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Originally Posted by chuffchuff
Ah the joys of the modern railway 
Computer controlled trains and AC motors don't like intermittent power
supply, |
No traction likes intermittent power, but that's the way it is with Third Rail. It's perfectly normal in winter for a train to be continuously arcing, banging and flashing throughout its journey. If you want to see this take a journey on a damp winter's night and sit over the shoe gear - the flashing will drive you to distraction.
Networkers (AC motors) have been going for 2 decades now, and have operated continuously in far worse conditions than this. 375/7s arc just like other trains, but they don't die. If you looked at trains once they were running, you'd see that their opposite shoe gear was in contact with the snow and actually 'sledging' over it. You'd expect this to be a major problem with shorting the supply current out, but it wasn't. I think you'll find that trains are far more resilient than you give them credit for.
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also screw couplings and Delner/ tightlock don't work.
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I don't really understand why you say this. The temperature only went down to -6 ish. I've been driving stock this week with Tightlocks on (and no covering bag), and after running at 100 mph for over an hour I've terminated and made attachments/detachments without any problems. I've no idea what the wind-chill was, but it must have beeen pretty cold. I know that there have been instances in the media of tightlocks coming apart occasionally on Networkers, but the design is sound they work fine on other stock.
What I'm really surprised about is the blanket decision not to run trains. We've persevered under much more dificult conditions in the past, and it feels like we've just given up the will to go on. I've heard a whisper that it was Network Rail's decision, but as usual everybody is being very tight-lipped.
I bet the NR directors still get their yearly bonus though !!!