Caledonian Sleeper issues 11/12 Novemeber

[DarloRich]

I noticed this morning there are 2 caledonian sleeper coaches dumped in the loop at Blethcley. They look like one half brake and one seated carriage.

Looking at RTT it seems the Glasgow/Edinburgh sleeper lost time in north London then lots more time at Bletchley where they must have detached the errant vehicles.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G60110/2018/11/11/advanced

Does anyone know what the issue was? I was awoken about 1am by some odd sounds that sounded like shunting and a 92 fanning itself crazy. Although i am about a mile away oi sleep with the window open.

 

[Highlandspring]

Does anyone know what the issue was?

Wheelflats.

 

[Mag_seven]

Managed a quick shot of the coaches being worked on as I passed Bletchley at 125mph this morning.

 

[Scotrail84]

If its wheel flats the coaches will surely need moved to a wheel lathe?

 

[theblackwatch]

With one of the two brakes in the formation having been removed at Bletchley, it would seem the Edinburgh portion was unable to split at Carstairs as it doesn't appear to have run on RTT - see http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G60090/2018/11/12/advanced . Hopefully there'll be a spare operational brake at Polmadie for tonight's southbound working.

 

[JModulo]

If its wheel flats the coaches will surely need moved to a wheel lathe?

Depends on how bad they are.

 

[43096]

Depends on how bad they are.

If they needed removing from the train at Bletchley they must be bad enough to need depot attention.

 

[JModulo]

If they needed removing from the train at Bletchley they must be bad enough to need depot attention.

Yes but regarding taking them to a Lathe. As you've said if they're bad enough to be removed it might be the wheelset needing attention, not just the lathe.

 

[DarloRich]

Wheelflats.

thanks - they are going to need moving at some point as they are sat in the goods loop meaning only the route from loop 2 via platform 5 is open for traffic

If its wheel flats the coaches will surely need moved to a wheel lathe?

agreed - at least they could go out by road from Bletchley depot or be hauled away at reduced speed.

Yes but regarding taking them to a Lathe. As you've said if they're bad enough to be removed it might be the wheelset needing attention, not just the lathe.

Wheel rather than lathe surely?

 

[Scotrail84]

Depends on how bad they are.

Must be bad if they've left them behind in a loop, wheel skates may be needed. Thats a hellish job if they need one of those.

 

[Scotrail84]

With one of the two brakes in the formation having been removed at Bletchley, it would seem the Edinburgh portion was unable to split at Carstairs as it doesn't appear to have run on RTT - see http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G60090/2018/11/12/advanced . Hopefully there'll be a spare operational brake at Polmadie for tonight's southbound working.

They will use a van even if its got an MA issue so the train can run, they'll just lock it out of use and berth the punters. As long as it has a brake coach it will run.

 

[DarloRich]

Must be bad if they've left them behind in a loop, wheel skates may be needed. Thats a hellish job if they need one of those.

Skate round the corner to Bletchley depot and then haul away by road ? The next option is Wolverton or all the way south to Wembley.

 

[Dieseldriver]

They will use a van even if its got an MA issue so the train can run, they'll just lock it out of use and berth the punters. As long as it has a brake coach it will run.

Dumb question. With coaching stock, when you refer to a brake coach is that vehicle equipped with a hand brake?

 

[JModulo]

Dumb question. With coaching stock, when you refer to a brake coach is that vehicle equipped with a hand brake?

Yes, that's the reason the Edinburgh portion was cancelled this morning as it was removed.

 

[DarloRich]

Dumb question. With coaching stock, when you refer to a brake coach is that vehicle equipped with a hand brake?

aka guards van

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Skate round the corner to Bletchley depot and then haul away by road ? The next option is Wolverton or all the way south to Wembley.

Or more sensibly - provided some equipment is still in BY - jack up and do a bogie replacement - certainly Northampton could do that. Course it all costs money.....

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or more sensibly - provided some equipment is still in BY - jack up and do a bogie replacement - certainly Northampton could do that. Course it all costs money.....

Are there spare Mk2 bogies knocking around these days? I doubt it.

 

[ainsworth74]

Are there spare Mk2 bogies knocking around these days? I doubt it.

One would, perhaps foolishly, assume it's easier to sling a spare bogie on the back of a lorry from Polmadie to Bletchley than it is to sling a whole Mk2 on a lorry.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

One would, perhaps foolishly, assume it's easier to sling a spare bogie on the back of a lorry from Polmadie to Bletchley than it is to sling a whole Mk2 on a lorry.

Exactly - or change the wheel set from the affected bogie ! , whatever- I am sure the options are being persued. Skating a vehicle a long way* - or even moving an entire coach is not going to be welcomed by anyone.

*Dead slow and 5 mph over Switch and Crossings tends to focus the mind a bit.

 

[big all]

sometimes its just a case off a file to remove the burr to run at say 40mph

 

[ChiefPlanner]

sometimes its just a case off a file to remove the burr to run at say 40mph

I had a magnificent carriage and wagon examiner at Ipswich , - who would take a long and hard look at similar things - and authorize such moves , never actually stopped anything (because he was mindful of customer issues) , and either fixed it there and then - with some help - or default to 35 mph and out of service at destination.

 

[matacaster]

Are there spare Mk2 bogies knocking around these days? I doubt it.

Possibly hire one from preserved railway - surely someone will have one?

 

[captainbigun]

You can’t just rustle up a bogie, find a depot and swap it. It’s not that simple.

You need a bogie and wheelsets of known provenance. When were the bearings replaced or checked? When was the bogie frame last checked for damage and crack. Is the depot competent on Mk2s?

Both vehicles will be moved back to Wembley at 20mph tonight.

 

[DarloRich]

You can’t just rustle up a bogie, find a depot and swap it. It’s not that simple.

You need a bogie and wheelsets of known provenance. When were the bearings replaced or checked? When was the bogie frame last checked for damage and crack. Is the depot competent on Mk2s?

Both vehicles will be moved back to Wembley at 20mph tonight.

Ssssssdhhhh. We don't need experts now. In any event surely the bogie should be fine.

Ps is the recovery train running as a class 8?

 

[captainbigun]

Class 8 as it was a 20mph move.

 

[DarloRich]

Class 8 as it was a 20mph move.

that is a long trundle back to London!

What came to pick up the errant vehicles?

 

[HLE]

Hope the driver remembered the newspaper!

 

[47271]

There's a rich tradition of flats on the sleeper, especially at this time of year. It was one of the main reasons the service nosedived in autumn 2015.

Let's not forget that the OP for the main CS thread, from July 2015, was a wheelflat which resulted in 50mph running from around MK and a five and half hour delay for the northbound Highlander. I'm not being entirely serious, but a bit of a shunt out at Bletchley isn't much more noteworthy than that farce was.

 

[Tomnick]

Ssssssdhhhh. We don't need experts now. In any event surely the bogie should be fine.

Ps is the recovery train running as a class 8?

Class 8 as it was a 20mph move.

Class 5, regardless of speed, surely?

 

[_toommm_]

Class 5, regardless of speed, surely?

If it was just a normal set of coaches without severe flats running empty to somewhere yes, but because the service doesn't fit into a 5X, 6X or 7X, it automatically leaves it as an 8X