Network Rail Train Rescue

[ChristopherJ]

NR finally making some progress towards train rescues. No adapter couplers or 'back to depot at 5mph' s**te.

[youtube]8XgKt9fpX-k[/youtube]

 

[tsr]

I'm glad someone managed to get some videos of that. Sadly, I heard it but did not see it.

Many a time have I been on 377146 and felt it needed to become LHCS!

 

[Aictos]

The 377s in use with Southern use the same Dellner coupling system as the Network Rail Class 57s anyway as do South West Train's Desiros; my only comment is that if say a class 450 fails at Woking and a Class 444 sent to rescue it fails as well upon coupling, would Network Rail be dispatching a Class 57 to haul the trains out of the way so a service can be resumed asap?

 

[455/8]

The 377s in use with Southern use the same Dellner coupling system as the Network Rail Class 57s anyway as do South West Train's Desiros; my only comment is that if say a class 450 fails at Woking and a Class 444 sent to rescue it fails as well upon coupling, would Network Rail be dispatching a Class 57 to haul the trains out of the way so a service can be resumed asap?

I don't see why Network Rail would be responsable to recover a failed train unless it was one of their own, I thought that part of the franchise agreement the TOC/FOC was responsable since they run the service and maintain the stock, if a Desiro fails on the SWT network there's always another Desiro about to provide assistance to rescue the failed unit and as all drivers are trained to deal with both failures and assistance proceedures this doesn't really make sense?? even if a 455 or 458 fail they can currently assist each other.

Is this different on Southern and Network Rail assist the trains or will Network rail be like the AA for trains in the near future??

 

[Aictos]

I don't see why Network Rail would be responsable to recover a failed train unless it was one of their own, I thought that part of the franchise agreement the TOC/FOC was responsable since they run the service and maintain the stock, if a Desiro fails on the SWT network there's always another Desiro about to provide assistance to rescue the failed unit and as all drivers are trained to deal with both failures and assistance proceedures this doesn't really make sense?? even if a 455 or 458 fail they can currently assist each other.

Is this different on Southern and Network Rail assist the trains or will Network rail be like the AA for trains in the near future??

I mean like the hassle in the Portsmouth area this week, a Desiro decided to break down so another Desiro was sent to rescue it only for the fault on the initial Desiro to be transferred to the thunderbird Desiro - wouldn't it have been quicker for South West Trains upon learning that the second train had also failed for them to ask Network Rail if they could assist with a Class 57 if possible?

 

[455/8]

That's all down to the route controllers, SWT and Network Rail work together in the WICC at waterloo and they decide how a train is to be recovered or not as the case may be, most of the time they just get the next driver to assist the failed train and recover it to the nearest depot/siding unit they can move it to a maintenance depot later on

When SWT had their Class 73 EDs Siemens offered to fit them with Dellner couplers in place of the drop head buckeye's but said they wouldnt need to use them because the Desiro's would be ultra reliable, however if a unit does fail then no matter what another unit can be used in place of a loco to recover the train, so SWT didn't bother and eventually got rid of the 73s.

 

[bronzeonion]

Modern 4TC + Class 33? :P

 

[GB]

I mean like the hassle in the Portsmouth area this week, a Desiro decided to break down so another Desiro was sent to rescue it only for the fault on the initial Desiro to be transferred to the thunderbird Desiro - wouldn't it have been quicker for South West Trains upon learning that the second train had also failed for them to ask Network Rail if they could assist with a Class 57 if possible?

A thunderbird loco was offered to assist from Redhill, but the offer was declined. By the time the assisting Desiro came to grief the electrical supply problem was well in effect (pretty sure the two issues were related) so would have been impracticable to get the loco down there.

Network Rail do step in if required to recover a failed train and any associated costs get passed onto the responsible TOC/FOC, also other companies usually offer a loco and/or crew to help if they can.

 

[455/8]

Network Rail do step in if required to recover a failed train and any associated costs get passed onto the responsible TOC/FOC, also other companies usually offer a loco and/or crew to help if they can.

Huh...well I never knew that Network Rail can step in to recover failed trains as a driver they don't tell you that on training, we get taught what to do incase of a failure and if we are to assist or be assisted but each time it's by another train for the same TOC. It makes sense that they would but I didn't think they had stock locally that could assist, you learn somthing new every day

 

[swt_passenger]

It makes sense that they would but I didn't think they had stock locally that could assist, you learn somthing new every day

These 57s (at least with modified couplers to fit 377s etc) have only become available to NR very recently. So I don't think your training was necessarily at fault.

IIRC all the initial NR publicity was about the 57s being prepositioned in the winter to deal with snow and ice issues - all year round availability as 'SR thunderbirds' wasn't mentioned.