Great Western Coffee Shop

I don't think anyone has mentioned the incident at Exeter St Davids last night when 142029 (on the 1813 from Barnstaple arr 1925) ran into the back of 159010/022 (waiting to start the 1927 Waterloo service). 

Reports elsewhere suggest it was a straightforward overspeed approach, but there have been a few Pacer shunts recently, so it could be railhead related.

Paul

totally agree ollie, however you did it yourself  ;D

Five hurt in Exeter train crash

Five people were taken to hospital after two trains collided at Exeter St David^s station.

A two-car local First Great Western service from Barnstaple to Exmouth collided with a stationary South West Trains^ Exeter to Waterloo train waiting at platform one. A First Great Western spokesman said it was normal practice for two trains to use the same platform at the same time.

The Exmouth-bound train was carrying 12 passengers, five of whom had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries, including whiplash.

The driver of the train was unhurt but was said to be shaken by the experience.

There were nine people on board the London-bound train and all were uninjured. Both trains were taken out of service. The Exmouth-bound train was placed in ^quarantine^ at St David^s as part of an inquiry into the accident launched by the Train Accident Investigation Board.

The Waterloo train was taken to Salisbury for checks to ensure it was fit for continued service.

Inspector Jim Atkinson, of Exeter^s British Transport Police, who was off duty and called in to attend the incident, said the accident happened at 7.27pm on Monday when the Exmouth-bound train collided with the rear of the stationary Exeter to Waterloo train.

He said: ^We carried out an initial investigation and established there had been no criminal activities. ^The Rail Accident Investigation Board is carrying out an investigation and the Exmouth-bound train was quarantined overnight.

^The Waterloo-bound train was taken out of service and passengers were able to catch the next available train. We took the details of the five passengers taken to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. I contacted them later and those I could reach were all okay.^

Inspector Atkinson said Devon and Cornwall police attended the accident, along with seven BTP officers and a scene-of-crime expert.

A spokesman for First Great Western said: ^I can confirm that a First Great Western train from Barnstaple to Exmouth came into low-speed contact with a stationary South West Trains service from Exeter St David^s to London Waterloo at approximately 7.25pm in platform one at Exeter St David^s station.

^Platforms are often used to accommodate two trains at the same time, which is normal practice at stations across the railway network.

^The Railway Accident Investigation Branch is carrying out an investigation and we will be working with them and Network Rail to understand the reason why this happened.^

Devon and Cornwall police said officers attended but left the matter in the hands of the BTP.

From the Exeter Express & Echo (http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/hurt-Exeter-train-crash/article-1676514-detail/article.html):

Was told that the driver applied the brakes which worked as normal but the 142 simply slide into the back of the 159 due to the extreme weather/poor rail adhesion conditions.

From what i've heard today, the driver has been cleared of any responsibility.

I wonder if this leads to the end of permissive working at EXD, just like a similar incident at Newton Abbot a few years back.

I suspect it won't, afterall that would cause a lot of headaches for timetable planners all for the same of one very rare incident. Besides, as far as i'm aware drivers should approach at 10mph when given a proceed aspect that is not from a signal aspect (ie. the white shunt lights) or am I spouting a load of rubbish!

Correct. As I understand it swabs have been taken from the railheads between the Red Cow level crossing and the collision site. Some suspicion as to whether road treatment (rock salt) of the crossing road surface has been rolled along the rail heads by a previous rail movement, there by setting a trap for the 142.

Headaches for timetable planners yes - especially with SWT to Waterloo already causing problems with regards to FGW services using "the bank" between St. Davids and Central, but I doubt that the RAIB are going to be too bothered about that.

As for the 10mph, I cannot say I know, as I just drive from the rear  ;D

I suspect it won't, afterall that would cause a lot of headaches for timetable planners all for the same of one very rare incident. Besides, as far as i'm aware drivers should approach at 10mph when given a proceed aspect that is not from a signal aspect (ie. the white shunt lights) or am I spouting a load of rubbish!

... As I understand it swabs have been taken from the railheads between the Red Cow level crossing and the collision site. Some suspicion as to whether road treatment (rock salt) of the crossing road surface has been rolled along the rail heads by a previous rail movement, there by setting a trap for the 142.

Summary of Conclusions
Immediate cause
76 The immediate cause of the accident was that the driver^s application of the brakes did not stop the Barnstaple train before it collided with the Waterloo train.
Causal factor
77 A causal factor was a length of low adhesion at Red Cow level crossing and at the eastern end of platform 1 at Exeter St Davids station.
Contributory factors
78 A contributory factor was the lack of sanding equipment on the class 142 unit.

Rail crash cause will remain a mystery

Mystery surrounds the precise cause of a rail collision which left nine people injured, an investigation found. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch arrived at no certain explanation for the crash, involving a train from Barnstaple, at 7.25pm on January 4. A suspicion that road salt contaminated rails, affecting braking, was dismissed as unlikely.

The First Great Western train from Barnstaple crashed into the South West Trains service for London Waterloo, at Exeter St Davids station. The Barnstaple train was travelling at 11mph and none of the injuries ^ to six passengers and three members of staff ^ was serious. There were 14 people on the Barnstaple train and 11 on the stationary Waterloo service.

The RAIB found that January 4 was a clear night and the temperature was -4C.

About seven minutes before the collision, a number of vehicles, including a Devon County Council salt-spreading lorry, went over a nearby level crossing. The driver of the Barnstaple train received correct signals and braked as he travelled towards the platform. But four seconds later, the wheels started to slide. The driver applied an emergency brake. The train continued to slide for 100 metres until it hit the back of the London train.

Investigators analysed the rails at the crossing and found that "low adhesion" ^ reduced friction ^ was a causal factor. They were unable to establish the exact reason for this but said the likely cause was moisture on the rail head, possibly reacting with minute amounts of contaminant. Investigators reported that chlorine on rails might have indicated the presence of road salt.

Between December 21, 2009 and January 11, 2010, salt was applied on the road approaches to the level crossing on 36 occasions. The council's policy is to switch off the salt supply when travelling over the crossing.

But the RAIB concluded it was unlikely that road salt drawn onto the level crossing and along the railway caused low adhesion on the evening of January 4.

The Barnstaple train did not have a "sanding system" in which the driver can release sand to improve friction. The lack of such a system was found to be a contributory factor in the crash.

The RAIB re-iterated a previous recommendation that a way be found for sanding equipment to be installed on the type of train used on the Tarka Line.

Is there some kind of six-week satellite delay between Derby (offices of RAIB) and Devon...? I know the stereotype is of a slower pace of life down that way, but really...  ;D

From this is Devon (http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/crime/Rail-crash-cause-remain-mystery/article-2488765-detail/article.html) (05/08/2010):

The RAIB re-iterated a previous recommendation that a way be found to upgrade the type of train used on the Tarka Line.

Slow news day for the 'Excess & Error' / Thisisdevon people I expect. No cats stuck in trees in Burnthouse Lane, no Exeter City Football team loosing at home again or any massive fare hikes / service reductions on the Stagecoach Exeter buses to report so they had to find a 'news story' to make up the weight.....
 ;)

Slow news day for the 'Excess & Error' / Thisisdevon people I expect. No cats stuck in trees in Burnthouse Lane, no Exeter City Football team loosing at home again or any massive fare hikes / service reductions on the Stagecoach Exeter buses to report so they had to find a 'news story' to make up the weight.....
 ;)

well, at least in two weeks they'll be able to report on Exeter City losing at home (and away) every week  ;)

Does that mean that Exeter City will win their first two games?  The football season starts tomorrow!!

Does that mean that Exeter City will win their first two games?  The football season starts tomorrow!!

2 all draw today!

As I recall, the logic went that the traditional "shoe" brakes fitted to older stock, since they bear on the tyre, scrape off the assorted slime, mulch, grease and cack that accumulate on wheels during the leaf-fall season and therefore help adhesion. Disc brakes on the other hand obviously don't seeing as they're gripping a brake disc on the axle and not the wheel itself. Didn't this also result in "scrubber" brake blocks being fitted to some disc-braked units to clean off the wheel tread?

There was also a problem with class 158's in two car format and the reliable operation of track circuits, not withstanding the fitting of 'Shunt Assisters' (better known as Track Circuit Actuators) to the non driving bogie under the cab. The scrubber blocks were required in order to make sure that the bogies at each end were at least making reliable metal to metal contact.

Some TOC's in fact formed 'hybrids' using a class 158 car coupled to a tread braked car to overcome the issue during the leaf fall season until scrubber blocks were retrofitted. 

The TCA is actually called Track Circuit Assistor and not Actuator as is commonly thought.dont mean to be pedantic just confirming the proper wording.

The term 'Track Circuit Actuator' is used in all official documents supplied to traincrew to be utterly pedantic, although as you and I both know the equipment doesn't operate the track circuits. It merely assists the normal wheel / rail contact which is the usual method of track circuit operation.

Better brakes could have stopped crash which hospitalised nine

A rail crash which hospitalised nine people might have been prevented if braking equipment had been upgraded, investigators have said.

On the evening of January 4 a First Great Western (FGW) 142 train from Barnstaple hit the back of a stationary South West Trains service to London at Exeter St David's Station.

Six passengers in the FGW train and two in the London-bound train, plus three members of staff, were taken to hospital. None were seriously hurt.

Investigators for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that the driver of the FGW train had applied the brake 139m before the crash, when the train, known as a 142 unit, had been travelling at 17mph. Instead of slowing to a stop the train skidded on the rails.

In a detailed report, investigators say equipment which distributes sand on the tops of rails to improve grip when accelerating or braking could have stopped the crash.

The 142 units, which are in use on several Devon branch lines, are not equipped with sanding systems.

Investigators say water and ice on top of the rails were likely to have caused the train to lose grip in the first place.

'New' trains not arriving for another 12 months or so...

I'm sure it'll be the latter... but any source for this?

The damn things would probably survive and end up swimming round the coast back 'tup North  ;D