Kings Cross

[Andy W]

The Rolls and BUTs were too tight for those curves. If any 64 ft vehicles did get down there by mistake (which was very rare), they usually gave the coachbodymakers a bit of work afterwards. Mainly a few handles and door hinges, with the odd scrape to fill.

The Cravens were ideal (in length) for that line but woe betide any passenger who left the sliding vent lights open before the train left Farringdon, heading for the Cross. As soon as you got into the tunnel section, the train used to then fill up with exhaust smoke, especially if you were right behind a brake compartment. You copped quite a taste.

[StevieG]

" The Rolls and BUTs were too tight for those curves. If any 64 ft vehicles did get down there by mistake (which was very rare), they usually gave the coachbodymakers a bit of work afterwards. Mainly a few handles and door hinges, with the odd scrape to fill. .... "

Thanks very much for the tetchnickel details Andy.

[Andy W]

But sometimes, Steve, they got out intact!

All to do with how they were sitting on their bogies and how tight the track was to structures at that moment in time, I suppose.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[silverfox]

Manna,


IIRC all that sh1t that was uder the stadium, is now on top of it every other Saturday!!!

i'll get me coat

[StevieG]

" But sometimes, Steve, they got out intact! .... "

Oh! I don't recall hearing of any managing to go that way during '74 - '76, while I was officially on the patch.

All to do with how they were sitting on their bogies and how tight the track was to structures at that moment in time, I suppose.

...Yes, and/or possibly speed, or loading & body-sway perhaps.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Can't say I've had the pleasure, with that one Micky (as he whispers, not being a tea drinker) but I do remember the ones at the Cross, and the giant one at Cambridge, that would hold at least a gallon.

silverfox, I'm glad someone understood what I meant..........up the Spurs.

manna

[Andy W]

And then someone in the mid 1970's had the bright idea to put electric water urns in all the messrooms. They would fur up quickly, people wouldn't bother to refill them and they would leak at the seams after about 9 months use. The electrics used to get wet, knobs would come off, stats would go, etc, etc. In 1980 they were about £150 for a new one and we in the ODM were really fed up with having to repair/replace them so often. It all came to a head one day when one (at Finsbury Park Station?) went down and the drivers threatened to go back to KX to have their tea.

So I scoured the country looking for a better piece of kit and found that Sadia's at Norwich would build you (build you, mind - they were specially produced to order) one that really looked the business and it was a plumb in job so all you had to do was keep it clean (which we did, not trusting the locals at all - the water is really hard in that area). The only problem was that it cost over a grand in 1980 (!) and officially that was a works order job.

But our limit for contractors repair jobs (like getting a motor rewound) was more so we ordered every one as a repair order and made sure the civils didn't make too much of a fuss when it came to plumbing them in. The Drivers LDC wanted replacements all in at once but I had a word with Denis at the Cross and said this was all being sorted under the radar and we had to do it gently.

The first one went in (at Finsbury Park Stn?) in about 1980/1, was an instant success and we moved fairly rapidly to sort out the rest in the London area. Shortly before I left the GN we were replacing the original one after 6/7 years solid 24hrs use. The seams were finally going as the platework was getting thin at the edges. Not a bad investment at all.

Of course, if we had tried to get authority via York M&EE, I'd still be waiting now or we would have had another piece of useless kit foisted upon us. But we were GN and we just got the job sorted. After all, just for the sake of some hot water, you can't let a driver get parted from his tea!

[StevieG]

" .... i forgot that the Rolls Royce DMUs on the GN were barred going down the 'ole at Kings Cross York road platform i must have been thinking of the LMR Derby Rolls Royce DMUs that came up off the London Midland route but the rest of my post is 100% correct.

Still i wrote that post between 3:00-4:00am with a 40 years gap!.

Well thats my excuse anyway. "

I think that's a good 'un - fair enough Micky!

[StevieG]

"And then someone in the mid 1970's had the bright idea to put electric water urns in all the messrooms. They would fur up quickly, people wouldn't bother to refill them and they would leak at the seams after about 9 months use. The electrics used to get wet, knobs would come off, stats would go, etc, etc. In 1980 they were about £150 for a new one and we in the ODM were really fed up with having to repair/replace them so often. It all came to a head one day when one (at Finsbury Park Station?) went down and the drivers threatened to go back to KX to have their tea. .... "

Well done for finding a solution to that AW; might have saved me some rough days. If during '77 -'79 when I was Stn. Supvr. there, havoc would have been wreaked with the 'Great Northern Electrics' inner suburbans if the many crews relieved at FP on pretty tightly-scheduled PNBs had travelled to KX and back for their tea!
It was awkward enough already on the odd occasions that a 313 for Moorgate arrived on the Up-side and was due crew relief, but they hadn't arrived yet for other reasons such as another train running late, and the train stood waiting on the Up Slow, FURNO.

[strang steel]

" .... i forgot that the Rolls Royce DMUs on the GN were barred going down the 'ole at Kings Cross York road platform i must have been thinking of the LMR Derby Rolls Royce DMUs that came up off the London Midland route but the rest of my post is 100% correct.

Still i wrote that post between 3:00-4:00am with a 40 years gap!.

Well thats my excuse anyway. "

I think that's a good 'un - fair enough Micky!

Is there a definitive list of which classes of loco were allowed to venture from Kings Cross, to Moorgate and back?

For instance, were any of the Type 1 diesels ever seen down there?

[Mickey]

Deleted

[strang steel]

I know that the site is in French, but I think that you will find that it is an excellent attempt to chart the history of the Moorgate lines with some great photos.

Click on the word "suite" at the bottom right of each page to go through the entire section.

http://mediarail.be/UK_Thameslink/Thame ... ion_00.htm

[v3man]

The winter 1960/1 WTT shows the Route Availabilty of locomotives between Kings Cross and Farringdon(LTE) and between Farringdon(LTE) and Moorgate (LTE). (this shows locos permitted to work the route, it does not mean that all of these classes did work the route!)

Kings Cross-Farringdon
Steam: J50,J52,N2,N7
Diesel:
Code HP Description Loco nos.
D3/1 330hp MB/MAN D2900-10
D3/2 350hp BR/EE D3000-116
D3/4 350hp BR/Blackstone/GEC D3137-51/3439-53/73-502/3612-51
D3/5 350hp BR/Blackstone/BTH D3152-66
D3/8 350hp BR/EE 12033-138
D3/9 350hp LNE/EE 15000-3
D3/14 360hp LNE/Petter 15004
D8/1 800hp BTH/Paxman D8200-36
D8/2 800hp NBL/Paxman D8400-9
D10/1 1000hp NBL/MA/GEC D6101-6/8-9
D10/3 1000hp EE D8000-49
D11/1 1100hp EE/Napier D5900-9
D11/2 1100hp NBL/MAN/GEC D6100-7/110-57/
D11/3 1160hp BR/Sulzer D5000-150
D11/4 1160hp BCW/Sulzer D5300-46
D12/1 1200hp MV/Crossley D5700-19
D12/2 1250hp Brush/Mirlees D5500-19
D13/1 1365hp Brush/Mirlees D5520-679
D15/1 1550hp BCW/Sulzer D6500-76

From Farringdon to Moorgate only N2 steam locos were permitted and the Diesels were restricted to D3/1;D8/1;D10/1;D10/3;D11/1;D11/2;D11/3;D11/4;D12/1;D12/2;D13/1 AND D15/1

I'll have a look at the Summer 2003 WTT tomorrow.