How Will Class 710 Trains Access Willesden TMD?
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout around Willesden TMD, where the Class 710 trains for the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBLIN) will be stabled.
Note the following lines around Willesden TMD.
North London Line
The North London Line goes through platforms 4 and 5 at Willesden Junction station.
South of the station it splits, with the North London Line continuing to Richmond and the West London Line going to Clapham Junction.
North of the station the line continues to the East and at Gospel Oak station, the GOBLIN branches away.
The Bakerloo Line And Watford DC Line
The shared tracks of the Bakerloo Line and the Watford DC Line, which are shown in black/orange go through platforms 1 and 3 at Willesden Junction station.
To the East the tracks go towards Euston and to the West, they go towards Watford.
There is also a bay platform 2 in Willesden Junction station, which is shown in these pictures.
Note that is long enough to take a five-car Class 378 train and that it is also electrified with London Underground’s four-rail electrification.
Platform 2 To The North London Line to the East
Two tracks give a direct route from Platform 2 at Willesden Junction station to the Eastbound North London Line. greatkingrat says they are labelled “New Lines”
Looking from the train this morning, I don’t think this pair of tracks is electrified, so it doesn’t allow Platform 2 to be used to turn electric trains running on the North London Line.
I have seen Platform 2 used as a terminus, but the trains must use the electrified route via Primrose Hill.
After greatkingrat’s comment, I went back and had a second look.
Note.
25 KVAC overhead electrification can be seen at the North London Line end of the tracks.
There is 750 VDC third-rail electrification at the Willesden
This Google Map shows, where the connecting tracks join the Bakerloo/Watford DC Line.
It does appear that the third-rail and a couple of gantries are visible.
- Trains leaving Platform 2 should be able to use third-rail electrification until they are under the overhead wires, when they would change over.
- Trains arriving at Platform 2 would use overhead wires, as far as they could and then swap to third-rail.
If this route is to be used by new Class 710 trains, I’m sure it will get more than adequate testing.
Entering Or Leaving Willesden TMD
I am not sure, how Class 378 trains working the Watford DC Line service transfer to and from Willesden TMD, but it does appear there are some convenient crossovers.
I have looked at Real Time Trains and early in the morning of the 9th of January, these trains called at Platform 2 at Willesden Junction station, that originated at Willesden TMD.
- 05:02 – Willesden TMD to Barking
- 05:15 – Willesden TMD to Upper Holloway
- 05:23 – Willesden TMD to Stratford via Primrose Hill
- 05:56 – Willesden TMD to Kensal Green
- 06:17 – Willesden TMD to Euston
There were also other services, which appeared to be going between Euston and Stratford.
It looks to me that trains were being positioned to start service and that the bay platform 2 at Willesden Junction station is used to reverse trains, coming out of the depot.
It also appears that some trains use the electrified route to the East via Primrose Hill.
The 05:02 and 05:15 are Class 172 trains going to the GOBLIN, and as they are diesel trains, they use the pair of direct tracks, that connect to Platform 2.
How Will Class 710 Trains Go Between the GOBLIN And Willesden TMD?
As the Class 710 trains will be dual voltage trains, they should be able to take the direct route, which has both types of electrification and requires a change at some point.
They can also take a roundabout route possibly via Primrose Hill and using Platform 2 at Willesden Junction station to access the depot.
But I suspect Class 710 trains will have battery power.
This would enable them to take the same short cut, but without using the electrification, between Platform 2 and the North London Line, that the Class 172 trains use currently.
Dual-voltage Class 378 trains should be able to use the short route.
Conclusion
Fitting batteries to Class 710 trains, would make their operation on the GOBLIN, a lot easier, as they could use the batteries to get in and out of Willesden TMD.
Could it be that the software that handles power and charges and uses the batteries, is the unreliable software?
This article on Rail Magazine is entitled Gospel Oak-Barking Fleet Plan Remains Unclear.
This is a paragraph.
London Overground was due to put new Bombardier Class 710 electric multiple units into traffic on the route from March 2018, with a full rollout by May. However, problems with the Train Control Management System (TCMS) has so far prevented this.
I also think that for a train to work the GOBLIN and be stabled at Willesden TMD, it must be a dual-voltage train or have a capability to run on batteries.
Class 710 Trains And Software Problems
There is a lot of chatter in various web sites and publications, and from some London Overground employees, that the late arrival of the Class 710 trains, is down to bugs in the train software.
I have heard or read phrases like “computers-on-wheels” and “thirteenth software upgrade”, which surely doesn’t bode well.
I am reminded of something said, by a Senior Maager of a Computer Company at a conference in the 1960s.
If it takes, one man a year to write a program, then it will take two men, two years and two hundred and fifty-six men, two hundred and fifty-six years.
I have written a lot of software and generally my work was accepted as good. Or at least, no-one ever told me anything I wrote was rubbish!
My guess is that Bombardier have used too many programmers and many are too far from Derby.
The Anonymous Widower 