A question for tube enthusiasts

[stupidestfool]

Kudos to anyone who can answer this for me. In Bishopsgate, on the site of the old Broad Street station, my mum noticed a building with two London Underground stock carriages sitting in a yard on the fourth storey. Apparently one of them was very artfully graffitied. Does anyone know why they are here and what they are used for? I'll try to find an image on google maps...

[Griff]

The stock in question is the 1983 stock which was used on the Jubilee Line. The six sets were moved from Uxbridge to the premises of Village Underground, a charity that supports new companies. They were renovated and turned into workspace for start-up creative businesses by Village for companies who could not afford to rent premises.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomadologist/231702522/

[stupidestfool]

Ah great work, thanks : ), what a brilliant use for old LU stock! Another question that has been bugging me, that may well be unanswerable, pertains to the DLR. Even staff at the DLRs customer service department were unable to answer this for me, but in the google maps image of Beckton depot there appears to be a tunnel leading from the southeast side of the depot possibly under the Thames, what is it? Also, if you scroll to the west on the picture you can see the amusing "bridge to nowhere", a road project that was never finished.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en ... 4&t=k&om=1[/url]

[Griff]

I actually have no idea, to the point that i never even knew that there was a track coming off the East side of the depot. I'm so intrigued by the answer myself that i've emailed TFL asking what it is.

[Ameecher]

OR you could stand at the end by that dual carraige way and see that it's a head shunt

[Griff]

Why does it need a Headshunt?

[Dave]

Lack of space in the yard, or perhaps a way of moving to other sidings without venturing onto the entry to the yard. Probably just gives access to sidings from the opposite end to the yard approach.

[stupidestfool]

Ah I figured a secret tunnel was too good to be true

[Ameecher]

Why does it need a Headshunt?

Like Dave said, it may be that a train from the back of the line needs to get to the washer for instance so instead of moving all the units it can go down the headshunt and traverse a different track through the depot. Most depots have headshunts.

[Ameecher]

It's not a tunnel. If you look close that is a set of buffer stops.

[stupidestfool]

Funny how the world works, many months after this query I got a summer job in the retail park situated at the end of the dual carriageway next to the depot, and was able to see for myself that it is indeed a headshunt, and nothing more. They've also since built a few new tracks in the depot, with a tiny level crossing just off the roundabout.

[Dave]

Any chance of you venturing to get some pics of that for us?

Cheers

[stupidestfool]

'Fraid not old chap, at least not for the foreseeable future. I'm living about 250 miles away at the moment. Will definitely get some next time I'm down, until then it'll have to be google maps and an active imagination for you!

[Kevo00]

If I go out there anytime in the near future I'll see if I can take a pic. The DLR journey to Beckton is well recommended btw.

[Griff]

As is a ride on the George V line, good view of the London City Airport.