Shortage of trains to cause severe disruption to Penistone Line and Ormskirk-Preston

[Mathew S]

Then I suggest that you are in a very, very small minority!

I don't doubt it for a moment

 

[njamescouk]

Heavy enough to stick to the rails?

It's this level of stupidity that makes people who understand what's actually happening angry at the "leaves on the line is a myth" mob.

The facts are that any traction would of struggled over that line last week. It really was a freak set of circumstances that the simple of mind won't listen to.

fact is heavier trains are managing where the 4 wheel specials are away having their wheels turned.

 

[Tomnick]

fact is heavier trains are managing where the 4 wheel specials are away having their wheels turned.

News to me. I’ve lost twenty minutes on an hour’s journey (yes I know others have had much worse), I’ve slid in various places (most significantly with a non-WSP tread-braked unit on the back of a WSP-fitted disc braked one) and the wheel lathe’s working flat out - all with these heavier trains that are managing just fine.

 

[Eccles1983]

fact is heavier trains are managing where the 4 wheel specials are away having their wheels turned.

Have you any proof of this? For example working in a maintenance depot, or actually on the units or are you just having a stab at it?

Because I can tell you that your wrong.

 

[njamescouk]

News to me. I’ve lost twenty minutes on an hour’s journey (yes I know others have had much worse), I’ve slid in various places (most significantly with a non-WSP tread-braked unit on the back of a WSP-fitted disc braked one) and the wheel lathe’s working flat out - all with these heavier trains that are managing just fine.

can only speak for the Huddersfield Barnsley service which is working, after a fashion, in the absence of the 4 wheelers.

 

[Tomnick]

can only speak for the Huddersfield Barnsley service which is working, after a fashion, in the absence of the 4 wheelers.

There’s too many other factors to say for certain. It’s more likely to be simply that the worst of it is over though, so railhead conditions generally are better.

 

[njamescouk]

Have you any proof of this? For example working in a maintenance depot, or actually on the units or are you just having a stab at it?

Because I can tell you that your wrong.

stares me in the face every day commuting on penistone line.

 

[njamescouk]

There’s too many other factors to say for certain. It’s more likely to be simply that the worst of it is over though, so railhead conditions generally are better.

point taken

 

[philthetube]

are 142/143's still not allowed sanders while most other stocks are?

 

[Eccles1983]

stares me in the face every day commuting on penistone line.

So no actual proof except a perception.

Right, I can tell you as a person on the trains every day, including going to the depot to collect them that your perception is false.

I have had flats on all trains I have driven over the last month. Not just the 14x. I would hate to see the kittens you would of had on the 319's the last couple of weeks. Them being much heavier trains than the "4 wheelers" which itself is a bit daft - I've never driven half a 14x so the minimum number of wheels is 8.

And 142 have Sanders. Thank god.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Seems that services are back to normal today on the Penistone line and trains are now running through from Huddersfield to Sheffield.

 

[pemma]

Posted elsewhere that Mick Cash, appearing on Radio 4 recently, said that Northern should pay up to get the leaves moved and their 'train tyres fixed.' If that's true he doesn't know how a train works or understand the purpose of train operators paying a track usage fee to Network Rail.

 

[DarloRich]

fact is heavier trains are managing where the 4 wheel specials are away having their wheels turned.

that is balderdash. It isnt just Pacers out with wheelset issues. Pacers do suffer badly but to suggest that other trains do not is simply wrong. For instance our 150 on the Marston Vale has bed flats at present. The one we had last week did as well. The less said about the 153 the better. It barely has wheels. You can hear it coming from miles away!

Posted elsewhere that Mick Cash, appearing on Radio 4 recently, said that Northern should pay up to get the leaves moved and their 'train tyres fixed.' If that's true he doesn't know how a train works or understand the purpose of train operators paying a track usage fee to Network Rail.

is that what he said verbatim? If so it could well be a case of playing to the gallery as well you know.

 

[pemma]

is that what he said verbatim? If so it could well be a case of playing to the gallery as well you know.

Putting the blame on Northern, a privatised company or a German owned company might well be what Mick Cash's intentions were even if he knew the comment was wrong and misleading. However, what is the bit about trains having tyres which need changing supposed to be about - was he dumbing down information for the public and made a mess of it or does he really not understand how a train works?

 

[DarloRich]

Putting the blame on Northern, a privatised company or a German owned company might well be what Mick Cash's intentions were even if he knew the comment was wrong and misleading. However, what is the bit about trains having tyres which need changing supposed to be about - was he dumbing down information for the public and made a mess of it or does he really not understand how a train works?

I suspect he was making a point understandable to the lay person and to land his own political message. Trains DO have tyres after all....................

 

[morgainelive]

Slightly off topic but relevant, from what I was told the Ormskirk units are shared with the Preston- Colne which then does Ormskirk and then Preston then Blackpool South. It now means the East Lancs line has now been reduced to nothing as the timings aren't working and often curtailed at Burnley. The MP was not happy for Pendle about this. It also means we now have NO direct Blackpool service, in the summer these units are very well loaded so to have to change at Preston, and with all the cancellation sit's going to put ppl of using the service i.e. us nice East Lancashire folk are losing all our direct Blackpool services as the York- Blackpool is also curtailed at Preston is this also because of electrification? Also does thi mean with no service Preston to Ormskirk the unit was doing ither diagrams rather than ormskirk and back?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think being able to upgrade the Ormskirk line to hourly for basically no cost makes a change at Preston for Blackpool (with absolutely loads of trains to Blackpool North) a minor thing.

FWIW, you have a direct service in one direction, as does Ormskirk! (It's just not in the timetable as such).

 

[morgainelive]

I think being able to upgrade the Ormskirk line to hourly for basically no cost makes a change at Preston for Blackpool (with absolutely loads of trains to Blackpool North) a minor thing.

FWIW, you have a direct service in one direction, as does Ormskirk! (It's just not in the timetable as such).

Yes of course the Ormskirk branch does deserve a proper hourly route, and what a disaster it's been with train cancellations these past month. I saw the curtailment coming with the York-Leeds-Accrington-Preston- Bpool North , running less diesels under the wires, but the poor East Lancs line has struggled for years and years with its pacers, poor service, which especially Preston-Bpool South could be much better utilised if it was invested in, a good alternative to North for the Pleasure Beach, the far side of town and many B and B's. I really feel for these routes. Still doesn't seem right though to cut the only seaside service we had.