Broken down train causes delay on the A40...

[transmanche]

It seems that yesterday morning (24/03/2014), a "broken down train" was blocking the A40 eastbound exit sliproad at the Hanger Lane Gyratory.

Source: Tweet from TfL Traffic News.

[Image of a railway carriage on a low loader parked on the side of the A40]

 

[34D]

Own goal for the railways then

 

[MikeWh]

It seems that yesterday morning (24/03/2014), a "broken down train" was blocking the A40 eastbound exit sliproad at the Hanger Lane Gyratory.

Is it possible that this was a coach being transfered from Laira by road thanks to the sea wall collapse at Dawlish?

 

[Zoidberg]

Not sure why it should have caused much of a problem - the photo shows the truck sitting in the hatched area. The single lane of traffic has yet to reach that part of the off-slip which is two lane.

Perhaps traffic is used to making two lanes earlier and driving over that hatched area.

 

[talltim]

Own goal for the railways then

Dunno, if you block lots of roads with trains, it makes train travel (on rail) more attractive!

 

[jopsuk]

Not sure why it should have caused much of a problem - the photo shows the truck sitting in the hatched area. The single lane of traffic has yet to reach that part of the off-slip which is two lane.

Perhaps traffic is used to making two lanes earlier and driving over that hatched area.

motorists accustomed to breaching the highway code? I'm shocked by the very idea

 

[hassaanhc]

Not sure why it should have caused much of a problem - the photo shows the truck sitting in the hatched area. The single lane of traffic has yet to reach that part of the off-slip which is two lane.

Perhaps traffic is used to making two lanes earlier and driving over that hatched area.

Yeah driving over the hatched area is normal, similar happens elsewhere on the A40, in Northolt on the slip road leading from Kensington Road to the off slip for Target Roundabout (about a quarter of the left side of the road is separated by a solid white line and therefore is marked as one lane but is wide enough for two lanes so gets used as such :/ )

Example:

 

[hassaanhc]

This:

 

[PermitToTravel]

Is it possible that this was a coach being transfered from Laira by road thanks to the sea wall collapse at Dawlish?

I think so. It'll be probably have been going to Old Oak Common via the North Circular and A404

 

[6Gman]

Surely it was the lorry which had broken down rather than the train?

Revenge for all those bridge strikes!

 

[ExRes]

Maybe this was the post Dawlish apocalypse sleeper parked up for breakfast to be finished in a civilised manner before arrival at Paddington ............

 

[Bantamzen]

I presume this is the junction in question?

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Ha...noid=Bg2U_zLKCZz7aMR0Dv3lVQ&cbp=12,89.87,,0,0

If so then clearly the truck is stalled on the hatched section to the left, and that traffic *should* only be moving into two flows beyond where it's stopped. So really it's the drivers who are used to breaking the highway code, as well as doubtless hundreds of rubber neckers that are causing delays. It is kind of wonderfully ironoc though!

 

[Crundles]

I think if you'd ever had to navigate the Hanger Lane gyratory you wouldn't be so cocky.

 

[Bantamzen]

I think if you'd ever had to navigate the Hanger Lane gyratory you wouldn't be so cocky.

Now, now, I wasn't being cocky. If more people paid attention to the Highway Code and paid a little more respect to their fellow drivers maybe junctions like this would be easier to navigate. I'll wager that at least some of the problems are caused by drivers shooting across the hatched section in order to jump the queue, one or two are visable behind the low loader.

 

[Nym]

I think if you'd ever had to navigate the Hanger Lane gyratory you wouldn't be so cocky.

I honestly don't see what everyone's problem is with the junction, I went round it for the first time a few months back and didn't have any issues, nice clear lane makings a whirlpool lane assignment and a good amount of advance notice of the layout...

 

[Flamingo]

Own goal for the railways then

Why is a broken-down lorry on a road the Railways fault? If it had been carrying Baked Beans would it be Tesco's fault?

 

[34D]

Why is a broken-down lorry on a road the Railways fault? If it had been carrying Baked Beans would it be Tesco's fault?

Because the last time I looked the railway industry has its own metal rails in a few places.

If this was a vehicle being moved from the other side of the blockade, surely it could have gone back on track at Bristol or somewhere?

Rail vehicles being moved by road create very bad PR for the industry

 

[Mex]

motorists accustomed to breaching the highway code? I'm shocked by the very idea

Would you like a broader brush to go with that bucket of tar?

 

[transmanche]

Not sure why it should have caused much of a problem - the photo shows the truck sitting in the hatched area.

I suspect the comedy value of the situation is what prompted the tweet, rather than any serious traffic problem.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Rail vehicles being moved by road create very bad PR for the industry

It's certainly not a good advert for moving freight by rail.

 

[Lockwood]

I'm guessing that if you were to lowload a carriage on a flatbed railway truck, it'd be out of gauge and not allowed anywhere near tunnels or bridges. :P

Didn't I read somewhere here that if a mileage limit is reached then it *must* be road moved and not allowed on track? Could that be why they didn't haul it to Bristol and drag it on rail from there? (Or was that only a loco/unit thing and not a carriage thing?)

 

[455driver]

So the proper headline would be-

Broken down lorry carrying a railway carriage forces road users to comply with Highway Code

Not quite as catchy is it!

 

[Flamingo]

There are many reasons to shift a rail carriage by road- limited track access, cost, damaged wheels or other to the carriage, or maybe it's going to somewhere without rail access to name a few...

 

[Blindtraveler]

Dunno, if you block lots of roads with trains, it makes train travel (on rail) more attractive!

Think we'll dig this post up next time theres a push to get more people on public transport. You never know, the Government may wish to waist a few quid on hiring a fleat of lowloaders, shuving a few redundant coaches or locos on them and placing them strategicly on the M25, At Spaghetty junction and anywhere else where major disruption is guaranteed. ↲