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31
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All across the Great Western territory / Looking forward - after Coronavirus to 2045 / Re: Growth by 2050
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on: February 28, 2024, 18:47:20
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Come now, Noggin. We don’t encourage optimism and positive comparisons here!  I am pro-rail and do see SOME reason for optimism. However many of the works listed seem to have produced little actual benifits for rail users. The so called electrification of the GWR▸ main line has been hugely disruptive and completion still not within sight. And as for new trains my views are well known, and more importantly not confined to me ! We talk about improving capacity, and yet regard 5 car trains as an improvement over 8 cars. |
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33
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture Overseas / Re: "Keep off the tracks and mind the electrics" - Croatian posters
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on: February 27, 2024, 16:07:17
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The (simulated) urine in that video can be clearly seen falling in drops, with air gaps between them, and not as a solid stream. In my youth, I observed many drunks urinating* on LUL▸ tracks. AFAIK▸ they all survived. The voltage to earth is a bit less than on main line DC▸ electrified routes but still dangerous, about 440 volts to earth on LUL rather than 750 volts to earth on network rail. Both voltages vary. Please do not try it though, just in case. *At Wood Green underground station, when the Great British Beer Festival was held nearby, at Alexandra Palace, about 1978. half a lifetime ago, but I doubt that urine or electrified railways have changed much since then. |
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34
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: £140 million plan to address Paddington - Reading shambles
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on: February 27, 2024, 15:45:32
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What ideas do members think could solve some of the problems in the short and long term.
These are a couple of mine, could trains be drawn up along side one another to take passengers back to where they come from?
if possible could passengers alight at the station platforms at least passengers could make there own way from the station to where ever.
If the problem is between slough and Paddington could half the trains do a shuttle to and from Slough and Paddington,at least you could get a bus/coach to your destination
Long term: extra cross overs?
And require that all new electric trains be fitted with a battery or a diesel engine so as to permit running at much reduced performance when the wires come down, or are otherwise unavailable. When signalling failures render movement impossible then this battery or engine would allow for basic on board services to operate for some hours. Toilets, part lighting, ventilation, public address system etc. |
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36
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: GWR IETs Issue
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on: February 25, 2024, 23:26:16
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Hopefully not every unit will need immediate withdrawal, some might be be allowed to run for months yet.
Some spare stock s available, the ex-TPE▸ stock has already been suggested, and there are still some surviving HSTs▸ stored. mainline passed stock from heritage lines is another possibility. Not adequate but a lot better than nothing.
Building loco hauled coaches is well understood and relatively quick.
The special bi-mode locomotives/power cars would take longer, but in the short term existing diesel locos would be better than nothing.
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38
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: GWR IETs Issue
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on: February 25, 2024, 13:36:42
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Build some more HSTs▸ !
Not of course an exact copy of a near 50 year old design, but something similar in design.
A BIMODE power car or locomotive at each end, no more underfloor bus gin palace engines.
Total train length similar to a 5+5 car IET▸ .
Buffet car, padded seats, tables, luggage space etc.
I had a vague, yet somehow certain feeling that one would come along!  And what exactly is wrong with calling for proper trains to replace IETs ? With the features listed above, and also fixed formation. No flexible train length as flexible means shorter. Before the wretched things were even introduced it was clear that they represented a backward step in comfort and facilities They have now been in service for some years and poor build quality and unreliability are major problems. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: GWR IETs Issue
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on: February 24, 2024, 19:24:07
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Build some more HSTs▸ !
Not of course an exact copy of a near 50 year old design, but something similar in design.
A BIMODE power car or locomotive at each end, no more underfloor bus gin palace engines.
Total train length similar to a 5+5 car IET▸ .
Buffet car, padded seats, tables, luggage space etc.
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Journey by Journey / London to the Cotswolds / Re: 2024 Delays and Cancellations - North Cotswold Line
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on: February 24, 2024, 13:31:21
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Regional or secondary services might well be a better use of IETs▸ as they don't seem up to main line duties, and are a bit too expensive to scrap.
That however requires building some new proper inter city trains foe the main line, and perhaps keeping surviving HSTs▸ for a few more years.
HSTs are not not a long term solution, they are nearly as old as me ! but another few years whilst building something else should be considered.
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44
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Journey by Journey / London to the Cotswolds / Re: 2024 Delays and Cancellations - North Cotswold Line
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on: February 23, 2024, 16:28:14
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It's unfortunate that services were cancelled due to more trains than usual needing repair etc when the weather was already causing so much disruption.
With no end in sight, and worsening availability of IETs▸ , the situation can’t continue. Something needs to change and I can’t see Hitachi making any significant improvements to IET reliability. It should have and would have happened by now. You either start electrifying more GWR▸ routes to alleviate the reliability issues with the diesel engines or you ditch the fleet and bring in an interim solution in the form of the ex- TPE▸ Mk5 stock. They’ll come a point, if it’s not already been reached, where the GWR IET stock is simply too costly to keep running. There’s obviously a maintenance contract currently in place, once that’s up for renewal, is it possible Hitachi could just walk away from it and saddle GWR with all the reliability issues? I very largely agree, though no doubt a few diehard IET supporters will still maintain that IETs are excellent and that the problems lie elsewhere. I have understood correctly, hitachi own and maintain the nasty things and are liable for the extra costs resulting from poor reliability. I do not trust hitachi and strongly suspect that they have better lawyers than do GWR/the UK▸ government and that they have found some way to evade their liabilities. IMHO▸ , the government should take a very much firmer line with hitachi over this failed project. And there should also be a ban on scrapping ANY trains until the railway have enough trains available to run a proper service, not just on this line, but more generally. |
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45
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All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / Re: Health and safety - comparison with Czech Republic
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on: February 17, 2024, 20:20:11
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I feel that some safety rules applied to UK▸ railways are OTT▸ .
In particular the strict rules on fencing railways. I am not convinced that a train is inherently much more dangerous than a bus or an HGV, yet we do not require most roads to be fenced.
A railway with a speed limit of say 30 MPH that is enforced by data recorders and other means is arguably lower risk than a road with little enforcement of a 60 MPH limit.
A railway with a dozen trains a day is arguably lower risk than a road with dozens of vehicles an hour.
Fences along railway lines are not to keep the trains in ! they are to keep children and animals out, therefore the owners of the children or animals should pay for them.
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Yes I agree with you on Broadgauge's piece of false propaganda. 
