Feltham Problems?

[Oracle]

I once went from Hounslow West by car to Feltham, thence by train to Twickenham and finally walked to the ground. I suppose now I might take the tube to Hatton X and then a bus to Feltham.

Re:

It's also a small mercy that there is still bi-directional working through Feltham.

How far does this run from/to please? Hounslow Junction to Staines sidings?

 

[SWT Driver]

There's NO Bi-Di working at Feltham.

 

[SquirrelJunction]

I did not think so either SWT Driver.

I take it they are using the crossover on the London side of the station as a shunt neck?

 

[Helvellyn]

Does anyone know why they are using only single 450s on the Weybridge to Staines shuttle (at least every one I have seen so far has been only a single)? On each journey I have made the train has been packed. Indeed the 09:03 from Weybridge yesterday was almost overflowing because the 8:28 arrival from London had missed the 8:33. Even so, the automated announcement was urging passengers to move forward in the train for the short platform at Chertsey so it clearly thought it was an 8-car train.

Well apart from the SDO at Chertsey you've also SDO at Virginia Water in the Up direction. I'd imagine a lot of passengers for stations towards Reading will be changing at Virginia Water, so it'd be a nightmare trying to get everyone out of the back four into the front four to alight there. How full are these 4-cars between Virgina Water and Staines?

Now imagine if the Sheppy branch had been built, as intended, to connect to the Weybridge-Virginia Water route near Addlestone. You'd have a nice divisionary route, especially if the Western curve at Virginia Water was still in place!

 

[beachyboy]

There's NO Bi-Di working at Feltham.

My apologies for my faux pas and ignorance there, SWT Driver- I should be ashamed of myself since my grandfather was, as I said, a driver! As a mere passenger and partial rail anorak these days, I think I was using the wrong terminology- I meant crossover, didn't I? I trust I'm forgiven in my ignorance.

Anyway, trains have frequently terminated at Feltham and returned over to the 'down' platform (2) during 'routine' engineering works in the past, so obviously it's not something the area is unfamiliar with. Indeed, I'm sure I remember dividing taking place at Feltham rather than Staines in the sixties, but that's another topic entirely.

There is, by the way, a pedestrian track crossing for staff between the SWT office/NR signalling centre, and the down platform, underneath the road bridge (not the affected one) that carries the A244 above the station. Probably very much used at the moment- and you should see how much busier the car park of the SWT office is too, though public car parking in the small car park by the original station entrance on the down side seems to have been suspended to allow for the bustitutions.

As to the local road closures, well I knew that London Road in Twickenham- the A310 road outside the station- often had curtailed bus services on match days, but as far as I know, buses still run through Twickenham town centre, i.e. Heath Road and King Street and then at 'Twickenham [ road ] Junction' by Barclays Bank, buses still turn into Richmond Road heading for East Twickenham, St Margaret's and Richmond.

So there should be nothing stopping a bus service at least as far as Central Twickenham- if there was a safe turning point. Could not Marble Hill Park or York House have been used? The main road closures affect the area around Whitton and Isleworth, so I could understand difficulties there, but I still think bus travel, whether by SWT replacements or TfL buses should be possible to Twickers on Saturday.

 

[Capybara]

Well apart from the SDO at Chertsey you've also SDO at Virginia Water in the Up direction. I'd imagine a lot of passengers for stations towards Reading will be changing at Virginia Water, so it'd be a nightmare trying to get everyone out of the back four into the front four to alight there. How full are these 4-cars between Virgina Water and Staines?

Now imagine if the Sheppy branch had been built, as intended, to connect to the Weybridge-Virginia Water route near Addlestone. You'd have a nice divisionary route, especially if the Western curve at Virginia Water was still in place!

Yes, that had crossed my mind. I suspect the cars aren't that full between Virginia Water and Staines. Perhaps if they restricted the service to a four-car shuttle between Weybridge and Virginia Water they could run a fifteen-minute service during the disruption. Given that there are four trains an hour from Weybridge to Waterloo (and the present service nicely just misses the fast train) that would spread the load into Waterloo. It would also avoid the situation like the other morning where the 08:28 into Weybridge from Waterloo was late meaning that the passengers on that train, the 08:41 and the 08:58 all had to cram onto the 09:03. Even in normal times if the train from Waterloo is only slightly late it can be a bit of a struggle to cross the bridge and catch the train to Addlestone and beyond given the width of the footbridge, the numbers of passengers crossing and the speed at which exiting passengers can get through the automatic gates.

Now you are going to tell me that reversing at Virginia Water would be a problem.

 

[DepotCat]

A better quality photo:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/additional_info/Feltham_Bridge_Nov09.JPG

 

[Helvellyn]

Now you are going to tell me that reversing at Virginia Water would be a problem.

I believe it would. You can start services back to Waterloo from platform 4 (the down Chertsey platform), but I don't believe there is a crossover that you could use between Virginia Water and Chertsey.


Anyway, it should all be academical come Monday morning. The deviation will be open at Feltham, with a 20 mph TSR for all trains. Both tracks are being diverted for approx 300 yards, and track laying will take place tomorrow, with final tamping Sunday a.m. Signalling and conductor rail should be wired up during Sunday, and testing in the evening.

 

[SWT Driver]

I believe it would. You can start services back to Waterloo from platform 4 (the down Chertsey platform), but I don't believe there is a crossover that you could use between Virginia Water and Chertsey.


Anyway, it should all be academical come Monday morning. The deviation will be open at Feltham, with a 20 mph TSR for all trains. Both tracks are being diverted for approx 300 yards, and track laying will take place tomorrow, with final tamping Sunday a.m. Signalling and conductor rail should be wired up during Sunday, and testing in the evening.

And with NR's reputation & the electrics going BANG on Monday morning!

Let's hope they don't do what they did at Witley and lay one of the power cables over the running rails, only for it to be cut by the first up Pompey with a flash & large shower of sparks!

 

[royaloak]

And with NR's reputation & the electrics going BANG on Monday morning!

Let's hope they don't do what they did at Witley and lay one of the power cables over the running rails, only for it to be cut by the first up Pompey with a flash & large shower of sparks!

That would be the cause of Tuesdays "entertainment" would it? it was even better when Shawford came out in sympathy!

 

[Old Timer]

CRIKEY!

Certainly looks more towards maintenance than weather casued...by the looks of it, the weather just gave it the final push and well...end result

But me thinks this is definatly more a cause of track crucifying tanks...sorry desiros combined with good old fashioned victorian architecture / engineering more than anything...

Now...Malahide Reopend today...Shall we take bets anyone on how long this takes? 1 month? 2 months? malahides 3?

Oh cannot blame maintenance, Old Chap, after all NR tell us it has been a roaring success since taking it back in house from we "unsafe" and "expensive" Contractors.

Shame that the truth is that maintenance is worse, costs more, and NR are having more derailments and incidents than happened under the IMC regime.

Still, if NR say things are better then they must be, obviously ignoring (to name just a few) Northallerton, Gateshead, Liverpool Central, Waterloo, Ely, Grayrigg, Washwood Heath, etc, etc, etc.......

 

[Hydro]

Oh cannot blame maintenance, Old Chap, after all NR tell us it has been a roaring success since taking it back in house from we "unsafe" and "expensive" Contractors.

Shame that the truth is that maintenance is worse, costs more, and NR are having more derailments and incidents than happened under the IMC regime.

Still, if NR say things are better then they must be, obviously ignoring (to name just a few) Northallerton, Gateshead, Liverpool Central, Waterloo, Ely, Grayrigg, Washwood Heath, etc, etc, etc.......

Too busy totting up "productivity" and "safety league table position" graphs than to actually busy ourselves with the running of the railway, I'm afraid. Things must be prioritised, chap

Worry not though, with this latest reorganisation we shall be better placed to respond to the needs of the railway. Top personnel at the upper echelons of Network Rail have formulated a plan thus, using this simple mathmatical equation:

7dayrailway+(more freight+more passengers)-1500maintenancestaff=workingrailway

To paraphrase Blackadder Goes Forth: "There was, however, one tiny thing wrong with the plan" "What was that?" "It was bollocks."

 

[Old Timer]

It seems at some point the Railway will end up in the same way as did Cpt Blackadder, Cpt Darling, Ltn George, and Cpl Bladrick in the final episode.

I have been working with different Railway administrations for a while now, and can see immense differences in approach and management. Why for example can the Dutch operate their system with a much smaller organisation than NR, whilst getting so much more benefit?

Well one reason is that they work WITH their Infrastructure Contractors, and do not have the same bureacratic Projects organisation staffed by those who were found to be "not suitable" by the Infrastructure Contactors.

 

[GB]

If I didnt know any better OT Id say you had shares with the Dutch tourism board!

 

[Old Timer]

Maybe I should buy some, then again I would have to declare an interest, wouldn't I

 

[Helvellyn]

Maybe I should buy some, then again I would have to declare an interest, wouldn't I

You could go Dutch on any profits you all make...

[/COAT]

 

[GuardSWT]

SWT confirm that "A normal train service will resume on Monday 23 November."

Following extensive flood damage to a river bridge in the Feltham area, Network Rail engineers have worked hard to provide a solution which will allow a normal train service to operate at start of service on Monday 23 November.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/engineeringwork.aspx#sa1c9e4a1d1349548b8faaad06961215

that was quick, let's see how long it takes for this to fail

 

[beachyboy]

SWT confirm that "A normal train service will resume on Monday 23 November."

What, normal as in including all freight workings, plus the scheduled passenger services- with a 20mph TSR? Surely there must be some 'minor delays' of at least a minute or two, maybe more? OK, as the affected stretch of line is approaching Feltham westbound, and near Feltham Junction Eastbourne, maybe rolling stock isn't normally doing much more than that anyway at this point, but surely the speed reduction must have some effect?

In any event, if the fix holds (and there's been plenty more rain though nowhere near the scale, mercifully, of Cumbria), the bosses of The Centre, Feltham, will be heaving a sigh of relief for Tuesday. Feltham will be unveiling the first ever permanent memorial in the UK to Freddie Mercury on the 18th anniversary of his death. At least the hundreds - possibly even thousands- of fans of the late Queen frontman will be able to make it to the town on the rails unhindered this week.

Personally, as a Feltham resident, I must admit though I don't have any particular need to travel east by train tomorrow, I'd love to satisfy my curiosity with a short ride to Hounslow, Twickers or Whitton!

 

[SWT Driver]

All they've done is slewed the lines over to the down side, to allow the bridge to either be repaired or replaced, once that's done then the lines will be restored to their proper alignment.

 

[Mr. Neutron]

I think the bridge is part of the original 1848 bridge. I grew up in this area and have been through the tunnels. The tunnels were built to the south of it when Feltham marshalling yard was built during the First World War.

When I was doing my civil engineering degree many years ago, I saw a scale model in the labs of I think Kingston Bridge and the effects of scouring action on the foundations caused by the River Thames.

Looking at the photos, the eddy formations around the abutments cause scouring action and it looks like the north east abutment has subsided, cracked causing the brickwork to come under tension causing it to fail.

These bridges are only as strong as long as the abutments do not move, and in fact the brickwork is only held in compression with lime mortar.

The problem with the River Crane is that like most London rivers they take all the surface run off, and as London becomes more concreted over has to take more flow than in could say 150 years ago.

I think that luckily no train accident happened, things could have been far worse.

 

[astraboy]

Personally, as a Feltham resident, I must admit though I don't have any particular need to travel east by train tomorrow, I'd love to satisfy my curiosity with a short ride to Hounslow, Twickers or Whitton!

I'm a regular on that line and I'm waiting with baited breath to see how I get on tomorrow. I'll take some pics if I'm near a window.

It has to be better than last week though (my personal best was a 2 1/2 hour journey home when usually it takes around an hour) so hopefully I will be able to catch up on all the sleep I lost last week having to get up early and getting home late.

One thing I wont be doing is sending anymore emails to customer relations. I got a bit shouty in the last one I sent and they've forwarded it onto security and the BTP:roll:

If they cant take a joke, they shouldnt run one for a service.
astraboy.

 

[Old Timer]

...One thing I wont be doing is sending anymore emails to customer relations. I got a bit shouty in the last one I sent and they've forwarded it onto security and the BTP:roll:

If they cant take a joke, they shouldnt run one for a service.
astraboy.

Just as well it was not the Civil Police otherwise you would have had a full dawn raid with armed Police, and the local streets sealed off.

Might be worth not travelling on the Underground for a few weeks though.....just in case ?

 

[SWT Driver]

I know I shouldn't say this but; It's a pity the Star Trek phaser isn't a reality to deal with muppets like that.

SWT made all of the relevant & travel options information available to you, so you can't say you weren't informed, the local radio stations also broadcast the information, so again you can't say you weren't informed.

SWT made all of the necessary alterations so that anyone who wanted Ascot-Reading Staines-Windsor had numerous options of either travelling via Paddington & Reading or via Woking, Ash Vale & Camberley, via Guildford & Blackwater to Wokingham and "Reading Stations", you could have even gone to Basingstoke & up to Reading if you wanted to.

But no, you carried on like a lost sheep. Well, you got a 2.5 hr journey for not checking your options. At least you got home, good grief the next thing you'll want for the price of your ticket will be to have your backside wiped as well.

 

[astraboy]

Well, you got a 2.5 hr journey for not checking your options. At least you got home, good grief the next thing you'll want for the price of your ticket will be to have your backside wiped as well.

No mate, I got a 2.5 hour journey home because when my train pulled into weybridge, the train dispatch man on platform one took one look at us, then waved the waiting train on its way, leaving us on the platform for 1/2 an hour till the next one turned up. That tee'd me off a little bit, especially when it waits for 5 minutes at Virginia Water.

Also, for the price I pay for my annual ticket, I wouldnt feel I was overstepping the mark to demand a hand job every morning.
astraboy.

 

[royaloak]

Also, for the price I pay for my annual ticket, I wouldnt feel I was overstepping the mark to demand a hand job every morning.
astraboy.

With an attitude like that I can see you getting along swimmingly with the rail staff on here.

 

[Helvellyn]

Also, for the price I pay for my annual ticket, I wouldnt feel I was overstepping the mark to demand a hand job every morning.
astraboy.

I don't think giving our passengers the best service they've ever had quite extends to that. Even if it did, it'd be the presentation staff at Wimbledon Park I'd feel sorry for!

 

[SWT Driver]

An unfortunate upshot of privatisation is that SWT & every other TOC get hammered for delay minutes, so every minute counts, so if your train rolls in at the same time as the other is due to depart that's called tough luck, you've missed it.

We're NOT waiting for you or anyone else, because we get an irate manager kicking our butts for causing delay minutes.

I also think it's entirely inappropriate to ask for a sexual pleasuring for the price of a ticket, in particular on a internet forum.

 

[DepotCat]

Network Rail have issued some information with a picture..{A larger one can be downloaded}..of the work:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=4827&NewsAreaID=2&SearchCategoryID=8

 

[Old Timer]

Also, for the price I pay for my annual ticket, I wouldnt feel I was overstepping the mark to demand a hand job every morning.
astraboy.

What does the preferred man think to this suggestion ?

 

[Oracle]

I am gobsmacked that Frederick Bulsara and his family lived in Gladstone Avenue! They apparently moved in in 1964 and Mrs B worked at M&S in Hounslow. We used to live in the next road and I wonder whether I must have seen them before we moved away? We moved to Hounslow, and therefore away from the SR. From then on it was the Piccadilly Line for us to get to London. I therefore lost track (what a pun!) of the winding-down and closure of the Marshalling Yard, a portion of which of course has been taken-up by the slewed track.