Great Western Coffee Shop

Just heard from a friend who is travelling on the 17.03 Paddington to Penzance train this evening that it has had to be terminated at Newton Abbot after the drivers cab windscreen was smashed by a stone after the train was hit by a large wave at Dawlish. Surely this must raise some health and safety issues as to why this very exposed line remains open to trains that are effectively being allowed to "run the gauntlet" there in severe weather especially when the nearby sea front road in Torquay is routinely closed in such circumstances. for that reason.

Still seems to be running through to Penzance, albeit nearly an hour late.  I'd agree though that things gradually appear to be deteriorating through Dawlish. I guess a couple of mm sea rise a year doesn't sound much but over the years is maybe starting to become noticeable in its effects.

The 17.03 Paddington to Penzance HST WAS terminated at Newton Abbot but was restarted from there using a following empty stock Laira bound HST in its booked path on to Penzance .using the same headcode.

A second train - a unit travelling from Paignton to Exmouth - also suffered a broken window a short time later.

I can see GWR not running through in light of these instances. The health & safety of train crew & passengers must come first.

A contact who lives in Dawlish advises that the sea was 'roaring' all night and on inspection on Tuesday morning on the sea wall west of Dawlish stn there was a
large amount  of debris and many really large pebbles.
Clearly a review seems prudent of acceptable sea conditions that allow trains to continue to run along this fragile stretch of railway in times of adverse weather conditions.

Dawlish Avoiding Line, Now!

Or get going with Bere Alston  to Okehampton whilst they argue about the avoiding line.

Having seen the drivers eye video of the train running along the wall and being bombarded with waves, two things come to mind.  Why isn't wrong line working put in place, as I understand it is in place there precisely because of the sea wall, and secondly should not speed be reduced, to reduce the severity of any impact. I appreciate it would reduce capacity, although if XC isn't running, maybe that would be manageable.

Perhaps the next XC franchise should include provision of rolling stock that can cope with the conditions there, as each passing year will mean that the number of occasions when Voyagers won't be able to run will increase, and the window of each stoppage will also gradually increase.   

That will come when they need to replace the Voyagers

Should just take the Indian approach and install a nice hefty steel grill over the windscreen! Problem solved!  ;D

Hope x 2 I'm afraid, Bob & No!  :(

How about installing a clear plastic tunnel over the tracks so that any waves that came over the wall hit that instead (and crashed over if necessary, though I suspect they wouldn't in most cases). It should be feasible to install something rigid enough to withstand waves and stones but allowed clear sightlines.

I remember (it wasn't that long ago!) that one one of the first runs of the HST on the East Coast Main Line the train's windscreen was starred by what was thought to be a chunk of ballast thrown up by a train passing in the opposite direction. It was reported then that the front of the HST, both window and cab moulding, was designed to resist penetration by a brake block coming loose from a passing train. This was quite an improvement over the situation up to then.

So although windscreens may be 'broken' it would need quite a large stone or rock to 'penetrate' the windscreen.

The use of the up line for all trains - the one furthest from the sea - was put in place on Monday evening but it is worth noting the second train to be struck - a Paignton to Exmouth service - was running on that line in any event.

Thought you might all be interested in this: Delay Attribution Board document (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.delayattributionboard.co.uk/documents/guidancenotes/DAB-37%2520%2520XC%2520unit%2520failure%2520%40%2520dawlish%2520FINAL%2520SignedL.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwiY28v8s5LSAhUkIMAKHZF9BbQQFgg1MAQ&usg=AFQjCNEmzjQ0gA2kNNO180aiS8QeSW11PA&sig2=wNDKdMTDCbZ2zsIFlilL-g)




Edit note: With many thanks for your post, I've simply shortened the length of the link somewhat! CfN.  :D

Wow King Canute had nothing on the Delay attribution procedure.

Or a medium sized tree branch.

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/article-0-0A6FD938000005DC-875_634x520_zpsce4rusa1.jpg)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=7092.0

Seen that picture a number of times, but it still makes me cringe and think of the driver.  :o

Who astonishingly escaped with only minor injuries, I am glad to say.

That night in questions was the worst we've seen the sea state in a long while. The force of the waves isn't the problem. Its what is thrown up in the waves that is.
The windscreens aren't smashed as such, they merely just crack. You need some considerable force or a very large object to break through the glass.
When the weather is bad Network Rail engineers travel across the seawall with each train, and they normally impose a 20mph speed restriction. They have the ability to either close the down main line or shut the line completely if they consider it too unsafe.
The decision to keep running trains is on there heads so they won't take any chances.
The pictures make it look worse than it actually is. You don't really feel anything when you're hit by a wave plus the ballast is glued down.

And in the Lavington incident with the tree it was more a case that the branch penetrated the fibreglass cab surround, pushing the windscreen in.

Ouch!

Yes, that's why the signallers should never send an HST down a branch line.  ::) :o ;D