With some large scale maintenance work taking place on the District tracks between the 27th and 30th December, there were no District services for a few days west of South Kensington. Edgware Road, Wimbledon, Richmond and Ealing Broadway were all without service … almost.
The regular rail replacment bus services ran, but an extra fun thing happened out west .. where at Ealing Broadway, some Piccadilly Line trains were diverted to run in and out of Ealing Broadway instead, meaning the rare chance to see a 1973 stock train where you wouldn’t normally.
Normal Piccadilly services ran too, but the trains coming out of Ealing Broadway then additionally made the stops that District trains would, meaning that trains also irregularly stopped at Chiswick Park, Stamford Brook and Ravenscourt Park too. A sign up gave departure times as being 00, 18, 29 and 48 minutes past the hour, but the train we got in left 3 minutes early at a quarter-past, just as we were about to snap a few more photos.
At South Kensington, confusion reigned a little as the platform that normally serves westbound trains only, saw District Line train arrive .. and then reverse heading out eastbound instead.
This was of course a little confusing for passengers waiting on the regular eastbound platform … where no trains were running at all. A frustrated member of platform staff stood on the westbound side announcing into a PA that no trains would be leaving from the regular eastbound side … but almost everyone ignored her. Made we wonder why they didn’t just have that person stand over the regular eastbound platform, actually talking and telling people instead.
