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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on November 26, 2016 at 13:51

See the Evening Standard story at CLICK HERE

A TfL spokesman told the Standard half of all trains on the line are out of service and travel chaos could continue into next week....

One commuter told the Standard that the driver of his Tube said 40 out of the line's 79 trains were out of service.

Perhaps the Mayor of London needs to provide a dedicated Rail Adhesion Train  (RAT)  for the Piccadilly Line as his New Year Resolution for 2017

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on November 30, 2016 at 13:21

WARNING Heathrow bound trains may be at a 15 minute interval!

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on December 5, 2016 at 13:14

The question was recently posed on an enthusiasts web site:

Why is the disruption worse than in previous years?

Please see the discussion athttp://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/27510/shortage-73ts-trains?p...

When you turn the wheels you have to adjust ever thing on the car speedo brake packing truck heights trip cock posi shoes and nege shoes and check car heights, and we do not use D78 Parts

.......How long does it take to do all that?

[If I Remember correctly] from 2010 about 1 entire shift for a four man team if they are changing 12 pairs of wheels.

What aggravates the problem is insufficient trucks made up and ready to go when a train comes to depot with flats.

When I retired some trucks were becoming available ready built but most trains are stripped down and wheels replaced and then built up again. A long job and only two roads available at Northfields (if the wheel lathe is not working). I don't know about Cockfosters.

Definitely more space needed and staff solely on truck dismantling and re-building.

What causes further delay is very little of the equipment needed to be removed to replace wheels is easily removable - no plug in motor wiring no bayonet fitting pipework - everything is large spanners on badly placed fillings. The blokes doing this job are heroes - I know - I worked with them.

Last year, in addition to the fixed wheel lathe at [Northfields depot ] there was a mobile one available. [...]However, the [Northfields] depot couldn't get it for this year. 

It's about time they invested in buying a wheel lathe for Cockfosters depot.

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on December 5, 2016 at 13:18

From an enthusiasts web site:

The first trains have been running on their booked times to Heathrow. The cancellations have been mainly, but not all, worked onto the trains for the Rayners Lane branch.

On the Rayners Lane branch, there's been a four train shuttle running. Three trains have started from South Harrow, one from Acton Town. The first one out of South Harrow has followed the normal times, 05:09 in the platform then worked to Acton Town. The other two have gone to Rayners Lane empty to reverse and come back in service. The one from Acton Town has run on the first train time (or near abouts).

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on December 10, 2016 at 0:58

Wear & Lathing in Northfields: Why the Piccadilly Line is Strug...

A more in-depth explanation than you'll find in the lazy headlines of the Metro from the ever-excellent London Reconnections website

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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on December 10, 2016 at 15:01

Thank you for the link to the London Reconnections web site article, since publication, the article has accumulated numerous technical comments, see LINK HERE

The topic is also covered in Rail, December 7th issue page 24, web site

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