Disruption after wagon derailment (BBC News)
 

Rail services on the East Coast Mainline are severely disrupted when two freight train wagons derail.

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The waggons were derailed on "King Edward Bridge" but there's another High Level Bridge over the Tyne I wonder if they could have used that.
Alan Locojoe.

Tim,
"RF News" is an automatic system called an RSS feed. It was set up by the Railwayforum owners and as you can see it collects railway news items from the BBC's sites.

I was thinking the same thing Alan.
Even if the other bridge isn't electrified all the diesel services could still have used it with just a reversal in Newcastle station.
Just a guess as I don't know the area very well but perhaps there have been some trackwork mods made to save money and the line is probably no longer suitable for passenger trains. Do we have any Geordies on the forum?

Oh:o :o :o

Hi John I got in touch with a Geordie chap who I know who was a driver at Greensfield shed Gateshead and this was his reply.
Alan Locojoe.


In regard to the disruption at Newcastle owing to a derailment of a
hopper wagon on the King Edward bridge I dont know why the trains
where
terminated at Newcastle going south and Darlington coming North as On
looking at where the derailment occured it was on the North end of
the
Bridge on the Newcastle side. And as you Know Alan newcastle is
served
by two bridges the other one being the High Level bridge, So why did
the trains not use the High Level bridge Coming North to Newcastle
via
the old Greensfield depot as the connecting line is still in place
anand is used all the time likewise the trains coming North doing the
same over the High Level into Newcastle and then on thier journey
North.
I saw the television reports and the derailed train was nearly into
Newcastle when it went off the line so it could not have affected the
other route out of Newcastle via High Level junction and bridge via
Greensfield and onto the East coast mainline South and North.
So as I say my mind boggles as to why all the people had to be bused
from newcastle to darlington and visa versa?????.
But I will try to find out why that other route was not used or if
the
derailed wagon came off at the Bensham curve on its approach to
Newcastle and the King Edward bridge damaging the line before the
King Edward Bridge Junction.
As you will know by your coming up to Newcastle when you were a
fireman
Alan there is two routes from the East Coast Mainline into Newcastle.
This is another argument for the Leamside Branch to be Opened again.
Another thing why did they not send the HSTs and Virgin diesal
services
Via the Sunderland and Hartlepool branch to Darlington??
Or was it just to easy for them to hire buses and let the paying
public down yet again??
John.

Thanks Alan.
I think the last sentence might sum it up.
"Or was it just to easy for them to hire buses and let the paying
public down yet again??"

Or, in the old days, the expereinced railwaymen in the Area control office would have the authority and years of knowledge to make a decision on the spot to reroute trains, even if a local Inspector conducted them over the tricky parts of the alternative route at walking pace - just in case.

Now it would be that:- the altenative route has not been approved by a commitee and is "not in the manual" so we cant make a decision to use it without six months of bueaucracy to get pathing approval and consulting all TOCs and NWR - in case something goes wrong and we are sued or prosecuted for scratching a train on an overhanging platform edge. And the the paying passengers are least important.

Dont worry, I had also been thinking much the same thing:- Who has the time to scour the BBC sites every day for these news items?

I think it is a good idea, but some days there can be a few too many RF posts - Us humans will just have to post more to keep up. :D