Deepgreen
Established Member
Seemingly major disruption all day with Southern's Milton Keynes trains cancelled throughout the day. Is there more to this "broken down freight train" than meets the eye?
The cause of WCML delays at #Bushey is a faulty freight train brake. We're doing everything to resolve the issue.
#Bushey Update 12: Work continues to remove the defective freight wagons. We anticipate disruption during the evening peak to/from #Euston.
11:28am - 30 Mar 16
The cause of WCML delays at #Bushey is a faulty freight train brake. We're doing everything to resolve the issue. pic.twitter.com/XovBvwIuh7
12:17pm - 30 Mar 16
this is it:
Nah, it'll buff right out...That is one damaged wheel set ...
Obviously its good that we , the 'customers ' , passengers do and can see what the problem is here , as opposed to the ' Broken down freight train' line which obviously could mean anything .As a 'customer ' paying my high fares, I would like to know how often wagons are checked for this problem.??
a dragging brake can occur at almost anytime for all manner of reasons.
Perhaps I ought to be glad that most of the trains I travel on don't suffer dragging brakes, but I thought this problem had been sorted out several times since the invention of continuous brakes...
So, how does that work then?Perhaps I ought to be glad that most of the trains I travel on don't suffer dragging brakes, but I thought this problem had been sorted out several times since the invention of continuous brakes...
Are you sure. All units I drive can have dragging brakes. I would be very interested to know which units out there can't get a dragging brake.
Here's one for you.Maybe it's because most of my journeys nowadays are on Pendolinos, a few Voyagers, LM EMUs on the WCML or EMUs and DMUs in the west midlands. However I can't recall being aware of a single problem with dragging brakes in over 40 yrs of train travel
Different companies had differing levels of vacuum in the braking system. So when trains crossed regional boundaries there were incompatibilities and sometimes the brakes didn't come on if the new loco or a part of the train was "set" to a different levelSo, how does that work then?
No. How does a continuous brake system make a dragging brake impossible - which is what your post implied.Different companies had differing levels of vacuum in the braking system...So, how does that work then?
Here's one for you.
Maybe it's because most of my journeys nowadays are on Pendolinos, a few Voyagers, LM EMUs on the WCML or EMUs and DMUs in the west midlands.
If it was anything other than a hot brake we would've heard, I guarantee you that. A fire on a Voyager and nobody talked about it? Yeah, right!No-one actually confirmed the cause though...
Maybe the lessons of continuous brakes were learned. In which case it's a shame that the railway is still being let down by basic eqiupment failures now. Ever heard of engineering tolerances? or brake valves/regulators set up wrongly?No. How does a continuous brake system make a dragging brake impossible - which is what your post implied.
If it was anything other than a hot brake we would've heard, I guarantee you that. A fire on a Voyager and nobody talked about it? Yeah, right!
Just saying that in the last 20 years or so I can't remember a journey spoilt by brake problems. Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe it's that dragging brakes are very rare in a railway that is remarkably reliable in the first place.So none of those units can have a dragging
Friction brakes will stick from time to time - they are mechanical devices that have to deal with huge temperature swings, in wet, dirty, dusty environments.In which case it's a shame that the railway is still being let down by basic eqiupment failures now.
Just saying that in the last 20 years or so I can't remember a journey spoilt by brake problems. Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe it's that dragging brakes are very rare in a railway that is remarkably reliable in the first place.
I will dig around for accident enquiries that put the cause down to dragging brakes.
Friction brakes will stick from time to time - they are mechanical devices that have to deal with huge temperature swings, in wet, dirty, dusty environments.
If you can come up with a design that you can guarantee won't stick then patent it - you'll be a millionaire overnight.