Has an EMU ever run out of traction rail ?

[Vespa]

As the title says, has there ever been an incident where an EMU either 3rd or 4th rail ran onto a track without traction rail, I assume it would just simply roll to a stop....

It must have been a nightmare to get it back on traction rail.

 

[WrongRoad]

Happens at Wokingham on the UP SWR Reading line. Train gets wrong routed not to Waterloo and quickly ends up without the 3rd rail. In the past even the rescue train has gapped

 

[ComUtoR]

It's happened at Bedford a fair few times.

 

[brad465]

Happens at Wokingham on the SWR Reading line. Train gets wrong routed not to Waterloo and quickly ends up without the 3rd rail. In the past even the rescue train has gapped

Would it not make sense to have the third rail carry on a bit longer on the running line entering an unelectrified stretch to help prevent such an incident? IIRC Worting jct has this for the down line to Salisbury, and there are sections of OHLE on a branch line running for a "stub", although I'm not sure if that's the purpose of such a feature there.

 

[Snow1964]

There was an incident about 30 years ago, where a dead animal (a fox or something), on the third rail, ripped off all the collection shoes on one side of a 4-REP + 2x4TC in the New Forest

Another 12car EMU had to buffer up and push it onto Bournemouth (about 20 miles)

 

[75A]

Happen to me between Three Bridges & Balcombe in the 80's.

PW had left their plastic protector on the 3rd rail and it knocked the shoes off on one side, what did we do?

Turn the diesel on and carried on to Brighton................................we were in a 73!

 

[jamesst]

It's happened on Merseyrail a few times!

 

[pdeaves]

Would it not make sense to have the third rail carry on a bit longer on the running line entering an unelectrified stretch to help prevent such an incident? IIRC Worting jct has this for the down line to Salisbury, and there are sections of OHLE on a branch line running for a "stub", although I'm not sure if that's the purpose of such a feature there.

Many non-electrified routes have short bits of electrification purely for this purpose.

 

[swt_passenger]

Many non-electrified routes have short bits of electrification purely for this purpose.

Yes, they used to have a few hundred yards of a head start towards Salisbury. Not sure exactly how much remains, about half a train length maybe?

 

[778]

Would it not make sense to have the third rail carry on a bit longer on the running line entering an unelectrified stretch to help prevent such an incident? IIRC Worting jct has this for the down line to Salisbury, and there are sections of OHLE on a branch line running for a "stub", although I'm not sure if that's the purpose of such a feature there.

I think the line from Coventry - Leamington has a short bit of electrification, just after it branches off the west coast main line at Coventry station.

 

[43096]

Happens at Wokingham on the UP SWR Reading line. Train gets wrong routed not to Waterloo and quickly ends up without the 3rd rail. In the past even the rescue train has gapped

The driver is equally at fault for taking the route, as the train will be stopped in the station and the starter will clear without a junction indicator, which is the wrong route.

 

[Dstock7080]

Harrow-on-the-Hill southbound platform 2 towards Marylebone, LU trains run off the electrified line.

 

[Ianigsy]

It's happened on Merseyrail a few times!

I can remember my grandma being late home from work once in the 1970s - we lived in Birkenhead and she worked in Fazakerley- because her train had lost a shoe and been taken out of service at Kirkdale.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes, they used to have a few hundred yards of a head start towards Salisbury. Not sure how exactly much remains, about half a train length maybe?

Even the original extended length didn't stop something electric trying to get to Salisbury on at least two occasions...

 

[choochoochoo]

Heard it's happen on the Down Moorgate at Drayton Park. I believe driver forgot to go from DC to AC and ran out of 3rd rail. No major issue though. Once gapped, they raised the pan.

 

[warwickshire]

One happened around mid 2004 2005 when a northern 323 service ended up at hyde north instead off flowery field on a hadfield bound service.

 

[75A]

On the latest Don Coffey offering you can see @ Nuneaton where the OHLE goes up and over the WCML as the cab ride takes us towards Birmingham. I'd guestimate a couple of hundred yards or so.

 

[pdeaves]

'Extra' overhead wiring also exists just onto the Maidenhead-Bourne End line and 'round the corner' at Westerleigh Junction towards Yate/(Birmingham). Loads of other places, too.

 

[fgwrich]

Having driven an EMU off of the juice (not on the mainline and it was for shunting purposes I hasten to add) it is certainly a strange feeling. You Build up the power and speed to the required amount, then drift off of the third rail and come to a steady, if not rather quiet stop.

 

[class ep-09]

Shortly adter introduction of 387’s on GWML , one was routed to Up Goods Loop at Slough .
No wires there …

 

[TheEdge]

Regularly reminded that Diss Up Loop isn't wired if they ever offer it...

 

[AlbertBeale]

It's happened at Bedford a fair few times.

3rd/4th rail at Bedford??

Harrow-on-the-Hill southbound platform 2 towards Marylebone, LU trains run off the electrified line.

I seem to remember that both trackwork and operating practice only allowed for Mets to cross to H/H platform 1 heading out of town; inbound Mets never used platform 2. (I'm sure I remember that beng the situaiton for many years, anyway.) In fact - did/does 3rd/4th rail even exist on platform 2 (as opposed to platform 1)?

 

[bramling]

3rd/4th rail at Bedford??



I seem to remember that both trackwork and operating practice only allowed for Mets to cross to H/H platform 1 heading out of town; inbound Mets never used platform 2. (I'm sure I remember that beng the situaiton for many years, anyway.) In fact - did/does 3rd/4th rail even exist on platform 2 (as opposed to platform 1)?

Yes Harrow platform 2 is electrified. Met Line trains can enter the platform from the north, then reverse back towards Amersham via a trailing crossover.

The current rails end at the south end of the platform.

As stated, it has certainly happened that a Met Line train has accepted the signal at the southern end of the platform. Not sure if the train was meant to reverse, or whether it was simply misrouted (perhaps the signalman had it down as a Chiltern train and signalled it from Harrow North through platform 2 and towards Marylebone). Naturally in both possibilities the driver should have queried the route, but sometimes what should happen isn’t always what does happen...

Jumper leads were used to get it back on current, which given the leads aren’t very long would have been quite difficult, presumably having to be repositioned several times. In theory the traction current would have had to be taken off each time the leads were repositioned, and the adjacent line would have had to be blocked whilst all this was going on.

 

[abn444]

Isn't it the case that SWR (and SWT before them) don't like running class 456s as a single in case this happens?

 

[Dstock7080]

313.021 25 September 1991 accepted wrong signal Gunnersbury UP continued until crossing the NR/LU section gap and promptly blew all fuses and track fuses. Rescued by loco from Willesden.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

313.021 25 September 1991 accepted wrong signal Gunnersbury UP continued until crossing the NR/LU section gap and promptly blew all fuses and track fuses. Rescued by loco from Willesden.

A well remembeed incident - a 6 car 501 leaving Euston was signalled onto the down fast , the driver (known for years as "fast line xxx" , realised too late , and accelerated , clearing the points but coming to a stand) - luckily there were plenty of locos around so he was pushed back in and had another go at getting to Watford.

 

[londontransit]

I know this is not third rail but it happens also under the wires. Certainly trains get dewired running onto to the wrong tracks. The worse possibly however is the references I've seen about a Class 77 (EM2) locomotive (1500V DC of course) which ventured onto the 25KV at Manchester. Apparently it fried its motors!

There's an entire Railforum Thread that discusses whether it really did happen.

 

[jfollows]

I think the line from Coventry - Leamington has a short bit of electrification, just after it branches off the west coast main line at Coventry station.

Formerly used by light electric locomotives waiting their turn to work a service onwards, there were a couple of turns a day (in the 1970s/80s) which exchanged locomotives at Coventry instead of Birmingham New Street and I think I recall seeing a locomotive parked up a short way along the branch.

 

[Ken H]

I remember a piece in modern railways about SR units sometimes getting gapped due to the 3rd rail being too low due to missing pot insulators.

And wasn't there a problem at the start of Thameslink with drivers forgetting to do voltage changeover at Farringdon and wiping out their pan on the tunnel portal?

 

[Fenchurch SP]

Didn't it happen to a unit being stabled in the former Royal Mail platform at Redhill, which was only electrified for part of its length?