If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Golden Arrow Statesman

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by Barry Kendler, May 18, 2013.

  1. Barry Kendler

    Barry Kendler New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2013
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stanmore North-West London
    The reason for the Class 57 was to power the Mark II rolling stock' electrical heating and ventilation systems. As we know now 34067 left the Class 57 behind on Saturday 25th May at London-Liverpool Street. Barry
     
  2. Barry Kendler

    Barry Kendler New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2013
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stanmore North-West London
    The Golden Arrow Statesman is running again on Saturday, its first run in June 2013. Looking to catch both the Canterbury-West run and the Derby run on the short bit of the Great Western where the train is steam-hauled. Barry
     
  3. kelal

    kelal New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2005
    Messages:
    60
    Likes Received:
    0
    On Time through Tonbridge, looking and sounding great!
     
  4. VirtualSteam

    VirtualSteam Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2005
    Messages:
    333
    Likes Received:
    5
    On time through Ashford
     
  5. Chris_Sav

    Chris_Sav Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2013
    Messages:
    204
    Likes Received:
    90
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Out To Pasture
    Location:
    Great Mongeham
    No sign of it between Deal and Dover, gave up when the normal service went through just over half an hour later, cannot see any times on the realtime return leg.

    [edit] looks like it's now scheduled an hour later
     
  6. VirtualSteam

    VirtualSteam Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2005
    Messages:
    333
    Likes Received:
    5
    55 late from Canterbury. Its cold wet and raining, so I've come home!
     
  7. ian14

    ian14 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    75
    Occupation:
    Freelance Journalist
    Location:
    Northumberland and London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Through Acton Main Line 41 late at 2022.
     
  8. ian14

    ian14 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    75
    Occupation:
    Freelance Journalist
    Location:
    Northumberland and London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
  9. Matt35027

    Matt35027 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2009
    Messages:
    1,122
    Likes Received:
    143
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Builder
    Location:
    Near 74D
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Quick video of Tangmere at Hildenborough, the diesel having to give a shove to make up the lost time, but 34067 still doing her bit.

     
  10. Barry Kendler

    Barry Kendler New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2013
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stanmore North-West London
    Here is the 1st of two filsm of Tangmere I took taday both on the GWML. The film can be found at Your video will be live at: http://youtu.be/LBfLWWZ727k
     
  11. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2011
    Messages:
    4,333
    Likes Received:
    2,758
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    West Byfleet
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
  12. ian14

    ian14 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    75
    Occupation:
    Freelance Journalist
    Location:
    Northumberland and London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Realtime Train Info ended at Hanwell Bridge Loop - 20:32 (42 late) - when Tangmere was due to take its leave. The site now states: "This train has been cancelled due to a problem with the train communications." Presume that refers to cancelled from the Realtime system when the diesel took over at Hanwell rather than the actual diesel hauled return last leg from Hanwell to Derby being cancelled?
     
  13. Barry Kendler

    Barry Kendler New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2013
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stanmore North-West London
  14. leander

    leander Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2007
    Messages:
    801
    Likes Received:
    40
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Wymington Beds
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I under stand from another site that the train was terminated at Paddington and passengers were sent home by bus and taxis
     
  15. ian14

    ian14 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    75
    Occupation:
    Freelance Journalist
    Location:
    Northumberland and London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Thanks leander. Have now seen that post on another forum. Hopefully someone will post more information about what happened in due course.
     
  16. ian14

    ian14 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    75
    Occupation:
    Freelance Journalist
    Location:
    Northumberland and London
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Have just read a new posting on the other forum from a passenger who understands the problem arose because of "a fault on a GSM-R radio on one of the 57s". What followed does not make easy reading. Reported to be stuck in the Hanwell Loop for 1hr 15 mins with a lack of information. Diverted to Paddington where they arrived at 11pm with no working toilets on the train and those at Paddington locked for the night. Claims of more lack of information and mis-information with elderly passengers among those eventually left standing in the street waiting for taxis back north - medical help needed for one. "Our small group finally managed to get away around 2am, after being in the taxi queue for around an hour - dozens and dozens of elderly people still waiting on the street at Paddington for taxis to different destinations. "
     
  17. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2011
    Messages:
    8,658
    Likes Received:
    6,415
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Enfield
    I hope I don't offend the mods by quoting a post from another forum but the events described are staggering. The quote in full:

    "I was on the train yesterday (as a passenger).

    The fault was with a GSM-R radio on one of 57s as I understand it. I do not fully claim to understand the system but it seems it is interlocked into the signalling system. Some general background on Wikipedia:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM-R

    Network Rail it seems were not happy to allow the train over the North London Line from Hanwell Loop without this in place. It took a good 90 minutes to get the train manager to communicate this - there was definitely a lack of information, we were being told we were waiting for a signal to clear for more or less an hour.

    After sitting in the loop for about 1hr 15 mins we were told a rescue 47 was to be sent from Southall (I am guessing a WCRC 47 with a working radio). Whether this ever left Southall is unclear. Around 10:45 our train started moving under the power of the 57s only, missed the turning onto the NLL much to the surprise of the more observant people on the train and it was only after we had passed Old Oak Common, crossed over to the Up Fast and passed North Pole Depot that the train manager (apparently a Director of Statesman Rail) bothered to tell us that we were being sent to Paddington and terminated.

    It seems, after waiting in the loop for so long at Hanwell, the train ran out of time to clear a planned engineering possession somewhere (though I didn't find out where this was). I got the feeling this was what forced the train ultimately to be dumped at Paddington around 11pm (left in P1, toilets on the train blocked out of water, toilets on the station locked up for the night).

    I have to say, the information coming out of the guard/Statesmen Director yesterday was at times completely lacking and more often than not full of false positivity/certainty (statements like "I have no information to give you but we should be on the move in 15 minutes").

    After another 30 to 45 minutes we were then told "11 buses are on the way" from First Group.

    After another 45 minutes it was announced only two buses were in fact coming and the rest would be taxied home. Later it was announced "70 taxis are here", and everyone was directed to one part of the station where there were no taxis, forced to wait there for 20 minutes before being told this was not the right pick up place. There then followed a trek to the other side of the station where three or four taxi's were waiting. Taxis then pulled up slowly in dribs and drabs.

    Our small group finally managed to get away around 2am, after being in the taxi queue for around an hour - dozens and dozens of elderly people still waiting on the street at Paddington for taxis to different destinations.

    No sight of the train manager for hours around the taxi queue. I understand that unexpected things happen but the attitude of the train manager in particular yesterday left a distinctly sour taste.

    I had also not realised until yesterday that a radio was now viewed as a piece of critically important signalling equipment. Watching so many elderly people left on the street at Paddington at 2am, the thought did occur that surely it must have been possible to navigate the North London Line at reduced speed (let's face it, the NLL is pretty slow anyway for railtours!) using the traditional means of looking at the signals!

    I also expect the taxi bill was absolutely astronomical, sending ten rail coach loads of people by taxi half way across the country in the middle of the night.

    The thought also occurred that are entering an age where railtours are becoming ever more complex to operate (and ever more annoying / less important from the perspective of Network Rail).

    Lots to learn from this debacle for all the parties involved.

    I just hope everyone got home safely. Some medics were called to one of the elderly for whom all the standing, queuing and confusion had all become quite distressing. Not at all how a rail tour should be ending"
     
  18. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,065
    Likes Received:
    20,773
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The above note is a sobering read. There are some worrying similarities with the Tornado incident at Rhyl in the way that Network Rail appears not to have been able to provide solutions and, in particular, the impact of the engineering possession. I am sure that people in NR will be able to explain why things couldn't be done over the radio matter and/or the possession issue. I expect the same people will also be able to quote the page number of the standard operating procedures that explains why. At times like this do the powers that be forget about the fact that these are people needing to be looked after? Had the FGW or NR person with the key to the toilets really gone home? Did anyone care? This is a disgrace and I'm sorry to say, symptomatic of what can happen when things fall through the cracks of multiple businesses sharing the same space - our national rail system.
     
    spicer21 likes this.
  19. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Messages:
    35,446
    Likes Received:
    9,144
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired-ish, Part time rail tour steward.
    Location:
    Northwich
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
  20. Barry Kendler

    Barry Kendler New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2013
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stanmore North-West London
    Yeah did well in the morning and not Tangmere's fault that it was delayed in evening. Power supply problems I understand. Barry
     

Share This Page