andrewmay
Member
On Friday 17/06/05 I had a good days spotting at the Lickey Incline. I caught the delayed CT service to Birmingham. I got on at Bromsgrove, at the bottom of the Incline, and during the day it was very hot and humid which is perhaps the reason for the problems. It was a 2-car 170 I had noticed earlier that they particularly struggle up the Incline. The train was full and about 30 seconds after we departed the lights went out but the emergency lights and the destination boards inside stayed on. The front engine was still running but we were getting slower and slower until we were about 70 yards from the top going at about 5 mph the engine shuddered and shut down at which point the guard walked up to the drivers compartment and chatted to him. The driver slammed the brakes on and we cam to a hault. After having a quick chat with the guard he said that the rear engine had shut down which is when the lights went out. The front engine had then shut down which is when we stopped. The driver then tried to start the front engine which it did but then promptly shuddered and stopped again. The driver decided to wait for a few minutes and then managed to start the front engine which pulled us slowly up to the top of the incline and at about 35mph through to Barnt Green. The driver then stopped again and after another few minutes he started the rear engine and we proceeded at a normal speed back to Birmingham. At Birmingham the driver walked back along the train and I heard him remark "ruddy thing" which summed up my thoughts too. Because of the heat the engines must have overheated. It provided some entertainment on and otherwise boring journey home.
Photos from my days spotting at the Lickey Incline can be seen at my fotopic site.
Cheers,
Andrew
Photos from my days spotting at the Lickey Incline can be seen at my fotopic site.
Cheers,
Andrew