2023 - Train update and amendment log - Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[grahame]

As I write, 23 minutes late on its way to Swindon.   Perhaps 15 minutes late (other trains allowing?) on the way back?

20 late into Swindon and with a very smart (3 minute) turn around now running just 8 late from Chippenham.   The London to Weston-super-mare train is a few minutes late so the Westbury service was able to run back out in its path out of Swindon.

[Phil]

I overheard the guard telling an off duty colleague on a later train that the earlier disruption had been due to mainline trains being diverted via the Chippenham/Trowbridge/Westbury route "And I really don't know why they don't just cancel these services altogether, because that would make life so much easier" s/he opined.

I couldn't help but smile sweetly when my ticket was checked and say rather sarcastically "thank you SO much for choosing to stop at Melksham this evening", leaving her looking rather puzzled, as s/he didn't know I'd overheard the conversation.

her or him I mean, sorry. 

[bobm]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 2 between Gloucester and Westbury.

No customer advice offered

Can’t tell for certain but looks like it went through Melksham without stopping.  Presumably because five coaches causes a problem for door operation at the station.

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 2 between Gloucester and Westbury.

No customer advice offered

Can’t tell for certain but looks like it went through Melksham without stopping.  Presumably because five coaches causes a problem for door operation at the station.

Presumably so - though it has been done before.   Daily at Chetnole, Thornford, Avoncliff and Dilton Marsh.   I have seen it within the last couple of weeks at Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon with long top 'n tail Saphos sets.    Is it really a problem at Melksham, or just easier for the people planning and operating the service?

[grahame]

I overheard the guard telling an off duty colleague on a later train that the earlier disruption had been due to mainline trains being diverted via the Chippenham/Trowbridge/Westbury route "And I really don't know why they don't just cancel these services altogether, because that would make life so much easier" s/he opined.

That could be read in two contexts - what did (s)he mean by "altogether".   During times of diversion, the train manager has a case.  Extra stops on a diverted train would make sense on the (should be rare) occasions that it happens.  The two services diverted the other day dropped 15 minutes in one case and 40 minutes in the other so are pretty much out of path anyway - and telling passengers that "we are making the calls on this line because we are replacing the train cancelled to let us through" is saleable,  It happens far too often, though, and the rail industry needs to improve its Berks and Hants robustness.

If "altogether" means not running the Swindon to Westbury service at all, isn't that rather like a turkey voting for Christmas?   "Why are we running a train service here" IS a valid question. and it's where we started in 2005.  There remains a tiny handful of lines / stations where I don't know the answer, spread across the British Isles - none of them local to Wiltshire; the answer to the question is most often "fix the service to be useful", though I grant you there have been recent exceptions at Angel Road, Newhaven Marine and perhaps with the couple of minor stations lost between Darlington and Redcar and on the Wemyss Bay line.

[ChrisB]

I'm guessing that these long-distance crews don't have the route knowledge to stop off-route? And if they do, does the software on board these IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) have the ability/'knowledge' for the stop. Lastly, are there 5/9/10car stop boards at Melksham (I guess they're needed too)

[grahame]

I'm guessing that these long-distance crews don't have the route knowledge to stop off-route? And if they do, does the software on board these IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) have the ability/'knowledge' for the stop. Lastly, are there 5/9/10car stop boards at Melksham (I guess they're needed too)

For the record - service run by 800025 from Gloucester to Westbury, from where it ran empty to Stoke Gifford.  Onward train shown to Salisbury - not sure what ran that.

In answer to your guesses, I add the question "If not, why not".  It's not exactly rare for an IET to come through Melksham ... knocking out a train that should stop there.   There are generic S boards at the end of the platform, and if an IET were to stop there, SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) would allow the doors in the driving car and the second car, as well as the front of the third car, to open.  No different to some other places; Saltash eastbound (my turn to make an educated guess) comes to mind.

[ChrisB]

There are generic S boards at the end of the platform, and if an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were to stop there, SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) would allow the doors in the driving car and the second car, as well as the front of the third car, to open. 

I thought that each station has to be included within the train's software for SDO to operate when stopped at the stop board? Maybe those in the know can advise whether there is a sensor at each door that can ascertain the platform edge & allow the doors to be released? I doubt it, but happy to learn!

So not only do crew need the route knowledge (regularly refreshed too) in order to stop at stations, but the IET software requires the station to be loaded - and my bet their is a cost to both. Quicker, cheaper & easier to put on replacement transport (Yes, and they NEED to do that more often, I agree!), rather than putting all west-country IET crews through refresher route knowledge eery few weeks. That's a big job.

[IndustryInsider]

You can manually open any combination of doors at any time, but these days there has to be a risk assessment and agreed stopping point and door release pattern for 5/9/10 car formations to eliminate the risk of a mistake. Normal style ‘S’ boards aren’t valid for IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) which are square with chevrons around them.

I don’t think Melksham has been added to the database.  With IETs covering more and more regional trains these days, there is even more of a case for it to be added.

Sensors at some stations will help prevent a wrong side door release, but not opening the wrong number of doors…usually the TMS automatically does the job for the driver, though it is their responsibility to confirm that it’s correct.

Any crews that sign the route should also sign the stopping patterns for each station, so if Melksham was added to the database there would be no need for ongoing refreshers.  A one off route briefing advice notice would be issued instead.

[grahame]

Thanks for that - helps fill in my patchy knowledge on the topic.  Might it be logical to include in the database all platforms IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) can pass through in service - so that would add  places link Lydney, Chepstow, Caldicot ... Llanshamlet, Llantwit ... are Bruton, Freshford and Avoncliff in there already?

[IndustryInsider]

Bruton is.  Freshford and Avoncliff aren’t.

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will be diverted between Chippenham and Trowbridge.
It will no longer call at Melksham.
It is being delayed between Chippenham and Trowbridge and is now expected to be 7 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will be diverted between Chippenham and Trowbridge.
It will no longer call at Melksham.
It is being delayed between Chippenham and Trowbridge and is now expected to be 7 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

I smell a porkie


A Porkie is a Pomeranian / Yorkie cross these days

"Fault with the signalling system" indeed - there was a freight train running through Melksham 83 minutes late - supposed to be 05:07 and actually 06:30

[bobm]

I don’t think it is quite as clear cut as that.  The axle counters failed at Thingley shortly after 04:30.  At that point the decision was made to divert the passenger service.   Often we see on Journeycheck that the reason for an alteration is not updated even when circumstances changed. (ie a short form is rectified but the reason still says “due to more trains needing to be repaired than usual”.

When exactly the problem was fixed to allow the freight to run through I don’t know.  However you could have ended up with that blocking the line at Trowbridge and the passenger train at Chippenham so something had to give.  You can’t send a freight to Bathampton and reverse it in the same way as a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit). 

[ChrisB]

"Fault with the signalling system" indeed - there was a freight train running through Melksham 83 minutes late - supposed to be 05:07 and actually 06:30

Yup - and you guessed it - the freight was delayed by a fault with the signalling system.

Journeycheck carries the fault that caused the original problem. Usually.