Railway Bridge in Plymouth currently supported by lorry!

[rab]

According to the local news this evening

a lorry has become wedged under the railway bridge

at the Cornwall end of Plymouth Station,

(would post a link but don't know how to)!

As of about an hour ago, attempts to pull the lorry clear,

including letting the air out of the tyres

to reduce the height, have failed.

The bridge has been inspected and deemed

structurally sound, but only one train

at a time is being allowed on the bridge.

The road under the bridge is on an incline,

and the lorry was on the rising incline,

so is no doubt literally wedged under the bridge.

[Foo]

http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-04-25/trains-suspended-as-lorry-gets-stuck-under-bridge-in-plymouth/

[rab]

http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-04-25/trains-suspended-as-lorry-gets-stuck-under-bridge-in-plymouth/

Thanks for adding the link.

[royaloak]

I saw it just after it got stuck at about 16:30), they stopped the traffic and tried to reverse it out, when I enquired if they had isolated/lowered the suspension or let the tyres down they just looked at me with blank expressions, end result was no movement of the trailer but the tractor unit was rocking and rolling like a disco dancer.

 

When I explained how the air suspension (which had been compressed by the bridge) would be trying to pump itself up to 'normal' height which would have the effect of forcing the roof up into the bridge they still didnt understand that they had to reduce the upwards pressure before it would move.

 

A few years ago it was a simple job to remove the levelling valve and pull it down to lower the suspension and try and reverse it out, if that doesnt do it then let a lot of air out of the tyres which should then have been enough, of course this assumes (always dangerous) that the air suspension on the Renault tractor unit is the usual set up.

[rab]

Just seen on local news, lorry removed soon after 7:00,

minus sone of the trailer roof.

 

Seems the council are to be consulted with a view to

improving the warning signs on the approach to the bridge.

 

Reminds me of the bridge over the main road through Cornwall, which was continually being struck.

 

There were warning signs aplenty, but lorry drivers still didn't seem to notice them,

[robert17649]

Just seen on local news, lorry removed soon after 7:00,

minus sone of the trailer roof.

 

Seems the council are to be consulted with a view to

improving the warning signs on the approach to the bridge.

 

Reminds me of the bridge over the main road through Cornwall, which was continually being struck.

 

There were warning signs aplenty, but lorry drivers still didn't seem to notice them,

Because failure to obey the GPS is a capital offense.

 

Always presuming the driver can read the English of road signage.

[asmay2002]

For those who like seeing lorries hit bridges there is always 11 foot 8.

[Free At Last]

rab, on 25 Apr 2017 - 21:58, said:

According to the local news this evening

a lorry has become wedged under the railway bridge

at the Cornwall end of Plymouth Station,

(would post a link but don't know how to)!

As of about an hour ago, attempts to pull the lorry clear,

including letting the air out of the tyres

to reduce the height, have failed.

The bridge has been inspected and deemed

structurally sound, but only one train

at a time is being allowed on the bridge.

The road under the bridge is on an incline,

and the lorry was on the rising incline,

so is no doubt literally wedged under the bridge.

Why did that feel like reading a poem.

[Dunsignalling]

These incidents usually result from drivers/hauliers being too tight to buy proper Truck SatNavs and using ones intended for car drivers. There are far too many of these cowboys in the business these days.

 

Not knowing the height of ones truck, the clearance under bridges on your route, or both, constitutes Driving Without Due Care and Attention and should earn penalty points.

 

NR will rightly pursue the trucker or his employer to recover what they will be charged for the delays/cancellations caused, which will run into many thousands of pounds.

 

John

Edited April 26, 2017 by Dunsignalling

[Reorte]

Surprised it doesn't fit under there, I used to go under that bridge on a double-decked bus on the way home from school most days. Good job I'm not a lorry driver! (although if I was hopefully I'd be a little more clued up)

[phil-b259]

Because failure to obey the GPS is a capital offense.

 

Always presuming the driver can read the English of road signage.

 

Which is why road signs use pictograms!

 

The only issue we have in the UK is that because of our pig headedness over the use of imperial measures, most* do not have the metric dimensions on them which could confuse drivers from Europe.

 

* The most recent guidance issued by the DfT recommends both imperial and metric measures be displayed on all new installations but there is no obligation to retro fit such signage if the existing imperial only signs are in good condition.

Edited April 26, 2017 by phil-b259

[phil-b259]

These incidents usually result from drivers/hauliers being too tight to buy proper Truck SatNavs and using ones intended for car drivers. There are far too many of these cowboys in the business these days.

 

Not knowing the height of ones truck, the clearance under bridges on your route, or both, constitutes Driving Without Due Care and Attention and should earn penalty points.

 

NR will rightly pursue the trucker or his employer to recover what they will be charged for the delays/cancellations caused, which will run into many thousands of pounds.

 

John

 

At least NR have the details!

 

A week or so ago a lorry went and hit one of the bridges carrying the Quarry lines over the old A23 at Coulsdon but drove off before anyone could get there. It caused chaos on the day as the adjacent Redhill lines were under an engineering possession and the bridge has some significant damage to it - necessitating a ban on loco hauled traffic and anything other than EMUs (such as MPVs) restricted to 30mph.

[dhjgreen]

Just seen on local news, lorry removed soon after 7:00,

minus sone of the trailer roof.

Seems the council are to be consulted with a view to

improving the warning signs on the approach to the bridge.

Reminds me of the bridge over the main road through Cornwall, which was continually being struck.

There were warning signs aplenty, but lorry drivers still didn't seem to notice them,

I do not understand why there are no "clang" bars like on the entrance to low height supermarket car parks. Hit that first rather than the bridge.

[St. Simon]

I do not understand why there are no "clang" bars like on the entrance to low height supermarket car parks. Hit that first rather than the bridge.

 

I understand Network Rail has fitted a regularly bashed bridge with sacrificial steel beams (I think painted bright yellow) on the road approaches to the bridge for lorries to hit before the bridge, I can't find the news story about it at the moment though.

 

Simon

[duncan]

I am surprised the driver did not know how to lower / raise the air suspension.  Most of the wagons filling or tipping with us are unloaded from the rear by forklift using a loading bay ramp, BUT the suspension has to be adjusted to the correct height first of all, many foreign drivers included.  Makes you assume that the driver did not know how to operate the vehicle safely & therefore should not have been on the road.  

 

There are also a few boxes which are too high for our entrance doors & the suspension is dropped.  

[admiles]

Because failure to obey the GPS is a capital offense.

 

Always presuming the driver can read the English of road signage.

 

There are some rather sweeping (and nasty) assumptions there.

 

Trust me, English drivers are more than capable of do this.

[duncan]

Looks like the height sign is in both imperial & metric

 

Drivers going to / working in a foreign country are expected to understand the road signs where they are - if they can't I suggest an additional offence.

 

Applies likewise to roundabouts, height & weight restrictions, traffic lights, speed limits and single track roads

[dhjgreen]

Looks like the height sign is in both imperial & metric

 

Drivers going to / working in a foreign country are expected to understand the road signs where they are - if they can't I suggest an additional offence.

 

Applies likewise to roundabouts, height & weight restrictions, traffic lights, speed limits and single track roads

Palmer and Harvey is from Sheffield.

[phil-b259]

Palmer and Harvey is from Sheffield.

 

That doesn't mean the driver is!

 

The road haulage industry has a massive shortage of qualified drivers at present which will only get worse as more retire (driving HGVs not being attractive enough for youngsters to join the industry in sufficient numbers to replace them, nor paying well enough in the case of some organisations), added to which EU freedom of movement regulations mean that non-British drivers can easily end up working for UK based haulers either permanently or through an agency,

[Reorte]

I understand Network Rail has fitted a regularly bashed bridge with sacrificial steel beams (I think painted bright yellow) on the road approaches to the bridge for lorries to hit before the bridge, I can't find the news story about it at the moment though.

Seems a fairly common thing. At any rate I can think of a couple without having read anything or been on the lookout, although that might've been pot luck. The station I'm modelling (Kirkby Stephen) has received them, as has a bridge near Chinley (quite local to where I live). I think both are painted dashed bright yellow.

[jamie92208]

Seems a fairly common thing. At any rate I can think of a couple without having read anything or been on the lookout, although that might've been pot luck. The station I'm modelling (Kirkby Stephen) has received them, as has a bridge near Chinley (quite local to where I live). I think both are painted dashed bright yellow.

They are quite common. There is a set on the A638 between Ackworth and Upton. There are also height detectors on the approaches situated before a diversionary route. These set off lights and bells to try and warn the driver to divert but the bridge still gets bashed.

 

Jamie

[Metr0Land]

Because failure to obey the GPS is a capital offense.

 

 

 

Indeed and now we're forcing car drivers to have to follow a sat-nav as part of the driving test, instead of keeping their eyes on the road!

[rab]

That doesn't mean the driver is!

 

The road haulage industry has a massive shortage of qualified drivers at present which will only get worse as more retire (driving HGVs not being attractive enough for youngsters to join the industry in sufficient numbers to replace them, nor paying well enough in the case of some organisations), added to which EU freedom of movement regulations mean that non-British drivers can easily end up working for UK based haulers either permanently or through an agency,

Although the trailer was marked Palmer and Harvey,

the unit was not; probably hired in along with the driver.

[stadman]

Because failure to obey the GPS is a capital offense.

 

 

Or perhaps enough to fail your new driving test

[brianusa]

Indeed and now we're forcing car drivers to have to follow a sat-nav as part of the driving test, instead of keeping their eyes on the road!

 

Surely not?!

 

Brian