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Choppers on the Met

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LE Greys

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Can anyone tell me what a pair of DRS Class 20s (or possibly two pairs push-pull, I couldn't see very well) were doing on the Metropolitan Line at Eastcote this afternoon? They were on the down line hauling some sort of tanker. Is this a regular service, an infrastructure train or what?
 
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ainsworth74

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Could they be delivering S-Stock? I think the barrier vehicles used were/are tankers...
 

matt

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Could they be delivering S-Stock? I think the barrier vehicles used were/are tankers...

Correct. At some point Wednesday night one of the class 20s had brake problems during the delivery run.
 

Simon Poole

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I was on a LU Met Train to Harrow-on-the-Hill today and saw the 4 Class 20 with two Tanks/Barriers, there was an S Stoock Delivery this Wednesday becuase i seen an youtube Vid and there was something on Midlands or SE Gen
 

LE Greys

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I was on a LU Met Train to Harrow-on-the-Hill today and saw the 4 Class 20 with two Tanks/Barriers, there was an S Stoock Delivery this Wednesday becuase i seen an youtube Vid and there was something on Midlands or SE Gen

Sounds like the ones I saw. I was over the other side of an A-Stock car at the time, travelling in the opposite direction and going under a bridge, so I didn't get a very good look. Still, that sounds like they.

Why were the 20s at Eastcote though?

At a guess, they were headed for Ickenham, presumably to reverse onto the Central and thus back to NR metals.
 

cso

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Why would they go to Ruislip/Ickenham, in to Ruislip Depot and then back on to NR metals, when they arrive on the Amersham Branch, and could get back on to NR metals that way?
 

Daniel

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It's possible they stayed in Ruislip depot for a bit. LU stores Sarah Siddons there for alot of the time, for example. I assume Ruislip also has facilities to re-fuel the 20's as we do have some diesel equipment based there IIRC.
 

Daniel

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There are two 20's which they use as they're fitted with tripcocks, not sure if there is a permanent loan arrangement, though!
 

DavyCrocket

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There are two 20's which they use as they're fitted with tripcocks, not sure if there is a permanent loan arrangement, though!

There's certainly been a class 20 for about 4 or 5 years as part of the (Metrodebt) LU Special Trains Unit.
 

Wikkus

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{delurk}

Greetings peeps,

found this thread because I wanted to try and understand why, whilst enjoying my lunch yesterday afternoon as I sat in my car in Waitrose's car-park in exciting down-town Ruislip, the intermittent sound of Met tube stock whistles and humming traction motors, was interrupted by the staccato bark of a quadruplet of EE 8SVTs.

I actually stopped mid-bite -- a mouthful of pastrami and swiss with dill pickle and mustard, the latter two threatening to escape onto my neck-tie. "What *is* that?" I asked myself, my brain, having acclimatised itself to the shrill squeal of 'whistles' all afternoon as being the 'norm', failing utterly to identify this new sound.

On reflection, it's no surprise really that my poor old grey matter failed to "spot that din" because it's at least 23 years since I heard a Chopper in the wild and never once four of them all working together, top'n'tailed as they were in pairs either side of the bogie tank barrier wagon.

Unfortunately, despite having my camera with me, it was stowed away in the boot of the car and by the time all the synapses had fired and I'd seen the source of the glorious racket -- about 10 feet from where I was sat -- it was too late.

Hey-ho :)

Cheers all

{/delurk}
 
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