Another ECML dewirement 23/07/19

[SilentGrade]

Wires down again on the ECML between Grantham and Newark at Peascliffe Tunnel. Looks like another long evening for ECML passengers as the wires are currently wrapped around 1H04. Expect cancellations and delays if travelling this evening folks.

Is this the third such event in as many weeks?

 

[westv]

It's seems to happen far too often.

 

[Ducatist4]

Is it heat related do you think?

 

[HullRailMan]

Any info on the cause? Wires wrapped round a HT 180 but assume that didn’t cause the wire damage

 

[BritishRailFan]

1H04 (HT) still awaiting rescue. DF Peascliffe Tunnel.

 

[SilentGrade]

1H04 (HT) still awaiting rescue. DF Peascliffe Tunnel.

Train is being evacuated currently

 

[londonmidland]

Some pictures of the damage courtesy of the BTP on Twitter. Looks like the contact wire is sagging as far as the eye can see, not to mention the damage inside the tunnel itself.

 

[Iskra]

The ECML electrification needs re-doing.

Hope it is fixed by the morning as I'm due to be travelling down it.

 

[Andyh82]

Seems to happen every couple of weeks, and not just in strong winds. It always seems to be around Newark as well.

As others have said, the electrification obviously needs redoing.

 

[Tracked]

Seems to happen every couple of weeks, and not just in strong winds. It always seems to be around Newark as well.

As others have said, the electrification obviously needs redoing.

It's usually Retford, I got into Doncaster this afternoon and it was on the display boards aboard overhead line problems, I thought "Oh, Retford again" (and then misheard the announcement as Retford too!)

 

[anthony kelly]

I'm blame the azuma they must be costing network rail millions long live the 91s and HSTs lol

 

[tsr]

Looks like the wires parted within Peascliffe Tunnel itself. Unsure if this could be down to hot weather (eg. temperature differences inside and outside the tunnel) or not. Network Rail will review “pan cam” footage from trains to see if anything can be diagnosed from that.

Although the overhead line issues were initially obstructing the Up line, it can now be used by trains. The first of these has performed a side-to-side evacuation with stranded 1H04. Single-line working is now being looked into.

Network Rail would very much like repairs done by start of service tomorrow, or high-speed coasting if not, but we’ll see. I rather suspect that the incident location will hardly help matters.

 

[Tracked]

I'm blame the azuma they must be costing network rail millions long live the 91s and HSTs lol

The wires are wrapped around a Hull Trains 180 though aren't they? They probably melted when it caught fire (again) ...

 

[SN1 19-5]

When I was a lad, I seem to remember that one metre length of steel will expand by 0.0012mm per degree of heat rise. The people building the stuff got their sums right on the other track. That still looks OK.

This IS a small amount, I agree,

HOWEVER,

If you consider 1000m of steel wire expanding by a 10 degree rise

I dunno what the contact wire is made of. I only learned structural steel stuff. I was in the pub when they tried to teach me alloy stuff!

Whatever it was I learned, it was a long long time ago. Metal will still expand in the same way. I might have missed some 0's from the expansion measurement... You end up with a wire that is half an inch longer than it was yesterday. I think!

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I'm not on the trains today thankfully. Well I don't know how LNER arrange it but there was an additional 17:45 from Peterborough to Aberdeen (arriving at Aberdeen at 00:16) today according to JourneyCheck. I believe it's probably close to 2 hours late.

How does a service this long that's not in the timetable arranged? Bearing in mind there's the crew and maintenance schedules to arrange too if that makes sense.

Fantastic of LNER to arrange it but how do they arrange a service like that?

 

[realnovice]

LNER on twitter asserting it was not one of their trains. With the wires wrapped around a diesel Class 180 it begs the question what did bring them down?

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

The ECML electrification needs re-doing.

Hope it is fixed by the morning as I'm due to be travelling down it.

If you're travelling from say Leeds or Wakefield Westgate early morning, won't LNER let you use your ticket with East Midlands Trains to London St. Pancras? Might be the long way round but saves you getting stuck. Check with LNER - unless LNER is your only choice of course.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I'm not on the trains today thankfully. Well I don't know how LNER arrange it but there was an additional 17:45 from Peterborough to Aberdeen (arriving at Aberdeen at 00:16) today according to JourneyCheck. I believe it's probably close to 2 hours late.
How does a service this long that's not in the timetable arranged? Bearing in mind there's the crew and maintenance schedules to arrange too if that makes sense.
Fantastic of LNER to arrange it but how do they arrange a service like that?

Two LNER HSTs start at Aberdeen every morning (and one at Inverness).
LNER will do all they can to work three HSTs north the previous day so that these trains are positioned for the morning.
No doubt they identified some from those that were disrupted today, and made sure they were staffed to work north.
It's just how it works really, or delays just overflow into the next day's service.
Possibly some southern LNER HST workings were cancelled as a result (eg the King's Cross-Peterborough leg of the Aberdeen service you noticed).

 

[edwin_m]

When I was a lad, I seem to remember that one metre length of steel will expand by 0.0012mm per degree of heat rise. The people building the stuff got their sums right on the other track. That still looks OK.

This IS a small amount, I agree,

HOWEVER,

If you consider 1000m of steel wire expanding by a 10 degree rise

I dunno what the contact wire is made of. I only learned structural steel stuff. I was in the pub when they tried to teach me alloy stuff!

Whatever it was I learned, it was a long long time ago. Metal will still expand in the same way. I might have missed some 0's from the expansion measurement... You end up with a wire that is half an inch longer than it was yesterday. I think!

With most modern catenary including the ECML, the wire is sectioned off and each section is tensioned by an arrangement of pulleys with weights hanging off or on newer lines by a "tensioner" in a casing (I guess it's like the spring of a traditional clock but I've never seen inside one). This means the tension in the line stays about the same as it expands and contracts with heat. It's been pretty warm today but I doubt it would be warm enough for the tensioner to be extended to its limits, especially as part of this section is in a tunnel so it will expand less than others of the same length.

 

[158756]

Two LNER HSTs start at Aberdeen every morning (and one at Inverness).
LNER will do all they can to work three HSTs north the previous day so that these trains are positioned for the morning.
No doubt they identified some from those that were disrupted today, and made sure they were staffed to work north.
It's just how it works really, or delays just overflow into the next day's service.
Possibly some southern LNER HST workings were cancelled as a result (eg the King's Cross-Peterborough leg of the Aberdeen service you noticed).

The extra Aberdeen service is replacing the 1400 Kings Cross to Aberdeen, which seems to have reached Grantham, gone back to Peterborough, and terminated two hours late at Doncaster. Why or where it went after that I don't know.

I assume it's in some way related to the problems near Grantham, but how come the 1500 Kings Cross-Stirling service is running nearly 4 hours late ? According to Realtime trains it lost two hours between Arlesey and Sandy.

 

[MotCO]

Seems to happen every couple of weeks, and not just in strong winds. It always seems to be around Newark as well.

As others have said, the electrification obviously needs redoing.

Is HS2 money better spent fixing the current network?

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

Is HS2 money better spent fixing the current network?

There are 98 pages of arguments on this in another thread please no more here.

 

[westv]

I think I really must brush up on possible routes home from London to Hull using St Pancras. Fortunately I have never been caught out in a situation where there have been no useable traìns at all from Kings X but one day I might be.

 

[ASharpe]

I think I really must brush up on possible routes home from London to Hull using St Pancras. Fortunately I have never been caught out in a situation where there have been no useable traìns at all from Kings X but one day I might be.

It happens, but St Pancras is across the road and Euston a 10 minute walk so it feels easier to access alternatives. Being told at Leeds or York to make you way via Sheffield or Manchester immediately makes you realise you are going to be a couple of hours delayed.

Rather than a rewire which could still be a single point of failure we need a backup route. It could be made to modern standards, perhaps run to the west of the ECML to serve Birmingham and still get to Leeds in around 2 hours. I could get my crayons out but many before me already have.

 

[Mainliner]

I’m on the delayed 1N33 which left KGX 47 late after having to await arrival of driver caught in the earlier disruption. Just arrived in York a few minutes ago 134 late, now terminated here. Now awaiting a southbound train to collect the passengers and head back north, but that’s also delayed, reportedly due to trespassers...hey ho.

 

[jon0844]

The wires are wrapped around a Hull Trains 180 though aren't they? They probably melted when it caught fire (again) ...

It's hard not to blame a 180, even without a pantograph!

 

[43055]

The extra Aberdeen service is replacing the 1400 Kings Cross to Aberdeen, which seems to have reached Grantham, gone back to Peterborough, and terminated two hours late at Doncaster. Why or where it went after that I don't know.

I assume it's in some way related to the problems near Grantham, but how come the 1500 Kings Cross-Stirling service is running nearly 4 hours late ? According to Realtime trains it lost two hours between Arlesey and Sandy.

The 1400 shows the same platform at the 1433 Leeds service at Peterborough after it departed at 1615. This could of been a set swap? The 1433 is shown to be to be a 800 according to the diagrams so this could explain the termination at Doncaster and it gets the train out the way and they don't need to worry about it any more.

There was most likely a backlog of trains around Peterborough with trains returning from Grantham (like the 1400) and some which may have terminated short with no idea what is happening next. In some cases (not sure if it happens on the East Coast) trains can be held in stations to save them being stuck outside of a platform for a long period of time.

 

[Journeyman]

I'm blame the azuma they must be costing network rail millions long live the 91s and HSTs lol

Wondered how long it would be before someone made a dumb comment like this.

 

[AM9]

Wondered how long it would be before someone made a dumb comment like this.

They probably blame the design of the seats.

 

[Journeyman]

They probably blame the design of the seats.

That'll be it. They're also responsible for the failure of the harvest, and for cows to stop giving milk.