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FGW make a teriable mess!!!

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Jim

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Part A: Paying a fiver to upgrade on FGWL is not worth it, unless you like dust. Josh gave the seat a bang (FC) & we all started choking - dust - lots off it. FGWL, HOOVER THE TRAINS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Part B: Well, to sum up this post, I was supposed to be home at 2100, I am home at 2300. Why you ask? FGW

Well, where shall I start. A 5 coach 180 on the 1900 FGW to Bristol, which, was supposed to be hosting me, got on, nice seat (until it got full) 1900 turns "Ladies & Gents, due to this train Failing, this service is cancelled. please board the 1930 BTM service if you need to make a journey further than Swindon. If not, get the 1915 Swansea train"

Well, there you are, how unrealible, a 5 Coach train, on a 8 coach route, broke.

So, we jump on the 1930 BTM HST (due to Bath at 2104#) Full, standing EVEN laid down in the Coach E!!!!!! We leave bang on time, but, by the time we get to Hanwell, all goes wrong, there is a TCF ahead of us. The guard makes a few announcments, & all together keeps us up too date. When we get moving, he makes a reusing anouncment, along the lines of "We will be stopping & starting for the next 2 signals, as we need to phone the signallman, incase we see any other track defects" Does this mean FGW ran a train over potentioally broke track?!? This caused a LOT of panic amongst some customers, infact, one got very worried....

I would say even more, but can't be bothered :glasses1:
 
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Nick W

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Jim said:
Part A: Paying a fiver to upgrade on FGWL is not worth it, unless you like dust. Josh gave the seat a bang (FC) & we all started choking - dust - lots off it. FGWL, HOOVER THE TRAINS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Part B: Well, to sum up this post, I was supposed to be home at 2100, I am home at 2300. Why you ask? FGW

Well, where shall I start. A 5 coach 180 on the 1900 FGW to Bristol, which, was supposed to be hosting me, got on, nice seat (until it got full) 1900 turns "Ladies & Gents, due to this train Failing, this service is cancelled. please board the 1930 BTM service if you need to make a journey further than Swindon. If not, get the 1915 Swansea train"

Well, there you are, how unrealible, a 5 Coach train, on a 8 coach route, broke.

So, we jump on the 1930 BTM HST (due to Bath at 2104#) Full, standing EVEN laid down in the Coach E!!!!!! We leave bang on time, but, by the time we get to Hanwell, all goes wrong, there is a TCF ahead of us. The guard makes a few announcments, & all together keeps us up too date. When we get moving, he makes a reusing anouncment, along the lines of "We will be stopping & starting for the next 2 signals, as we need to phone the signallman, incase we see any other track defects" Does this mean FGW ran a train over potentioally broke track?!? This caused a LOT of panic amongst some customers, infact, one got very worried....

I would say even more, but can't be bothered :glasses1:

Sorry to hear that. The dust thing is pretty poor, especially for people allergic to dust mites.

The train failing was unlucky, and it is poor that some trains break down more often than cars, but otherwise not much they can do.

As for the defective track, being a TCF, it could be that one of the rubber insulator pads betweent the rail and slepper has gone missing, which isn't unsafe, just can cause TCFs.
 

Jonno2055

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I remember I was on a train for 3 hours with no air conditioning and it was in the middle of summer. That was funny, I invented timetables that were also fans. MOst of the trains I have been on have been thoroughly cleaned but some have been very messy. I went to didcot the other week, we just pulled into reading on a turbo and the driver announced that the train had failed, luckily they replaced a service inj one of the bay platforms.
 

richa2002

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The 180 incident was FGWs fault but the TCF incident was NR. You said you felt unsafe, well I would understand if you were going top speed over it but that's the whole reason they were stopping and starting is to check for track defects which is perfectly safe! I'm sure the situation has been risk assessed time and time again and in this case it's a 'the company knows more about the situation than the passenger.'
 

Jim

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Richard Armstrong said:
The 180 incident was FGWs fault but the TCF incident was NR. You said you felt unsafe, well I would understand if you were going top speed over it but that's the whole reason they were stopping and starting is to check for track defects which is perfectly safe! I'm sure the situation has been risk assessed time and time again and in this case it's a 'the company knows more about the situation than the passenger.'

well, I was jsut addresing the fact he could of said it better
 

Nick W

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I think he said it better than ONE would have.

It seems ONE guards are told to say track problem not TCF...

IMO the more detailed the reason, the less likely it is to be an excuse.
 

Coxster

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I too got held up in that general area but it was whilst two of the lines were closed for engineering works.
 

Jim

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Coxster said:
I too got held up in that general area but it was whilst two of the lines were closed for engineering works.


On FGW line, or around Surbiton?
 

Techniquest

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Jim, the 180 breaking down was the maintenance staff's fault. Besides, when you see you've got a 180, alarm bells SHOULD be ringing anyway! At least the TM told you what was happening on all parts of the journey, which is more than you get with ATF! Maybe he could have said it was routine procedure to continue on like you did, but it seems everyone on that train was getting worried over nothing.

*Walks off, awaiting the next moan about NR route problems causing delays to FGW, with the latter getting blamed. Oh, wait, do you work for the DfT Jim?*
 

Coxster

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Jim said:
On FGW line, or around Surbiton?
If it was on the SWT line, then it wouldn't be the same place as you would it? :p I decided to go Blackwater to Reading, then accross to Ealing, then District to Acton due to morning diversions on SWT combined with the Picc/District closures would take far longer than going via Reading.
 

ChrisCooper

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Problem with track circuit failures is that until proved otherwise, they have to be treated as either a broken rail (which breaks the continuity of the track circuit) or an obstruction on the line (which can short out the rails in the same way a train can). Trains will therefore have to be stopped, and the drivers told of the problem, cleared to pass the signal at danger, and warned to proceed at a speed low enough to stop short of any obstruction, and also so that if it is a broken rail, although the driver is unlikely to spot it in time, any derailment will be minor. Also, incase of a derailment, all other lines must be closed whilst the trains pass the effected section. Their is no speed limit for trains, it is left up to the driver's judgement as far as the NR rules are concened, but individual TOCs might have specific speeds. There are different rules concerning fog or falling snow and tunnels.
Perhaps a little more explanation about what was going on by the guard might have helped. Generally when I've been on trains that this has happened to though they have just said it was either a track circuit or signal failure.
 

joeholmes

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God you do moan about FGW a lot don't you. Blimey.

I traveled on them all day yesterday literally, London, Reading, Windsor, Marlow etc I did all lines in the Thames Valley apart from the Greenford one.

There were a few delays but nothing bad!

I traveled on a few 180s as well, all seemed fine, some services were Very Very busy.

FGW yesterday, were very kind about all the delays, they executed everything in a profession manor, and from your train they seamed did too, at least they didn’t make excuses..

I did not have any terrible journeys at all.... (terrible with two R’s Jim :P)

Joe
 

Techniquest

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And without an 'a' before the 'b'...Oh yes, since I wasn't the first one to point this out, I feel safe in showing up this rather annoying spelling error. Crikey, what do the schools teach kids these days? Both my English teacher and I would be disgusted if my English ever got so terrible (note the correct spelling there!) I needed it pointing out! I might only have got grade C in English Language, English Literature and English Speaking and Listening (to achieve a C in all three of those was quite amazing, considering the work I did for my GCSEs!), but at least I don't write so badly I can't spell terrible, whilst at the same time over-using exclamation marks (that the '!' in case you didn't know)! One is enough. Every time.

I'm surprised we don't have people beginning sentences with 'Because', a terrible (I'm loving that word today!) use of language. There's a shed load of poor English which I happily leave alone, but there are points when I switch from acceptance to total disbelief that someone can't spell terrible.

This is FGWFan, reporting the weekly Sunday rant. Now it's back to the studio for responses.

EDIT: Why is it when I type d-isgusted (obviously minus the dash, used here to avoid it happening again), I get that stupid picture? I'll not edit it for now, so as to display what it is that shows, but I hate having to edit it because of that. Maybe it's time I found a new word to use there then. Outraged? Too strong a word really for this. Appalled? Still a little too strong. Disappointed? That'll do, since I am disappointed in the current schooling system that they can't teach students to spell properly. Or do many other things even I was expected to do at school!
 

HSTfan!!!

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FGWFan said:
At least the TM told you what was happening on all parts of the journey, which is more than you get with ATF!
Thats a well made point, the only way to know what is happening on an ATF service is from outside information, or in the case of failing trains if the guard rushes off the train at newport to fax a fault report.... you're never told about this fault til you get to cardiff - where having noticed the fault report being taken into newport station for faxing to canton knew we were going to end up changing trains.
 

Techniquest

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Too right. I find Newport's dispatch to be a right disorganised mess. Always seems to be just one person to dispatch at least two trains at once. Dispatch a HST and either another HST or unit on the other platform at the same time, bit difficult. It still runs on tea though! 'Quick, the HST needs to be dispatched!' 'Sure, it can wait, the kettle's about to boil!'
 

yorkie

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Jim said:
Part A: Paying a fiver to upgrade on FGWL is not worth it, unless you like dust. Josh gave the seat a bang (FC) & we all started choking - dust - lots off it. FGWL, HOOVER THE TRAINS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
I hope you asked him to refrain from doing that in future. Unfortunately I am not surprised as I have witnessed this behaviour before.
Jim said:
Part B: Well, to sum up this post, I was supposed to be home at 2100, I am home at 2300. Why you ask? FGW
Reading the next part, no it was not because of FGW.

Jim said:
So, we jump on the 1930 BTM HST (due to Bath at 2104#) Full, standing EVEN laid down in the Coach E!!!!!! We leave bang on time, but, by the time we get to Hanwell, all goes wrong, there is a TCF ahead of us. The guard makes a few announcments, & all together keeps us up too date. When we get moving, he makes a reusing anouncment, along the lines of "We will be stopping & starting for the next 2 signals, as we need to phone the signallman, incase we see any other track defects" Does this mean FGW ran a train over potentioally broke track?!? This caused a LOT of panic amongst some customers, infact, one got very worried....
I thought you knew what a track circuit failure (TCF) was, from playing SimSig? When a track circuit fails it shows as occupied (regardless of whether the track is occupied or not) and all signals display danger. The first train that proceeds through the affected area must proceed at a speed slow enough to stop short of any obstruction and update the signaller (normally everything would be fine and he'd tell the signaller so, but you have to make sure).
 

Sprog

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I agree with what yorkie says.

TBH, this thread is total B*llocks, and i am not going to post in it anymore to refrain from upsetting anyone.
 

Dennis

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yorkie said:
I hope you asked him to refrain from doing that in future. Unfortunately I am not surprised as I have witnessed this behaviour before.

Not Josh's fault - I asked him to do it. I was surprised at just how clean it all looked in FC. I thought I'd check the seat cushions to see if these were as good as the rest looked.....unfortunately not

http://dennis-lance.fotopic.net/p26607620.html

Mind you, it did not stink of pee like a few FGWL trains I've been on.
 

Jim

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Look - I am just trying to point out he could of worded it better(for the last time)

FGWFan, the 180 mainainence, who does it then, fgw don't they?!?
--- edited ---
Can I point out, I don't hate FGW that badly, it was just partly there fault that this severe Delay happened


Anyway, compo form has been sent...
 

Techniquest

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You moan about FGW every few days it seems, via here or MSN...In any case, you blamed FGW for the TCF thing, which isn't their fault. But then they, sounds like a perfect undercover DfT employee there...
 

Dennis

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FGWFan said:
You moan about FGW every few days it seems, via here or MSN...In any case, you blamed FGW for the TCF thing, which isn't their fault. But then they, sounds like a perfect undercover DfT employee there...


I think Jim is a SWT fan really and would rather have 158 or 159 action to Waterloo over HST's to Paddington!

I'm not complaining whatever the cause of the delay, fews cans of 6X, a sleep in comfy HST seats and my money back - way to go :D
 

Jim

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FGWFan said:
You moan about FGW every few days it seems, via here or MSN...In any case, you blamed FGW for the TCF thing, which isn't their fault. But then they, sounds like a perfect undercover DfT employee there...

FFS - Listen - I am moaning about the TCF iccident, because he worded it the wrong way IMO as I have said more times than I had chips last night:confused:


TBH, the things I moan about are true, FGWFan, it just so happens that SWT do a better job. I have NEVER had a train Faliure delay ME - EVER on SWT, shows who's maintence is better:rolleyes: So, you said earlier that the 180 failure was not FGW's fault - how?

Mods - Sorry for the shouting, but I have allready said it enough times..
 

Mojo

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Dennis said:
Mind you, it did not stink of pee like a few FGWL trains I've been on.

Reminds me of when 165001/004 were transferred to Aylesbury TMD on the 1st April 2004, one of the drivers logs from the (then) Thames Trains said "First class compartment stinks of [urine], please fix the toilet so they can use that instead"
 

Jim

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You try 465's for the smell of urine
--- edited ---
Sorry about that Seth (last night) I must of hit it instead of 'A'
 

Techniquest

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Jim said:
FFS - Listen - I am moaning about the TCF iccident, because he worded it the wrong way IMO as I have said more times than I had chips last night:confused:

Oh for shame! So he could have included a couple of fancy words, putting some in a different order...I would have included the fancy words, for definate, but to be honest, he could have sat in the 407/8xx with the other staff, or in his compartment in the TGS. Be grateful he told you about the incident. FFS, you really do moan about everything. You'll be moaning Wessex got taken over by First soon, or some other random rubbish. You of all of the 'norms' on board should have known roughly what a TCF was, especially as you seem to frequent multiplayer sessions on KGX Simsig. Still, what can you expect from an Sh***y Wa**y Trains fan...I'd be horrified if I ever became a Sh***y Wa**y Trains fan. In fact, let's stop the abbreviating of that...*Edited the abbreviations during post typing*


Jim said:
TBH, the things I moan about are true, FGWFan, it just so happens that SWT do a better job. I have NEVER had a train Faliure delay ME - EVER on SWT, shows who's maintence is better:rolleyes: So, you said earlier that the 180 failure was not FGW's fault - how?

Mods - Sorry for the shouting, but I have allready said it enough times..

Don't forget when dissing FGW's maintenance team there that Sh***y Wa**y Trains have a very modern fleet compared to FGW, whose fleet is primarily HSTs. Which I'm mighty grateful for. However, with that comes much more maintenance work and more regular problems than does with a 5 - 15 year old fleet. Granted, the 180s are still quite young, but the fleet seemed to be built with faults all the time in mind, so whilst these are getting better, the maintenance teams must have their work cut out.

Sh***y Wa**y Trains might APPEAR to do a better job, but they've a small fleet compared to FGW. The latter also has its trains working all of the time, on long-haul services, some of which stop/start at stations a lot too, some of which take some pounding from the gradients...More besides. Point being Sh***y Wa**y Trains' fleet has a much easier life in general, especially the diesel fleet.

Still, I doubt you care Jim, as far as I can see, you only seem to think Sh***y Wa**y Trains rules the Earth when it comes to TOCs. I might appear to think like that with FGW, but the pure truth is that I've actually given up my FGW fanship, due to many different reasons. I'll hopefully make sure First hear my views on their draft TT though. Of course, I will still enjoy First, its HSTs and routes, but not as a massive fan as I have to date. That is Step 1b, for anyone who noticed my MSN display name recently...
 

Jim

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WSXFan said:
Oh for shame! So he could have included a couple of fancy words, putting some in a different order...I would have included the fancy words, for definate, but to be honest, he could have sat in the 407/8xx with the other staff, or in his compartment in the TGS. Be grateful he told you about the incident. FFS, you really do moan about everything. You'll be moaning Wessex got taken over by First soon, or some other random rubbish. You of all of the 'norms' on board should have known roughly what a TCF was, especially as you seem to frequent multiplayer sessions on KGX Simsig. Still, what can you expect from an Sh***y Wa**y Trains fan...I'd be horrified if I ever became a Sh***y Wa**y Trains fan. In fact, let's stop the abbreviating of that...*Edited the abbreviations during post typing*
Where in this thread, did I say I was a SWT fan exactly?!?!

Sh***y Wa**y Trains might APPEAR to do a better job, but they've a small fleet compared to FGW.

WTF?!?!

The SWT fleet is far bigger than FGW's (& possiabally FGWL's as well)

1 960
2 158's
22 159's
A few 170's
110 450's
45 444's
28 458's
tonnes of 455's
2 421's
24 442's
MORE desiro's on order.......
--- edited ---
WSXFan said:
Oh for shame! So he could have included a couple of fancy words, putting some in a different order...I would have included the fancy words, for definate, but to be honest, he could have sat in the 407/8xx with the other staff, or in his compartment in the TGS. Be grateful he told you about the incident. FFS, you really do moan about everything.
FFS - I give up - I have shouted it, capsed it, but still YOU WON'T LISTEN. HE DID NOT use fancy words, & did not say it was a TCF, as my original post stated in error, which was stated in this thread....


I might appear to think like that with FGW, but the pure truth is that I've actually given up my FGW fanship, due to many different reasons.
Any of them due to me by chance?
 

960012

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I have to agree with jim there!!! and yes i am a SWT fan there is nothing wrong with them, everytime i haev been late on SWT its becoase of NR not SWT, I have never had a train failure while i have been travelling, adn its once in a bluemoon i am late to where ever im going to. I think stagecoach have done a better job on that franchise than anyone else could do!
 
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