Been going on since the start of the first lockdown AFAIK. Surely this is a better method of working than lodging in hotels and being away from home for 2 days?From RTT, I notice that the up/down Highland sleepers both stopped at Lockerbie at around 0250 this morning "for staffing reasons".
This was presumably for crew exchange. Is this now a regular thing?
Both trains reached their destinations early.
SIMBIDS not fitted between Carlisle and Carstairs, only emergency trailing & facing crossovers requiring Single line working with pilotman (which is what happened last night). Diversion via ECML is not feasible as Container traffic would have an awfully long way round to get to Newcastle. True there's only 1 passenger train, but there's plenty of freight that takes advantage of the relatively quiet railway on a weekday night. Not the least because it's been waiting for 24 hours whilst Lockerbie was shut to recover the stricken pendo.
Are you offering to pay for it?I have, for nearly 40y, been astonished about the lack of any bidirectional facility on the WCML.
I suspect it would long since have paid for itself in reduced disruption.Are you offering to pay for it?
70mph in the wrong direction on that bit, and 85mph between Didcot and Thingley.....I have, for nearly 40y, been astonished about the lack of any bidirectional facility on the WCML.
In particular it seems very common for down direction freight trains to fail on Beattock bank and if it were only provided there it would be a big help.
Regarding SIMBIDS I lived in view of the GW main line at Bathampton Junction during the time SIMBIDS was installed there. My recollection was that it allowed 80mph running in the "wrong" direction.
I have, for nearly 40y, been astonished about the lack of any bidirectional facility on the WCML.
In particular it seems very common for down direction freight trains to fail on Beattock bank and if it were only provided there it would be a big help.
Regarding SIMBIDS I lived in view of the GW main line at Bathampton Junction during the time SIMBIDS was installed there. My recollection was that it allowed 80mph running in the "wrong" direction.
When this section was electrified I suspect BR did not have any money spare at all, and HM Treasury is not in the habit of spending money on a 'just in case' basis. The only alternative would have been to borrow the money to pay for it, and BR was under pressure to reduce the public sector debt. Not to mention that the justification is effectively 'we expect this to go wrong often enough it will save us potential lost revenue', which is not an easy thing to sell to people giving you money.I suspect it would long since have paid for itself in reduced disruption.
A very short-term planned variation (as opposed to a new schedule) - VVR is to VAR as VST is to STP.What is VVR? Never seen that used before.
Learn something new every day, ThanksA very short-term planned variation (as opposed to a new schedule) - VVR is to VAR as VST is to STP.
What is VVR? Never seen that used before.
Still in the loop at Lockerbie as of 1306 this afternoon when I stopped there
If it was in the same clockface schedule then others would have to be held at Barrhead for the same reason.It seems to be a passenger stop as others have stopped there today too.
Thought this section was re-controlled to Cowlairs recently? Presumably without changing the actual signalling on the ground.There is (full?) bi-directional signalling on most of the Trent Valley section (Rugby-Armitage), and between Sandbach and Cheadle Hulme.
No doubt it'll be on the enhancement list when the PSBs north of Crewe are replaced sometime this decade, maybe with ETCS.
Crossovers and not a ideal way to run the service, any delay and you risk being very late, the northbound guard is already on a shift in excess of 11.5 hour shift.Been going on since the start of the first lockdown AFAIK. Surely this is a better method of working than lodging in hotels and being away from home for 2 days?
Same Avanti driver rostered again tonightAnother path in for tonight at the same times as last nights:
Realtime Trains - 5S19 2330 Lockerbie to Carstairs