Disruption due to an issue at Dawlish (18/10)

[sh24]

5H17 has been sat in Newton About P1 for most of the afternoon. Intrigued as to what that is.

 

[alastair]

Thought it was a bit odd sending a Class 2 bang road to rescue something! 5Z is now 2Z again and seems to have reached Newton. There was a 2Z99 in the platform as I passed through but I didn't see what it was or realise its purpose at the time.

So, one train failure at the root of the Down Devon & Cornwall main line being unavailable essentially all day. That's a poor show and I hope and presume it will be suitably investigated.

Rather ironic that the steam charter to Kingswear ran virtually OT this morning and the return has just passed Starcross 10 early!

 

[The exile]

In over 50 years of railway operations I have never known a failed train to require three different rescue attempts/locos.
GW MD Hopwood and Co. must be absolutely livid with HITACHI the dreaded IET Builders, suppliers and service contract providers.

Not quite the same thing but my train from Paris - Calais once limped into the Maritime station with 4 locos on the front, three of which had failed. It was only one rescue, though.

This isn’t down to Hitachi. GWR insisted on still running trains over the seawall despite yesterdays failures, it’s total incompetence on the part of GWR

Sorry, no. It is the railway’s job to run and the builder’s job to provide trains that are capable of running. It’s not as if Dawlish is a new, unknown phenomenon.

 

[Signal Head]

Using the bi-di, 1V58 has just gone round what is now 5C55 still sitting in Teignmouth platform. Is that the first Class 1 train to make it through to Newton Abbot since around 9am?

This is going to cost someone a fortune in delay repay!

 

[Emaharg]

Time for a rethink on the Class 802 being based at Laira- perhaps. Class 800 looks to the layman more robust or Dawlish proof.

 

[Master29]

This isn’t down to Hitachi. GWR insisted on still running trains over the seawall despite yesterdays failures, it’s total incompetence on the part of GWR

Well yes but it was said at the time they were to be Dawlish proof, or was this just GWR just putting out little white lies?

 

[VP185]

5H17 has been sat in Newton About P1 for most of the afternoon. Intrigued as to what that is.

Yesterday’s failed 9-car IET. The headcode changed by Exeter panel to reflect how good these trains are

 

[Elecman]

Yesterday’s failed 9-car IET. The headcode changed by Exeter panel to reflect how good these trains are

Like Button needed for the Forum

 

[VP185]

Sorry, no. It is the railway’s job to run and the builder’s job to provide trains that are capable of running. It’s not as if Dawlish is a new, unknown phenomenon.

They knew from yesterday’s failures that that there were going to be issues today, yet they still insisted on running IETs. They had a whole night to form some kind of contingency to get round the issue but they choose to ignore any lessons and hoped doing the same thing today would achieve different results. That’s hugely incompetent. That’s putting lives at risk and causing huge amounts of unnecessary delays.

 

[Master29]

Caught with their Y fronts round their ankles now though.

 

[Essexman]

I was on the 14.36 Paddington to Paignton.
Left just over 30 minutes late waiting for driver. Almost immediately passengers found online it was terminating at Exeter.
Train Manager was unaware but said he'd check. No announcement before Reading.
After reading this thread and GWR saying so far they had procured just one single deck coach and knowing tide would be rising in the evening, I made a quick decision to abandon my journey at Reading and have just got back home.
Will travel tomorrow.
Now to contact GWR to see if they will accept today's 1st Advance on any train tomorrow. To claim delay repay and rebook will cost me more.

 

[Emaharg]

I was on the 14.36 Paddington to Paignton.
Left just over 30 minutes late waiting for driver. Almost immediately passengers found online it was terminating at Exeter.
Train Manager was unaware but said he'd check. No announcement before Reading.
After reading this thread and GWR saying so far they had procured just one single deck coach and knowing tide would be rising in the evening, I made a quick decision to abandon my journey at Reading and have just got back home.
Will travel tomorrow.
Now to contact GWR to see if they will accept today's 1st Advance on any train tomorrow. To claim delay repay and rebook will cost me more.

Train is proceeding to Paignton albeit 74 late on departure from Teignmouth

 

[sh24]

Yesterday’s failed 9-car IET. The headcode changed by Exeter panel to reflect how good these trains are

Oh that is hilarious And sadly quite justified

 

[Forty29]

I am so glad to be travelling back from Plymouth to London tomorrow morning. Tonight looks like a farce par excellence.

Check before you travel probably be cancellations because shortages of stock ! Can't see the sea calming down much either. Good luck !

 

[Essexman]

Train is proceeding to Paignton albeit 74 late on departure from Teignmouth

Bother. Bad decision then. Decided to play safe rather than risk very long wait at Exeter.

 

[Master29]

Oh that is hilarious And sadly quite justified

Well done to those staff at Exeter. Great humour but was it intentional? I certainly hope so.

 

[sh24]

5C55 on the move now. That's only taken 9 hours or so?

 

[michael74]

5C55 on the move now. That's only taken 9 hours or so?

Reversed at Newton just passed Dawlish on the up.

 

[Freightmaster]

5H17 has been sat in Newton About P1 for most of the afternoon. Intrigued as to what that is.

It's hit the fan!!




MARK

 

[Amlag]

Wanted !
A main line route from Exeter to Plymouth for trains that don’t like salt water, sharp curves, steep gradients, threats of cliff falls and in places to be capable of 100 mph running.

 

[paul1609]

In over 50 years of railway operations I have never known a failed train to require three different rescue attempts/locos.
GW MD Hopwood and Co. must be absolutely livid with HITACHI the dreaded IET Builders, suppliers and service contract providers.

I rather imagine its to do with the rather more elaborate "tech" on modern trains to meet modern safety and enviromental legal requirements rather than build quality to be honest. Fifty years ago engines wouldnt have computers that if they lost one exhaust sensor shut down and doors that had half a dozen sensors to enable an interlock. Its not just trains, theres certain makes of premium cars that are frankly terrible.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I rather imagine its to do with the rather more elaborate "tech" on modern trains to meet modern safety and enviromental legal requirements rather than build quality to be honest. Fifty years ago engines wouldnt have computers that if they lost one exhaust sensor shut down and doors that had half a dozen sensors to enable an interlock. Its not just trains, theres certain makes of premium cars that are frankly terrible.

Yup but sea spray is a known risk so type testing should have battle proven that rather than just running them around the network on so called fault free free running. No doubt this railway will now end up being suspended in future due to weather.

 

[paul1609]

Yup but sea spray is a known risk so type testing should have battle proven that rather than just running them around the network on so called fault free free running. No doubt this railway will now end up being suspended in future due to weather.

As a Marine Engineer I can tell you that theres no such thing as sea water proof electrics. If you specd the equipment to near 100% reliability it would just become unaffordable and the maintenance requirement would kill availability.

 

[800001]

I was under the impression that Hitachi won't let TOCs couple their units up to anything other than themselves, hence only other IETs being used as thunderbirds?

Other locos have been attached to drag IETS that have failed on a couple of occasions where by using an 8xx unit to rescue had failed.

I recall the LNER 67 Tbird moving one from near Retford back to Doncaster a few years ago

 

[Clarence Yard]

The 802 were meant to be Dawlish proof by having the brake resistors on the roof, rather than having vulnerable to water equipment below the solebar, like on the 800. But the problem is that the amount of salty sea water spray in high wave conditions shorts them (and therefore the traction circuits) out.

On an 80x set, a driver usually has only a limited number of resets allowed before the GU locks out and needs a fitter to reset it. In the Dawlish area they can exceed that but until the short circuit has gone, the affected engine isn’t going to start.

With climate change meaning that Dawlish is going to have more bad days, there comes a point when the 80x sets (and others) will be just not allowed to run past there in certain grades of weather condition. The force of water that some trains sometimes have to cope with now isn’t really compatible with safe running.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

As a Marine Engineer I can tell you that theres no such thing as sea water proof electrics. If you specd the equipment to near 100% reliability it would just become unaffordable and the maintenance requirement would kill availability.

Its hardly a marine environment exposed to the elements like a North Sea oil rig or wind farm is though so perhaps if they had consulted experts in your field we would have something more reliable. The railways point of difference is that it is supposed to be safe and reliable under normally expected weather conditions.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Yesterday’s failed 9-car IET. The headcode changed by Exeter panel to reflect how good these trains are

I missed this,what was it changed too?

 

[150249]

For anyone wondering what the failed sets were: 802014 at Exeter St Davids today, 802102 at Teignmouth today, 802114 at Newton Abbot last night (my favourite set ) and 802005 at Dawlish last night

 

[michael74]

I missed this,what was it changed too?

5H17

 

[VP185]

For anyone wondering what the failed sets were: 802014 at Exeter St Davids today, 802102 at Teignmouth today, 802114 at Newton Abbot last night (my favourite set ) and 802005 at Dawlish last night

There’s a lot more than that which have failed today!
One failed at St Erth this morning and one at Taunton I believe this afternoon for starters.