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Super Guard
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« on: July 13, 2013, 12:54:52 » |
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Others will probably know more, but just as I finished yesterday afternoon, there were messages going out that there was a total loss of signalling affecting the Swindon area, with HSS▸ services being diverted via the B&H▸ route and no services between Chippenham & Didcot Parkway.
It was suspected a line-side fire near Kemble affecting 90meters of cabling might have been to blame, with severe disruption ongoing for Friday afternoon peak.
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Jason
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« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2013, 09:26:23 » |
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It was suspected a line-side fire near Kemble affecting 90meters of cabling might have been to blame
The monitors beneath the main departure boards at Paddington on Friday ~17:15 were showing a picture also posted on twitter of some burned out line-side cabling. I don't have access to it here to be able to repost it. |
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JayMac
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« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2013, 14:30:46 » |
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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TonyK
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« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2013, 17:01:23 » |
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With the whole lineside being tinder-dry, it's amazing this has only happened once.
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2013, 17:06:50 » |
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With the whole lineside being tinder-dry, it's amazing this has only happened once.
...which makes me wonder why the cables aren't better protected - or am I (as usual) being naive? |
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Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
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JayMac
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« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2013, 17:14:24 » |
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I guess you can only protect from so many eventualities. Should Network Rail be looking to mitigate against fire damage encroaching from off railway property? To do so across the network would be, I'm guessing, prohibitively expensive.
Like a lot of 3rd party problems that affect the rail network, it's a margin call. Spend oodles protecting against a freak event? Or manage the problem when one of those freak events occur?
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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TonyK
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« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2013, 18:15:44 » |
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I guess you can only protect from so many eventualities.
Agreed. It isn't likely to happen often enough to merit spending a huge pile of cash. |
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bobm
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« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2013, 18:51:06 » |
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I guess you can only protect from so many eventualities.
Agreed. It isn't likely to happen often enough to merit spending a huge pile of cash. I also agree. However I am also a little concerned that damage to a cable run at Kemble (on the line between Swindon and Gloucester) affected signalling from Didcot to Chippenham which prevented not only services from London to Bristol but also to South Wales. There must be some very strange cable routings.... |
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TonyK
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« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2013, 20:12:50 » |
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I am thinking that at some point in the not very distant future, the idea of electric cables being used to convey vital information from signaller to signal will be see in much the same way as semaphore signalling is today - quaint, surprisingly robust and reliable, but with far too many parts, and far too much human interaction. The future probably will involve GPS and the biggest WiFi network ever dreamt of.
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JayMac
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« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2013, 20:22:48 » |
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Reports say the cable damage occurred near B&Q in Swindon. That's a few hundred yards down the Golden Valley line from its junction with the GWML▸ at Swindon.
So, yes, on the face of it it does seem odd that that the whole FGW▸ network fell down that afternoon. One can only assume that initial prognosis affected the junction at Swindon and the GWML in the Swindon area, thus knocking out all services through Swindon. Without being in Swindon Panel at the time we can but speculate. Although I think it's safe to say they didn't deliberately shut the GWML.
Fail safe is the maxim so better safe than sorry perhaps.
Knock on delays affected me that day, but I'm philosophical.
Less tolerant however about the dire First Bus services in Somerset I was exposed to that day. Taunton, once the heart of Southern National following deregulation, is slowly becoming a desert with regard to country bus services. Those that remain are terrible time keepers operated by hand-me-down buses that should be on the scrap heap.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Electric train
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« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2013, 20:41:58 » |
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Bad bad bad boys who used ridgiduct so close to the surface, the use of this in the Southern Routes for electrification and plant cabling is prohibited on or near the surface. The type of plastic used does not self extinguish when it get a light as its meant to be buried.
Even cables in concrete troughs do not always survive lineside fires. Its easy to say why don't Network Rail cut down the vegetation around cable routes .......... do you have any idea how many ten's of thousands of miles or cabling there is, folks jump up and down when NR» disturbs natural habitat, the biggest reason the travelling public just not willing to pay the cost of clearing all the veg around cable routes
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Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
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TonyK
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« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2013, 20:48:41 » |
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Less tolerant however about the dire First Bus services in Somerset I was exposed to that day. Taunton, once the heart of Southern National following deregulation, is slowly becoming a desert with regard to country bus services. Those that remain are terrible time keepers operated by hand-me-down buses that should be on the scrap heap.
I think that is way of the future, sadly. On the signal failure, you would think that B & Q would have had a bit of twin-and-earth at a reasonably price. |
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bobm
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« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2013, 20:57:06 » |
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Knock on delays affected me that day, but I'm philosophical.
Me too - but I had a lovely journey from Reading to Swindon via Newbury, Trowbridge and Bath Spa! |
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TonyK
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« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2013, 21:47:59 » |
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Me too - but I had a lovely journey from Reading to Swindon via Newbury, Trowbridge and Bath Spa!
That stirs a memory of a Monday some years back when I had to attend a meeting in London, starting then at Parkway. On such occasions, I always booked a seat in the carriage behind the restaurant car, knowing that I would get free coffee and croissants. An announcement told me that because of over-running engineering works, I could get the train before and arrive 10 minutes late. But no coffee. Or I could get the train I booked on, guzzle free coffee and pastries, but be in Paddington an hour late. No contest. I decided that if I was indispensable to the committee, they would wait. If I was not, they would start without me. Then as the train pulled in, I saw the chair of the group in coach A, looking stressed, so I knew I was in the clear. We reversed to Dr Day's Junction, then embarked on the most wonderful railway tour, via Trowbridge, Westbury, Newbury etc. People pay good money for that sort of tour, and I was only disappointed when the journey home went to plan. |
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trainer
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« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2013, 22:35:23 » |
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One of the delights of Sunday engineering on the GW▸ main line some years was the regular ramble around the Avon and Kennet Valleys when my company was paying the fare (I paid the 1st Weekend upgrade). I had all day, so was able to sit back and savour the scenery at off peak prices. However, the return the following Friday was full price, full trains and full-on hassle. I feel for those who just want to get home and not have a magical mystery tour.
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