Cab ride on Crossrail (aka TfL Rail/Elizabeth line) in December 2019 which was filmed and uploaded to Youtube – hence this is a 5th anniversary post of sorts! The event in question was the first day TfL Rail services to Reading officially started. In a report written on that full Class 345 round trip it was said: ‘In terms of Crossrail itself, this post today actually isn’t about Crossrail… but its more about a considerable new train service that has started and which goes to Reading which replaces that previously provided by GWR.’ The cab ride has never been discussed on this blog.
The Reading trip wasn’t even planned and took place merely because I woke up at about 5.30am and thought to myself – I can do this first official 345 trip to Reading. So there was some hurried preparation in order to make the trip. Nevertheless it was good to see quite a few other enthusiasts making the journey too. TfL Rail had been running to Reading for a number of weeks however these were just a handful of services a day in lieu of GWR services primarily for the purpose of TfL staff getting settled in with the new route.
The images featured here are screencaps from the video itself – along with comparable higher quality images I took at the same time with my dslr. Thus I actually have both a video and photographs of the cab ride from Ealing Broadway to Paddington, and the dslr pictures are infinitely better than the video was. I thought it would be interesting to show the dslr pictures alongside the video scenes.
The cab ride took me aback. The fact it was unexpected meant I was both trying to take a video and take pictures with my camera! It was a difficult balancing act. Smartphone in one hand and dslr in the other and trying to keep both fixed on the line ahead! I’m surprised that was even managed!
The above passage is from a long vanished London Rail report on the official launch of TfL Rail services to Reading. As for the train itself, it was driven for most of the way by Vicki. A fully qualified train driver, she brought the Class 345 entirely solo from Old Oak depot to Paddington, then drove the train to Reading and back to Maidenhead. From there onward various enthusiasts were invited into the cab to enjoy a driver’s view ride and see how the train was operated – and this was possible because there were two crew in the cab – a newbie driver and his supervisor.
Here’s the video I took on 15th December 2015:
Crossrail / Elizabeth Line / TfL cab ride from just before Ealing Broadway to Paddington.
The cab ride was most unexpected thus there was absolutely no preparation. On the day many enthusiasts took the first official train to Reading and caught the same train train back to Paddington. This was the one the cab ride was filmed from. Very kindly several of us were given opportunities to ride in the Class 345 cab. I was flabbergasted to be selected for the Ealing Broadway to Paddington section of the ride! The switch was undertaken just before Ealing Broadway hence I was able to take photographs of the cab view ahead as the train entered the station itself. At this point I hadn’t even considered taking a video. That only came later when I realised the significance of the trip!
The first of two sequential images showing the Class 345’s arrival at Ealing Broadway.
The two images (above and below) were no doubt difficult to process because there was a huge dynamic range involved from the darkness of the Class 345’s cab to the lit sections of the station plus the fully bright areas in the distance. The feature image (at top of page) which is of the train’s progress through the long dark bridge hole into the station was even worse, hence I changed that to black and white in order to resolve some of the processing issues.
Coming into Ealing Broadway station. The other Class 345 is for Reading.
This explains why the filming doesn’t start immediately thus the first part, from Ealing Broadway to the North Circular Road (just before Hanger Lane junction District Piccadilly lines) wasn’t filmed. As just mentioned, there were only going to be photographs of the entire trip, and I have those of the trip into and through Ealing Broadway station.
The actual filming starts from the North Circular Road, which can be seen immediately the video starts – the Class 345 was about to pass this towards the next one at Hanger Lane junction. As might be evident from the video I was struggling to find a steady position which to take both a video and continue to take photographs – and this I achieved by wedging myself against the cab door frame. The video had to be shot over the top of the driver while the camera was stretched out in my right hand in order to take pictures of the cab and the line view ahead.
At the end of the Ealing Broadway platform awaiting departure. I managed to squeeze the Ealing Broadway Central Line train and station roundel in at the side!
It wasn’t long before the train passed Acton West Junction, Acton Main Line and Actor East (Poplar) Junction. Some will notice the train doesn’t use the Acton fly-under. In those early days of TfL Rail operations the fly-under was used only when there were freight trains in the area. It was sometime before use of the fly-under became a standard move – and that because it gave the signallers a little more leeway in terms of dovetailing both freight train and Class 345 paths.
Comparing clips from the video with photos taken simultaneously
In the main part of this post the relevant segments of the video are compared with photographs taken at the same time. Just to add, there was a supervisor/instructor present all the time during the journey no doubt checking the driver’s road knowledge. Evidently this was not a training run, but an assessment rather to assess whether the new Class 345 driver was completely up to scratch in order to be able to work unsupervised during his next duties onward.
The minutes/seconds at which each scene can be found on the cab ride video are given as part of the description for each segment. All the images are as close as they can be to those depicted in the cab ride video.
Basically the video starts with a GWR IET overtaking the Class 345, this is just before the bridge which carries Hanger Lane junction (District/Piccadilly lines) across the GWML.
1) Hanger Lane to Scrubs Lane:
Youtube video 00.12. By this time both filming and taking pictures were being undertaken!
The scene as captured by the author’s camera. Not exactly the same scene but near enough!
Youtube video 00.19: Approaching Hanger Lane junction.
Approaching Hanger Lane junction (which is actually sited on the tube lines above the GWML).
Youtube video 00.50: Acton West Junction as seen on the video.
Acton West Junction – which looks different to the video as the camera was stretched out to the right to try and get the fullest unblocked forward view.
Youtube video 02.22: Old Oak Common West junction where the line for Greenford and West Ruislip once diverged. The track leading off to the left was known as the ‘Wycombe Single’ – a far cry from the days when it was actually a double track junction and a double track main line used by express trains from Paddington to Banbury, Leamington, Birmingham Snow Hill, Wolverhampton LL, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Wrexham, Chester and Birkenhead (Woodside).
The old order at Old Oak. The Heathrow Express depot still existed and so did the rationalized New North Main Line to West Ruislip or High Wycombe and used occasionally by Chiltern Railways until 2018. The Class 345 is passing over the junction points that formed the connection to the High Wycombe line. This scene is now historic because the entire site is under construction to become the new Old Oak Common interchange station and there’s no longer any connection to the stump of the former New North Main Line at North Acton.
Youtube video 02.33: Heathrow bound train passes by. TfL too operated the ‘Heathrow Connect’ using Class 360s. The service continued in its old format under TfL before being taken over by the Class 345s. The final Class 360s ended their service on the route 13th September 2020.
The unit we passed was 360205 which was one of those that operated the final day of the Heathrow Connect services.
Youtube video 02.49: At this point the train was lurching about a fair bit & nearly missed the London Overground Class 378 with both video and camera!
Passing Wormwood Scrubs/North Pole Road. Just managed to capture the London Overground train – the train was lurching about and explains why there’s a very tight view of the Class 378! At least the Class 345 unit’s number was pictured for good effect!
2) Kensal Green gasworks to Westbourne Park:
The next scenes are of the route about where the vast canal basin for the former Kensal Green gas works once stood. The site is actually known as Ladbroke Grove Junction, notorious for the unprecedented rail disaster that occurred on 5th October 1999.
Youtube video 03.35: This is just past where the Kensal Green carriage servicing siding is.
The view as seen through my camera lens. This was the only time I managed to capture my smartphone recording the cab ride, plus the train cab itself and the line ahead. The train supervisor’s arm can be seen at right. Again the dynamic range in this picture was so great the quality of the smartphone screen is very poor.
Youtube video 04.30: Just before Westbourne Park near where the boundary between Network Rail and RfL(I)/RfL begins. Several Network Rail workers can be seen in the video as the train approaches what would soon become known as Portobello Junction.. I assume the guy who is the most prominent in these scenes is the NR look-out.
The actual scene as photographed by the author. The line the train is about to travel on (by taking the track to the right) is the down slow. At this time the up slow nor the junctions had been completed.
RfL(I) denotes Rail for London (Infrastructure) Limited, the TfL subsidiary who are the legal owners of the Crossrail/Elizabeth line. Some call it RfL (Rail for London) which in legal terms refers to the subsidiary that manages the operating side of things thus the boundary is also that of RfL. Its also the interface boundary where the signalling between Network Rail and LOROL (MTR) the current concessionaire (until May 2025) who operates the train services and manages the stations and signalling.
That’s even though the signalling has some overlap in both directions to allow for a smooth transition between the Elizabeth line’s CBTC and Network Rail’s ETCS. Evidently at this time (December 2019) there wasn’t actually any interface between the two sections and there wouldn’t be for some time until the first trains had been trialled through the CCOS and then that trial running was expanded to cover both the eastern and western sections on Network Rail tracks.
Youtube video 05.16: Passing the incomplete trackwork which would form the direct link from the Elizabeth line CCOS to the GWML.
As can be seen from this photograph, the through tracks from the Elizabeth line’s CCOS had not yet been linked up to the main rail system. At this point the Class 345 switched from the temporary arrangement involving use of the down slow and switching back to the up slow.
The track layout these days (and since through running was first instigated) is different to what can be seen in the video and the photographs above – which was a temporary arrangement later to be completed allowing full access for occasional freight aggregate workings to Paddington New Yard as well as enabling Elizabeth line trains to pass through the area at (I think) 40mph in the direction of the CCOS – dependant on the signalling that controls the approaches through Westbourne Park Sidings (WBRNPKS) and down to Paddington (PADTLL) station. The official name for the interface boundary and separating of the ways is Portobello Junction (PRTOBJP).
3) Royal Oak to Paddington:
Youtube video 05.23: Crossing the Hammersmith & City line fly-under just before Royal Oak station.
The same location as photographed. The ‘slow lines’ once passed on the other side where the Elizabeth line tunnel portal now stands (just off to the left). These were facilitated by means of Subway Junction (straight ahead on LUL tracks) which once enabled both LT and BR(W) trains to share a common route into Paddington station.
Youtube video 05.53: Hammersmith & City train as seen on the video.
Hammersmith & City train at Royal Oak as seen from the Class 345. What was once known as Subway Junction was sited at the country end of Royal Oak station – a signal box stood just out of sight to the left which sent trains from either LT or BR(W) onto their respective routes.
Youtube video 06.31: Entering the trackwork outside Paddington station. I lost my balance just after this clip as the Class 345 lurched badly through the points.
It was originally intended to trim the video here for Youtube and that because of the sudden jolt in the video – however it was decided the stumble wasn’t that critical hence the video was uploaded in its fullest form taking the cabview ride to the buffer stops at Paddington station.
Similar scene to that on the cab ride video. It was just after this the Class 345 lurched and I lost my balance. This can be seen in the video.
Youtube video 07.07: Coming into platform 12 at Paddington.
The same scene as photographed. The train was 345012 on a service for Hayes and Harlington.
ITV News team at Paddington reporting on TfL Rail’s new services to Reading as well as those to Hayes and Heathrow airport.
A considerable problem experienced was the filming done several feet back in the rear of the cab through the polarised windscreen of the class 345. It was shot from where the bulkhead door leading into to the cab is (I was propping myself against this door to try and maintain stability). I had to use a 2x zoom to get a clear view of the line ahead – and because this was being filmed through a polarised windscreen it caused the smartphone to experience a drop in quality. I’ve tested the smartphone in other conditions and it does record quite optimally.
This wasn’t my first cab ride on the GWML by the way! During 1969 I had a cab ride on a Class 117 from Paddington on the down main to **Reading General. We continued non-stop to Newbury where the Class 117 then formed a service back to Paddington. Full colour light signalling extended as far as Southcote Junction, followed by classic GWR lower quadrant signalling. This (among other things such as visiting GWR stations and signal boxes plus various London Underground/Southern installations and also the Brighton Belle) was a substantial part of the work I did for a Duke of Edinburgh Award. My assessor, a Mr. Thornton, had a number of railway connections hence that was a huge boon!
** Reading General was the name used for the town’s main station until the mid 1970s.