Snow Related Disruption 29/01/19

[E759]

Also Network Rail do try prepare for Snow, by having ploughs and clearance locos in position or out and about. They are actually quite good at keeping the network running in my experience.

I got up to Wick and then back down to London on the sleeper last year, in places there was probably a foot of snow on the highland mainline.

Trains handle snow better than cars/buses.

During one day of the Beast from the East last year Southern were advising people not to travel. Looked out the window at home and all looked calm so went up to London as planned. Snow on the North Downs as per usual but absolutely no problems with the trains, which were almost empty!

 

[DarloRich]

Thank you. Was more thinking about strategy of boarding and abandoning: Eg get to Kings Cross and train is delayed due to "weather issues" - abandon immediately? Get as far as York on an Edinburgh trip and train doesn't move due to weather or something else - abandon and return south on my Advance timed for much much later in the day?

in fairness only you can decide that having assessed conditions on the ground. I suspect in the later case you suggest a quick chat with LNER staff would have you on a train south in no time, especially if there advice was to turn back

Personally I would be very surprised if you were unable to make the journeys. We very rarely face snow of that level in most of the UK. The train may run more slowly than normally and your journey may take a bit longer but 9 times out of 10 you will get through. However you must asses each situation on it's merits and decide on acceptable risk to you.

 

[Taunton]

Saw bloke in shorts scraping the ice off his Audi in a neighbouring street a few days ago - it was minus 3.

Look, you load of wussies, some of us, shall I say, more experienced posters here, when we were at school, had shorts as standard uniform 12 months of the year, right up until nearly teenage years. And that was in the winter of 62-63!

 

[E759]

in fairness only you can decide that having assessed conditions on the ground. I suspect in the later case you suggest a quick chat with LNER staff would have you on a train south in no time, especially if there advice was to turn back

Personally I would be very surprised if you were unable to make the journeys. We very rarely face snow of that level in most of the UK. The train may run more slowly than normally and your journey may take a bit longer but 9 times out of 10 you will get through. However you must asses each situation on it's merits and decide on acceptable risk to you.

Thanks again. Just like to pretend I have a Plan B in case it all goes T up

 

[al78]

Look, you load of wussies, some of us, shall I say, more experienced posters here, when we were at school, had shorts as standard uniform 12 months of the year, right up until nearly teenage years. And that was in the winter of 62-63!

I prefer to dress appropriately for the conditions, rather than try to win some pathetic type of macho willy waving contest.

 

[PHILIPE]

TFW cancelling/part cancelling trains Heart of Wales Line Thursday & Friday without road transport due likelihood of road closures.

 

[DarloRich]

Thanks again. Just like to pretend I have a Plan B in case it all goes T up

go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.

 

[6Gman]

Thank you my honourable friend.

You make your forecast and add an element of caution but the papers just see "10 cm of snow" and that's it. The world is expecting a foot of snow and, oh I hear there's 2 foot of snow coming. My mate said it was blizzards actually, for a month.

And the Daily Express says: "We are all going to die!"

 

[Bantamzen]

Thank you my honourable friend.

In short. Low pressure causes air to rise, as that air rises it is creates a gap into which surrounding air rushes. That's a very basic principle of wind.

Imagine a circular Low pressure system moving steadily East across the Atlantic towards Blighty. The top half of the system is filling up with Arctic air from the north, the south is full of milder air from all of our favourite holiday destinations. When it arrives, anyone south of the middle of the system will get mostly rain, maybe some "back end" snow as the cold front of the low system swings round in its wake. To the north, heavy snow.

Now, with 2 days before that system arrives, you have to forecast the exact path of the system as the difference means rain, sleet, wet snow* or dry snow at any one location. Bob from Chester gets rain, Ted in Warrington gets heavy snow. You make your forecast and add an element of caution but the papers just see "10 cm of snow" and that's it. The world is expecting a foot of snow and, oh I hear there's 2 foot of snow coming. My mate said it was blizzards actually, for a month.

*A vague term but generally means snow that's melting as it falls. Hits the ground and disappears.

So the question begs, where do the Daily Express get their at least twice yearly headlines of "Worst winter for a thousand years"?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Anyone here live in Darlington? Any suggestions for place to go early eve whilst I wait for my train home next week? Will probably have an hour to kill...

 

[6Gman]

So the question begs, where do the Daily Express get their at least twice yearly headlines of "Worst winter for a thousand years"?

"Forecasters" (I use the term loosely) who are more interested in selling a story to the paper than observing any semblance of scientific rigour?

I'm sure I saw a story somewhere that one of the forecasting services used by one of the papers had photographs of their "forecasters" on their website. Turned out one of them was a stock photo of an Ukranian model, or something similar (i.e. the "forecaster" probably didn't even exist).

 

[Class 466]

Not related to last night, but Southeastern have announced they'll be running a revised service on Friday 01 February.

https://www.southeasternrailway.co....eans-for-our-trains/winter-weather-timetables

 

[DarloRich]

Anyone here live in Darlington? Any suggestions for place to go early eve whilst I wait for my train home next week? Will probably have an hour to kill...

There are a couple of good pubs in the town but and hour doesn't leave you much time. There is always Hogans over the road from the Victoria Road entrance. it is a cheap but fine pub

PS Are you Southern? If so don't spill anyone's pint.

 

[jon0844]

I prefer to dress appropriately for the conditions, rather than try to win some pathetic type of macho willy waving contest.

At that temperature there probably isn't much to wave around.

go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.

There are a lot of people acting like zombies outside. Top advice!

So the question begs, where do the Daily Express get their at least twice yearly headlines of "Worst winter for a thousand years"?

Weren't they found to pay some guy and a dodgy company for these predictions of months, years or centuries ahead. They're only interested in writing it will be super hot or extra cold. But their readers are all 80 year old Brexit voters, so maybe they notice temperature changes that bit more!

 

[Wivenswold]

There's one reporter at The Daily Express who writes most of it. I mean him no ill for I know a friend of his and, I'm told, "he's given the headline and told to make a story out of it". The good journos tend to put the more intelligent and correct analysis towards the bottom of a piece as they know their subs won't make it that far when proof-reading and it maintains their credibility amongst peers. He's no different.

As for travel advice, mine would be to always check the Met Office website a couple of days before travel and if there are any warnings, call your rail operator for disruption guidance. Same for commuters, keep an eye on things, if you've got a day off pending for housework or similar, take it when the journey might be unpleasant.

 

[E759]

go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.

A lot of good memories visiting Winchester and the Watercress many lifetimes ago. I remember driving from Winchester to Old Sarum Iron Age Hillfort in the snow one winter. Sadly no trains from Alton at the moment

 

[Taunton]

So the question begs, where do the Daily Express get their at least twice yearly headlines of "Worst winter for a thousand years"?

From their Circulation Department who have found such a bold banner headline will sell more papers that day.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

There are a couple of good pubs in the town but and hour doesn't leave you much time. There is always Hogans over the road from the Victoria Road entrance. it is a cheap but fine pub

PS Are you Southern? If so don't spill anyone's pint.

I won't be offended as I have many northern friends (and born in Yorkshire myself)

Thanks for the recommendation

 

[Robertj21a]

There are a couple of good pubs in the town but and hour doesn't leave you much time. There is always Hogans over the road from the Victoria Road entrance. it is a cheap but fine pub

PS Are you Southern? If so don't spill anyone's pint.

PPS. They may not have the full range of lagers and spritzers......

 

[HOOVER29]

My gran always went on about the winter of 1947. Snow as deep as double decker buses and we still coped. Obviously before my time but I do remember winter from January 1982. 14 years old a friend & I were mucking about in the snow as you do & both fell into a near as damn it 10 ft snow drift. Took us hours to get out. Got a right rollocking when we got back. Nowadays an inch of snow & the country grinds to a halt.

 

[PHILIPE]

Can we talk about any current disruptions to train services, please ?

 

[DarloRich]

PPS. They may not have the full range of lagers and spritzers......

they have Fosters. Don't ask for a Spritzer.

Seriously it is a perfectly good, if rough and ready, bottom market end pub

 

[furnessvale]

I prefer to dress appropriately for the conditions, rather than try to win some pathetic type of macho willy waving contest.

Is there much willy waving available, in shorts while standing in a snow drift?

 

[Darandio]

Is there much willy waving available, in shorts while standing in a snow drift?

I can't see it, literally. I'll step back now though before Philipe starts issuing infractions.

 

[jon0844]

There's one reporter at The Daily Express who writes most of it. I mean him no ill for I know a friend of his and, I'm told, "he's given the headline and told to make a story out of it". The good journos tend to put the more intelligent and correct analysis towards the bottom of a piece as they know their subs won't make it that far when proof-reading and it maintains their credibility amongst peers. He's no different.

As for travel advice, mine would be to always check the Met Office website a couple of days before travel and if there are any warnings, call your rail operator for disruption guidance. Same for commuters, keep an eye on things, if you've got a day off pending for housework or similar, take it when the journey might be unpleasant.

I was thinking more of someone outside, although I see the article I searched for now is quite old and maybe it has changed. It was one person using what appears to be a made up company to give weather data, which the Daily Express kept using as a source for these crazy predictions.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...warning-beware-a-shower-of-extreme-inaccuracy

 

[aye2beeviasea]

Why is it than whenever I'm looking for an excuse to skive off a dull meeting due to snow the trains run just fine?

Curse you TPE

 

[The Box Photter]

go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.

Seconded ...