'The Capital Christmas Express'. 23rd November

yes i just posted that above lol, i was on train and got to Dorchester just before 1am... thanks to SWT!
see my post a few back ta

quote''

i was on train, we blocked slow line for 3 hours, and adjacent fast line had to be closed for several time periods to allow access to fireman's side of loco for removal of damaged parts to make loco safe to move...NR staff searched all tracks alongside us and then all across all up and down lines and behind the train for some distance checking for track damage...Plenty of SWT trains were disrupted and delayed, some cancellations...finally loco made safe to move and we got to Basing at about 2240 and RTC were lucky that SWT kindly arranged for an additionally stopped and further delayed the 2135 off Waterloo-Weymouth for us to rescue the pax. (this train was not stopping at Basing)​

the Eastleigh pax got the stopping train 2252.​

just maybe a critique was that had NR allowed closure of the adj down fast for a bit longer the damage could have been removed much quicker in one go and we would have got on the move quicker, but it would have caused longer delays to trains running down...that's all.​

RTC did a good job in keeping us updated with true facts and we were at least warm and fed on the train in comfort.​

Hats off to SWT for holding that train for us otherwise things for 100 odd Weymouth pax would have been different with buses from B'mouth onwards.​

 

At least everybody was able to get home, Southwest trains seem to have sensible in holding the last train .

 

So "knitting" lashing through a crowded platform at 100 mph is perfectly ok then is it? Its a possible consequence of breaking catenary, and breaking catenary happens far more often than connecting rods falling off locos. ( nowadays ). In fact cases of pantographs smashing through windows and injuring passengers has happened FAR more than connecting rods pitching steam locos ass over head.

But then I suppose that doesn't fit your alarmist stance now does it.

 

yes we all got home ok, could have been much worse all round.

 

The loco is attached to the rails, which is quite firmly on earth...
As soon as the connection was made I would imagine it would have shorted out and thrown the breaker and no doubt caused some excitement in a control room somewhere.

If it broke the rail and left a detached live power cable exposed somewhere that may not have been so nice.

I recall reading a few years back a 25kv cable detached at St Pancras and started dancing on the platform, after the control room ignored questioning why a breaker tripped and turned it back on.

 

Totally agree with Sheff on this, UK mainline steam could have dodged a bullet with this one.

 

Clearly there's going to be some interesting questions that need to be answered, but it's worth remembering 34067 is only one type of loco from one provider, so I doubt that would affect say a Tyseley Castle or Riley Black Five, if a class 47 had a defect, you wouldent stop HST's and Voyagers unless it's a common component (unlikely).

 

Reading elsewhere it seems the whole lot was eventually dragged back to Southall, seen somewhere just past midnight.
One shudders to think if this happened at full line speed as in Mr Knowun's video clip, especially through a station. As it was I presume it was slowing for the water stop.
Also don't forget Tangmere had a related issue before where the inside motion come adrift & punctured the oil bath somewhere near Rugby. That was on a return trip from Carnforth.
I wonder if FTR's will be tightened up even more because of this.

 

The video didn't seem to indicate anything too unusual on the sound track I must say. I guess when the failure occurred the train was not going at the speed seen on the video. Hopefully, anyway.

 

They electrical controller ignord their own rules it appears - a link to the report is attached


http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/100805_R122010_StPancras.pdf

 

This incident is not an example of a Faraday cage! (And you mean "effect")

 

Interesting, what about the HST that dropped it's fuel tank on the track between London & Reading some years back.
Or going back even further, the Western that the battery door opened whilst going through West Ealing? That had disastrous results.

 

I didnt say it was - suggest you re read my post.

The Faraday effect is what gives a conducting structure surrounding an object the name Faraday cage. Having been an electrical engineer for 40 years I can assure you my colleagues would have known what I meant by Faraday cage.

 

AFAICR we had passed the scheduled water stop at Fleet, we were not cracking along, we were doing maybe 40-50 and probably slowing down...all i noticed was that we were running at a leisurely pace since clapham with some slowing down now and again.
i thought we had stopped for water but it seems we had gone past Fleet.

 

I'm not too familiar with Bulleid Pacifics myself, but here's a video clip of Tangmere earlier in the day I've viewed on YouTube. There certainly appears to be a knocking of the motion, but can anybody in a better position enlighten to whether this is a common clank from the B0B's, or maybe something to do with the issue being discussed?

 

I have just re-read your post. Although the post is not written with great clarity, I think the implication is that the crew in this incident were protected by a Faraday cage. If not, why did you introduce the term?

You now introduce the unrelated phenomenon of the "Faraday effect" (see above). This is different again and refers to the rotation of a polarised electromagnetic wave in a magnetic field.

 

Yes, there was clearly a major incident here, however we wish to disguise it. Thank the Lord, the train was not running at its full line speed of 75mph and worse still through a busy station with Xmas shoppers and sports fans crowding stations like Woking. We could be talking today about a much more serious incident. One which all steam fans dread because of the possible consequences. The fact that it happened where and when it did it the one good thing to reflect on. The problem is that when an assessment is made in due course, it will indeed be "what if........" Imagine the disruption if it had happen on the last 4 miles between Clapham Junction and Waterloo. Chaos beyond our wildest imagination.

All of that said, no one was hurt and one hopes that common sense and cool logic will prevail.

Nick

 

Must confess I'm not hearing any clanking or mechanical noise in that video, nor do I recall any at Winchester or Clapham when she passed me yesterday