Random Transport Chatter

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Re: Random Transport Chatter

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Ameecher wrote:Only Colwich left to have each of the major branches of the WCML grade separated. After that you can think about Wolves to Stafford and hope that whoever gets involved with the Crewe Hub work comes up with a design that actually makes good use of all of that trackwork because currently there's lots of it but it's not particularly useful!
Is there really that much demand for it at Colwich? As far as I'm aware, it's only 2tph Northbound that would require Grade Separation there, as the Southbound services could theoretically run via the Slow through Rugeley Trent Valley.

Crewe certainly needs a rethink though, it's just one big mess of Track work, but I guess that is what happens when you try to run 6 different lines through one station, and I'm not a big fan of the Independents there either!
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Ameecher »

I didn't say you needed it, just that it was the last major branch. I work in long term land. I want to grade desperate everything!

Edit: separate, but I'll leave it as desperate because desperate is vaguely accurate.
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Re: Random Transport Cha

Post by Dave »

Pilot wrote:
Ameecher wrote:Even out in the sticks at the north end of the WCML all the passenger trains are crammed through in the first 20-25 minutes of the hour to give freight 35 minutes to negotiate Shap, that has a knock-on effect further down the line, just build a crawler lane up each side of the summit and you could make much better use of the capacity...
It's a Shame there isn't a flyover at Farington Jn to get over to the Slow lines there, so that trains could run via the Settle and Carlisle, and Clitheroe, then onto the WCML just south of Preston. If that was possible, I'm sure the S+C would have become the Crawler lanes.
A lamentable effect of the BR campaign to close the S&C. It still hasn’t recovered. Freight services have never truly recovered anyway, of course, but in 1978 the S&C had 30-40 WTT movements each way at the Carlisle end, before any STP/STN and trip working (which was rarely covered by WTT)

We have a lot of untapped potential on the Railway. I only hope we can deliver it without the likes of Andrew Adonis bleating about freight being in the way of his passenger service (actually a signal failure caused the delay).

A few trains do exactly the movement to which you refer, most notably these days the logs from Carlisle Yard to Chirk. There’s also obviously the cement trains from Clitheroe. If paths were hard to come by there are two receptions lines on the west side of the alignment south of Preston which can be used to run round and reverse trains in both directions (towards the station and towards Farington Jn)
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Re: Random Transport Cha

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Dave wrote:A few trains do exactly the movement to which you refer, most notably these days the logs from Carlisle Yard to Chirk. There’s also obviously the cement trains from Clitheroe. If paths were hard to come by there are two receptions lines on the west side of the alignment south of Preston which can be used to run round and reverse trains in both directions (towards the station and towards Farington Jn)
I certainly see paths there being rather difficult to come by there. To get to the Up Slow, you have to cross over both fast lines, whilst going North, you would have to cross over the Up Slow and Both Fasts, effectively causing one big bottleneck. I guess this is also the reason why only 7 trains a day are current scheduled to use it (3 North, 4 South) - at least, that was how many were scheduled for today.

Also, as for the 2 Receptions (I imagine by these, you mean the 2 Goods lines that run up through the station at Preston?), I don't imagine they would have enough capacity for a large number of trains to be diverted the alternate route, simply due to the amount of time a run round takes and the fact that one track would always have to be kept free to allow the run-rounds to take place.

Although, I have just looked for freight trains that ran/are booked to run between Carlisle and Preston (and North as well) during the daytime today, and the amount is quite pitiful, so maybe there is enough capacity to do the run-rounds as a daytime measure.
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Redirect Left »

Here's one I expect to cause some chatter.

A 'rail expert' has claimed that Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains are safer than those with conductors. You also have more chance of being killed by lightning than dying on the rail network in the UK.

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/driver-o ... r-13953792
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Gwyd »

That second part is true for certain. No death has occurred on a train in the UK since the Garryag derailment.
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Re: Random Transport Cha

Post by Dave »

Pilot wrote:
Dave wrote:A few trains do exactly the movement to which you refer, most notably these days the logs from Carlisle Yard to Chirk. There’s also obviously the cement trains from Clitheroe. If paths were hard to come by there are two receptions lines on the west side of the alignment south of Preston which can be used to run round and reverse trains in both directions (towards the station and towards Farington Jn)
I certainly see paths there being rather difficult to come by there. To get to the Up Slow, you have to cross over both fast lines, whilst going North, you would have to cross over the Up Slow and Both Fasts, effectively causing one big bottleneck. I guess this is also the reason why only 7 trains a day are current scheduled to use it (3 North, 4 South) - at least, that was how many were scheduled for today.

Also, as for the 2 Receptions (I imagine by these, you mean the 2 Goods lines that run up through the station at Preston?), I don't imagine they would have enough capacity for a large number of trains to be diverted the alternate route, simply due to the amount of time a run round takes and the fact that one track would always have to be kept free to allow the run-rounds to take place.

Although, I have just looked for freight trains that ran/are booked to run between Carlisle and Preston (and North as well) during the daytime today, and the amount is quite pitiful, so maybe there is enough capacity to do the run-rounds as a daytime measure.
The general move to a passenger railway has caused flows to migrate to the road. Like you said we already funnel passenger traffic over Shap to give (largely diesel powered) trains the chance to get over the top. Imagine if we used electric trains under the bloody wires :roll:
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Re: Random Transport Cha

Post by Gwyd »

Dave wrote: Imagine if we used electric trains under the bloody wires :roll:
How dare you even suggest the idea!
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Pyoro »

The more you learn ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush,_Texas

Well, I'll admit I might have done that sort of thing once or twice in TTD, too ^^
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Redirect Left »

Ah yes. Back in the days before health & safety and nanny state prevented all the funs things because of a bit of risk of dying :p
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Pilot »

We did something similar once, to prove how strong our Nuclear Flasks were.
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Redirect Left »

I'd question whether tests in 1984 are still relevant considering what new understanding has made extremely easy to cook up at home, numerous high and low explosives for example.

Let's see them ram a train packed with Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) into it, the bread and butter of modern terrorists.
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Pyoro »

I actually doubt it'd do too much. You'd need to somehow channel the blast into the right direction, otherwise it'll just dissipate in directions of less resistance than through that sort of protection such a transport has.
And if you're going through with that sort of elaborate scheme, you might as well buy a tank and try to shoot the thing or something ^^
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Redirect Left »

Some lost rail routes in the UK may be restored if they have the potential to boost economy or local development. These may include routes or stations lost during the Beeching axes.

Local authorities and businesses have been invited to submit proposals for new/reopening lines.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42157853
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

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Redirect Left wrote:Let's see them ram a train packed with Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) into it, the bread and butter of modern terrorists.
Fortunately, the odds of such a train getting out onto the mainline are slim to none, so it's not something we'll have to worry about any time soon :wink:
Redirect Left wrote:Some lost rail routes in the UK may be restored
I imagine all of the ones with major economical benefit are already touted to be re-opened. I wouldn't say no to the Woodhead re-opening however.

As for railways in the other places mentioned, I can only imagine the following.
Bristol - Portishead.
Birmingham - Walsall to Stourbridge via Wednesbury and Round Oak.
Exeter - The long way to Plymouth, via Tavistock.
North East - The Leamside line, via Washington.

They're all railways that have been touted for re-opening for some time, so it's nothing particularly extreme.

As for this part
He added that the government was going to consult on splitting up the Great Western franchise between London, the South West and Wales.
That could result in one company running long-distance lines between London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall - while another runs local services across the South West.
Seems a good idea, works on the WCML, and would perhaps allow for better utilisation of paths, plus more trains. Though I think that Alan Fry would be going insane - after all, he was advocating combining franchises, not splitting them! (I still remember his grand plan for a Scotrail-Northern-ATW super TOC, as well as an all stops Pendolino from Penzance to Wick). I miss the crazy bugger!
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Redirect Left »

Pilot wrote:I miss the crazy bugger!
No you don't, it's all in your head. Take that thought, and put it in the bin, right now :p
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Dave »

Struggling to see a business case for current freight operations between Walsall and Stourbridge, except for removing through trains (not stopping at Lawley Street etc) from the congested central Birmingham area - I’m not entirely convinced it’s required but hey ho. Can’t wait to get on a rail tour over that stretch, it does pass my childhood home after all.
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Ameecher »

What, no comments about the Government's master plan for the railways?
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by Pilot »

Appears as though Eurostar are running a test run to/from Amsterdam Centraal today. Trains 9I12 (9112) and 9I63 (9163).

That journey time looks awfully long.
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Re: Random Transport Chatter

Post by YNM »

I just saw a video by Network Rail of GWML electrification back in November (amid my viewing of the seemingly-overkill public safety messages) :



I noticed that some signals now have "less lamps than they had" (ie. still 4-aspect, but only 2 "lamp" - further, 3-aspect but only 1 lamp (pretty much the "searchlight")). Is that going to be a thing ? I often liked the british signaling system because of the spatial displacement of aspects such that even if you're colorblind you can still tell what it might be from their pattern; contrast to, say, German one where despite the slight pattern by distant signal it's very slight. Is there any review of it's effect or such ?

(I also lament the stiff-looking gantries, but hey, at least you got quite some flying junctions I see.)
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