WCML overhead wire problems 22 July 2019

QueensCurve · 22 Jul 2019

Anyone have any information on the chaos on the WCML today 1Z44 0955 Preston to Edinburgh appears to have been stuck since 1000 and nothing has passed in the down direction since.

RailUK Forums

JBuchananGB · 22 Jul 2019

National Rail enquiries says
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/226721.aspx

All lines have reopened following damage to the overhead electric wires between Preston and Lancaster.

We anticipate major disruption to services will continue until 18:00.

underbank · 22 Jul 2019

Points failure now at Preston so everything's stopped again.

Mag_seven · 22 Jul 2019

QueensCurve said:
1Z44 0955 Preston to Edinburgh

When you click on that link, the following message gets returned from RTT:

Hello!

It appears that you took a wrong route back at Croxley Green Jn, as the rails to this page don't appear to exist anymore. Just in case there was meant to be a page here, we've told the permanent way team and they'll have a look into it.

LNW-GW Joint · 22 Jul 2019

All a bit chaotic today.
A train (LNWR?) was also stuck at Coseley forcing diversions via Bescot.
Various cancellations and turning short.

Virgin are still saying no services northbound north of Preston for the rest of the day.
Southbound "unaffected" but that can't really be true, can it?

underbank · 22 Jul 2019

LNW-GW Joint said:
Southbound "unaffected" but that can't really be true, can it?

No, there's currently a queue, some running 2.5 hours late still waiting to get into Preston, and several were cancelled and turned at Lancaster earlier.

Plenty of pictures on social media showing huge queues at Preston and Lancaster with people waiting for replacement buses.

QueensCurve · 22 Jul 2019

Mag_seven said:
When you click on that link, the following message gets returned from RTT:

Should have been http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/S02166/2019/07/22/advanced.

This now comes up as "cancelled throughout". The actual set seems to have become 5Z44.

Randomer · 22 Jul 2019

Preston still rammed as of 1700. Going northbound is fun with passengers being directed to next available north bound service.

Big displacement of train crew. A fun conversation overheard along the lines of have you got a full crew? Yes, you're next out once we've shovelled people on.

Edit: Just left Preston Northbound double voyager, on a service I can't find on RTT. 5 people in my carriage and still big cues for replacement bus. Awkward.

Kendalian · 22 Jul 2019

Just seen rumbling through Leyland about 1655 southbound full ballast working hauled by a 66, with a 37, 68 and another 66 in tow!
Presume the extra locos were being moved due to the disruption.

Had just got off the 1605 Victoria-Preston on the down fast when it went through on the up slow, so didn't get the numbers or get a photo....

Now identified as http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H27233/2019/07/22/advanced

Boysteve · 22 Jul 2019

Big delays everywhere! The congestion on the Castlefield Corridor is worse than ever because of so many ex-Preston services presenting themselves so late. Services from CLC via Warrington Central services that were punctual have been held for more than 20 minutes awaiting their turn through Castlefield Jcn!

voyagerdude220 · 22 Jul 2019

Also currently a points failure near London Euston causing even more delays.

EE Andy b1 · 22 Jul 2019

voyagerdude220 said:
Also currently a points failure near London Euston causing even more delays.

It's a signalling failure and total chaos.
The 2000 Euston - Manchester Picc departed 96 late and getting later.

2040 & 2100 Manchester's still at Euston @ 2220 plus many other West Coast services and the Caledonian Sleeper.

A bit of nice weather and the railway in bits again!

Lucky it wasn't rush-hour...

driver9000 · 22 Jul 2019

1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock. Line reopened around 16:30 and coasting boards were set up for the affected area to allow electric trains to pass through.

Bovverboy · 23 Jul 2019

driver9000 said:
1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock. Line reopened around 16:30 and coasting boards were set up for the affected area to allow electric trains to pass through.

If 1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock, how does it come to show on RTT that it didn't leave Preston?

backontrack · 23 Jul 2019

My southbound train was turned around at Preston. We'd waited an hour for an announcement and received none - then we got one, completely unapologetic, saying that the train would now be going to Glasgow Central. The entire train had to evacuate and change onto an already packed service.

Peter0124 · 23 Jul 2019

More problems at Garstang following 1Z44 bringing the wires down, there seems to be a line-up of trains (mostly freight but including 1S25 and 1M11 Sleepers) brought to a halt.
Wonder if this has anything to do with earliers incident? Seems to be one of the worst day(s) for disruption on the WCML.

Freightmaster · 23 Jul 2019

Peter0124 said:
More problems at Garstang following 1Z44 bringing the wires down, there seems to be a line-up of trains (mostly freight but including 1S25 and 1M11 Sleepers) brought to a halt.

A two hour emergency possession was taken at 1am, presumably to fix the damaged section properly?

MARK

underbank · 23 Jul 2019

Bovverboy said:
If 1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock, how does it come to show on RTT that it didn't leave Preston?

Headcodes were being changed all over the place throughout the day. At one time, the diagrams were showing the affected train was yesterday's Flying Scotsman. Presumably signallers were too stretched with the chaos and mistakes were made. The affected train had about 4 different headcodes before it finally left the area. Another headcode of the same train shows it terminated at Lancaster.

Esker-pades · 23 Jul 2019

Bovverboy said:
If 1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock, how does it come to show on RTT that it didn't leave Preston?

Because RTT is not foolproof. It's a useful reference but is frequently wrong.

Other open-source data (specifically Traksy) showed it sitting between Barton & Broughton Loop and the Garstang & Catterall crossover for a good few hours.

driver9000 · 23 Jul 2019

Bovverboy said:
If 1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock, how does it come to show on RTT that it didn't leave Preston?

I don't know how RTT interprets data but it left Preston on time and then caused mayhem.

Mag_seven · 23 Jul 2019

underbank said:
Headcodes were being changed all over the place throughout the day. At one time, the diagrams were showing the affected train was yesterday's Flying Scotsman. Presumably signallers were too stretched with the chaos and mistakes were made. The affected train had about 4 different headcodes before it finally left the area. Another headcode of the same train shows it terminated at Lancaster.

Presumably Virgin trying to massage the performance figures?

backontrack · 23 Jul 2019

What a day for a pile-up of problems on the railways. Prior diversions via Manchester due to Acton Grange, line down at Brock, points failure at Preston, lineside fire at Watford Junction, signalling failure at Euston, consequent crew shortages...to add one more thing to the pile, the air-con wasn't functioning properly in our carriage. It got so cold I had to unpack a pair of trousers and put them on over my shorts.

Not much you can do about all of that, though! It's just incredibly unlucky.

EE Andy b1 · 23 Jul 2019

You could have moved carriage!

221129 · 23 Jul 2019

Mag_seven said:
Presumably Virgin trying to massage the performance figures?

Virgin have no control over how signallers interposed trains...

backontrack · 23 Jul 2019

EE Andy b1 said:
You could have moved carriage!

I maybe should have added that our trainload was evacuated at Preston (they announced, completely unapologetically, that the London train we were on would now be going to Glasgow and that we would have to change trains onto another fully-packed southbound service). We miraculously managed to find seats in Coach F (which had the air-con fault) but wouldn't have been able to move and find others. By Stockport the aisles were full of people standing all the way down, though quite a few passengers got out at Crewe.

backontrack · 23 Jul 2019

221129 said:
Virgin have no control over how signallers interposed trains...

I changed onto this train:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O23959/2019/07/22/advanced

It actually started at Glasgow Central.

EE Andy b1 · 23 Jul 2019

It was a crazy idea anyway of combining the VTWC services from Glasgow to Euston with the xx55s off Manchester to Euston, as was always going to be rammed.
The Scottish trains should have run non stop through Piccadilly.
Only 2 more weeks of diversions!

backontrack · 23 Jul 2019

EE Andy b1 said:
The Scottish trains should have run non stop through Piccadilly.

They really should have done.

Highlandspring · 23 Jul 2019

driver9000 said:
1Z44 brought the wires down at Brock. Line reopened around 16:30 and coasting boards were set up for the affected area to allow electric trains to pass through.

It didn’t “bring the wires down” - there was a defective component on one of the structures which damaged the pantograph. The wires weren’t “down” at all.

Bungle965 · 23 Jul 2019

EE Andy b1 said:
It was a crazy idea anyway of combining the VTWC services from Glasgow to Euston with the xx55s off Manchester to Euston, as was always going to be rammed.
The Scottish trains should have run non stop through Piccadilly.
Only 2 more weeks of diversions!

A lot of effort has gone into stopping at Piccadilly a considerable amount of additional dispatchers have been drafted in to help with many doing overtime. Stopping works fine when everything is fine, but as we know once things start to go wrong the "junction" is not a nice place to be.

Without the :55 service to London the :15 & :35s would all be exceptionally busy.

WCML overhead wire problems 22 July 2019

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