West Highland line closed

[Darandio]

The train will be loaded as it was heading North , this could hit poduction at fort Bill . Also it could have an effect on GBRF as they are so busy with all the work they have .

In light of that, and with the best intentions, is it inconceivable that 55022 could come out for them again? Or is there enough cover with suitable traction?

 

[68000]

How to you guard against this? 5mph ESR during very heavy rain?

 

[4SRKT]

How to you guard against this? 5mph ESR during very heavy rain?

The 18:21 Glasgow > Oban/Mallaig that I was on yesterday was taking things extremely gingerly yesterday going over the section between Arrochar and Ardlui. Just before the landslip happened..........

 

[cawky22]

In light of that, and with the best intentions, is it inconceivable that 55022 could come out for them again? Or is there enough cover with suitable traction?

No , Unless GBRF want to hire 55022 again ,

 

[Aictos]

They wont be able to build a road up to the loco so an airlift could be an alternative but it is isolated so NR must be scratching their heads for an answer.This will prompt a review of the line for possible landslips I hope ,the driver must have been really shaken up by this hope they look after him?

Surely the best thing for Network Rail to do is request the assistance of the Armed Forces and let them get on with the recovery of the loco - I'm sure the exercise would serve the Armed Forces well specifically the Royal Logistic Corps who I'm sure would only be too happy to put their training to good use.

Simple!

 

[fgwrich]

In light of that, and with the best intentions, is it inconceivable that 55022 could come out for them again? Or is there enough cover with suitable traction?

Who knows? But without any acess to the Fort Will Alcan factory, it won't be up in Blyth anytime soon.

But, who knows what could happen - They would even hire 70099 if it arrives anytime soon?

WNXX
Class 70s...
For completeness in the fleet survey below 70012, the registered but not yet constructed 70021 to 70030 along with 70099 are included. 70099, when it arrives, is not for Freightliner but for further testing work which has not been undertaken in Turkey. In the longer term the speculation that GBRf might trial it has not been discounted.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Surely the best thing for Network Rail to do is request the assistance of the Armed Forces and let them get on with the recovery of the loco - I'm sure the exercise would serve the Armed Forces well specifically the Royal Logistic Corps who I'm sure would only be too happy to put their training to good use.

Simple!

I would like to hope so, but unfortunatly with the various and unfortunate ongoing Armed Forces cutbacks, many regiments / sections are going over to Teritorial only - The railway divison in the RLC being one of them, with many looking at going over to mainline railways. (One of the candidates on the FGW Drivers courses i was on is in the same situation)

 

[tra1nsp0tter]

I know this is abit early to speculate here, but, will this class 66 (I don't know what the loco no. is..) be repairable? I imagine there will be some quite significant under frame/boogie damage to the loco?....

 

[ainsworth74]

Surely the best thing for Network Rail to do is request the assistance of the Armed Forces and let them get on with the recovery of the loco - I'm sure the exercise would serve the Armed Forces well specifically the Royal Logistic Corps who I'm sure would only be too happy to put their training to good use.

Only if Network Rail is willing to pay the Armed Forces for the work, otherwise why should the taxpayer being stumping up for the recovery of the locomotive of a private company?

 

[4SRKT]

Cutting it up on site may be the best means of removing it.

 

[marks87]

I know this is abit early to speculate here, but, will this class 66 (I don't know what the loco no. is..) be repairable? I imagine there will be some quite significant under frame/boogie damage to the loco?....

Cutting it up on site may be the best means of removing it.

Even if it's technically recoverable (in that, given some TLC, it could be back working again), it might well be the costs and logistics make it "better" to declare it a write-off, and cut it up on-site.

I'm assuming that its current position means it's gone beyond the reach of a NR crane, making a rail-based recovery impossible?

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm assuming that its current position means it's gone beyond the reach of a NR crane, making a rail-based recovery impossible?

Do Network Rail even have any breakdown cranes anymore?

 

[tra1nsp0tter]

Even if it's technically recoverable (in that, given some TLC, it could be back working again), it might well be the costs and logistics make it "better" to declare it a write-off, and cut it up on-site.

I'm assuming that its current position means it's gone beyond the reach of a NR crane, making a rail-based recovery impossible?

I am 99% sure I heard them say today (on the lunchtime stv news) that the location was only accessable by rail......
As for being cut up on site......would they really actually do that?..

 

[cawky22]

there must be a couple of rail cranes still in service

 

[fgwrich]

They do still have a couple of serviceable breakdown cranes, and then theres the Kirow Cranes of Balfours, Volker Rail and Colas, but is the 66 beyond the reach of the crane / too far down?

 

[cm39275]

hasnt anybody noticed that the 66 is verutally sat on the banks of the loch, so maybe network rail could get some barges loaded up with some heavy lifting cranes and remove it that way rather than by rail.

 

[ainsworth74]

I was wondering about that myself. But really the whole thing comes down to cost, is it going to be cheaper to consider it a write off and cut it up where it is or is going to be worth the cost of getting it moved and perhaps put back in service? Which ever is the cheaper is likely to be the chosen option.

 

[tra1nsp0tter]

hasnt anybody noticed that the 66 is verutally sat on the banks of the loch, so maybe network rail could get some barges loaded up with some heavy lifting cranes and remove it that way rather than by rail.

I like your thinking cm..good idea.
Also, who picks up the cost of this incident?...i.e recovery etc, Network Rail? Or GBRF?
Sorry for the silly questions aswell...... I'm new here....

 

[scotsman]

hasnt anybody noticed that the 66 is verutally sat on the banks of the loch, so maybe network rail could get some barges loaded up with some heavy lifting cranes and remove it that way rather than by rail.

Nice idea, but it's not a Sea Loch

 

[sprinterguy]

I know this is abit early to speculate here, but, will this class 66 (I don't know what the loco no. is..) be repairable? I imagine there will be some quite significant under frame/boogie damage to the loco?....

The loco involved is 66734, and the body of the loco, and for that matter the underframe that is visible, seems to have remained remarkably structurally intact.

The class 66, 66048, that was involved in the Carrbridge derailment during the winter (2010?) proved to be recoverable and repairable, despite having slid down an embankment that appears to have been steeper and more greatly clad in tree cover than the one that 66734 has descended. Plus a solution was found to recover the derailed 156 that was suspended in a precarious position on the Oban branch last year, despite the great challenge of having to widen and strengthen the roadway to support a road crane over the loch. A road crane may well prove to be an untenable solution to the present recovery operation, but all of this goes to show that there is nothing to say that the recovery of 66734 will prove any more challenging than other fairly recent complex re-railing operations in the Scottish Highlands.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Do Network Rail even have any breakdown cranes anymore?

I think that there's still three dedicated breakdown cranes remaining. One of which is based at Bescot for certain.

 

[General Zod]

Scotrail say on their Twitter feed that Oban - Glasgow Queen St. services are now running normally. Great news that they reinforced the landslip near Ardlui so quickly.

 

[Aictos]

Only if Network Rail is willing to pay the Armed Forces for the work, otherwise why should the taxpayer being stumping up for the recovery of the locomotive of a private company?

I suggested the Armed Forces coming in as a alternative to Network Rail as the former could use it as a training exercise to put their skills to the test, hence no cost to the taxpayer.

If that wasn't acceptable and Network Rail were struggling to rescue the loco then yes Network Rail ought to pay the Armed Services for their services.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Probably need 2 rail cranes. Danger of doing further damage whilst winching / dragging it back. Hope they get some decent footage of the operation -
Make a great documentary.

Breakdown cranes.
http://www.bdca.org.uk/ukcranes.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianews/5853751349/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ingythewingy/6043364464/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianews/5853750817/
http://www.tauntontrains.co.uk/MEMORIES-ACCIDENTS.htm (ADRC96715 under repair?)

 

[michael769]

Only if Network Rail is willing to pay the Armed Forces for the work, otherwise why should the taxpayer being stumping up for the recovery of the locomotive of a private company?

Network Rail Scotland gets most of its funding from taxpayers so we are paying for it no matter how it is done.

As the armed forces require training and soldiers get paid anyway (unlike any contractors NR bring in) in theory it would represent a net saving to taxpayers. And that is before you consider the economic, tourism and social benefits of restoring normal running in the most timely manner possible.

As for recovery - if all else fails, although the loco at over 100t is too heavy for an Air Crane, an Air Crane could lift a Site Crane to the location which could then be used to get it back on the rails. But to be honest if things went that far I would expect them to use winches - although that would cause additional damage, I suspect the repair costs would still be lower than hiring in an Air Crane.

 

[142094]

There is still some sort of breakdown train at Knottingley, although not sure if this includes a crane or not (and in that case, I wonder if there are any rail-based cranes that could lift a 66?).

 

[dogman]

Breakdown crane going from Bescot, to clear wagons.

 

[Highland37]

Erm, Scotland is in Blighty! lol!

Not for long
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Further to the thread, I am familiar with the location and it's not and wont be accessible by road. There is a road on the other side of the loch accessed from Fersit but that road is in itself very narrow and has weight restrictions although the bridge has just been upgraded for timber wagons. Rail crane or cut up on site I think.

 

[daikilo]

Not for long
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Further to the thread, I am familiar with the location and it's not and wont be accessible by road. There is a road on the other side of the loch accessed from Fersit but that road is in itself very narrow and has weight restrictions although the bridge has just been upgraded for timber wagons. Rail crane or cut up on site I think.

I suggest it should be possible, over time, to prepare a ramp from the rail-level down to a platform beside the loco such that road crane/s could be lifted off suitable rail vehicle/s, run down the ramp and then used to lift the loco back onto the track. Trees cut down might be adequate for the platform with suitable solid reinforcement.

That said, it won't happen in a day!

Cut up or dismantelling on site could present serious fluid polution hazards due to the angle of the loco.

 

[GB]

If cutting up is the way forward, I imagine any fluids would be drained first.

 

[tra1nsp0tter]

This picture of 66734 was taken from the weather problems thread on here.

Credit to the original poster on above mentioned thread for the picture.

Picture in link below:

http://davepurser.smugmug.com/Trains...P1020619-L.jpg

Sorry if the link doesn't work.......never had to post one using my phone before...

 

[142094]

If cutting up is the way forward, I imagine any fluids would be drained first.

No doubt would have to be or SEPA would be on the lookout for anything draining into the loch that shouldn't be.