caradoc

1 minute ago, adb968008 said:

This is why the Scots want independence

Firstly, some Scots want independence, but many do not, as proved in 2014! And secondly, the failure of one train is not going to change that, plenty of people have suffered at the hands of Avanti (and other TOCs) elsewhere than Scotland. 

On 18/12/2023 at 16:07, phil-b259 said:

Although the Pendalinos pre-date the IETS, my understanding (and I'm willing to be corrected if wrong) is a similar setup was provided in that the kitchen was located in the 1st class driving car taking up what would otherwise be dead space (as it couldn't be used for passenger trains which travelled grater than 125mph as per ORR rules) while standard class were given a small on board shop to sell a selection of refreshments.

The Pendolinos are unchanged, the kitchen in the First Class driving vehicle is used for cooking food for those in First Class, the shop still operates in Standard Class coach C.

3 hours ago, Reorte said:

Manchester - Scotland went down to a 3 car 185 from a Voyager, which in turn was a shortening from the (presumably, can't remember the details) Mk 2s that ran before those. Improved now though with whatever the trains that currently run that way are (although I'd prefer the Mk2s).

Manchester/Scotland in loco hauled times was a handful of trains per day, now it is hourly, alternating in Scotland between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and has gone from 3-car 185s via 4-car 350s to 5-car 397s. 

On 15/04/2023 at 15:17, 31A said:

I believe the bay platforms which were provided for it at Stratford were replaced by the Central Line extension through Stratford.

Agree re the OLE, but I think the bay platforms were provided as well as the Central Line through platforms, and were used for a while by the Docklands Light Railway?

On 27/11/2023 at 14:39, Hippel said:

Here's some photos of the inside of the Warrington TOPS office.

Those photos remind very much of Mossend TOPS office, where I spent a two-year hiatus from my Control career, 1987-89. 

There had also at one time been another TOPS office not far away at Dalzell, dealing with the local steelworks traffic, whereas Mossend handled more general freight. The number of offices set up when TOPS started was astonishing!

On 28/11/2023 at 13:45, Deeps said:

When I am cycling I never consider trying to shoot up the inside of a vehicle because I know that it can be difficult for the driver to know I am there.

I don't either, as it is (especially if a lorry or bus is involved) extremely dangerous! OTOH I have stopped behind a queue of cars at traffic lights, only for another car to come up and stop alongside me, inches from my handlebars. And there was the time I was cycling along a main road when a car overtook me and immediately turned left, forcing me to go left also. I managed to catch up with the Driver on the side road to discuss the incident, only for them to say 'but I was indicating', as if that made it OK. As always, we all, whether pedestrians, cyclists or motorists, should consider and respect others. 

The BBC News report does say that more is being done than just track renewal;

'Engineers will also be clearing vegetation, completing level crossing maintenance and stabilising earthworks by Gillingham tunnel.'

Perhaps the last item is the real reason for the extended closure?

Looking forward to it also, being just a bus ride from home, but surprised that Douglas Blades (bookseller) won't be there? 

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Hi i’m a tourist, wheres platform 3?

The station diagram you included shows Platform 3! Although it is an unusual layout with one platform at right angles to the others, non-enthusiast members of the public might indeed be confused by that...

23 hours ago, adb968008 said:

you could travel from Penzance to Wick entirely by Sprinter and they wouldn’t be local services either… they would be express.

 

Hmm... only a Sprinter enthusiast with too much time on their hands would  make that particular journey! Far better by HST to Plymouth, Voyager (with a reserved seat, hopefully) to Birmingham, Pendolino to Edinburgh or Glasgow, HST to Inverness. Onward to Thurso however would most certainly be a local service, because given the route and population served it has not, and never will be, anything else. 

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

whilst we celebrate more decades of this..

What a completely nonsensical comparison, similar to those posted on Facebook every now and again, with photos of a TGV, an ICE.... and a 153; Trains designed and used for utterly different purposes. But it suits the 'European trains are all wonderful, ours are all rubbish' narrative. 

2 hours ago, 1466 said:

Subsequently , whenever there is a problem , my perception is that there has  first to be an inquiry to apportion blame so that “ compensation “ may be paid to other stakeholders  . Inevitably there is a discussion or perhaps negotiation which takes precedence.Reopening the railway seems to have moved down  the priorities.

That was simply not, ever, the case in my 32 years as a railway operations controller, with BR, Railtrack and Network Rail. 

On 08/11/2023 at 19:20, Oldddudders said:

Yes, the tram-track jibe was very common north of the river, too.

And very much further north of the river too - In Scottish Region Control the Glasgow electric desks were referred to as the tramcar sections! We retorted by pointing out that we ran more trains in an hour than the sheep-molesting section controllers did in a week.....

20 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Thus Friday late afternoons/evenings  were always busy with Weekend Returns and one's pronunciation of welsh places names improved rapidly.

I'm still grateful now, 40 years on, when a booking office clerk at Reading, that the regular passenger we had for Llwynypia travelled on a Forces Warrant, so his destination was written rather than spoken! 

I've mentioned before I think the passenger for Tavistock who was taken aback when we told him the fare, the journey time, and the bus ride needed; It turned out he wanted Tavistock Place in London. 

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Common sense and the railway parted company soon after Clapham.

And yet despite 'common sense having departed' we now have the safest railway, for passengers and staff, than we have ever had, at any time, with just one (one too many, but still just one) fatal accident in the last 16 years. 

23 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

21 minutes? Are you serious?

Yes, as per other replies, 21 minutes seems perfectly reasonable to me. How long do you think it should have taken for the Driver to bring the train to a stand, contact the Signaller, report what had occurred, agree on a course of action, shut down the leading cab, walk through the train to the rear cab, open it up, advise the Signaller they were ready to make the move and receive permission for it, drive the train back inside the signal, shut down the cab, walk back through the train, open up the cab and set off? And of course keep the Guard advised of what was happening too. 

29 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

but the NR end of things, presumably in consultation with GWR, made a meal of it all

How did the NR end of things make a meal of it all? It seems that the train was simply reversed back in behind the signal and was then correctly rerouted. 

On 02/11/2023 at 21:57, roythebus1 said:

Staff never lost and hour's pay or gained an hour's pay as they were still only doing 8 hours or whatever the rostered duty was.

On 03/11/2023 at 07:56, Jeremy Cumberland said:

It depends what the duty is.

Indeed; Signallers, and also for example Controllers, work an extra hour in Autumn and an hour less in Spring; It never worked out for me that the first was balanced out by the second! Also, if Saturday nights are covered by 12-hour shifts, Autumn necessitated a 13-hour turn. 

4 hours ago, GordonC said:

The route needs to be protected with no planning permission granted along it for at least 20 years

Perhaps Labour should say that their long-term intention is to complete HS2 as originally planned, when circumstances permit, and therefore, should they (as seems likely) win the next General Election any property sold off between now and then will be compulsorily repurchased for the same price. 

On 12/10/2023 at 11:36, Southernman46 said:

Yeah the walk from Springburn to Eastfeld past those god-awful tenements back in the early 70's was quite un-nerving as a kid.

My workplace (Glasgow Control) for the last two years of my railway career was relocated from Buchanan House (in Glasgow) to the West of Scotland Signalling Centre, in the triangle of lines at Cowlairs. The walk there from Springburn station, as I described it to a forthcoming visitor, was 'through the pee-stinking underpass, past the wasteground and the burnt-out pub'. One of my female colleagues encountered a flasher at the underpass one evening. Some things never change!

17 hours ago, LMS2968 said:

I see we're off on yet another non-railway related tangent.

And it's 'have a go at cyclists' time again, which some just can't resist. 

C11798; It is hard to believe that Class 156 has now worked the West Highland Lines for well over 34 years, having lasted longer than their diesel loco predecessors, Classes 27 and 37; and possibly some of the route's steam locos too.

22 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

TfL say it will require additional trains to diagram and facilitate such change to the service pattern.

A possible solution to that is to cut back EL services elsewhere, eg nothing west of Maidenhead, or fewer running all the way through to Abbey Wood.

21 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Maybe tolerable but (apart from not adding enough platforms) removing Oxfords from Paddington is going to be rather disruptive to anyone destined for anyone except Oxford.

Yes and there is also the issue that half, and on some hours all, of the Oxford/Paddington fast trains are through to and from the Cotswold line, not to mention longer journey times via Chiltern and missing Reading!

This is the most disgrace failure of political vision and leadership, at least as far as railways are concerned, since Labour cancelled the Channel Tunnel in 1974. This, Mr Sunak, is what you will be remembered for, when your tenure as PM comes to an end. 

The Emergency Services response to this incident is surely understandable, given that the most recent railway accident in Scotland was Carmont, and that the initial 999 call would have been made before the extent of damage and injury was known.

16 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

Still think it would be worth looking at foot crossing options for the simplest options

I agree. The foot crossing would be at the Tavistock end of Bere Alston station (so over one line only) and a 5mph PSR could be imposed over it; Given that every train would be stopping there anyway it would be a minimal performance issue. Plus there would be the other usual railway safeguards such as cattle guards, every train having a headlamp and sounding the horn. Have we really got to the point of demanding that, no matter what the cost, railways alone among land transport must be 100% safe 100% of the time, even for those trespassing on or abusing them, therefore preventing schemes such as this from proceeding?