Random Transport Chatter

[Pilot]

It has been found! 153311 is currently sat in Platform 5 at Nottingham!

20170813_143000.jpg

(2.73 MiB) Not downloaded yet

It even has a partner in crime today, 153385.

[Train<In>Vain]

Prototype of a Warp Core cooling system I've been tinkering with. Comments and suggestions welcome!

[Redirect Left]

What.

[Doorslammer]

What.

Chuffin' 'eck Left, can you not see science in action?

I also say...

What.

[Pilot]

Well, things aren't going too well down South today are they?

First, a South West Trains service derails at Waterloo, taking out 3 more platforms, alongside the 10 that are already closed, and then a Great Northern service hits the Buffers at Kings Cross! After that a Central Line train was also evacuated at Holborn because of smoke in the carriage.

Source

[Geo Ghost]

With the Waterloo one, that train not only went into an occupied section, which was the engineering train, but that engineering train was also in an engineering possession.
Have fun working that one out! Especially if it was signalled normally out of Waterloo with no degraded working

[Gwyd]

The engineering possession next to running trains was planned. From what I've been told, the points moved under the train. Considering Waterloo is already on a reduced serviced thanks to the improvement works, I don't know how much of a difference this will make.

[Redirect Left]

British rail fares will increase by up to 3.6%. Once again, this is inline with the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation, instead of the more watched and used measure that has more real world value to the public of Consume Price Index (CPI). RPI raised by 3.6%, and CPI by 2.6%.
BBC News
If Northern even think about daring to increase their prices by 3.6%, I can guarantee I will be going back to my fare evading days, no part of the Northern experience has improved by 3.6% since last year.

The Italian company Trenitalia has agreed to acquire 17 of the infamously rubbish Fyra V250 trainsets. The contract includes five years of what is defined as 'full service' maintainence, which i'm sure will come in very useful.
Railway Gazette

[Ameecher]

Well, things aren't going too well down South today are they?

First, a South West Trains service derails at Waterloo, taking out 3 more platforms, alongside the 10 that are already closed, and then a Great Northern service hits the Buffers at Kings Cross! After that a Central Line train was also evacuated at Holborn because of smoke in the carriage.

Source

Did you miss the freight train derailment at Ely the day before too?

[Pilot]

Did you miss the freight train derailment at Ely the day before too?

Ah yes, I'd completely forgotten about that one! Seemed to make a bit of a mess of everything as well, nice busy time for the RAIB right now I'd imagine.

I noticed that XC were directing people wanting to go from Cambridge to Peterborough up to Ely, then onto buses (via Twitter at least), surely it would have been better sending them to Hitchin?

Meanwhile, up North, things are puttering along rather nicely

British rail fares will increase by up to 3.6%. Once again, this is inline with the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation, instead of the more watched and used measure that has more real world value to the public of Consume Price Index (CPI). RPI raised by 3.6%, and CPI by 2.6%.]

Oh no, fares are rising by 3.6%, whatever shall we do? Perhaps deal with it and actually pay it (or, find another form of transport) as it has potential to unpause things like the Transpennine wiring. Also Leftie, before moaning about Northern putting prices up, bare in mind these will be the Government set prices and not Arriva/Northern just being greedy. I don't know why people are so surprised anyway, it's not like these increases generally happen each year or anything

The Italian company Trenitalia has agreed to acquire 17 of the infamously rubbish Fyra V250 trainsets. The contract includes five years of what is defined as 'full service' maintainence, which i'm sure will come in very useful.
Railway Gazette

Aren't those things basically just an accident waiting to happen? Doesn't entirely surprise me, the Italian railways didn't exactly strike me as the smartest or safest, though, I haven't heard of them having 4 separate incidents in the space of 24 hours, so who knows, maybe I'm misjudging them

[Redirect Left]

Rail fares need to go up by the CPI nor RPI. CPI is what is normally used, but for I assume legacy sake or something rail fares use CPI. An increase of CPI standards is a lot more afforable and realistic to the expected income increase of what people will actually have extra to begin with. Also what would be handy is if a rail company actually just refused to put up prices and stood up to the Government and went "Yeah, this isn't right. We're fleecing our customers and we get very little out of it", because the Government clearly have no plans on stopping the constant rail increases above usual wage and benefit increases year on year.


Also,
I think the Fyra V250s were sent back to AnsaldoBreda at the end of some legal disputes. So hopefully they have patched them up a bit in hindsight and not just thrown them back out to whoever wanted them.

[YNM]

What is up with british railway fares ? Is there no money-milking service that isn't with the local trains ?

Down here, despite the improvements that had occured, long-distance ticket prices actually stays near-constant for a good few years. It's true that the amenities had increased on the lowest classes, basically raising the service class up (the only thing that differ between classes being what seat you're in, how strong the aircon is and are you offered food or not, which is sold separately since a while back) and while there's a slight cry from people who usually able to just pay very low prices and get on no matter how full the trains is, it's working quite well. The company is still getting government subsidy, but most are diverted to local trains (which, for really rural areas, apparently the only way to keep them running) and some long-distance service (but there're very few of it). Some people claims that it's money-milking off long freight (coal, usually) trains in the other island.

[Redirect Left]

Looking for some London Underground merchandise, official licenced stuff is so expensive D:

[Dave]

Indeed, my penguins zoo poster was 60 notes and is tiny. They love to rinse you.

And then you go to their merchandise shop

... oh never mind.

[Redirect Left]

I also can't find a nice model tube unit (of any class) that can be run out of the box as an electric model that moves

[Geo Ghost]

I also can't find a nice model tube unit (of any class) that can be run out of the box as an electric model that moves

You mean like these?
https://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/models/s-stock#show=7

http://www.metromodels.net/

[Redirect Left]

Metromodels are odd brass things, and the official London Transport museum is an odd shape & size that doesn't really conform to tmodel rail standards

[Geo Ghost]

Metromodels are odd brass things,

No they aren't, far from it!
They are 3D printed. Some of the old ones are converted static models as well.

[Redirect Left]

I'm 99% sure at some point in the history of that website, they made brass things. Which explains the stupid prices. (Which don't appear to have changed, even though they've allegedly switched to 3D printing).

I certainly checked that site out well before 3D printing was invented, i know that much.

[Geo Ghost]

even though they've allegedly switched to 3D printing).

I can confirm they do 3D printing.
Because I know the guy very well, and helped run his layout, Abbey Road, a couple of times at exhibitions
He's also brought a lot of tube stock up our club before to test and run. Brilliant runners!

Prices are high yes, but you won't find any better for models that aren't mass produced. In fact, they are quite cheap compared to some out there!!