Timetables for freight trains

[hstudent]

Are frieght trains supposed to run to a strict timetable? The reason I'm asking is because a couple of trains I have caught recently have been delayed by 5-10 minutes due to a late running freight train.

I'm aware that one freight train from the former ICI works at Winnington near Northwich sometimes follows the train departing Northwich at 0835 for Manchester, other times it follows the train departing Northwich at 0933 for Manchester & Blackpool.

[LesG]

There is a working time table for frieght trains,

But due to the nature of the work it is rare to actually run a freight to time. Enterprise services run to a fairly strict timetable where other trains such as infrastructre where possible will run to time but in reallity it is difficult.

The problem we have in freight operations, especially up here in the North of Scotland, is this. The Highland Main Line (HML) is practically single line from Stanley Jnc to Inverness except about 18 miles from Blair Athol to Dalwhinnie which is double, So the you have a freight train running in his booked path against a sprinter running late,who do you think gets shoved inside( and it aint the late running sprinter) So there it is freight is the neccessary evil as far as NR is concerned.

Les

[Bubblewrap]

To answer your question as a general rule yes.
If you know any footplate staff ask them about a working timetable!
http://www.nenevalley-railwaybooks.c...tegory_id=1144

[LesG]

[QUOTE=Bubblewrap;13625]To answer your question as a general rule yes.
If you know any footplate staff ask them about a working timetable!

I do happen to know a driver on freight trains 'ME' and as for a WTT you have more chance of getting rocking horse dodo, I think in 10 years as a freight driver I've seen a WTT once.

Les

[Foghut]

Maybe the expression 'Freight' trains is a bit vague (although perfectly correct ). Perhaps it might help to pick a specific type.


Freightliner Intermodal trains for example do seem to work to booked path (some of the time), and GBrF have some aggregate workings which are regular movements also; eg - Mountfield to Southhampton.

On the other hand Infrastructure trains seem less predictable, but this is not my area - Les is far better placed to say than me.

HTH,
Foggy

[Dynamo]

When I first started on the footplate, all traincrew were issued with both Freight and Passenger timetables in their trainload form rather than what stations they were supposed to stop at etc. I haven't seen one of those for years, but in answer to the question, yes freight trains do run to a timetable, and Network Rail are often very strict about them running to time these days.

Once upon a time, if a freight train was made up and ready to depart, it would be allowed to leave its starting place at any time, even if it was a couple of hours early. These days, Network rail run a pretty strict running to time policy, so even if a train is ready to depart and there's no other trains it can get in the way of, they'll still hold the train to its booked departure. I've even known trains make up time en-route and then being put into a holding siding until its proper booked time was reached.

Thankfully, there is a way around this problem for a driver who wants an early finish, and that is to ring their own companies control, who will then ask Network Rail control if a said train can run early. This is usually the case during the hours from midnight until 5am, though it can happen at other times of the day as well.

Some freight trains lose time en-route because they have a heavier load than is usually booked, but in my experience, most delays that occur after a train leaves its starting point on time is because of unbooked signal stops. It could well be that the train that hstudent mentioned departed on time, but was then delayed by a signal stop cos of another late train which could have been either a passenger or a freight train, but its an easy cop out to blame a slow freight train.

These days, whenever a train is delayed, someone has to take the rap, and whoever does then pays the penalty in big fines by Network Rail. We as drivers are therefore asked to ring a special delay hotline if our trains are delayed for whatever reason which is out of our control. I've been told that I have saved my company quite a bit of money in the past through reporting why I was delayed and stopped network rail fining my company, and they've even reimbursed my company as well if the blame lay elseware. The blame culture on the railway really makes people sit up and take notice because the penalties are so high.

In theory, if a freight train is booked to run after a passenger train, but the passenger train is delayed, then the freight train is supposed to run in front of it. Of course this rarely happens, but my company will reap the benefits of any penalty payment, as long as the driver has reported the incident.

[robbo]

http://freightmaster.net/

link above for freight timetable - Ouch!! - expensive to obtain , but interesting site

[hstudent]

The most recent delay was due to a Freightliner being on a single track section when a passenger train was due to be on that section, going in the opposite direction. The train that I referred to as sometimes following one passenger train and on other occasions following another is a EWS service.

I suppose freight trains are treated like local services, in that a late running express train would have prioirty over another service which is running to time.

[LesG]

I suppose freight trains are treated like local services, in that a late running express train would have prioirty over another service which is running to time.[/QUOTE]

BUT why should this be,

Freight companies pay NR for our paths so what gives NR the right to give something away to someone else that has already been bought and paid for?.

To me there is nothing more annoying sitting in a siding or loop waiting for a late running passanger when I am on time and by the time I get away I too am late.

Example of this is,
I was working an Inverness-Mossend service one night, due to a late running sprinter I managed to get to Carrbridge to cross that service. When I got away I was approx 20mins early, I get to Kingussie and am held for the next passanger. On speaking to the signalman I am told " You are a wee bit early driver I am holding you for the wee passanger coming down from Dalwhinnie".
What he did'nt say was that passanger was half an hour late, So from 20 odd mins early arriving at Kingussie I was 30 mins late away, because signallers are not allowed to use their brain and run trains when they can.

Les

[domeyhead]

Hi - I'm new to this forum and this is my first post - I work in a high rise office block overlooking Basingstoke station, where there is a stady procession of intermodal freights to and from Southampton and these invariably get held at Basingstoke to allow slower passenger trains ahead of them - eg the FGW topping train to Reading which makes three stops and surely cannot keep ahead of a northbound 75mph freightliner running non stop? I've seen the same thing soutbound where a freight has been held for 20 minutes at Battledown to allow my Brighton semi fast through. If the signaller had let it run the freight could have easily gained Eastleigh yard or the passing loops near Micheldever without slowing anybody - the most lethargic trains on the route seem to be the Cross Countrys which dither at Winchester and hold everyone up. Ah well