Plymouth start ups connecting with Cornish stopper, cross platform interchange.

Oops my innate cynicism  showing through. Should have checked first.

Interesting point re XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) do they have to go all the way to Newport to reverse to get to the tunnel. Is there no reversing facility at Severn Tunnel Junction?

Wtih flash flooding seemingly getting more prevelent and affecting more lines We ought to start thinking about and emergency diversions plan and at least look at "what happens" if the line between X and Y is blocked and maybe heaven forbid possibly put in some infrastructure to allow for easier diversions and reversals.

The North curve at Bradford junction, reversal at Severn Tunnel junction.

Even worse Networkrail could start identifying potential flood spots, with the help of the EA and Met office and look at the drainage, culverts flood defenses in the area etc. and ensure they are well maintained or even improved.  But like spoiling the ship for a "ha'peth of tar" we won't believe a "stitch in time saves nine".

That's an intereting idea, provided the physical couplers and the control wire configurations are the same it should be relatively easy to slot a 455 trailer into a 150X. the main traction control are straight through so provided the 455 unit could respond to 15X brake and domestic commands all should be well.

The only snag is you'd have to fit an Eberspatcher and associated fuel tank to provide heating. Unless you issued duvets to the passengers.

Whether the 15X would have the power to cope with an extra trailer, particularly West of Newton Abbot our train crew friends might have an opinion. Iit might be possible to add an engine underneath the 455 body. It should still be cheaper than a new build.

Although whether the Health and Safety boys would allow you do that is another matter.

One question I don't think has been asked is the redoubling being planned to allow future electrification?

In particular it would seem sensible to immunise any new lineside signalling euipment to allow it work with the wires.

The mention of the low bridge above worries me, plus our incredible ability to spoil the ship for a "ha'peth of tar".

Now I know you're going to say electrification is too far ahead, but don't forget signalling equipment has a life of 40 years or more. In fact some manual signalling is probably getting on for a 100 years old, it's only the  relays in the 60s MAS schemes that are getting life expired. Solid state ought to last longer, if not it's easy and cheap to replace.

But even if the siganalling is replaced on electrification and who knows ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) level 3 might be working by then and available straight from the box at competitive prices. The infrastructure changes might as well be to electrification standards it's not going to cost any more. Now is good time to start, the construction industry is desparate for contracts so Networkrail should be able to screw them down to a price on any contract negotiation.

I would tend to say no. It's all part of the stupidity of having so many non standard couplings such that virtually every train has to carry a massive steel bar to couple with any.

The nearest I believe we ever got to a standard coupling allowing you to couple anything to anything and drive from either end was the southern EPB system. With buckeye couplings, air pipes and control jumpers that the Southern perfected in the late sixties whereby you could couple any EPB unit (REPs were restricted), TCs^‡(resolve) some 33 73/4 (but I don't think the 71s) plus I believe the Thumpers DEMU^▸ (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) either end and drive from the front cab. Of course it still required a shunter and there were still incompatible 4 SUBS about although the South Eastern was all EPB (bar 71s). As soon as the SUBS had gone the PEPS (foreunner of 455s) with it's auto coupler arrived.

The Eastern Region was onre of the few regions to fit buckeyes to steam locos for passenger train work coaches especialy for  the corridor tenders.

It's been downhill all the way since even with units with same make of coupling  there are different number of control wires 16X/15X, plus  different size heads which makes coupling difficult. Even buckeyes seem to be different between freight and coaches. Which is why you often see 66s on railtours using the old style screw coupling (loose) although both the loco and coach have buckeyes.

The US standardised the buckeye and air brakes in the early 1900s!

Well said, but then the Ministry of Motoring (DafT) doesn't actually want people to switch to rail as it would mean more investment to cater for the extra passengers.

It couldn't be that flooding is an Act of God and therefore cancellations due to flooding don't count in the performance statistics?

This closure seems like an ideal oportunity for teh pro rail groups in Cornwall to do a little bit of Market Research on why people fly from Newquay to Gatwick.

IF there are going to be 7/8 flights a day form February then even with 50 seat aircrat that's 350/400 seats a day or at least one very full HST^▸ (High Speed Train). The sort of questions I would be asking are

How long does it take from the Newquay Station to Central London Including check in, Gatwick Expreess etc. How long does the through train take.

Where do people who fly come from, do they have a station on the mainline? As they have to drive to Newquay Airport what's the comparable time from their local station to London?

It's obviously cheaper by train given the prices.

This would give them ammunition to challenge FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to provide a faster service from Cornwall perhaps missing out some intermediate stops to directly compete with air. 

The only reason I can see to fly from Newquay to Gatwick, apart from avoiding FGW, is to change at Gatwick for an onward flight. I can't see there being up to 400 people a day from Cornwall wanting to do that.

Of course the major problem is even if a denmand for better faster rail services is found during this research, there isn't the stock available so air will win out over rail.  Pendolinos have virtually killed internal London to Manchester air travel.

A little harsh I think the railways don't help with the complicated fare structure and ticket types.

When you buy a plane ticket or a theartre ticket it is pretty obvious that it is for a particular flight or performance. With plane tickets it usually states if it can be changed and what cost.

Rail sells tickets for anytrain, trains after certain times of day (sometimes with restrictions on return travel  as well) and tickets for particular trains. The latter causing the most trouble, like the post on here about the lady from Manchester who caught the train before after asking staff. With a half hourly service this is likely to happen if the passssenger asks the next train to London assumming theirs is next. It will be interesting to see how Virgin get on with a 20 minute service to Birmingham. After all you don't get a 20 minute service with flights.

Also the differential between the cheapest and anytime tickets is too wide which also exacerbates the problem if someone boards the wrong train.  In many cases you can buy two advanced tickets for conceutative trains cheaper than an anytime ticket, so if you're not sure what train you might catch this could be a cheaper option.

Fraid so, that's why it's much easier to run a freight train.

In theory they are flange greasers designed to grease the inside of the flange where it rubs the rail going round a curve. Inner rail? (I was never much good at forces and vectors)? Thus grease should not get onto the the tread of the wheel or the railhead. There used to be one at Farringdon on the Circle/MET and from what I recall the railhead seemed reasonably clean whilst the inside of the rail had grease all along. I also recall going round from Liverpool Street to Aldgate East when the lubricators weren't working the screech was horrendous.

Yes they are you usually get on the lesser routes a two hourly ICE/IC and a two hourly RE in the the other  hour. So you usually have a choice of an fast comfatable ICE at higher price and no bikes unless it's an IC and a bike carrying RE whch are equally comfortable ( so long as they are locohauled, I'm afraid DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) is subcumming to DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) itis) and on which 5 of you can travel on a Lander ticket for around 30 Euros or 6 Euros each.

Was at Taplow station last night helping the "Community Safety Officer" give out electric timeswirtches to arrivng commuters.

At about 18:45 a very sick HST^▸ (High Speed Train) came through on the Down Main obviously running on one powercar. I understand it expired completely at Didcot.

The interesting thing to observe was the subsequent delays to following trains and the effect ATP^▸ (Automatic Train Protection) has on locking down train speed.  Each of the subsequent trains were very slow approaching Taplow as they had been locked down for a double  or single yellow and although the driver coming through the platform can see the signal had changed up he cannot accelerate as we don't have a signal wire back from the signal and you can't accelerate until you hit the ATP grid at the signal. Whereas without ATP the driver could have started to accelerate on sighting the higher aspect.

DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) LZB high speed signalling system has continuous arials so the train is always running at optimum speed and accelerates and decelerates according to the signal received and not just the aspect of the conventional signals. Thus it alows suitably equiped trains to run faster on exisitng lines which have both LZB and conventional signalling rather than just the high speed lines for which it was designed.

 

Tweaks are a severe case of paddingitis.

Not sure about trains arriving and departing at a terminus at the same time, but when the line from Ruabon to Barmouth via Llangollen the timtable entry for Bala showed you departed before you arrived!