Jobs & Education2 mins ago
Flickering lights on Tube?
8 Answers
Why do the lights sometimes flicker in the carriages on the tube? I know it happens on the the district line and probably elsewhere.
And on the same note, why do aircraft have to turn off the cabin lights when flying over London at night?
And on the same note, why do aircraft have to turn off the cabin lights when flying over London at night?
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by aurora83. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Found this link - appears the lights do run off the mains- must have a pick up somewhere -
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn41 53/is_20060626/ai_n16502543
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn41 53/is_20060626/ai_n16502543
OK woodchopper, I'm a defeated man, I am wrong lol, but you would think that commonsense would say to run the lights on batteries chargeable from the lines and have more backup batteries for emergencies. That way the lights wouldn't flicker and if the power on the lines failed, it would not effect the lights on the train.
Most of the lighting in a tube car gets its power from the rails apart from a couple of emergancy lights that run off a battery. The lights flicker when the train runs over a gap in the current rails. The District line runs over National rail lines between Turnham Green and Richmond and South of Putney Bridge and the gaps here are longer than normal. It also has very complex flat junctions around Earls Court and Aldgate East.
Speaking from experience, as a tube Train Driver of some years, redmug has given you the correct answer, if a train halts so that the shoes that pick up the traction current are over a railgap, all the main lights in that unit, (usually two care to a unit), go out, except for the emergency lights, which are run off Batteries, what you have to worry about, is if those batteries are good or not, because if they run out of power, then you will be left in complete darkness.
Thats the basics of your question from the train side.
Thats the basics of your question from the train side.