ECML Overhead Line damage this morning (21/05)

ricoblade · 21 May 2019

Anyone seen what caused the overhead line damage between Retford and Newark this morning? We were advised at Retford to either go to Donny and get a service routed via Lincoln or drive to Newark, I bailed, fortunately it was easy to cancel my meeting.

I think in 15-20 years of using the ECML that's only the 2nd time I've had to bail.

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Highlandspring · 21 May 2019

A broken insulator which left the contact wire (the bit the train’s pantograph touches) sagging too low for trains to pass under safely.

tiptoptaff · 21 May 2019

Wires down on the ECML, what a rarity :rolleyes:

I assume it's far too expensive to rewire it with something other than cheesestrings?

Dren Ahmeti · 21 May 2019

Highlandspring said:
A broken insulator which left the contact wire (the bit the train’s pantograph touches) sagging too low for trains to pass under safely.

Too low is an understatement... :!:

High speed coasting is now in effect, section’s over a couple miles.

Mag_seven · 21 May 2019

tiptoptaff said:
Wires down on the ECML, what a rarity

I assume it's far too expensive to rewire it with something other than cheesestrings?

And it always seems to be in the Retford/Newark area.

Monkeyhead · 21 May 2019

Took me 40 mins to get from Northallerton to York, where my train was cancelled. Got on another that got to Donny to have a thunderbird attached and a diversion with no given time into London, but minimum of extra 60 mins. Decided to bail out, 15 mins later said train set off without thunderbird, presumably no longer diverted....... Back to York via Cross Country, and to Northallerton via TPE. Spent the afternoon in the Potting Shed in trying to skype into the meeting I was meant to be in. Something of a wasted day.....

londonmidland · 21 May 2019

1E18 1400 Edinburgh to London Kings Cross has failed in the affected area (neutral section?) causing further disruption.

Not a good day on the ECML and also the WCML following a fatality at Milton Keynes Central.

tsr · 21 May 2019

1E18 now arriving almost 4 hours late into Newark. Suspect passengers will be put on one of the trains stuck in the queue behind.

Glenn1969 · 21 May 2019

It has been diverted to Platform 3 at Newark. 1Y44 and 1Y90 are right behind it and still going to London even though they are heavily delayed. If pax miss those 2 the next is 2205 according to RTT

tsr · 21 May 2019

Glenn1969 said:
It has been diverted to Platform 3 at Newark. 1Y44 and 1Y90 are right behind it and still going to London even though they are heavily delayed. If pax miss those 2 the next is 2205 according to RTT

1Y44 may well terminate at Peterborough judging by TOC deliberations.

Glenn1969 · 21 May 2019

1Y44 is terminating at Peterborouigh. 1Y90 is still going to London and 1E22 was terminated at Doncaster. 1E24 has a 90 minute delay

lincolnshire · 22 May 2019

I was on the second train ( 05-37 from Doncaster ) and we was stopped twice and in total was 2hours 10 mins late into Kings Cross, it was very quiet sat there on the train with the driver busy taking pictures of the pantograph from the bankside. Nothing also passed us going the other way either for along while and the phone and computer gang was getting worried as the sockets had gone off too.
After we had been issued with our 330ml bottle of water we was advised that the doors on the coach ends may need some assistance as we was running short of air in the system. When we did get under way not far away was about 6 guys with long poles looking towards the train on the edge of a field down a farm track what was they doing?
I also returned last night from Kings Cross, 21-00 was cancelled , 21-30 to Leeds had not arrived and 22-00 to Newcastle had also not arrived at 22-00 not an LNER train to be seen in any platform.My train eventually left at 23-30 and arriving back into Doncaster at 01-30 after trying to find a crew for it. Before we left there was a few LNER & a Grand Central arrival,s so how long they had been delayed was anyones guess. Not very handy arriveing into Kings Cross at 23-30 and then going elsewhere at that time of night.
All in all it can only be described as a CRAP day for East Coast Mainline services.How much did this cost Network Rail in train delay payments I wonder? does anyone know ?

Glenn1969 · 22 May 2019

Given that the 2330 KGX- Leeds is showing as having departed Peterborough 36 late but then lost 40 minutes between Newark and Retford they clearly still hadn't solved the problem. That area does have a fair few equipment issues. When is that stretch of the ECML due to be upgraded?

londonmidland · 22 May 2019

I know in some areas they have been converting the troublesome headspans by removing the cross span and headspan wire and placing a boom between the two masts. The registration arms have also been replaced so the wires are independently supported.

td97 · 22 May 2019

Glenn1969 said:
When is that stretch of the ECML due to be upgraded?

By 2020.
https://www.volkerrail.co.uk/en/projects/detail/east-coast-main-line-power-supply-upgrade

The alliance, comprising of Network Rail, VolkerRail, Siemens, J Murphy and Sons, Jacobs and TSP, will construct new substations, install over 600km of new cabling and renew overhead line equipment (OLE) and structures over 246km of the ECML, from Wood Green in London to Bawtry near Doncaster.

ricoblade · 22 May 2019

lincolnshire said:
I was on the second train ( 05-37 from Doncaster ) and we was stopped twice and in total was 2hours 10 mins late into Kings Cross, it was very quiet sat there on the train with the driver busy taking pictures of the pantograph from the bankside. Nothing also passed us going the other way either for along while and the phone and computer gang was getting worried as the sockets had gone off too.
After we had been issued with our 330ml bottle of water we was advised that the doors on the coach ends may need some assistance as we was running short of air in the system. When we did get under way not far away was about 6 guys with long poles looking towards the train on the edge of a field down a farm track what was they doing?
I also returned last night from Kings Cross, 21-00 was cancelled , 21-30 to Leeds had not arrived and 22-00 to Newcastle had also not arrived at 22-00 not an LNER train to be seen in any platform.My train eventually left at 23-30 and arriving back into Doncaster at 01-30 after trying to find a crew for it. Before we left there was a few LNER & a Grand Central arrival,s so how long they had been delayed was anyones guess. Not very handy arriveing into Kings Cross at 23-30 and then going elsewhere at that time of night.
All in all it can only be described as a CRAP day for East Coast Mainline services.How much did this cost Network Rail in train delay payments I wonder? does anyone know ?

Sounds like good job I bailed, I was only thinking that I wouldn't get to London until late morning at the earliest, I hadn't even thought of hassle getting back!

edwin_m · 22 May 2019

londonmidland said:
I know in some areas they have been converting the troublesome headspans by removing the cross span and headspan wire and placing a boom between the two masts. The registration arms have also been replaced so the wires are independently supported.

Newark to Retford is mostly double track with the normal single track cantilevers each side. Headspans are normally only on sections with three or more tracks.

Elecman · 22 May 2019

lincolnshire said:
When we did get under way not far away was about 6 guys with long poles looking towards the train on the edge of a field down a farm track what was they doing ?

Putting up or taking earth straps on/ off the OLE probably

Crossover · 22 May 2019

Glenn1969 said:
Given that the 2330 KGX- Leeds is showing as having departed Peterborough 36 late but then lost 40 minutes between Newark and Retford they clearly still hadn't solved the problem. That area does have a fair few equipment issues. When is that stretch of the ECML due to be upgraded?

That service is a booked HST (to allow it to do the diversions around Knottingley). I highly suspect the 2330 KGX - LDS ran to Newark and then diverted to Doncaster via Lincoln(?) to avoid the affected area. I would further presuppose that it ran via Wakefield Westgate on departure from Doncaster

lincolnshire · 24 May 2019

Elecman said:
Putting up or taking earth straps on/ off the OLE probably

Having been out with the OHL staff putting on earth straps , they didn.t look to be them poles and they was also all in cars and no one in Orange overalls so they wouldn,t be going on the track.
Was they LNER staff making sure that the cause was not there pantograph? by taking pictures to prove it was not them as there would be some very large payments to be paid out that day for train delays to the companies affected and then to the passengers also affected.

D365 · 24 May 2019

I didn't even have to look at the thread to know this would be a Retford problem...

ECML Overhead Line damage this morning (21/05)

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