"Boltar" wrote in message
om...
"Nick Pedley" wrote in message
...
other half of the tunnel. Under that ramp there is a small entry on each
side where you can squeeze thru to find yourself between the walls of
the
tram tunnel and the newer road tunnel (about a metre wide). There you
can

Why on earth did they put fake walls in the car tunnel?? Why not keep the
tunnel as it was and just resurface it?

B2003

The fake walls only seem to stretch back to the point where the ramp starts
(about 30m), I think the rest of the tunnel was fully used. Personally I'd
like to see inside the section under the bridge where the tram tunnel
originally came out, there's a massive doorway there these days (with a
doorbell!).

Nick P

On Sun, 02 May 2004 10:47:20 +0000, David Jackman wrote:

No, just London. Everywhere (?) else is request

Yep.

Milton Keynes is an oddity, mind. Even on the hail-and-ride routes,
drivers tend to know almost instinctively who wants the bus even if they
don't signal for it.

(like continental
Europe).

Nope. Hamburg operate on a "compulsory" stop system, or certainly did
when I was there. The idea was that if you do *not* want a bus to stop
and pick you up, wave it past. If you *do* want the bus, no signal is
necessary. If no-one is at the stop, the bus doesn't stop, however.

This tended to work because the routes tend to be very rationalised, so
the idea of 20-plus routes at one stop like is common in the UK is very
rare.

To alight, however, use of the bell was necessary, except when very
heavily loaded when the driver would activate the bell himself so the
"Wagen haelt" sign lit up to save passengers having to fight their way to
the button.

Neil
--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
Mail me on neil at the above domain; mail to the above address is NOT read

On Sat, 01 May 2004 11:17:31 +0100, Terry Casey wrote:

If she was still around (unlikely, as this all happened nearly 50 years
ago*) I can assure you that she would make mincemeat of any driver or
conductor who doesn't know what a Compulsory stop means - just as she did to
me all those years ago!

Not all that long ago, I got a telling-off from a Blackpool tram conductor
for doing the very same thing - that operation is at least 50 years in the
past! What I didn't know was that there are lots of small stops without
platforms or proper signs, and the tram stopped at one of those instead of
where I wanted.

Neil
--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
Mail me on neil at the above domain; mail to the above address is NOT read

In article , SpamTrapSeeSig
writes
Movie productions go to amazing lengths, for example all the Minis used
underground in the remake of the Italian Job were actually electric, to
comply with the authorities' requirements.

If you visit Disney Studios in Marne-le-Vallee, near Paris, one of the
shows they do is all about stunts.

To do stunts involving long sequences of cars driving backwards, they
have a separate car built back-to-front, with the real driver low down
looking out of the boot and the apparent driver just holding a dummy
steering wheel.

--
Clive D.W. Feather, writing for himself | Home:
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work) | Web: http://www.davros.org
Fax: +44 870 051 9937 | Work:
Written on my laptop; please observe the Reply-To address

In article , Mark Brader
writes
Do British bus companies outside London generally *have* the distinction
between request and compulsory stops? It doesn't exist on any bus system
in North America that I know about, and likewise for continental Europe.

Cambridge doesn't have the concept - all stops are request.

However, when I was growing up in the Southend-on-Sea area, the bus
stops there divided into Request (green writing, IIRC) and Compulsory
(red writing). Buses always stopped at the latter even if nobody was
waiting.

I didn't travel on buses much outside S-o-S and London, but my
impression was that this wasn't something special to the Corporation
Transport area, but applied at least to all Eastern National stops.

--
Clive D.W. Feather, writing for himself | Home:
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work) | Web: http://www.davros.org
Fax: +44 870 051 9937 | Work:
Written on my laptop; please observe the Reply-To address

In message , Nick Pedley
writes

The fake walls only seem to stretch back to the point where the ramp starts
(about 30m), I think the rest of the tunnel was fully used. Personally I'd
like to see inside the section under the bridge where the tram tunnel
originally came out, there's a massive doorway there these days (with a
doorbell!).

I have (although this was 10+ years ago) been inside that end but not
very far!

One day I was walking along the Embankment and spotted that the door was
open. Curiosity managed to get the better of me and I hesitantly
peered inside. Apart from a couple of council vehicles, there was
nothing (and appeared to be no-one) inside. The tracks had gone but
the conduit remained and stretched off into the gloom. I couldn't see
very far ahead and - realising that I really shouldn't have been there,
I quickly ducked back out again.

In the years since, I've seen the door open again a couple of times and
the conduit was still there. But had I not taken that closer look that
time I don't think I'd have realised what it was (or else I'd have
assumed that it was one of the running rails).

--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

Ian Jelf wrote in message ...
In message , Nick Pedley
writes

The fake walls only seem to stretch back to the point where the ramp starts
(about 30m), I think the rest of the tunnel was fully used. Personally I'd
like to see inside the section under the bridge where the tram tunnel
originally came out, there's a massive doorway there these days (with a
doorbell!).

I have (although this was 10+ years ago) been inside that end but not
very far!

One day I was walking along the Embankment and spotted that the door was
open. Curiosity managed to get the better of me and I hesitantly
peered inside. Apart from a couple of council vehicles, there was
nothing (and appeared to be no-one) inside. The tracks had gone but
the conduit remained and stretched off into the gloom. I couldn't see
very far ahead and - realising that I really shouldn't have been there,
I quickly ducked back out again.

In the years since, I've seen the door open again a couple of times and
the conduit was still there. But had I not taken that closer look that
time I don't think I'd have realised what it was (or else I'd have
assumed that it was one of the running rails).

I've seen inside as well once years ago when I passed by and the door
was open. I seem to remember there was a roadsweeping vehicle in
there. I presume that the ceiling comes down to meet the access ramp
of the underpass somewhere up ahead. I've seen a picture taken inside
since the tram line shut. It was on the web but I can't remember
where.

In message , Neill Wood
writes
I've seen inside as well once years ago when I passed by and the door
was open. I seem to remember there was a roadsweeping vehicle in
there.
Yes, I think that one of the vehicles I saw in there was a roadsweeper,
too.

I presume that the ceiling comes down to meet the access ramp
of the underpass somewhere up ahead
Y4es but that would be quite a long way ahead, around two "bends, more
or less on the site of the former Aldwych tram station.

(I've always assumed - albeit without any form evidence) that the Subway
followed the Aldwych then turned sharp(ish) left under Kingsway?)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Ian Jelf" wrote in message
...
In message , Neill Wood
writes
I've seen inside as well once years ago when I passed by and the door
was open. I seem to remember there was a roadsweeping vehicle in
there.
Yes, I think that one of the vehicles I saw in there was a roadsweeper,
too.

I presume that the ceiling comes down to meet the access ramp
of the underpass somewhere up ahead
Y4es but that would be quite a long way ahead, around two "bends, more
or less on the site of the former Aldwych tram station.

(I've always assumed - albeit without any form evidence) that the Subway
followed the Aldwych then turned sharp(ish) left under Kingsway?)
--
Yes it followed the roadway above it. Can just remember riding through it as
a boy. The trams were signalled off at intervals from the top of the ramp at
the northern end, and it was very exciting to be at the front of the top
deck as the tram swung round from Theobalds Road and plunged down into the
darkness! The conductors used whistles instead of the bell at the two
tunnel stations in Kingsway. It was very narrow and the trams passed each
other with little clearance as I recall.

On Mon, 03 May 2004 17:42:09 +0100, Neil Williams
wrote:

Nope. Hamburg operate on a "compulsory" stop system, or certainly did
when I was there. The idea was that if you do *not* want a bus to stop
and pick you up, wave it past. If you *do* want the bus, no signal is
necessary.

What the bus you want comes along and somebody next to you waves it
on??

Charlie

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