Supaned

There were no "broken couplings" . From what I understand the train was undergoing a scheduled loco change. Whatever the shunter(s) did when the loco was removed led to the brakes being released on the stock , which being on a gradient ran away. In practise this is easier to do than it sounds depending upon the braking condition of the stock at the time of the shunt move.

Having been to India and seen how often "chain pulling" takes place (pulling the communication cord) , I'm surprised it got this far without anyone doing so, and also given how heavily staffed the trains are I'm surprised nobody thought to wind on a handbrake (if fitted).

There was an article in Continental Modeller a while ago about building a Slovenian class 664, including drawings in HO scale- these were equivalent to the HZ class 2062 (apparently the 664/0 series were built by EMD , the 664/1 series by Duro Dakovic under license) - whilst the days of 2062s on the Split line are now sadly a memory , they do still work freights.

I'm only quoting RTT which shows the diagram for 158s

Looking at "real" trains they are often different to what RTT lists, 170s seem a possibility, as they run the current  Birmingham -Worcester-Hereford services

The other day I spotted a freight that was listed as electrically hauled 75mph. but some of it's route wasn't wired, the train loco was the inevitable 66.

 

Keith

More likely to be a 170 as several LM ones sit on TS during the day between peak hour jobs - efficient use of resources etc.

I'm sure those route learners won't get in the way of the booked passenger trains at all....

I was given to understand that all the various cities with locos named after them were offered the complete loco on withdrawal. The only one to take the option up was Birmingham, whether that was due to other costs involved or not having anywhere to put the whole loco I've no idea but Nottingham finished up with just the nameplates which were on display in the erstwhile industrial museum at Wollaton Hall. No idea where they are now but knowing Nottingham city council they've most likely sold them if they thought they could get a few quid

 

I heard a similar story , with added detail that the intention was to plinth the locos at the appropriate stations - I worked at Coventry and the dimensions of the booking hall would certainly fit that criteria. As it happened , the only bits of 46240 City of Coventry to survive were the nameplates and crests which are mounted on the footbridge above platforms 2 & 3.

There's still one at Cheadle Hulme in the down direction where the Stoke line joins the Crewe line as there is potential for a head-on collision .

The indicator on the Aston line protecting Proof House Junction is due to be removed during Phase 6 of Birmingham Resignalling this coming May (which effectively reduces New St panel's area of control to the station itself). I was told that the indicator was being removed as TPWS means it is no longer necessary.

as one of the "overpaid button pressers" who would be affected by this , I'll declare a vested interest.

I'd also ask a question , namely why highly technologically developed countries such as Japan , South Korea and dare I say Switzerland haven't yet introduced automated trains on their mainline (non-metro LRT) networks? the posters on here claim it's a simple matter to implement , so why haven't they? I'm sure it's not because of the social issues of suddenly having hundreds of train drivers unemployed.

The F40PHM-2s are only used on METRA - and other than unit #205 which CSX recently managed to destroy in a derailment whilst in transit to Progress Rail in Kentucky for refubishment , they're all still there on the BNSF and Rock Island lines.

There were 2 prototype locos (F69PHAC) which were tested on Amtrak that used the same body design , these were never put into service and are now dumped at a dealers yard (NRE).

The other alternative for secondhand commuter power would be an F59PH - built for GO Transit in Canada & Metrolink in California. Most of the GO examples have been moved on to other operators . There is a body kit available from Kaslo or Maple Leaf Trains.

For a shortline , an F40PH would probably be the most suitable - locos ex Amtrak and Commuter Rail (such as NJT) have found their way to such lines , whereas the newer F59PHIs are still in front line service , and indeed the Amtrak examples are due to go to METRA in Chicago for further use on passenger trains.

Off the top of my head , Grand Canyon Railway has ex Amtrak and NJT F40PHs, as does Saratoga & North Creek. The now defunct Maine Eastern did have a pair of F40PHs , thankfully these were quickly replaced by a pair of FL9s (Mick , fancy a Bulldog nose Bo-A-1-A electro diesel? ).

If you just want to use geeps and such like , many shortlines use a generator car to provide HEP , either a boxcar or a baggage car. Another alternative would be to use an FB unit , as done for example on the Ontario Northland - the good thing about the US is that in general there often is a prototype for everything.

Interesting. On the EC with VTEC and its predecessors, we've regularly operated hired in sets / power cars from EMT, and occasionally XC and GW, with no more than a briefing notice detailing the relevant differences. In the case of the GW P/C it simply ran with the ATP system isolated, operating as a normal speedo and AWS.

Indeed , but there is no ATP fitted on the East Coast Main Line. Given that the XC HSTs operate to Plymouth , some of which is ATP fitted , the train cannot run with ATP isolated hence why GW power cars are rarely if ever hired in - I suppose one could be used on the rear of the train but it would need the set turning to ensure that it stays on that end , which isn't always possible to do.

I'm pretty sure the the hire-ins finished with the advent of XC from Virgin in 2007 - I'd have to check my diaries to see if any were about in summer 2007, so 2006 is probably the cut off date.

If this is a new series , you'll be lucky to see any Metre Gauge, Indian Railways have been busy ruining gauge converting to broad gauge , often taking years to do so.

Just a couple of ideas for your passenger service.

Two small operations which are of interest are Music City Star in Nashville , which uses former METRA cars from Chicago (available in HO from Kato & Walthers) , and ex Amtrak F40PHs , one of which is still in Amtrak Surfliner paint similar to your F59PHI.

On a similar theme, Iowa Northern runs the Hawkeye Express in conjunction with College Football games , using similar Gallery Cars and an F40 painted in a Rock Island paint job.

On the subject of F59PHIs, it has just been announced that the 20 locos belonging to Amtrak (450-470) will be sold on to Chicago Metra for further use following their replacement by new Siemens SC44 charger units.

Over here in the UK , the current hot topic for railway safety involves Non Technical Skills, effectively there are 26 NTS applicable to the role of a train driver/engineer , and as part of the subject comes what is referred to as the Swiss Cheese theory , where a series of events come together to align the holes in a Swiss Cheese and cause an event such as this - not wanting to be flippant or disrespectful to two fellow railmen and many passengers affected.

I understand the rules and theory behind TWC and working in dark territory , however ,from this it seems that even a simple rule change could help , namely that the FIRST train through a section under TWC conditions should proceed at not more than 15mph over any points/switches - thus if there are any mis-lined switches the effects are minimised to hopefully prevent a similar incident. Yes, bad for the unfortunate crew who have to tip toe along over the road during this , but ultimately everyone wants to get home safely , and sadly as this accident has shown , mistakes can and do happen. Once the first train has cleared the section and unless any switching takes place in the interim, then fine any successive trains may proceed at the maximum permitted speed as the switches have been proven to be correctly set (assuming that nobody else changes them in the mean time)

As a comparison , here in the UK when we have the equivalent of TWC imposed due to signal outage (referred to as Temporary Block Working) , trains may run at a maximum of 50mph , however , any switches/points encountered speed must be reduced to 15mph , and that applies to all trains.

Something to do on the ferry turn?

Funnily enough , first thing I noticed was the BR style tail lamp / FRED.

Are these specific to PAR?

I don't know why , but this particular accident seems to have got to me more than others. My thoughts go out to all affected and involved.

Nice to see an update from the G, A &E , congratulations on the 10 years and looking forward to seeing more developments

I suspect this is just another element of aligning the UK rail system with UIC regulations , in the same way that our train drivers are now required to have an EU drivers license even if they just operate a 153 on a branch line. That has still happened regardless of any political vote as the UK Rail Industry Bodies chose to do so , not because they were told to as some may like to think.

The rail industry isn't run for the benefit of those who like to write down numbers,

As an aside , it is possible to make things easier to identify the vehicle number , in Germany I've seen examples where the full UIC numbering is either in smaller font than the "internal" vehicle number , or also in light grey text with the "internal" number in black.

DB still has a traincrew depot at Didcot , I believe, despite recent reductions there is still a need for it.

I'd also add that as good as GSM-R is (and a million times better than NRN) , it is still by no means perfect - loss of network still occurring fairly frequently in some locations - personally, I'd want any sort of signalling kit that uses that technology to be more reliable.

Your last sentence Mike pretty much sums up something which I've been banging on about for years, that real life freight train handling / braking / behaviour is often nothing like the 'on paper' version put forward by people who've never actually done the job. I can have the same loco and set of wagons five days a week on the same route with the same signalling sequence and running times, but the way the train reacts to my inputs at the control desk will vary a lot. Throw in variations in the ambient temperature within the braking system, the rail head condition, weather etc and it will differ again from one day to the next, or even across several brake applications during the same shift, it's just the way it is. I estimate I've probably driven at least four hundred different 66s in the last sixteen years and the controls do not have the same 'feel' or response throughout. Coupling stretch and buffering play a part in the variations in braking response too, something which is often overlooked.

And to a lesser extent with passenger trains. This is why, despite the wailing of the press and anti-rail lobby , we won't be seeing automatic trains on a main line any time soon. If technologically advanced countries such as Japan don't do it , there's a very good reason why....

Indeed , during my days in a booking office , the matter was very complicated with the need to apply lost days either added on to the ticket validity , or as a discount , and having to work out whether or not the days concerned fell on a weekday or not.

I think ticketing in the UK is still vastly over complex , and a better move would be to a similar system like that of  several countries overseas where the fares are distance based rather than TOC led or priced to stifle demand at peak times. 

As to season ticket pricing , compare UK prices (and the reasoning behind them) with the Austrian "Osterreichcard", which is an Annual All Line season ticket , costing just 1834EUR in second class or 2679EUR in 1st class....

http://www.oebb.at/en/angebote-ermaessigungen/ermaessigungskarten/oesterreichcard

ETCS doesn't have to do away with lineside signals though - depending upon which level is implemented , there may or may not be lineside signals present , and , presumably in certain locations even with the level that does away with them , there will still need to be some sort of route indication provided (ie at certain junctions , mutli platform stations ) , especially as unlike some other countries , we insist on having different crossover speeds at the same locations.

One could also ask the question that if the Government is funding the installation of this kit on freight locos , will they do the same for passenger stock? Level playing field and all that.