Snow Service Changes 25/02/18 onwards.

[Graeme]

Light engine Class 37 just gone north past Cramlington, not sure where it's bound for.

 

[furnessvale]

VTEC will be running an hourly service between Edinburgh & Newcastle from 15.30 to 18.30 calling at Berwick and Alnmouth

The last service will be the 20.00 Edinburgh to Newcastle calling at Dunbar, Berwick, Alnmouth and Morpeth

I hope they don't think they can just come back tomorrow morning and still have a railway to run on.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

So I'm currently stuck on the 1556 from Newcastle to Edinburgh. We've been sitting for 30 minutes so far somewhere just outside of Newcastle.

RTT is now showing this service cancelled right the way through to Edinburgh. We have no idea on what on earth is going on, and there's no on train announcements from the train manager either.

 

[Graeme]

So I'm currently stuck on the 1556 from Newcastle to Edinburgh. We've been sitting for 30 minutes so far somewhere just outside of Newcastle.

RTT is now showing this service cancelled right the way through to Edinburgh. We have no idea on what on earth is going on, and there's no on train announcements from the train manager either.

The southbound trains from Edinburgh are running on your northbound line between Berwick and Morpeth. There's one at Pegswood just north of Morpeth so once it clears your side of the tracks you'll be able to proceed. Think of it as temporary traffic lights through roadworks.... There are probably still drifts covering the southbound line in places but these are being dug out manually in places and so using one line only is the only alternative to not running any services at all.

 

[14xxDave]

So I'm currently stuck on the 1556 from Newcastle to Edinburgh. We've been sitting for 30 minutes so far somewhere just outside of Newcastle.

RTT is now showing this service cancelled right the way through to Edinburgh. We have no idea on what on earth is going on, and there's no on train announcements from the train manager either.

Looks like three trains in your area. I assume you are not sat in Morpeth station so you are probably on 1Z45 which is being held because 1Z18 is sitting in Morpeth station with 1Z68 currently facing you before the loops but wrong road. No idea what is going on though. Sorry.

 

[14xxDave]

1Z68 has crossed over so you should be on your way soon.

 

[Kite159]

You would think with the limited SWR timetable today, all the long distance services would be stopping at Clapham, Woking & Basingstoke rather than the more usual skip stopping. Just to try and even out any passenger numbers (i.e. those services to/from Southampton)

 

[PHILIPE]

Vale of Glamorgan re-opened lunchtime for service between Cardiff and Bridgend but now closed again after a huge bank of snow falling onto the line and a freight train getting stuck in it. This route travels through St Athan which had the greatest dump of snow in the U.K., 57 cms

 

[Class 170101]

Staff at Colchester we’re great though. Lots of what info they have being broadcast and visible staff all around. (Might have something to do with the two tv crews there mind )

Funny how both TV crews ended up at the same station. Couldn't they have chosen different ones for variety?

Pain in the backside - send them packing I say.

The thing is, we're hardly Saudi Arabia - England isn't the warmest country in the world.

If we were Saudi Arabia we wouldn't be able to deal with the sandstorms nor the hot temperatures.

GN and GA now say they are resuming normal service for the rest of today, and tomorrow.

So no doubt the snow will really start here now :-/

GA (and probably some of the other operators too) should have run a Saturday service from Tuesday and not even attempted to run a peak service. This will always end in tears as a peak service requires all resources - units and train crew plus associated attaching and detaching of trains, of which the former wasn't exactly a success. GA finally ran such a service on Friday and what I saw seemed to go ok.

 

[AlanFry1]

If we were Saudi Arabia we wouldn't be able to deal with the sandstorms nor the hot temperatures.

We don't cope with the hot temperatures as it is either

 

[CarlSilva]

RAIB might investigate ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43270403

An investigation has been launched after passengers forced their way on to the track from a broken down train.
The incident has been referred to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

 

[embers25]

Nice of SWR to not even hint when trains will run West of Salisbury again. Even if it's going to days surely we at least deserve an update. Weymouth is at least getting updates even if there's no service yet. Justcwonderjng if Monday morning is being too optimistic?

 

[83G/84D]

Cross Country seem to have given up any attempt to run services from Birmingham to Bristol and the south west.Not quite sure why but with improving weather I hope this will change soon as I need to travel from Manchester to Exeter tomorrow.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Nice of SWR to not even hint when trains will run West of Salisbury again. Even if it's going to days surely we at least deserve an update. Weymouth is at least getting updates even if there's no service yet. Justcwonderjng if Monday morning is being too optimistic?

I believe a 9 car 159 got to Yeovil Junction earlier , to split - one portion to get passengers back to Sarum - the other portion to examine the route towards Exeter.

So much going on all over , and therefore tricky to document everything.

 

[ainsworth74]

I had wondered if that would be the case. I suppose 2 big engines (each one in its own nice warm engine room) is a better bet than a few small ones slung under coach bodies. Maybe better capacity than single voyagers too, but those could have run doubled up. I'm very pleased that the old much-abused BR stuff is considered more robust than modern stock.

Considering that in the event none of the HSTs saw use today perhaps the modern stuff isn't that fragile after all

 

[AndrewE]

Considering that in the event none of the HSTs saw use today perhaps the modern stuff isn't that fragile after all

It's looking like it...

 

[MadCommuter]

According to reports on scot-rail.co.uk the snow blower is working its way south from Rutherglen as 7Z09.

 

[embers25]

Cross Country seem to have given up any attempt to run services from Birmingham to Bristol and the south west.Not quite sure why but with improving weather I hope this will change soon as I need to travel from Manchester to Exeter tomorrow.

I believe a 9 car 159 got to Yeovil Junction earlier , to split - one portion to get passengers back to Sarum - the other portion to examine the route towards Exeter.

So much going on all over , and therefore tricky to document everything.

I appreciate the situation. Looking on RTT (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O77117/2018/03/03/advanced) it made it speedily enough back that surely reopening should be a go tomorrow? Guess we'll wait and see.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I appreciate the situation. Looking on RTT (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O77117/2018/03/03/advanced) it made it speedily enough back that surely reopening should be a go tomorrow? Guess we'll wait and see.

Let us hope so ..

 

[theageofthetra]

So I'm currently stuck on the 1556 from Newcastle to Edinburgh. We've been sitting for 30 minutes so far somewhere just outside of Newcastle.

RTT is now showing this service cancelled right the way through to Edinburgh. We have no idea on what on earth is going on, and there's no on train announcements from the train manager either.

Completely unacceptable communication unless PA defective.

 

[BMIFlyer]

It looks like Carlisle to the north will remain closed tomorrow due to snow drifts.

TPE continuing to operate Preston - Man airport only in both directions.

 

[Robertj21a]

Completely unacceptable communication unless PA defective.

I assume he can walk.

 

[route101]

It looks like Carlisle to the north will remain closed tomorrow due to snow drifts.

TPE continuing to operate Preston - Man airport only in both directions.

Them drifts 3m high , are they too big for snowploughs ? Or do they wait for it to melt , that will take ages ? Or shovel by hand?

 

[ainsworth74]

Them drifts 3m high , are they too big for snowploughs ? Or do they wait for it to melt , that will take ages ? Or shovel by hand?

Snow blower territory I'd have thought for something substantial like that?

 

[BMIFlyer]

Them drifts 3m high , are they too big for snowploughs ? Or do they wait for it to melt , that will take ages ? Or shovel by hand?

Feel free to go and shovel by hand if you wish

I've seen photos of the snow. No way are normal trains going to pass through.

Snow blower territory I'd have thought for something substantial like that?

The ploughs are struggling but managing slowly to get through, but then the snow is blown back by the high winds. Virgin will run a limited service to Carlisle tomorrow from the south, rescue in the event of failure will be easier if TPE don't run trains also.

The ECML should be running some trains out of Edinburgh to points south.

 

[MadCommuter]

Snow blower territory I'd have thought for something substantial like that?

Snow blower en route as 7Z09 as reported earlier.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Looks like three trains in your area. I assume you are not sat in Morpeth station so you are probably on 1Z45 which is being held because 1Z18 is sitting in Morpeth station with 1Z68 currently facing you before the loops but wrong road. No idea what is going on though. Sorry.

I was on 1Z18 from Newcastle at 15:56 which got into Edinburgh 36 minutes late at 18:26. David Horne actually tweeted me back to say that a southbound train was on the northbound line going towards Newcastle which is why we were stuck at Morpeth for 40 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, as this was the first service, there was no first class catering, and the food bar had minimal stock. Going past Morpeth and Alnmouth you could clearly see where the plow had shoved all the snow onto the bankings of the tracks.

 

[MadCommuter]

The snowploughs in use are doing a good job, but their design means that snow is pushed to either side of the track it is running on. Road ploughs divert the snow to just one side.

The existing rail ploughs are good for single track, but is there a case for a plough that doesn't push snow on to another running line? Or am I missing something?

 

[PHILIPE]

ATW slightly improved tomorrow and are running trains between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton in paths of Birmingham International paths. West Midland trains don't run along the route on Sundays. Also between Bridgend and Cardiff Cen via SWML.

 

[Highlandspring]

The snowploughs in use are doing a good job, but their design means that snow is pushed to either side of the track it is running on. Road ploughs divert the snow to just one side.

The existing rail ploughs are good for single track, but is there a case for a plough that doesn't push snow on to another running line? Or am I missing something?

You can set the Beilhack patrol ploughs up so they direct everything to the cess like a road plough.