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Title: It's hard to be a train driver Post by: welshman on November 05, 2008, 21:12:12 Here's (http://www.raib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/reports_2008/report222008.cfm) an interesting little RAIB report. No casualties but it tells you it's fun to drive a train on the Cambrian Line. The timetable requires eight miles in eight minutes from a standing start in a 158 if you please.
Title: Re: It's hard to be a train driver Post by: Chris from Nailsea on November 05, 2008, 22:56:32 Thanks for that post, welshman!
Even as a mere passenger, I'm rather interested in what happens up in the cab, and how it could affect my journey - so I read that report. It does seem rather unsatisfactory that the notification to the driver of an Emergency Speed Restriction effectively relied on him jotting it down on a piece of paper, and remembering it when he approached that particular length of track? As you say: thankfully, there were no casualties - but the result of that incident could have been so different. (Like the report, I don't attach any particular blame to the driver, by the way: I just think the 'system' let him down). ::) Title: Re: It's hard to be a train driver Post by: Tim on November 06, 2008, 09:28:05 Just thinking aloud but...
If the track defect had been spotted earlier and the rail replaced or a proper Speed restriction installed before it got so bad that the ESR needed to be imposed in a hurry, then the incident would not have happened. Is this a contributory factor missed by the RAIB? or is it of the nature of track defects that they can appear sudenly such that they can't always be spotted earlier however good the maintainance and inspection regime is? Title: Re: It's hard to be a train driver Post by: smokey on November 06, 2008, 16:01:52 Just thinking aloud but... If the track defect had been spotted earlier and the rail replaced or a proper Speed restriction installed before it got so bad that the ESR needed to be imposed in a hurry, then the incident would not have happened. Is this a contributory factor missed by the RAIB? or is it of the nature of track defects that they can appear sudenly such that they can't always be spotted earlier however good the maintainance and inspection regime is? Ultrasonic Testing of Rails can show up Rail defects NOT visable to the Naked Eye, Cracks can form in Rails from beneath and can form up towards to the Rail Head, and such weakened rails can or will suddenly break off. I've seem a section of Flat bottom Rail that had been removed from the running line because it failed Ultrasonic testing and whilst it had NO visable defects after removal, the Rail had been neatly cut by a Rail Saw to open up a Hole that was about four inches long and almost the whole profile of the rail. Not likely to happen now because rail is tested before being installled. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |