A reminder of how cold it was!

This from a Mr Drayne...

Willersley Tunnel (Northern portal), near Matlock Bath, Christmas Day 2010:


According to the Met Office the temperature was officially recorded as 'brass monkeys'.

Exclusive: Pictures of West Highland Line avalanche.

This just in from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Please see below a photograph taken yesterday from a helicopter flying over the West Highland Line.


The photo shows one of four avalanches which took place on Friday, closing the line between Tyndrum Upper and Bridge of Orchy.

The avalanches came from the slopes of Beinn Odher which the line crosses.

We have been unable to clear the site to date due to the risk of further avalanches, however, avalanche specialists are travelling to the site via helicopter today to take bore samples and provide a more detailed understanding of the risk.

Provided that the all-clear is given, we expect to move our snow-blowers onto site to begin clearing the line tomorrow.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

Do NR choppers play the Ride of the Valkyries as a sound track for their inspection work.

Snow stops trains - this time in Sweden

This from The Raver...

According to Railway-technology.com:

Swedish trains have been paralysed after the network was hit with delays and cancellations caused by heavy snow fall and low temperatures.

Sverige schadenfreude!

Eurostar leaks report to friendly media

Looks like Bell Pottinger has been busy earning its fee.

Today's FT contains details, in advance of publication, of Chris Garnett's report into Eurostar's pre Christmas Chunnel debacle.

The rest of us mere mortals (and indeed those unhappy legions trapped below ground) will have to wait until tomorrow for its official publication.

One piece of good news.

The Pink 'Un confidently predicts "that senior resignations look unlikely".

Good news indeed for Eurostar chief executive and broom cupboard star, Richard Brown, who can stay in place and keep counting the money.

Shurley "...stay in place while inquiry recommendations are implemented." Ed?

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic, via The Gruaniad...

"The central thing seems to be that the management didn't handle the incident very well. They seemed a bit vague about how the snow was going in.

"There wasn't the technical depth that I've seen at other organisations I've been to."

What's a snowplough Grandpa?

Eye posted this last year...



...but it somehow seems more topical now.

Note how, in spite of the white stuff, the railway continues to function.

Younger readers may struggle to recognise an item at the front of one of the kettles in this film.

It is called a snowplough.

Believe it or not they were used to clear the white stuff (snow) from the line so that trains could run normally.

How very quaint!

Eye believes that the last serving railwayman to use one of these in anger was Stewart Palmer.

Stewart, who retired as MD of South West Trains last year, apparently signed snowploughs when he was based at Carlisle.

If readers know of any current railwaymen (or women) who can remember how to use a snowplough please contact Network Rail.

UPDATE: This from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Is a snowplough like one of these?


Which was operating in Scotland only last week...

The Fact Compiler responds "And I'd have got away with it, if it hadn't been for that meddling rapid rebuttal unit!"

UPDATE: This from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Eye readers may be interested in the hardware that we have available to keep the railway running in winter.

Network Rail’s National Delivery Service (NDS) manage the delivery of NR fleet to the Routes requirements to mitigate the effects of winter weather

19 Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) can be deployed to cover areas with third rail traction to prevent ice build up by spraying an anti-icing agent directly to the conductor rail .

• Kent - 6 based at Tonbridge
• Sussex - 6 based at Horsham
• Wessex - 1 based at Effingham & 4 based at Eastleigh
• LNW (for Merseyrail) - 2 based at Wigan

The winter fleet is supplemented by the GLV fleet, based at Tonbridge, which sprays heated anti-icing fluid when ice has formed on the conductor rail whilst also clearing the snow / ice off.

There is also a hired fleet of locomotives fitted with Miniature Snow Ploughs (MSP) which clear snow up to 450mm above railhead. Some locomotives are also fitted with ‘shoegear’ which also can clear ice / snow from the conductor rail.

In addition, there is a NR fleet of Independent Snow Ploughs (11), Beilhack Ploughs (5) and Snowblowers (2) strategically placed around the network which can be deployed when snow is deeper than 450mm.

This is all in addition to any ‘ghost trains’ (passenger trains without passengers) which may be run by the TOCs, as well as multitude of NR Operations & Customer Service and Maintenance staff out on the patch keeping the lines open.

So now you know.

UPDATE: This just in from a Mr Jacala...

If I remember correctly wasn't Stewart Palmer responsible for scrapping the snow ploughs that were old steam engine tenders and getting the current fleet of purpose built ploughs built?

This, obviously, in his Railtrack days.

UPDATE: This from Mike...

Seems Southeastern are busy trying to cover themselves, but buried in this blogpost on Bexcentric is the following:

"To deal with the effects of snow and ice, once warnings of below zero temperatures are received, Network Rail runs Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) trains to lay de-icing fluid and train operators run empty “ghost trains” over night in a bid to keep the tracks clear. However, persistent below zero temperatures coupled with sleet and snow falls of the type we have seen over the last ten days can negate any preventive measures by either washing away the de-icing fluid, or covering the tracks with a fresh coating of snow and ice."

So it seems that those six based at Tonbridge were not much use.

Maybe NR should check if one of the uses of these Multi-purpose vehiches is indeed to de-ice/clear snow?

It's also worth wondering why those "ghost" trains couldn't carry passengers after Southeastern shut the network down at 7pm.

Back to the drawing board, I think.

Thought for the day...

Tom Harris MP on the delights of winter travel...

I’m not sure why people are so much more tolerant of airline delays than railway delays.

Eye suspects it's because rail travel is seen as humdrum whilst air travel still retains a mystic allure (makes no sense to me either).

Ice to see you, to see you, ice!

This from 'Is 1A03 out of Chester yet, Bert?' with a bowler tip to the Irish Railway Safety Commision, who obviously have a broad remit!


Icicle in Blea Moor tunnel on the 10th January 2010.

Perth to Inverness restored!

This just in from Network Rail's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Passengers in the far north of Scotland will be pleased that services between Perth and Inverness are running again after the freight derailment at Carrbridge.

The first picture shows the damage.


The second and third show Network Rail hard at work in lousy weather day...


... and night.


The final pic shows, ahem, the lighter side of rail recovery….


Good effort!

50% gritting cuts signal opportunity for the railways

According to the Downing Street spokesman in the Lobby today:

Councils have been told by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to cut salt-spreading by up to 50%.

As this risks making road travel less safe isn't this a perfect opportunity for the TOCs and NR to work together so as to generate some additional traffic?

Providing, of course, intending passengers can actually reach their local stations...

UPDATE: This genius solution from Tom West...

Surely the obvious thing is to persuade councils to only grit the side of the road leading *to* railway stations.

WTF?

Railway remains open for business!

This just in from the soi disant 'veteran' observer...

Just thought Eye readers might like to know that as at 11:00 today, and despite the bad weather, 86% of all timetabled services are running, and more than half of these are running normally.

The railway - getting you there and back safely!

UPDATE: This from AMonkster via Twitter...

More likely that 86% of trains bid to run as of 10pm last night were running!

Not many TOCs still advertising full SX t/t.

NR asset failures are TOCs fault - Official

Exciting news from Network Rail!

Apparently the infrastructure owner is trying to blame "ice falling from trains" for infrastructure failures.

Presumably NR's latest wheeze is designed to shift fault attribution and bolster its PPM performance during the current adverse weather conditions.

Eye has a couple of novel suggestions that might really help address the problem of equipment failure in adverse weather.

Perhaps NR should clear snow from the area "On or About The Line" so it can't interfere with trackside equipment.

And whilst they are at it why not also have a go at improving ride quality so that impacted snow and ice isn't dislodged from trains when passing over switches and crossings.

A foolish dream of course.

UPDATE: This from Network Rail's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

The weather is brutal. Transport will always be hit. Roads and airports especially so.

Remarkably, train performance, in the main has held up well in difficult circumstances.

In my experience the hallmark of the last few days is how closely train operators and Network Rail have worked together to keep most lines running.

Of course there will be a time for fault attribution and I know there are those who criticise the fact that the rail industry employs people employed to do this.

All I will say on that subject is - much as I hate to use a phrase from the world of management consultancy - it's true; if you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

Getting to the bottom of what causes specific delays means that we can focus on how to minimise such delays in the future.

The most important work going on across the network now is the tireless work of railwaymen and women who are keeping the tracks clear and the trains running the best they can in tough conditions.

And to illustrate the point here are some of NR's finest at work.


Above: Off track team on fault clearance Thatto Heath


Above: Chainsawing felled trees in Anglia

Above: Snow duty

Snow plays havoc with Adonis plans for NatEx!

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
Let's hope that Lord Lenin Adonis is keeping his promise to monitor closely the performance of the remaining franchises operated by evil National Express.

Under cover of the snow chaos those back-sliders and recidivists at ludicrously named c2c are not only operating a full timetable but as at 12.00 the PPM for the day is a risible 97.67%, with three trains arriving outside the TOC's 4 minute target!

The sooner Elaine Holt takes over, the better...

UPDATE: This just in from Rudi over at Merseyrail...

Merseyrail trains are running normally (as they did yesterday) to the normal (not revised!) timetable with PPM for today at 94% at the moment.

And remember, our trains are 3rd rail and there is lots of snow on the ground; not usually a good combo...

There have been no buses at all on Merseyside since 1700 last night and a lot of roads are closed or impassable so we are virtually the only way of travelling into and out of the city.

All of our staff got to work first thing this morning, a lot of them on foot, and all stations are open.

Good effort!

UPDATE: This from a Mr Patrick...

Down here we have cars stuck in driveways and at the side of the road, airport closed and all local buses suspended but 4 trains per hour from my local station to the city centre with minimal delays!

Just goes to show what the real 21st century mode of transport is!

UPDATE: This just in from Captain Deltic (for it is he)...

What a strange coincidence, the two TOCs with the highest PPM scores also seem to cope best with the worst weather conditions since the last ice age - and on busy commuter routes.

Could this be a reflection on the quality of the management by any chance?

RMT plays politics as the snow falls

Good to see that despite the cold weather the RMT still can't resist jumping on a bandwagon.

Especially one that's been derailed.

This just in from the brothers:

Yesterday a freight train derailed in Carrbridge in Scotland leading to diversions and disruption and two trains collided at Exeter Saint David’s. RMT will be closely monitoring investigations into the two incidents which have both reinforced the priority that has to be given to safety and the essential role of the maintenance crews.

But what's this?

Why only yesterday Network Rail issued NIR 3350/187 containing Urgent Operating Advice, which reminded all TOC/FOC drivers of the instructions contained within Rule Book Module TW1 S18:

18.1. You must carry out the following instructions when snow is falling, or fallen snow is being disturbed by the passage of trains.

18.2. You must make a full service application of the automatic brake every 3-5 minutes and make sure that the speed of your train is reduced by at least 10mph as a result of the application. If driving a locomotive – hauled train, you can extend this interval when:

• The train is climbing a steep rising gradient, and
• The train might be brought to a complete stand as a result of using the brake.
  

And NR's justification for issuing this Urgent Operating Advice?

Two category ‘A’ SPADs within two weeks, the most recent culminating in a derailment of 4N47 at Carr Bridge.

Strange that the need for brake tests was omitted from the RMT's own press release mentioning the derailment.

But then again perhaps not!

It's cold Carruthers, damned cold!

This just in from a Mr Rodgers...

I thought that Railway Eye readers would like an exclusive and sneak preview of Network Rail's latest offering.

This is their new mobile loading gauge to stop 9ft 6in containers entering Standedge Tunnel (Marsden) today.


As the bridges haven't been painted since steam days don't expect any rapid response from NR in this area!

First for winter travel

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
Travellers who battled their way to Stevenage station early this morning found the ticket office shut and the usual range of intensely annoying and totally useless messages on the Public Address.

This included recommending passengers to use the Bus Replacement Services, which weren't going anywhere, the promise of a train soon and, best of all, the recommendation that passengers should check train times on the internet.

A total FCC-up in fact.

Snow good

***A remarkably measured piece from Trixy on TOC's and snow***