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Amazing scenes at Sheffield today (08/08)

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Mugby

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A freight train, looked like cement tankers for Earles, failed today on the Up line at Nunnery at about mid-day, consequently nothing could enter Sheffield station from the north. The northbound line was apparently unaffected and I managed to get the 12.47 XC service to Newcastle which left on time. Chaos was mounting at Sheffield though and as I headed north, I observed the following:

2 x Northern units standing side by side, main line and loop at Mill Race.
1 Northern unit and 1 TPE Cl.185 side by side main and loop opp. Brightside Jcn.
1 Northern unit standing in the up platform of the old Brightside Station.
1 XC Voyager standing in platform 1 at Meadowhall Station.
1 Northern unit standing in the platform from Barnsley at Meadowhall
1 Northern unit standing between Holmes and Meadowhall
1 XC Voyager standing on the curve at Masborough.

I noted that the 12.03 Brigg line service to Cleethorpes must have been at least 1 hour late (if it ran at all) Some Northern services were cancelled.

Does anyone know what time the failure was reported, how it was cleared and what time?
 
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LowLevel

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It wasn't a failure, it was mis-routed into a bay platform.
 

Mugby

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It wasn't a failure, it was mis-routed into a bay platform.

That's interesting, the last signal before the station has a full theatre route indication and the only bay platforms are 3 and 4 (from the north) so shouldn't the driver have known he was being routed for one of these?

Presumably he had to be given permission to set back behind the signal, not a simple measure considering he would have been pushing the train up the incline at Nunnery, but would it really have taken an hour to execute?
 

Quakkerillo

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That's interesting, the last signal before the station has a full theatre route indication and the only bay platforms are 3 and 4 (from the north) so shouldn't the driver have known he was being routed for one of these?

Presumably he had to be given permission to set back behind the signal, not a simple measure considering he would have been pushing the train up the incline at Nunnery, but would it really have taken an hour to execute?

If you run at the expected line speed to go straight, maybe the braking power isn't big enough for the weight of the train to stop, by the time the driver would've noticed his path was set wrongly. So even if the driver saw the route indication, doesn't mean he was driving at a speed you'd be able to stop in time for that signal.
 

najaB

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That's interesting, the last signal before the station has a full theatre route indication and the only bay platforms are 3 and 4 (from the north) so shouldn't the driver have known he was being routed for one of these?
That signal would have been displaying yellow, which means the previous signal would have been green. As Quakkerillo said, the driver would have passed the green at linespeed (or as close as), so probably would not have been able to stop before the junction signal.
 

ComUtoR

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That signal would have been displaying yellow, which means the previous signal would have been green. As Quakkerillo said, the driver would have passed the green at linespeed (or as close as), so probably would not have been able to stop before the junction signal.

There is sooooo much more to route learning than going linespeed on a green.

I keep telling people that they need to see the expected signals for the route on a typical day. Many many locations check you down when a specific route has been set. If I got a green at some locations I absolutely know that my route has been set incorrectly because I have to be checked down at the junction.

I'm not knocking the Driver because there are a few places where it may indeed be too late to see the indication, especially with freight. However; routes and signals are much much more than running round at linespeed whilst on clear aspects.
 

Minilad

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The report I have seen suggests the driver of the freight train stopped and reported the wrong routing and didn't actually take it. The delays racked up because route would not time out and reset
 

455driver

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That's interesting, the last signal before the station has a full theatre route indication and the only bay platforms are 3 and 4 (from the north) so shouldn't the driver have known he was being routed for one of these?
The driver would have known but would probably have been unable to stop before passing the signal, are you trying to insinuate that it is in some way the drivers fault?
Presumably he had to be given permission to set back behind the signal, not a simple measure considering he would have been pushing the train up the incline at Nunnery, but would it really have taken an hour to execute?

Getting some suit in 'control' to authorise the move would probably take more time than actually carrying out the move, it aint the signallers railway any more!
 

najaB

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There is sooooo much more to route learning than going linespeed on a green.
That's why I included the "or close as" - there are other factors at play. But the point is, as a general point, if a train is misrouted sometimes there's no choice but to accept the route.
 

Mugby

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The driver would have known but would probably have been unable to stop before passing the signal, are you trying to insinuate that it is in some way the drivers fault?

No not at all, the reason I asked was because I believe the linespeed through the station throat is quite low?
 

455driver

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A few questions-
Did the freight actually enter the bay platform?
Did the driver stop after the last signal but well before the entry to the bay platform?
Did the driver swear when he realised where the train had been routed?
 

Mugby

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A few questions-
Did the freight actually enter the bay platform?
Did the driver stop after the last signal but well before the entry to the bay platform?
Did the driver swear when he realised where the train had been routed?

1, No.
2, Yes.
3, Probably.

I did see the engine from the platforms, I believe most freights are routed via Platform 6 and I think (cannot be certain) the driver stopped when he realised he was being switched away from 6.
 

rebmcr

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A few questions-
Did the freight actually enter the bay platform?
Did the driver stop after the last signal but well before the entry to the bay platform?
Did the driver swear when he realised where the train had been routed?

The report I have seen suggests the driver of the freight train stopped and reported the wrong routing and didn't actually take it. The delays racked up because route would not time out and reset

Presumably he was either going slow enough to stop before the feathers, or was checked down by flashing yellows or an approach release at that location?
 

David

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Presumably he was either going slow enough to stop before the feathers, or was checked down by flashing yellows or an approach release at that location?

There's no flashing yellows on the approaches to Sheffield or approach control. I think the problem was the tunnels and curvature of the line from the North that led to the over run, despite the low (15mph IIRC) line speed.
 

Tracked

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Ah, I was on the 11:53 to Doncaster (actual leaving time around 13:00,I'd just got off the Meridian on plat 5, on time afaik) and we were told that it was a freight train that had broken down, it was a 142 from Lincoln & was rammed full, probably not good on a sunny day. It should've gone to Adwick, which would've been useful, but ended up in platform 5 at Doncaster & was going back to Sheff asap.

Someone who got on at Mexborough said they'd been waiting for an hour & a half for a train, and there was a 185 stood at the signals outside Rotherham as we went down the Holmes Chord (our train got held up waiting for a 142 coming up from there!).
 
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