Major disruption on GWML (27/11)

[700007]

Bad morning on the GWML into London this morning with TfL Rail Twitter desk reporting that services are suspended due to a derailment at West Ealing. They claim it is not one of their trains (presumably freight or GWR) and all lines are blocked.

Services were just resuming after a fire near the railway an hour earlier two stops down the line at Southall.

Not the best morning for GWML I take it.

APOLOGIES: Struggling to copy the Twitter information as a quote into this post due to being on phone. Sorry about that.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

5Z16 0641 West Ealing EMU Sidings - Reading derailed at the exit of Loop 1 at West Ealing after passing SN227.
It then derailed on 8162 points.

Unit is most probably a 387 8/12 car.

 

[700007]

5Z16 0641 West Ealing EMU Sidings - Reading derailed at the exit of Loop 1 at West Ealing after passing SN227.
It then derailed on 8162 points.

Unit is most probably a 387 8/12 car.

Is this in any way a result of the 'signalling issues' that West Ealing has had on and off over the last few days (I. E. Issue with the points into the sidings)?

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

Is this in any way a result of the 'signalling issues' that West Ealing has had on and off over the last few days (I. E. Issue with the points into the sidings)?

The points did not cause the SPAD, SN227 was at danger.

 

[83G/84D]

The fire reported by the OP was a suspected arson involving 2 carriages at West Coast Railways site at Southall.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

Update: Train derailed on the catch point of 8162 and derailed by the first wheelset (front two wheels) of the leading bogie. Has come to rest towards the Hanwell up/down loop line.

Up Relief line reopened with trains being talked past SN232 on the up relief at Hanwell due to the track circuit interrupter being damaged (underneath the train!)

 

[matt_world2004]

There was also a bad signal failure at Heathrow Airport yesterday evening. So the service has been spouted for two days.

 

[dctraindriver]

The points did not cause the SPAD, SN227 was at danger.

So it was Spadded?

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

So it was Spadded?

Forgot to mention that clearly, 5Z16 passed SN227 at danger.

 

[reddragon]

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1067340871799119872

387.146 clearly caught by trap points!

 

[Surreytraveller]

Forgot to mention that clearly, 5Z16 passed SN227 at danger.

Any official confirmation of that, or is that an assumption/accusation?

 

[FGW_DID]

Any official confirmation of that, or is that an assumption/accusation?

No, it’s official. Immediate SPAD notice has been issued.

 

[Nippy]

Not the first SPAD that's happened there. Although the first one I've heard of in 25 years to get to the traps.....

 

[Surreytraveller]

Not the first SPAD that's happened there. Although the first one I've heard of in 25 years to get to the traps.....

How can a driver possibly have a SPAD, and then not even realise they've had a SPAD?

 

[James H]

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to disused train carriages alight next to Southall train station.

One derelict train carriage was destroyed by the fire and a further two were damaged. There were no reports of any injuries.

More: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2018/november/fire-at-disused-train-carriages-southall/

 

[FGW_DID]

How can a driver possibly have a SPAD, and then not even realise they've had a SPAD?

Easy, they may have ‘read through’ and have been looking at another signal, they may not have even seen/looked at the signal.

One of our first SPADs on the depot, the shed depot protection (klaxons sounding/lights flashing) was operating, points where set to where they were expecting to go, previous unit had gone out same route, derailer was down so off they went. Completely ignoring the signal showing danger on the wall of the shed as they didn’t even look at it! It took an emergency call to stop the movement.

 

[Sunset route]

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1067340871799119872

387.146 clearly caught by trap points!

Like,

Trap and catch points are so confusing to the layman.

 

[FGW_DID]

Like,

Trap and catch points are so confusing to the layman.

Trap Points = Stop trains that are moving forwards.
Catch Points = Stop trains that are rolling away backwards I.e down a gradient in the wrong direction.

 

[kev1974]

Trap Points = Stop trains that are moving forwards.
Catch Points = Stop trains that are rolling away backwards I.e down a gradient in the wrong direction.

Isn't it also the case that Trap Points are linked to the signalling and will be moved by the signalman / system as part of setting the accompanying green light.
Whereas Catch Points just sit there passively until a train or wagon going the wrong way "activates" them.

 

[Carlisle]

Whereas Catch Points just sit there passively until a train or wagon going the wrong way "activates" them.

There’s surely almost no Catch Points left on main lines anywhere these days, given we’ve not had loose coupled freights operating for many decades now

 

[ptreanor]

Trap points generally default to the trap (throw off) position when no route is set over them for good reasons as the incident at Hanwell clearly shows.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

There’s surely almost no Catch Points left on main lines anywhere these days, given we’ve not had loose coupled freights operating for many decades now

Absolutely - and if there are , someone has made a major omission. In my day - many train crew and inspectors had a note of mileage and chains of them in their notebooks.

Absolute pain , however we were shown how to clip points properly by just putting an unsecured point clip on a trailing point (near Dinmore Tunnel on the Hereford line) , and watching the clip unscrew and fall off after a loaded northbound coal train went over. A great way to learn safely. We were then showed by the DI how to do it "properly" with the hasp secured by padlock. Lifetime lesson that.

 

[Sunset route]

Trap Points = Stop trains that are moving forwards.
Catch Points = Stop trains that are rolling away backwards I.e down a gradient in the wrong direction.

Thank you for quoting me but I have quite a few trap points across the 10 panels I sign at my location, catch points were done away with in my part of the country many decades ago, but I did work a location the that had unworked trailing points on a main line junction (self actors points to give them their correct name). These were removed as part of a resignalling/migration scheme long after I had moved up the promotion pole. lol

 

[Tomnick]

Isn't it also the case that Trap Points are linked to the signalling and will be moved by the signalman / system as part of setting the accompanying green light.
Whereas Catch Points just sit there passively until a train or wagon going the wrong way "activates" them.

Catch points can be worked too. I suppose there’s a debate to be had where you’ve got an example at the entry to a loop (to catch anything running back along the loop). There’s certainly a few examples of sprung catch points in recent history that could be worked (by a slotted joint) for a signalled move over them in the facing direction, though.

 

[Aictos]

Which according to Twitter, the train in question although was obviously a ECS had people claiming they were passengers onboard it - I like to hear how they boarded in the first place....

 

[spark001uk]

Which according to Twitter, the train in question although was obviously a ECS had people claiming they were passengers onboard it - I like to hear how they boarded in the first place....

Staff perhaps?

 

[Aictos]

Staff perhaps?

No def non staff especially considering the way they were slamming GWR for their poor handling of the incident and how badly they were affected as a result.

No staff worth their salt would take to social media and slam them in that way unless they wanted their P45 post haste!

 

[FGW_DID]

Any chance of a link to the relevant tweets please?

 

[Aictos]

Any chance of a link to the relevant tweets please?

I love to comply but funnily enough they seem to have disappeared BUT they def existed as Twitter exploded with various anti GWR tweets and that was just one highlight.

 

[Nippy]

Think the tweet was deleted and the person has deactivated their account. I've seen a screen shot of it.