18th February 2020 · “Mind the Gap”

Presenter: Jason Cross

Our February meeting saw Jason Cross of Leicester giving a splendid presentation on the London Underground. Using a mixture of video and still shots along with many amusing anecdotes, he gave a thumb nail history of every line complete with historic and modern architectural features of many stations. Using rail track diagrams he explained how routes duck and dive over each other also highlighting how different sized stock work alongside on adjacent tracks. Some lines have taken over former main line companies’ infrastructures so long redundant Great Northern signal boxes are still in place. Admitting that he visited the system at least 50 times a year, and at times through the nights, we saw the engineering train operations with the Ruislip based battery electric locomotives that work through the system and over link lines enabling them to move from one specific route to another. Improved signalling systems will enable more trains to work on some of the lines. Heritage workings also featured complete with Metropolitan No.1 in full voice. We even saw a Cl.55 locomotive working through North Weald station on the former Epping-Ongar line.