Night watch (night maintainance on the Underground)

390 Night Watch WHEN the last train has gone and London Transport stations are lacked a new activity begins under London. For four short hours, and sometimes even less than this, the engineer has possession of the tracks. Every inch of the way must be inspected; all repairs — some unexpected but the majority routine for rails wear out just as certainly as roads — must be completed in time for the new day's traffic. So the current is switched off, the fluffers, or cleaners, climb down on to the track, the inspection trolleys are lifted on to the rails.