A trip down the ECML

[drmditch]

I wen't down to London on Monday, for the first time this century. I suppose it may be almost the last time I do that in British designed and built rolling stock. Interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't. I quite liked KX (and the Statue) overall. I also liked the pigeon-clearing hawk which was perched on the windowsill two floors above HNG's head.

St Pancras was interesting as well. I did restrain myself from getting on a train to Paris just for the hell of it. Perhaps I'd better do that before Brexit gets too advanced and the French flood the tunnel..... or something!

Why is one of the tunnel bores out of KX disused? Doesn't that limit the capacity of the station at a time when the railways are supposed to be busier than ever before?

[StevieG]

" .... Why is one of the tunnel bores out of KX disused? Doesn't that limit the capacity of the station at a time when the railways are supposed to be busier than ever before? "

That was done as part of the Spring 1977 remodelling and resignalling of the whole area, drmditch, after suburban services via York Road/KX to Moorgate over LT's City Widened Lines had ended upon the opening of the Finsbury Park - Drayton Park connection and acquisition of that Northern City Line route to MG (from 08/11/76 I think) ; and so continuing just four passenger roads in from Fins.Pk. to KX [ The other two roads, including through Copenhagen Tunnel, had been only for goods traffic to/from the huge KX Goods Yard, which was by then operationally all but closed ], and making all four bi-directional through Gasworks Tunnel (KX to/from Belle Isle), was apparently reckoned to be all that would be needed with the actual and anticipated traffic levels of the time : In a not dissimilar way, it might be said, to the reduction of working platforms to 10, since when the filled-in No.11 had to be dug out and reinstated, and Plat. 0 ("zero" ) created in the old cab road under the East Side Offices.

But be ready for possible future reduction in platforms on the west side again : -
- When the already-completed new 'Canal' tunnels branching off the Slow lines at Belle Isle and diving below ground to connect with the 'Thameslink' lines immediately north of that route's (low level) platforms of St.Pancras station, start carrying through passenger services between the GN and Thameslink / 'the Brighton' railway's lines, I can imagine it may not be long before someone thinks that there's no need to retain all three of the platforms in the 'Suburban station' at KX. [ 'Contingency use?, what's that?' ]
I think I last heard that those services were due to commence sometime during 2018, and they are the reason that the 1970s Hornsey EMU Depot (on the site of the former Ferme Park Up Yard), has had a large 'extension'(?) (including a new shed) recently completed further north, on the site of Hornsey Carriage Sidings.
But with GTR's (Govia Thameslink Railway ; = "Great Northern"/"Thameslink"/"Southern"/"Gatwick Express" trains) current industrial difficulties, who knows how things will turn out, timescale-wise?

[drmditch]

Thank you for the explanation. Actually I think I can just remember the disused tunnel form sometime in the last century. The station did seem as crowded as ever it did.

[Mickey]

My own era of interest in regards to the ECML (mainly the Kings Cross-Hitchin section) is the era that I personally remember between mid-1967-1975 the years of transition post end of steam days with the first generation diesel locos & DMUs providing the motive power along with mainly BR coaching stock and mechanical signalling from lineside signal boxes still in everyday use then came the 'renewal period' during the first half of the 1970s of track rationalisation, local resignalling schemes and signal box closures thats when my interest started to decline followed by full electrification in 1977 by which time I had lost interest completely.

At the dawn of the brave new world of electrification in 1977 I suppose the 'old railway' between Kings Cross-Hitchin looked shinny & new for a few years into the 1980s but 35+ years on with Network Rail instead of British Rail running the show along with the various TOCs providing the train services out of Kings Cross I prefer to remember the old line as it was during the 1960s & early 1970s.

Mickey

[manna]

G'day Gents

Me to Mickey.

manna

[sandwhich]

Stevie G makes a point that the suburban platforms at KX might not be needed after 2018, I see his point that things like this are looked at to make "economies", but the planned half hourly Kings Lynn service will still use the Cross and they would be useful platforms for the shorter Hull Trains and Grand Central services and with the extra East Coast and other open access services planned they will need platforms 0-8 for these latter services.

[StevieG]

Stevie G makes a point that the suburban platforms at KX might not be needed after 2018, I see his point that things like this are looked at to make "economies", but the planned half hourly Kings Lynn service will still use the Cross and they would be useful platforms for the shorter Hull Trains and Grand Central services and with the extra East Coast and other open access services planned they will need platforms 0-8 for these latter services.

.... Good reasons for retention in my book sandwhich.
Just to be clear, as a now probably-regarded-as 'old-fashioned' railwayman (but not actually so old), I am all for the pre-privatisation era practice of reasonable retention of 'boltholes' to accommodate the unexpected as well as the expected or planned, rather than cut, cut, cut, leaving zero spare capacity, so (as you may have realised) I wasn't suggesting that any platforms should be closed (which could cause real capacity problems in the event of diversions owing to the new tunnels being closed or significant hiccups on the to-be-intensively-worked central Thameslink section (planned max. of 24 trains per hour in one direction), just as present day unexpected closure of the N.C.Line to Moorgate can do with diversions to KX); merely that it's going to be the sort of thing/situation where 'someone' might think it's a good idea.