• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

The day of the dead 153

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jordy

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2005
Messages
8,465
Location
WCML South
6/4/06

Was on a Central 153 yesterday heading for Newark, was fine until just after Habrough (between Grimsby and Barnetby), when there was a small bang, and the driver slowed the train to stop just next to Brocklesby signal box. I thought that we had possibly hit a small animal or something, but once the train had stopped it became more obvious, the engine had cut out. The train wobbled slightly and then the engine came back to life and we were on our way.

Everything was fine until Barnetby, when the engine died once more as we were stopping, the driver phoned the signalman but then came back to the 153, restarted the engine and we were once more on our way. About 20 seconds after departing, it died again and by the time we were at Wrawby Junction it was refusing to start at all :mad:.

So, sat on the Lincoln branch about 1 minutes walk away from the extremely busy Wrawby Junction and what can they do to rescue us, Nothing!! Apparently the signallers were refusing to do anything except wait for the next Lincoln train to come and push us, which is exactly what happened, 2 hours later!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr ;)

Jordy
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Max

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
5,455
Location
Cardiff
Typical Central it seems - terrible customer care. Though I guess if the signaller wouldn't help then there wasn't a lot they could do.
 

Met Driver

Established Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,734
laverack222 said:
Typical Central it seems - terrible customer care. Though I guess if the signaller wouldn't help then there wasn't a lot they could do.

Not really the TOC's fault if the signaller refused to do anything, surely?
 

David

Established Member
Joined
9 Jul 2005
Messages
5,103
Location
Scunthorpe
Erm, what about sending a replacement unit? AFAIK (I'm probably wrong here), Central keep a couple of units stabled at Lincoln for use on peak time journeys. Could they have sent one of these to the rescue?
 

Guinness

Established Member
Joined
13 Jun 2005
Messages
3,736
Harry Potter said:
Erm, what about sending a replacement unit? AFAIK (I'm probably wrong here), Central keep a couple of units stabled at Lincoln for use on peak time journeys. Could they have sent one of these to the rescue?

Possibly, depends on whether there were drivers there at the time.
 

Jordy

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2005
Messages
8,465
Location
WCML South
Harry Potter said:
Erm, what about sending a replacement unit? AFAIK (I'm probably wrong here), Central keep a couple of units stabled at Lincoln for use on peak time journeys. Could they have sent one of these to the rescue?

Apparently not...

Seth said:
Not really the TOC's fault if the signaller refused to do anything, surely?

Oh no, not at all the fault of Central Trains (for a change ;))

laverack222 said:
terrible customer care

No not at all, the guard was very helpful and even went down the train and asked where everyone was eventually heading for, and then printed everyone who wasnt going to lincoln a little ticket telling them how to get to their destination, so the customer care was actually very good.

Jordy
 

Ascot

Established Member
Joined
26 Nov 2005
Messages
3,382
Location
Birmingham, UK
THat happened to a 153 on the HoW line a month ago, and eventually it just packed up. It was every time the applied the brake is just gave way. Sometimes just crusing along.
 

Tom B

Established Member
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Messages
4,602
Why did they wait for the next train? Surely there's a light engine somewhere which could haul the unit out, or a train on the other line? 2 hours waiting is a bit long if another nearby loco could have assisted...
 

Max

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
5,455
Location
Cardiff
Jordy said:
No not at all, the guard was very helpful and even went down the train and asked where everyone was eventually heading for, and then printed everyone who wasnt going to lincoln a little ticket telling them how to get to their destination, so the customer care was actually very good.

Sounds like on this occasion, you got a nice friendly guard. I've just had bad experience with Central in the past, not nessecarily with the on board staff, more with the general company. For example, a 2 car 158 on a peak Saturday service - completely full, they wouldn't let people on at intermediate stations it was so full!
 

Jordy

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2005
Messages
8,465
Location
WCML South
Cockfosters said:
Surely there's a light engine somewhere which could haul the unit out, or a train on the other line? 2 hours waiting is a bit long if another nearby loco could have assisted...

Youd have thought so, with Immigham being so nearby, but it appeared that whoever was in charge didnt want to do that!

Jordy
 

Tomnick

Established Member
Joined
10 Jun 2005
Messages
5,826
I doubt it was the signalman's fault - any other form of action would require the agreement of Central Control, NR Control, and also the TOC/FOC who would be providing assistance, so I doubt the signalman even had chance to say 'no' to anything!

Assistance from Immingham - by the time a loco and crew had been found, and made its way to Wrawby, you'd not have been much better off! Depending whereabouts you failed (did you make it onto the Down Lincoln, or were you standing on the Down Main before the junction?) you'd have to have some more shunting too, otherwise you'd have to be propelled at low speed all the way to Lincoln!
 

66526

Member
Joined
9 Nov 2005
Messages
332
Some units have emergency couplers in case they break down so that a loco can haul them. Oh yeah, maximum speed is 5mph becasue of no continous brake... Doubt they are still used these days. They probably didn't have any drivers to get a loco from Immingham anyway...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top