Bourne End to Marlow disruption

A fault with the signalling system between Bourne End and Marlow means that trains will be unable to run between these stations until at least the end of service.

Replacement road transport will run between Bourne End and Marlow.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/178619.aspx

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This route is often used by families with buggies. Will they be able to use the replacement buses?

Someone's lost the token?

GodAtum said:

This route is often used by families with buggies. Will they be able to use the replacement buses?

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Given that (per Google maps) it takes something between 11 and 15 minutes to drive from Bourne End station to Marlow station, and that the scheduled trainservice is hourly, it looks to me as if there will be plenty of time at each end. So even if a coach is used rather than a low floor bus there will be time for a helpful bus driver to load buggies into the coach.

So yes, I expect that in practice everyone will be able to use the RRB.

Fawkes Cat said:

Given that (per Google maps) it takes something between 11 and 15 minutes to drive from Bourne End station to Marlow station, and that the scheduled trainservice is hourly, it looks to me as if there will be plenty of time at each end. So even if a coach is used rather than a low floor bus there will be time for a helpful bus driver to load buggies into the coach.

So yes, I expect that in practice everyone will be able to use the RRB.

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Maybe the local rail user group might campaign to keep the bus!

James H said:

Someone's lost the token?

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Word on the street was that it was a failure of one of the token machines, requiring the sourcing of a replacement.

Strictly the Bourne End-Marlow branch is worked by a train staff not a token, and there is only one. The Maidenhead-Bourne End section is worked by electric token which (I believe) is used to unlock the ground frame at Bourne End for access into the Marlow-facing bay. By that means, a 2-car unit can be locked into the Marlow branch and provide a shuttle, whilst a larger unit makes peak-hour runs on the busier Maidenhead section, also allowing the peak frequency to be doubled to 30-mins.

GodAtum said:

This route is often used by families with buggies. Will they be able to use the replacement buses?

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I'm not sure what you think a bus is but from what I've experienced they're quite able to convey a buggy with accompanying family, they do it daily believe it or not. Unless I am missing something?

This may be a silly question, as I am not a railwayman, but why should the line be closed due to this problem? Would it not be possible to manually unlock the ground frame, and when the train was on the branch give the driver an old fashioned physical staff (even a printed permit) to run the shuttle?

CyrusWuff said:

Word on the street was that it was a failure of one of the token machines, requiring the sourcing of a replacement.

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If it's a good old Western Region key token machine (quite likely) then it was always quite straightforward to get a second token out if one was lost, stuck, bent, whatever. The old scissors-like mechanical token exchange apparatus mounted on the side of the 63xx on the Taunton-Barnstaple line had an occasional habit of ker-twanging the token at speed in a parabola off into the trackside, sometimes to be found, sometimes not. There was a procedure for it, of course, but to save delay the lock on the token machine could be opened to get another one out. The signalman was not issued with the key, but the poker from the signalbox stove always fitted fine. The same procedure was used on quiet Sunday mornings to get all the tokens out and give them a polish.

Is the problem that there aren't stoves provided any more?

Bookd said:

This may be a silly question, as I am not a railwayman, but why should the line be closed due to this problem? Would it not be possible to manually unlock the ground frame, and when the train was on the branch give the driver an old fashioned physical staff (even a printed permit) to run the shuttle?

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You can institute pilotman working or modified working arrangements depending on local instructions but I suppose the question is whether it's worth having a member of staff stuck doing such a job to provide a short distance shuttle service when they probably have other things to do.