Great Western Coffee Shop

I feel sorry for anybody who was on the 13:06 Paddington to Penzance service yesterday.

I got on it at Tiverton, trying to get to Newton Abbot.

It seems there were a fair few delays on the line yesterday. Phil Sayer was very apologetic (how apologetic can a recorded announcement be?) whether the problems were weather related or not I don't know - scorching sunshine in London but chucking it down in Devon!

The train was 11 minutes late getting to Tiverton and was quite overcrowded so I couldn't get to my reserved seat (I had quite a bit of luggage anyway)... then as we got into Exeter St David's we were told there was going to be a crew change there and this would take 20 minutes!!

Anyway, while we were on the platform at Exeter St D's we stood there for a little while... then word got round that there had been a failure of one of the power cars. Now, in a previous experience of a failed power car, they were swapped round at Reading - why they didn't do this at ESD is anyone's guess, but I guess they try and fix the problem first before trying to swap the power cars round.

After a while of standing around the train manager said they still couldn't fix the problem and by this time a SWT service to Plymouth had arrived on the opposite platform so people were told they could take that.

So just as everybody piles off and walks across the platform and begins boarding said SWT service, somebody yells across that they have fixed the problem, so we all had to pile back on the original train and we were on our way (with probably nearly everyone losing their reserved seats in the rush!) We were about 20-30 mins late getting into Newton Abbot, and the TM made a profuse apology that just as he told us to pile off he hadn't been told the problem was fixed.

I'd love to know how you suggest swapping the powercars at EXD. Which compared to Reading is an outpost on the HST network!

Had a problem with it's 'NRN'
Luckily was fixed and train departed Exeter 19 minutes late.

They could use Btlines train tree to pick another power car off!  :D ;) (sorry to bring it up again Btline, meant in good humour)

Is there no area at Exeter SD for trains to reverse/powercars to uncouple then? I thought there might've been considering there are one or two HSTs that terminate there.

By the way, Ollie, what is an NRN, for those of us not familiar with this term?

It's National Radio Network according to this site's acronyms and abbreviations page

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/acronyms.html

apologies James, was a rushed post.
As per Phil, it is the National Radio Network

I may be lacking in knowledge here, but can an HST set not manage the run down to Plymouth on one power car. I've heard stories in the past of HSTs managing Lickey on one Valenta power car. Do the MTU's lack the low speed grunt of the Valenta?

NRN is not related to the number of engines per train. NRN is a safety critical component particularly when in cab radio reception/coverage is not available.

Ooops, my bad. Not reading ALL thread posts. Still, always learning.....

But to answer your question, yes, they can run on one engine only from Exeter to Plymouth, but have to omit the Totnes stop, in order to get a run up Dainton bank.

gets very steep on the way to penzance, i think it may be a good idea to station one of the 57's at exeter so if there is a hst failure its closer for a rescue

If the train is going from Exeter to Plymouth then the reason it would not stop at Totnes would be to get a run up Rattery bank.  Dainton is before Totnes.

One or Two engines the set cannot stay in passenger service with a faulty NRN

Railway Group Standard Rule Book
Module TW (Train Working) 5
Part B Section 13.2
If the fixed radio equipment becomes defective on a train which is in service, you must:
Tell the signaller immediately (presumably by means other than the defective radio :P)
Not move the train until instructed to do so, and
Carry out the instructions given which will be to deal with the train as shown in Part A section 2.10 of this module.

If you are provided with transportable radio equipment, the train can stay in service according to the instructions you are given.

My guess is someone got their screwdriver out and reconnected the one in the drivers' cab or nicked one from the PC at the other end until a replacement could be sourced at Laira or Long Rock.

I think it was an easier solution than that.

Believe it just got a full reset.

Isnt this the answer to most things!

Windows: cntrl + Alt + Delete
Mac: command + option + escape

If that doesnt work

Windows: boot from startup disc
Mac: Same but hold D down in boot up

Problem is - either the person in charge doesnt know or isnt gonna take the flak if they arent authorised to do it and then the shit hits the fan

fairly easy to swap items around from one end to other.

basically consists of radio head,radio tray and power supply unit then you have an aerial coax connected to head.
usually a trip and reset of the circuit breaker sorts the problem out.

Back to the main post. I understand from a passenger that were problems with the London services from Exeter Friday 3rd pm and they were leaving full and standing.

He casually remarked that there were two BTP police there, presumably to save the station staff in the event of a passenger riot.

Not exactly a rare occurrence?

Not actually on the train just watching the mellee at Exeter St Davids.