Wembley Central fast line platforms (3 and 4)

[90sWereBetter]

On Thursday last week (the 7th), I needed to make my way back to Wembley Central having attended a gig at the Forum in Kentish Town (The Lathums for those interested, do check them out if you're into jangly indie rock ). As a result, I ended up at Euston waiting for an Overground service just before 2300 when I spotted there was a 2304 service to Milton Keynes being operated by London Northwestern, which just so happened to stop at Wembley Central. Celebrating my luck I naturally boarded this service and alighted 10 minutes later, happy days as the Travelodge I was staying in is practically built over the station.

However, to my surprise it appears the service was routed to use platform 3 at Wembley, which I had long thought was out of normal service, being on the fast WCML up line. I only realised this when I stepped off the 350 and nearly broke my ankle in shock at the huge yawing gap to the platform, and then seeing the sign saying it was platform 3. I wonder, is this a planned diagram to keep the fast line platforms in occasional use, or was there engineering work on the slow lines that night?

Certainly, Realtime Trains suggests that the 2304 should always use Platform 5 as per the Southern stoppers. Annoyingly I failed to take a screenshot of the website before the 7 day deadline.

 

[Boodiggy]

On Thursday last week (the 7th), I needed to make my way back to Wembley Central having attended a gig at the Forum in Kentish Town (The Lathums for those interested, do check them out if you're into jangly indie rock ). As a result, I ended up at Euston waiting for an Overground service just before 2300 when I spotted there was a 2304 service to Milton Keynes being operated by London Northwestern, which just so happened to stop at Wembley Central. Celebrating my luck I naturally boarded this service and alighted 10 minutes later, happy days as the Travelodge I was staying in is practically built over the station.

However, to my surprise it appears the service was routed to use platform 3 at Wembley, which I had long thought was out of normal service, being on the fast WCML up line. I only realised this when I stepped off the 350 and nearly broke my ankle in shock at the huge yawing gap to the platform, and then seeing the sign saying it was platform 3. I wonder, is this a planned diagram to keep the fast line platforms in occasional use, or was there engineering work on the slow lines that night?

Certainly, Realtime Trains suggests that the 2304 should always use Platform 5 as per the Southern stoppers. Annoyingly I failed to take a screenshot of the website before the 7 day deadline.

This is normal practice depending what lines are under possession. No midweek slow line possessions so only usually happens Saturday’s when the slows are blocked from 2000. Gauging problems well known here…

 

[Western Sunset]

It's pathed for the down slow line, but that evening it ran on the down fast all the way to MK.

 

[Nippy]

There was a T3 on the Up and Down Slow between Camden and Wembley Central from 23:00, one from Wembley North Jn to Watford South Jn from 22:30, one from Watford Jn to Drayton Road Jn from 22:30.

 

[Boodiggy]

There are not many possessions on the slow lines like this, taking out Camden Jn, Harlesden Jn and Wembley Central, I think it is every 8 weeks…

 

[Trog]

The OP should think himself lucky the worst shock I had at Wembley Central platform 3 was one Monday morning after a week end relaying job had not gone as well as we had hoped, and involved an express missing the 20MPH TSR for the work and coming through at 80MPH instead. It is amazing how easy it is to jump up onto a platform from the track when you are suitably incentivised.

I still remember laying on the platform watching the driver go past us as white as a sheet and hanging on to his desk for grim death, as his loco pitched and rolled over the still only roughly packed and lined track. Once the train had gone we picked ourselves up dusted ourselves off, and jumped back down on to the track to carry on with our work.