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Planning a late night/ early hours trip for myself to take a few photos etc, I was hoping to find a few maintenance trains passing by, but was wondering where and when my best chances are at seeing them? Which lines/ stations/ times.
I was hoping to make a trip from around 9pm into the early hours.
Where trains run will of course differ from night to night and there’s no public source of what will run, although there is usually at least one Sunday to Thursday nights.
However, your best bet to maximise your chances is the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines between Rayners Lane and Ruislip, as the trains come out of Ruislip depot via Ruislip siding and transit across the network.
You won’t need to be there till after around 2230 (again differs from day to day) when the first trains start to roll (generally those destined for the farthest reaches of the Tube that aren’t on ATO lines. The last can come out well after midnight.
For a greater chance of seeing multiple trains, especially elsewhere, have a look at planned closures and shut downs. Whilst not all of these will be engineering and have trains running (and this is something no doubt the LU staff here can help you with given notice!) where they do there will generally be a procession of trains on Friday night and then multiple adhoc movements over the rest of the weekend. Big track renewals are the best for these.
If you have access to a time machine, Harrow-on-the-Hill around 1971 was amazing.
At that time I lived in a house which backed on to the railway near the station and could watch steam hauled engineering trains from my bedroom window; sometimes in traffic hours.
If one headed west in the evening, I could get by bike to the footbridge just south of South Harrow station in the time that it was reversing at Rayners Lane, and be on it as it passed heading for Lillie Bridge.
Where trains run will of course differ from night to night and there’s no public source of what will run, although there is usually at least one Sunday to Thursday nights.
However, your best bet to maximise your chances is the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines between Rayners Lane and Ruislip, as the trains come out of Ruislip depot via Ruislip siding and transit across the network.
You won’t need to be there till after around 2230 (again differs from day to day) when the first trains start to roll (generally those destined for the farthest reaches of the Tube that aren’t on ATO lines. The last can come out well after midnight.
For a greater chance of seeing multiple trains, especially elsewhere, have a look at planned closures and shut downs. Whilst not all of these will be engineering and have trains running (and this is something no doubt the LU staff here can help you with given notice!) where they do there will generally be a procession of trains on Friday night and then multiple adhoc movements over the rest of the weekend. Big track renewals are the best for these.
Thank you ever so much for the info, it may well be a case of just going and seeing how I get on, over time I may be able to work more with engineering work and closures, as I ain’t too aware on where to source all this info but it’s all part of the fun, again thanks for the heads up.
If you have access to a time machine, Harrow-on-the-Hill around 1971 was amazing.
At that time I lived in a house which backed on to the railway near the station and could watch steam hauled engineering trains from my bedroom window; sometimes in traffic hours.
If one headed west in the evening, I could get by bike to the footbridge just south of South Harrow station in the time that it was reversing at Rayners Lane, and be on it as it passed heading for Lillie Bridge.
This sounds like every rail enthusiasts dream, I know it is mine. The thought of living back to a railway line is brilliant but a busy yard even better. Happy days I bet you have some great memories
Planning a late night/ early hours trip for myself to take a few photos etc, I was hoping to find a few maintenance trains passing by, but was wondering where and when my best chances are at seeing them? Which lines/ stations/ times.
I was hoping to make a trip from around 9pm into the early hours.
I believe it's a requirement that permission must be sought for photography at Underground stations, particularly if a tripod or similar equipment is to be used although this might only be for subsurface stations, I'm not too sure.
I've certainly been made aware of this before when taking photos and now usually try to find a member of station staff if I'm at a station for purposes of photography.
Sort of. Tripods are not permitted at all, and nor is flash on any station, sub-surface or otherwise. There is no requirement to sign in and out where a valid ticket is held, although it is advisable if you’re going to be hanging around a station for a significant period of time. That said, some surface stations may be unstaffed anyway. Some station supervisors may grant permission for a tripod to be used at any station, but it will be at their sole discretion and is not a ‘right’.
Sort of. Tripods are not permitted at all, and nor is flash on any station, sub-surface or otherwise. There is no requirement to sign in and out where a valid ticket is held, although it is advisable if you’re going to be hanging around a station for a significant period of time. That said, some surface stations may be unstaffed anyway. Some station supervisors may grant permission for a tripod to be used at any station, but it will be at their sole discretion and is not a ‘right’.
I was given permission by staff when I was using a tripod. Seems a rather strange rule - I can see the logic at peak times when a station is busy and a tripod might present a trip hazard in crowded conditions but at quiet times when there are few or no passengers around?
I was given permission by staff when I was using a tripod. Seems a rather strange rule - I can see the logic at peak times when a station is busy and a tripod might present a trip hazard in crowded conditions but at quiet times when there are few or no passengers around?
Five minutes on this forum should tell you that if there wasn't a blanket rule in place people would try to use them in peak times (they do anyway). The rules are also in place to stop production companies from turning up and filming on the Tube without going through the official channels.
When a station is busy isn't just confined to peak times either, and there may be other operational reasons why a tripod would be inappropriate that the end user might not be immediately aware of.
As I said, station staff may give permission for the use of a tripod if they deem it to be safe and able to be accommodated, but it is not a right. If you're staying at a station long enough to set up and use a tripod you should probably be making yourself known to station staff anyway.
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Thank you ever so much for the info, it may well be a case of just going and seeing how I get on, over time I may be able to work more with engineering work and closures, as I ain’t too aware on where to source all this info but it’s all part of the fun, again thanks for the heads up.
Like I say, not all will be track/engineering closures with some (particularly those on the sub-surface lines) being signals testing, but if there's a date that takes your fancy then no harm in posting it and seeing if staff are able to let you know what the shut down is.
I believe it's a requirement that permission must be sought for photography at Underground stations, particularly if a tripod or similar equipment is to be used although this might only be for subsurface stations, I'm not too sure.
I've certainly been made aware of this before when taking photos and now usually try to find a member of station staff if I'm at a station for purposes of photography.
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