Random Transport Chatter

[Pilot]

C2C are to be bought out by Trenitalia, with National Express leaving the railway market
https://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2017/01 ... l-c2c.html

[Dave]

Northern have arranged to have timetabled services run by Tornado and mk2s in February.

First time since 1968 that a train in the standard WTT will be steam hauled.

Plenty of sources around I can't be bothered to paste one haha.

[oftcrash]

http://mymodernmet.com/trains-photos-be ... andscapes/

[Redirect Left]

Incident at Kennington tube station proving that romance isn't dead!

[Dave]

Incident at Kennington tube station proving that romance isn't dead!

Oh Jesus. This is the incident the Standard has been waiting for since Night Tube was launched...!

[Geo Ghost]

Incident at Kennington tube station proving that romance isn't dead!

I've heard of a rough ride on the train.. but that's a bit too literal!

[Pilot]

Time to get myself signed up to Avios! BA launching new routes out of Manchester for the first time in years In fact, since about 2013/14, BA have only served Heathrow from Manchester, after closing the Gatwick Shuttle, not long before BA retired the 737 (the main type on this route). Hopefully they shall be competitive with some of the more established low-cost carriers at MAN.

[Redirect Left]

I wonder if that'll see me helping with more luggage onto the trains as people jet off to more places then

[Ameecher]

I wonder if that'll see me helping with more luggage onto the trains as people jet off to more places then

Castlefield corridor needs fixing up first. Can't fit many more people on the trains as it is.

[Redirect Left]

I get a lot of help requests at HUD towards MIA already. Usually with an amount of baggage that doesn't make sense for their claimed length of holiday.

In other news, oops?. Delays after a train guard left behind when train set off without him at Burley-in-Wharfedale.

[YNM]

oops?. Delays after a train guard left behind when train set off without him at Burley-in-Wharfedale.

How ? The platform was very full then ?

[Geo Ghost]

In other news, oops?. Delays after a train guard left behind when train set off without him at Burley-in-Wharfedale.

How ? The platform was very full then ?

According to a friend I know from up that way, the Class 333 EMUs have a thing where if the cab door at either end is open and the driver puts the master switch into forward, then the door closes.
Could have heard two beeps from somewhere and mistaken it as his signal or something.

Not the first time it's happened somewhere At least it isn't the train leaving without the driver

[Dave]

That's not unknown either...

The official enquiry is a great read but LTC Rolt's telling of the tale adds much to the farce:

"The goods was obviously overrunning signals and the concern of the driver of the shunting tank naturally quickened to alarm when he saw the crew of the big engine leap off the footplate. He ... opened his regulator wide in the hope of beating a hasty retreat. By the time he had done this the two engines were practically buffer to buffer and he realised the goods was now moving very slowly. Quick as thought he leapt out of his cab, clambered onto the footplate of the 2-8-0 and brought her to a stand.

Here indeed was cause for self congratulation! What presence of mind and resource in emergency! How chagrined her craven crew who had so prematurely abandoned ship! But, alas, never had pride so speedy a fall. For as our hero leaped from one side of the footplate, his fireman - a nervous youth misunderstanding his motive for doing so - had leapt from the other and neither had closed the regulator. Triumph turned to dismay as our intrepid driver looked up just in time to see his own engine rapidly disappearing in the direction of Bath, propelling its eight wagons with it."

[Pilot]

In other news, oops?. Delays after a train guard left behind when train set off without him at Burley-in-Wharfedale.

It's just Northern trying to find a way to introduce DOO

[Redirect Left]

Just seen a Class 90 hauled VTEC service through Wakefield. Was giving off an awful lot of sparks at the point where the pantograph met the overhead cable. Think they'd better get that seen to before it damages or brings down something. Just to check, I waited for and saw two other services, a Class 321 on a Northern service from Doncaster, and another VTEC, this time headed by a 91, neither of them produced a visible spark in the dark as it decelerated, stopped, and accelerated out again.

In other news, I came across an unused section of track that had a fallen tree on it. Which got me thinking, what exactly are you meant to do if you come across a tree (or any other large almost certainly going to cause damage) that has fallen onto an active track? I assume you don't call 999, as the communication between you to 999 call centre, then the 999 call centre passing it on the train services managers, and them telling a conductor to flip a red on to that section of track and notify the driver appraching, by the time that's happened, a HST has probably already collided with it.

[Ameecher]

You call 999. The emergency control centre will have a direct line to a Network rail control centre and they can kill it all very fast.

[Geo Ghost]

Just seen a Class 90 hauled VTEC service through Wakefield. Was giving off an awful lot of sparks at the point where the pantograph met the overhead cable. Think they'd better get that seen to before it damages or brings down something. Just to check, I waited for and saw two other services, a Class 321 on a Northern service from Doncaster, and another VTEC, this time headed by a 91, neither of them produced a visible spark in the dark as it decelerated, stopped, and accelerated out again.

That's not too unusual for a 90 to be honest. I've seen a few places where they've produced pretty major sparks on the pan-head, especially in the frost. Really is blinding.
If it was a danger or a problem, then the ADD would activate or the VCB would trip on the train. Well, usually anyway... That's what we'd hope would happen
Still, we'll find out the results tomorrow if all the OLE has come down and scattered around the track!

In other news, I came across an unused section of track that had a fallen tree on it. Which got me thinking, what exactly are you meant to do if you come across a tree (or any other large almost certainly going to cause damage) that has fallen onto an active track? I assume you don't call 999, as the communication between you to 999 call centre, then the 999 call centre passing it on the train services managers, and them telling a conductor to flip a red on to that section of track and notify the driver appraching, by the time that's happened, a HST has probably already collided with it.

You call 999 straight away on an active running line! As Ameecher said, they have a direct line to Network Rail. They need to have due to the volume of trespass incidents and such like that.
Thinking "it won't do something in time" is silly because doing nothing will definitely result in nothing being done in time
With GSMR these days, the signaller can just hit one button and stop all trains in an area straight away. Amazing bit of kit the GSM-R Radio system. Far superior in every way to the old CSR system.

[Redirect Left]

Fair enough then. That answers that
Having said that, I wonder how many people would think to dial 999, a service that exclusively advertises itselves as an emergency for Police, Ambulance, Fire Services (and Mountain Rescue / Coast guard in relevant areas). I know in a panic, i'd be liable to skip over 999 for that reason, they've not really advertised itself as being useful in that event. As far as i'm aware, only bridges that carry rail lines actively ask you to call 999 in case of collision.


edit: found several full lists of things you can get by 999 (UK)
Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Police, Coastguard, Lifeboat Services, Mountain Rescue, Moorland Search & Rescue (Cornwall & Yorkshire), Quicksand Search & Rescue (mostly Morecambe Bay), Mine Rescue Service, Bomb Disposal (provided by Armed Forces)
None of the lists which I found and were top results for "What can i get through 999" had anything related to dialling 999 for rail foul incidents, same for sensible searches like "who to call for rail accidents" or "reporting fallen tree on tracks".
Something to raise awareness of then.

[Pilot]

In other news, I came across an unused section of track that had a fallen tree on it.

Are you sure this section of track was unused, or just scarcely used? I know that I've planned trains that have been the only trains over certain lines for years!

[Redirect Left]

To get a train through it, you'd have to run over lots of small trees about 2-3 metres high growing in the middle of the track through the ballast. So i'm fairly confident its an unused siding.