Linside Fires affecting the railway

[QueensCurve]

There seem to have been a rash of linside fires affecting the railway in recent weeks. Locations include:

• Camden
• Maryport
• Carlisle
• New Cross
• Carluke

This may be a random bunching, and certainly the Maryport fire was independet of the railway (though huge) and did not, in so far as I am aware, damage any part of the railway infrastructure.

Trains were able to run albeit without stopping in the case of the fire in Carlisle Station.

The Carluke and and Camden fires do have a worrying common thread in so far as they both damaged cables belonging to the railway.

There was also the incident on the midland mainline a few months ago where signal cables were damaged by contact with the OHLE.

Is anyone investigating the vulnerability of the railway's infrastructure to internal and external fires with a view to ensuring business resillience?

 

[edwin_m]

The question may be a bit different depending if the fire is on railway property (so probably caused by some failing of the railway) or a near neighbour (where the railway has little or no ability to influence what goes on).

 

[TimboM]

I wonder if these incidents are actually on the up or it's just a case of 24/7 social media and the demand for information that we (the public) are getting to hear about the exact causes of these issues - whereas in the past it may have just been phrased "signaling fault" or something more generic?

And/or it's just a random glut as the QueensCurve suggests and there won't be any for a while now.

 

[ScottDarg]

There was another fire alongside the tracks between Busby and Thorntonhall on the East Kilbride line this morning.

Not sure if it's similar in that it was cables as no other information has been posted other than it being next to the track.

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/862613933852692480

 

[QueensCurve]

The question may be a bit different depending if the fire is on railway property (so probably caused by some failing of the railway) or a near neighbour (where the railway has little or no ability to influence what goes on).

The railway has direct control of how a fire internal to the railway might propagate, but I as also thinking about whether cables needed extra protection from external fires

 

[Antman]

There is also a lineside fire at Stone Crossing at the moment!

 

[Hellzapoppin]

Well we could always bury the cables I suppose ????????????

 

[PHILIPE]

There was this severe fire at St Erth near Penzance last August:-

http://www.cornwalllive.com/watch-f...power-cables/story-29599806-detail/story.html

 

[Deepgreen]

It should be borne in mind that almost the whole UK is in a period of unusually dry weather at the moment, so any potential fires are more apt to grow, especially in vegetation. The contrast to normal is most marked in the NW.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Lineside fires on say embankments are one thing - major fires in say factories and retail parks are another - especially when propane / gas cylinders may be present.

We do need a good drenching though to reduce the risks...hopefully on Friday in this part of the world. (Herts)

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Does NR ever do controlled burns of lineside excess lineside foliage?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Does NR ever do controlled burns of lineside excess lineside foliage?

Doubt it - even farmers not allowed now to burn off stubble _ I reckon NR ought to invest in a fleet of tethered goats to eat their way along the trackside - job done...

 

[mcmad]

I reckon NR ought to invest in a fleet of tethered goats to eat their way along the trackside - job done...

but if one got hit the RAIB/ORR would probably demand it classed as a workforce fatality :roll:

 

[Marklund]

Poor, or no vegetation management, coupled with years of cables not being run in well maintained troughing routes.

Asking for trouble.

 

[QueensCurve]

Poor, or no vegetation management, coupled with years of cables not being run in well maintained troughing routes.

Asking for trouble.

That is the sort of thing I had in mind.

I note that modern cable troughs seem to be made of a plastic material rather than the former concrete. Could that present a weakness in the event of fire?

 

[ScottDarg]

Another fire ongoing in Scotland, this time on the West Highland Line at Glenfinnan. West Highland trains terminating at Fort William.

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/863003778735329280

 

[Marklund]

That is the sort of thing I had in mind.

I note that modern cable troughs seem to be made of a plastic material rather than the former concrete. Could that present a weakness in the event of fire?

I've limited experience of the new plastic troughing, so can't say how fire retardant they are.

Having put in plenty concrete routes in my youthful days, they were always clear of vegetation, and the weedkiller trains sprayed over them.

Cut backs and privatisation got in the way, and rationalisation of sidings and secondary routes haven't helped either, with cable routes becoming further covered by the ever increasing railway jungle.

 

[Trackman]

I wonder how big the problem was in the steam days.

 

[cuccir]

It should be borne in mind that almost the whole UK is in a period of unusually dry weather at the moment, so any potential fires are more apt to grow, especially in vegetation. The contrast to normal is most marked in the NW.

Yes, this is what came to mind with me. Winter 2017 (Dec-Feb) saw rainfall levels at 90% or less of average over almost all the country (bottom map on this page), and so far Spring (Mar-May) has seen similar conditions except in Wales, the far north of Scotland, and the North Pennines (again, map here).

It seems a few years since we had prolonged dry weather, so I do wonder if areas of fire risk have had slightly less attention from a maintenance perspective?

 

[Marklund]

I wonder how big the problem was in the steam days.

A lot less multi-core and power cables then.
Pole routes and much simpler circuitry meaning a lot less cable.

 

[QueensCurve]

I wonder how big the problem was in the steam days.

Presumably rods and pulley wires to work points/signals helped with that.

 

[Marklund]

Presumably rods and pulley wires to work points/signals helped with that.

That's still there, but the biggest change would be removing mechanically operated distant signals, and putting in a colour light.That adds up to a mile of multi-core and a power cable.

Moving block lines from the pole routes to telecoms cable, put a lot of cable on the ground along with simple Track Circuit/Signal Arm/Light repeat indications which were on poles using single cut circuits and earth returns going on to signalling cables.

Not to forget, there were also plenty power schemes in steam days too.

 

[Essan]

Another fire ongoing in Scotland, this time on the West Highland Line at Glenfinnan. West Highland trains terminating at Fort William.

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/863003778735329280

Not the first (nor last!) time the Hogwart's has started a lineside fire (as seems most likely - though not certain - to have been the cause: it passed the site a few minutes before the fire started)

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/harry-potter-rail-line-closed-by-50-acre-fire-1-4444320