Great Western Coffee Shop

The above FGW service failed at Southampton this afternoon, and unusually it failed between the tunnel and the station.  Even more unusually it failed between the two sets of points leading to platform 4, so luckily trains could get round it. 

If you don't know Southampton in detail, immediately as you come through the tunnel, there are two routes into platform 4, a high speed route which forms the down fast, and then another set of points which provide the fast route into platform 3 but also a second crossover into platform 4.  I reckon the distance between these routes must be no more than about a 4 or 5 car length.  Luck or good judgement I have no idea...

Anyway the 158 stood there looking pretty stranded until the driver had to get out to examine something under the train, on its RH side, at which time they presumably had to block the down line for his safety, so between about 1530 and 1600 it was pretty chaotic, as only the up line past the stranded 158 was now available. For instance the 1524 down Weymouth ended up in platform 1 at almost exactly 1530 completely confusing all those waiting for the 1530 to Waterloo!

Whatever the fault was the driver got it going at about 1600, but only into P4 where passengers were disembarked to await the following 1610, and soon after the unit retired hurt to platform 5 where fitters from somewhere or other were waiting.

Paul

Explains the lack of passing trains around that time!!

A valve blew off the unit rendering it useless. Driver requried 20 minute isolation of the Traction Current to take a look around his train.

Sufficient air built up to move into platform and terminated.

Mobile Fitter from Salisbury brought unit back to life.

Thanks for explaining the details, that's exactly what I saw (apart form the valve obviously).

If the fitter came down from Salisbury that suggests he must have been called in practically as soon as the fault occured, in order to be at Southampton by just after 1600.  As soon as the unit shut down in P5 he was under the train with his tools...

Do FGW have a standing agreement to call out SWT mobile fitters?  It seems to have been organised pretty efficiently... 

Paul 

No idea what arrangements may exist, but that strikes me as a situation where it's very much a mutual benefit to FGW and SWT to get the recalcitrant unit out of the way as quickly as possible!

Probably a bit quicker than getting Srog from SPM I would guess.  :D

FGW Fitter - based at Salisbury.