Car demolishes signal near Crewkerne

[whole diary]

[bradshaw]

NR^» (Network Rail - home page), via Twitter, have shown a photograph of the signal base left after a car hit the signal this morning. It is affecting London bound trains but clearly,  secondarily, also those going to Exeter.

https://twitter.com/networkrailwssx/status/1518855453257654272?s=21&t=iXGI98rQ3Kd3zSQ7UXzQPw

[grahame]

NR^» (Network Rail - home page), via Twitter, have shown a photograph of the signal base left after a car hit the signal this morning. It is affecting London bound trains but clearly,  secondarily, also those going to Exeter.

https://twitter.com/networkrailwssx/status/1518855453257654272?s=21&t=iXGI98rQ3Kd3zSQ7UXzQPw

It says ...

Thanks to @SW_Help passengers on the West of England line for their patience today - London bound trains are being delayed by around 10-15 minutes at #Crewkerne after this signal (there was one here) was demolished by a car that left the road.

Perhaps it's being churlish to suggest that LONDON trains are the important ones to SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)  ... just feels that way sometimes!

[JayMac]

The signal post was hit by a vehicle involved in a police pursuit that went down an embankment. Signal post ended up fouling the line and was hit by an ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) train. Could have been much worse if vehicle had fouled the line. The vehicle is around 2m from the track.

[bradshaw]

I am trying to work out which one it was. Was it the up repeater for the level crossing?

[stuving]

Pity whoever has to pick a reason code for the cancellations here (and presumably delays too, though we don't see their codes). For some reason the list of options, long though it may be, doesn't quite cover what happened here.

The train that struck the felled signal, 5L65, wasn't cancelled, but it was over three hours late.

The service train following it, 1L92, was cancelled at Axminster "due to an obstruction on the line (XO^▸ (Crossover. Pair of points that connects two parallel rail lines. Crossovers can be either facing or trailing dependent on direction of travel))". The full text for this is XO: External trees, building or structures encroaching or falling onto Network Rail network infrastructure (not due to weather or vandalism) also including aircraft and airport safety or operational related incidents.
I guess it went back to Exeter, and that is what RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) shows as 1L92 travelling backwards in time.

The next train due was much later, 5L20 is ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) to Honiton to start service. It was cancelled "due to a problem on a road (XN)." That kind of misses the point, doesn't it? If the problem was on a road it wouldn't be a problem. In this case the full text is a better fit - XN: Road or Crossing related incidents including cars on the line, level crossing misuse and emergency services being prioritised over rail services (NOT bridge strikes).

[JayMac]

I am trying to work out which one it was. Was it the up repeater for the level crossing?

Source I've read says it was a distant signal on the Chard side of Crewkerne Tunnel.

[JayMac]

The train that struck the felled signal, 5L65, wasn't cancelled, but it was over three hours late.

5L95 (159004) continued its journey, at reduced speed, to Yeovil Carriage Sidings arriving 202 minutes late. It than ran to Salisbury DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) depot at 0422.