Great Western Coffee Shop

3 services to/from great Malvern all delayed due to safety checks - two pads (one which wad 114 minutes) and a Brighton

what's going on?  About to get the afternoon service home

A broken fishplate (the piece that holds two sections of jointed track together) near Foregate Street. The local P'way techs were not able to do the usual - which is shore it up and allow 5mph running - as it was quite a severe break, so it took longer than normal to get the trains running.

And they were probably working in snow as well by that time, which wouldn't have made things any easier.

Presumably it's location on one of the single lines at Foregate Street made the problem worse as it delayed trains in both directions from Shrub Hill whilst Drowtwich line trins could still run.

Acording to my Track Maps it would be possible to run Shrub Hill to Tunnel Junction and reverse and vice versa.

Not sure if they are signalled routes or even if FGW drivers would know the road.

However, it does highlight the problems the rationalisation at Worcester can cause. i wonder of the savings in points and crossing maintnance balances out perfomance fines.

But good for the PW guys of they did it in the snow, there effort was in the best tradition of the railway.

Don't think that would be possible, as there isn't bi signalling, and you would have to travel the "wrong way" for a bit. The trackwork is very limited. It's about time it was sorted! But I know NR won't bother for years.... :'(

I think the train could have reversed from Foregate Street to Henwick then gone back thru Foregate on the other line to Tunnel Junction and reversed back into Shrub Hill station, but if it was a FGW service it would definitely need a LM pilot driver and would have taken quite some time to arrange so probably not worth it. Although it was nearly two hours late at Evesham, the broken rail only caused 70 mins of that - the rest was down to that pesky single line to Evesham as the 11:20ex Paddington was coming the other way!

hst's cant reverse in the tunnel hill tunnel..

It was a Turbo.  ;)

I caught a FGW turbo at Shrub hill once that was forced to use the Henwick/Tunnel/Shrub Hill triangle to turn around as there was a problem with the cab at the original front end. It took about 20mins and we all had to get off and hang about on the platform.

I don't know whether or not it was the original FGW driver who performed this operation.

When was it?

If it was a few years ago, then the driver could well have been employed by Central, as they supplied drivers for the Cotswold Line to Thames, then FGW, under contract, a hangover from BR days. So at that time, the driver would certainly have had the necessary route knowledge to take a tour of the triangle.

The arrangement came to an end when Central stepped up Worcester-Birmingham frequencies and needed all its drivers for its own services.

I'm advised today it was two fish plates.

Quite a catch.

I cod flounder around here, but it's a red herring: the sole reason is that a flat fish plate in the wrong plaice is obviously wrong.

For cod's hake Chris. I nearly fell off me perch laughing (not!).  ::)

Btline started it: I was just caught - hook, line and sinker!  ;D

We'd better "reel" this in, otherwise we'll be accused of blowing this thread off course. (out of UK waters)

Perhaps there should be a quota on the number of off topic posts? Then any extra ones, despite how useful they are to be throw away and binned?  ;)

Don't you mean "thrown overboard"?

There was a broken rail joint near Ledbury at about that time.  The gap was about an inch wide.  Perhaps it was that.