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Post by exbox on Sept 3, 2024 16:05:59 GMT
Back in the day I was a bit of a RR specialist, going all over London and beyond - I'm pretty sure I did RR work on every tube line at least once plus a bit of Network Rail. But the one that sticks in the memory as the most challenging one of the lot was Barking to Gospel Oak. If you did a middle turn it was a real struggle to complete two laps in a ten hour duty and by the time you finished you knew you'd been in a fight. It was perhaps the most traffic prone route I've ever done, and I've done a lot.
I last did it 15 years ago now and for the life of me I can't remember exactly where it went. I know it stuck to existing routes but try as I might, including with the help of t'interweb, there are bits I can't remember. I can remember it clearly Barking to Blackhorse Road but only fragments of the rest. It was a monster of a route to learn and it took several goes before I was confident doing it without the map. It never carried many passengers but given that it would be quicker to get to Newcastle from Barking than Gospel Oak it's hardly a surprise.
Can anyone help an old soldier?
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Post by redexpress on Sept 3, 2024 21:26:15 GMT
Back in the day I was a bit of a RR specialist, going all over London and beyond - I'm pretty sure I did RR work on every tube line at least once plus a bit of Network Rail. But the one that sticks in the memory as the most challenging one of the lot was Barking to Gospel Oak. If you did a middle turn it was a real struggle to complete two laps in a ten hour duty and by the time you finished you knew you'd been in a fight. It was perhaps the most traffic prone route I've ever done, and I've done a lot. I last did it 15 years ago now and for the life of me I can't remember exactly where it went. I know it stuck to existing routes but try as I might, including with the help of t'interweb, there are bits I can't remember. I can remember it clearly Barking to Blackhorse Road but only fragments of the rest. It was a monster of a route to learn and it took several goes before I was confident doing it without the map. It never carried many passengers but given that it would be quicker to get to Newcastle from Barking than Gospel Oak it's hardly a surprise. Can anyone help an old soldier? The routeing has changed a bit over the years. The current route does not slavishly follow the line, with some stops quite far from stations, in favour of a less convoluted route.
I last rode it a few years ago so don't know if things have changed. Back then, from Blackhorse Road Station it was Ferry Lane - Broad Lane - Seven Sisters Road - Seven Sisters Station (for South Tottenham Station) - Seven Sisters Road - St Ann's Road - Green Lanes - Harringay Green Lanes Station - Green Lanes - Seven Sisters Road - Isledon Road (westbound only) - Hornsey Road (for Crouch Hill Station) - Hazellville Road - St John's Way - Holloway Road - Upper Holloway Station - Pemberton Gardens - Junction Road - Fortess Road - Fortess Walk - Highgate Road (for Gospel Oak Station).
Going back a few years the route was a bit different, running to Hampstead Heath Station instead of Highgate Road, which was much better for onward connections to the rest of the Overground. As a passenger I helped out more than one lost driver on this version of the route!
Memory is a bit hazy but I think from Blackhorse Road Station it was Ferry Lane - Broad Lane - High Road - South Tottenham Station - High Road - St Ann's Road (westbound) or Amhurst Park (eastbound) - Seven Sisters Road - Green Lanes - Harringay Green Lanes Station - Green Lanes - Turnpike Lane - Tottenham Lane - Ferme Park Road* - Hanley Road (for Crouch Hill Station) - Hornsey Road - Hazellville Road - St John's Way - Holloway Road - Upper Holloway Station - Holloway Road - Parkhurst Road (eastbound only) - Camden Road - St Pancras Way - Baynes Street (westbound only) - Royal College Street - Kentish Town Road - Prince of Wales Road - Malden Road - Southampton Road (for Gospel Oak Station) - Fleet Road (westbound) / Agincourt Road (eastbound) - South End Green (for Hampstead Heath Station).
* - I think the official route may have been via Crouch End Broadway, but I used to recommend Ferme Park Road instead.
Going back even further, the route used single-deckers and stuck more closely to the rail line, allowing Gospel Oak Station to be served directly. In particular buses ran via Endymion Road and Upper Tollington Park (between Harringay and Crouch Hill), which avoided the lengthy detour via Turnpike Lane.
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Post by vjaska on Sept 4, 2024 0:42:32 GMT
Back in the day I was a bit of a RR specialist, going all over London and beyond - I'm pretty sure I did RR work on every tube line at least once plus a bit of Network Rail. But the one that sticks in the memory as the most challenging one of the lot was Barking to Gospel Oak. If you did a middle turn it was a real struggle to complete two laps in a ten hour duty and by the time you finished you knew you'd been in a fight. It was perhaps the most traffic prone route I've ever done, and I've done a lot. I last did it 15 years ago now and for the life of me I can't remember exactly where it went. I know it stuck to existing routes but try as I might, including with the help of t'interweb, there are bits I can't remember. I can remember it clearly Barking to Blackhorse Road but only fragments of the rest. It was a monster of a route to learn and it took several goes before I was confident doing it without the map. It never carried many passengers but given that it would be quicker to get to Newcastle from Barking than Gospel Oak it's hardly a surprise. Can anyone help an old soldier? The routeing has changed a bit over the years. The current route does not slavishly follow the line, with some stops quite far from stations, in favour of a less convoluted route.
I last rode it a few years ago so don't know if things have changed. Back then, from Blackhorse Road Station it was Ferry Lane - Broad Lane - Seven Sisters Road - Seven Sisters Station (for South Tottenham Station) - Seven Sisters Road - St Ann's Road - Green Lanes - Harringay Green Lanes Station - Green Lanes - Seven Sisters Road - Isledon Road (westbound only) - Hornsey Road (for Crouch Hill Station) - Hazellville Road - St John's Way - Holloway Road - Upper Holloway Station - Pemberton Gardens - Junction Road - Fortess Road - Fortess Walk - Highgate Road (for Gospel Oak Station). Going back a few years the route was a bit different, running to Hampstead Heath Station instead of Highgate Road, which was much better for onward connections to the rest of the Overground. As a passenger I helped out more than one lost driver on this version of the route! Memory is a bit hazy but I think from Blackhorse Road Station it was Ferry Lane - Broad Lane - High Road - South Tottenham Station - High Road - St Ann's Road (westbound) or Amhurst Park (eastbound) - Seven Sisters Road - Green Lanes - Harringay Green Lanes Station - Green Lanes - Turnpike Lane - Tottenham Lane - Ferme Park Road* - Hanley Road (for Crouch Hill Station) - Hornsey Road - Hazellville Road - St John's Way - Holloway Road - Upper Holloway Station - Holloway Road - Parkhurst Road (eastbound only) - Camden Road - St Pancras Way - Baynes Street (westbound only) - Royal College Street - Kentish Town Road - Prince of Wales Road - Malden Road - Southampton Road (for Gospel Oak Station) - Fleet Road (westbound) / Agincourt Road (eastbound) - South End Green (for Hampstead Heath Station). * - I think the official route may have been via Crouch End Broadway, but I used to recommend Ferme Park Road instead.
Going back even further, the route used single-deckers and stuck more closely to the rail line, allowing Gospel Oak Station to be served directly. In particular buses ran via Endymion Road and Upper Tollington Park (between Harringay and Crouch Hill), which avoided the lengthy detour via Turnpike Lane.
The Blackhorse Road stop was cut sometime before 2018 as service J would start and finish at Seven Sisters Station with passengers wanting Walthamstow and/or service T advised to use the Victoria Line during the electrification of the GOBLIN line. I did actually bash the whole line by bus one Saturday - had a First Enviro on service T from Barking to Walthamstow Central, hopped onto the Victoria Line to Seven Sisters and then a sprightly ride on a RATP SP to Gospel Oak that was practically empty the entire way - www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/gospel-oak-to-barking-electrification-works-to-be-complete-in-time-for-arrival-of-new-double-length-electric-trains |
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Post by exbox on Sept 4, 2024 8:05:24 GMT
Yes it was single deck when I drove it and we did get to Gospel Oak station (even if we were always late by the time we arrived) Thanks very much to both of you for taking the time to post your responses. It was the route that I loved to hate - the impression I always got as a driver was of someone highlighting all of the traffic hotspots in east and north London on a map and drawing a route to link them all together. It used to be over 2 hours scheduled running time each way and with the certain traffic delays it did sometimes make the duties marginal in terms of driving hours.
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