Rail train ride is
restricted to those who are able to walk unaided on uneven terrain, in a
confined space for up to 100m before climbing 70 steps to the surface."

If the ride was extended to loop round the next station,

Just so you know, I'm not advocating an extension.

there would need to be an evacuation route through that station.

Every station will have some kind of access to ground level.

They did when they were active stations on Mail Rail. And even then, they
were used by the workers on the railway, and probably emerged inside the
mail sorting area above. That may be owned by someone else now, and the
route to the tunnel sealed off.


The potential walk through
the tunnel would also be much longer, and uphill, to one or other station.

They'd probably also feel obliged to set up additional AV shows on the two
extra platforms traversed. The much longer ride would probably only be run
at less busy times, at a significantly higher price, and aimed at
enthusiasts, not families.

The AV shows aren't aimed at enthusiasts, so probably just a longer ride
would be sufficient.

The museum people who run Mail Rail probably wouldn't see it that way.

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-sept
ember.org, at 09:29:30 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Additionally the conductor rail has to be removed to allow the passenger
train to run; this is not a problem in itself but it does prevent future
demonstrations of automatic trains (something I'd love to see, but I don't
know if it's on anyone's agenda) if you remove too much of it.

I didn't know the line had been used for trials of automatic trains? How
would they get them up and down, given that the old depot can no longer be
used for surface access?

If there's no surface access, how did they get the tour-trains in there?

The surface access is in the former depot area, now turned into the tourist
train base and station. That's probably partly why it's so shallow, just
below the surface. The running line is deeper, a proper tube railway.

That doesn't answer the question: "how did they get the tour-trains in
there?"

Through the depot surface access, of course.

So they can use that for other trains too.

Not without dismantling the museum.

The museum's the other side of the road - or are you saying they've
entombed the tour-trains having built on the site of a former surface
access to the depot?

I'm talking about the Mail Rail exhibition/museum in the former depot under
the Mount Pleasant GPO site, not the entirely separate Postal Museum.

That's alongside the running tracks down to the tunnels, not in the way
of them. I suppose you noticed that some running tracks remained in the
waiting area?

The waiting and film show area is on a false floor on top of the former
depot floor, complete with tracks.

In message
-septem
ber.org, at 09:58:59 on Mon, 12 Mar 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Just so you know, I'm not advocating an extension.

there would need to be an evacuation route through that station.

Every station will have some kind of access to ground level.

They did when they were active stations on Mail Rail. And even then, they
were used by the workers on the railway, and probably emerged inside the
mail sorting area above. That may be owned by someone else now, and the
route to the tunnel sealed off.

Or it may not. (Plus, it's commonplace for closed tunnels to maintain an
inspection access, even when the building on the surface has been
re-purposed).

The potential walk through
the tunnel would also be much longer, and uphill, to one or other station.

They'd probably also feel obliged to set up additional AV shows on the two
extra platforms traversed. The much longer ride would probably only be run
at less busy times, at a significantly higher price, and aimed at
enthusiasts, not families.

The AV shows aren't aimed at enthusiasts, so probably just a longer ride
would be sufficient.

The museum people who run Mail Rail probably wouldn't see it that way.

Just so you know, I'm not advocating an extension.
--
Roland Perry

In message 2132316179.542480534.571005.recliner.ng-
, at 17:05:04 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Recliner remarked:
Additionally the conductor rail has to be removed to allow the passenger
train to run; this is not a problem in itself but it does prevent future
demonstrations of automatic trains (something I'd love to see, but I don't
know if it's on anyone's agenda) if you remove too much of it.

I didn't know the line had been used for trials of automatic trains? How
would they get them up and down, given that the old depot can no longer be
used for surface access?

Here's how they took out some of the remaining trains in 2011:

https://www.londonreconnections.com/...ving-the-mail-
rail/

And here's the crane: https://goo.gl/maps/EaqHVazHU3B2

The new trains went in that same way, much later.

This is an artist's impression of the refurbished depot, and it didn't
turn out quite like that. But I'm pretty sure I remember tracks in the
floor. The access shaft is at the far end of the lefthand section, which
like you said is set out as a museum, but had several bits of old
rolling stock which are probably not permanently blocking access.
Another site visit called for.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...678_72542677.j
pg

More pictures of the original depot (etc) he

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...nonymous-door-
unremarkable-office-secret-network-railway-tunnels-century-billions-
letters-transported-London.html
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 12 Mar 2018 11:04:07 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message 2132316179.542480534.571005.recliner.ng-
, at 17:05:04 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Recliner remarked:
Additionally the conductor rail has to be removed to allow the passenger
train to run; this is not a problem in itself but it does prevent future
demonstrations of automatic trains (something I'd love to see, but I don't
know if it's on anyone's agenda) if you remove too much of it.

I didn't know the line had been used for trials of automatic trains? How
would they get them up and down, given that the old depot can no longer be
used for surface access?

Here's how they took out some of the remaining trains in 2011:

https://www.londonreconnections.com/...ving-the-mail-
rail/

Some quite thin chains given how heavy those locomotives must be.

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:44:49 on Sun, 11 Mar
2018, Anna Noyd-Dryver remarked:
- They told me that the rest of the railway is still owned and
maintained by the Royal Mail. There is at least the theoretical
possibility of the museum trains doing a longer circuit, perhaps to
the next station, but there appear to be no current plans for such an
expansion. It would obviously need Royal Mail's agreement, and there
would be a significant costs. The current trains may not have the
battery capacity for the extra distances involved.

Problems include lack of emergency exits.

From the site's FAQ:

"Evacuation requirements mean that access to the Mail Rail train ride is
restricted to those who are able to walk unaided on uneven terrain, in a
confined space for up to 100m before climbing 70 steps to the surface."


Going further into the tunnels would mean a walk back to Mount Pleasant for
emergency access. The next station in either direction is 1.4km...


Anna Noyd-Dryver