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RF News 2nd February 2009 13:42

Snowfall hits schools and trains (BBC News)
 
Snowfall causes a number of difficulties for schools and rail users in Gloucestershire.

More from BBC News...

Shed Cat 2nd February 2009 18:27

Can you get snow ploughs to fit Class 66 buffers? :D

bramleyman 2nd February 2009 23:33

I Walked to school and work in deeper snow than they had there. A mere couple of inches and this country now stops.

Flying Pig 4th February 2009 09:45

I'm really surprised at the complete failure of the Railway on this occasion. Down in Tonbridge there are both GBRf and Amec depots. Their specific Winter task is to run Deicers and Ghost Trains 24/7 to keep the conductor rail working.

And yet not a single service train ran through there on the first day of snow - which wasn't even high enough to cover the third rail.

Why did the system fail so badly ?

chuffchuff 4th February 2009 11:51

Ah the joys of the modern railway :D
Computer controlled trains and AC motors don't like intermittent power
supply, also screw couplings and Delner/ tightlock don't work. So no
sticking a Diesel on the back and giving it a shove.

Bubblewrap 4th February 2009 12:49

I went to school 1954-1965 & only had one day off due to bad weather

Andy 4th February 2009 13:12

If it hadn't have snowed in London and the S.E. I doubt any of this snow would've made the headlines ;)

I remember having to do cross country at school in 1979 and negotiating snow drifts higher than myself. Besides, snowball fights were far better at school ... bet they're banned now as well :(

jay 4th February 2009 14:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy (Post 23835)
Besides, snowball fights were far better at school ... bet they're banned now as well :(

Only year 11 where in on monday, had a snowball fight at lunch, and a few teachers joined in!!!!

Was the best day I have ever had at school.

Andy 4th February 2009 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay (Post 23837)
Only year 11 where in on monday, had a snowball fight at lunch, and a few teachers joined in!!!!

Was the best day I have ever had at school.

Excellent, that's cheered me up :) Fortunately some things don't change.
cheers,
Andy

Flying Pig 5th February 2009 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuffchuff (Post 23833)
Ah the joys of the modern railway :D
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.


Quote:

also screw couplings and Delner/ tightlock don't work.
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 !!!

25250 6th February 2009 20:14

It's funny, but why do people think traincrew reside permanently at the depots? They have to get into work at all hours. The days when you had to live no more than one mile from your depot are long gone. Our class 321's once the most reliable of their type dislike snow being dragged into their motors. They are restricted to 75mph at the mo' Also, snow gets into the door runners. Station staff use anti-freeze to clear them, the stuff melts, and then the wind chill caused by the movement re-freezes. It's a vicious circle.
Oh, and while I'm on me soap box, walking to work at 4 in the morning in a blizzard, or on hard compacted snow/ice isn't much fun, no matter what the final depth is. If any of you non railway posters have brilliant ideas on how to deal with once in twenty year occasions that won't cost millions, then feel free to share your ideas with the world.

grayguy 8th February 2009 20:12

How do 350s react to snowy conditions? I only ask because Steve Banaghan has used the Class 321 problem with snow as his answer to the DfT. Are there any 350's running today?

jay 12th February 2009 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy (Post 23851)
Excellent, that's cheered me up :) Fortunately some things don't change.
cheers,
Andy

Got a couple of inches here in Darlington, had p.e today, we were meant to be having a footy match, but it turned into a fottball match/snowball fight :)

Then, my head of year came out, and started throwing snowballs at us :eek:
There were about 10 of us, so we all got a couple of snowballs, and ran at him, it was the first time I have ever seen him in a good mood!!!


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