Slipping and sliding in the Cotswolds

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

And after the problems in the west, it seems to be our turn today (Fri Dec 06).

05:11 Worcester - Paddington delayed between Evesham and Moreton and is expected to be 60 minutes late at Oxford.
04:50 Hereford - Paddington left Evesham 50 late
05:28 Hereford - Paddington diverted via Stroud

Intriguingly, the first two are both showing as expected into Paddington at 08:18, which should be spectacular!

[charles_uk]

Think I've chosen a good day to take off. The 0652 WOF:OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) was very very cosy when the 0528 was last sent via Stroud a couple of weeks ago.

[CLPGMS]

Taking Charlbury as an example, this is how trains actually ran on the morning of 6th December:
 
0606 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) departed at 0714, having stalled on Campden Bank and had to reverse back beyond Honeybourne to have a run at it.
 
0621 to PAD departed at 0731 having been held at Evesham because the previous train had not arrived at Moreton-in-Marsh.
 
0712 to PAD ^ CANCELLED. A previous train ran in its path.   
 
0731 to PAD - CANCELLED ^ diverted via Stroud ^ but previous train ran in its path.
 
0749 to OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) ^ departed "on time" at 0750.
 
0831 to PAD ^ departed 1010 having stalled on Campden Bank.
 
0939 to HFD^» (Hereford - next trains) ^ departed at about 1046 and terminated at Worcester Foregate Street.
 
0941 to PAD ^ departed 1044 and terminated 70 minutes late at Reading.  This train had been delayed at Evesham.
 
1008 to PAD ^ departed 1113 and terminated at Slough.
 
1042 to WOF ^ departed at about 1110 and terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.

1104 to MIM ^ CANCELLED.
 
1208 to PAD ^ CANCELLED ^ started from Oxford.
 
After that, things gradually got back to normal.

It seems that HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) had difficulty in climbing Campden Bank (between Honeybourne and Moreton-in-Marsh), but that the two-car Turbo, which formed Charlbury's 0749 departure, had no problems with it.  It does not appear that a Sandite train ran during the previous night.

I obtained these details from Realtime Trains after I returned home in the evening.

[bobm]

I have not had a chance to quantify it, but there were also problems last night.

[stebbo]

Yesterday's 0718 from Kingham was cancelled but was replaced by the 0618 which turned up an hour late. Some slipping at Charlbury and Hanborough; eventually arrived over 60 minutes late at Paddington after cutting out the scheduled Didcot stop.

The 1552 Adelante from Paddington to Worcester was doing fine until somebody pulled the emergency handle at Hanborough so it was about 6 minutes late by Kingham.

Tessa Ceesay (the line manager) was on the delayed Paddington train. I understood her to say a combination of leaves and frost on Campden bank caused the problems and I gather there were problems on Thursday as well.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Tessa Ceesay (the line manager) ...

A minor correction, if I may: she is actually Teresa Ceesay - just to avoid any possible offence being taken. CfN

[CLPGMS]

Yes, Chris from Nailsea appears to be correct.  The 2059 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from Worcester Foregate Street to Paddington left Evesham 22 minutes late but was 88 minutes late at Moreton-in-Marsh.  I assume this is for the same reason as the two HST delays in the morning - "poor rail conditions".

[stebbo]

The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website this morning is showing the Cotswold line as a "green" yet reports delays between Moreton in Marsh and Kingham presumably due to leaf fall etc. Given this has been going on for several days isn't it time it was sorted by sanding or the like? The conversation I overheard last week involving Theresa Ceesay implied something was going to be done.

I'm due to go to London later this week so do I get an earlier train, just in case, and then waste an hour?

[ChrisB]

Stebbo - you've been corrected once - try not to offend - her name is Teresa.

[stebbo]

Erm - my fault for typing message too fast. Apologies all round.

[bobm]

No worries stebbo - we all make typos at the best of times.... 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From First Great Western JourneyCheck:

Cancellations to services between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford
Due to poor rail conditions between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 mins. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.
Due to poor rail conditions in the Honeybourne area lines are currently blocked.
Rail replacement transport is currently being sourced to run from Moreton in Marsh.
For the latest rail travel news, why not follow us on Twitter @FGW^▸ (First Great Western).
Last Updated: 04/11/2014 08:17

[Chris from Nailsea]

From First Great Western JourneyCheck:

05:28 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:51
This train will be terminated at Evesham.
This train will no longer call at Honeybourne, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough, Oxford, Reading and London Paddington.
This is due to poor rail conditions.
This service is currently being delayed due to poor rail conditions in the Honeybourne area.
For the latest rail travel news, why not follow us on Twitter @FGW^▸ (First Great Western).
Last Updated: 04/11/2014 08:32

06:42 Hereford to London Paddington due 09:47
This train will no longer call at Honeybourne.
This is due to poor rail conditions.
For the latest rail travel news, why not follow us on Twitter @FGW.
Last Updated: 04/11/2014 07:25

06:48 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 09:32
This train will be terminated at Moreton-in-Marsh.
This train will no longer call at Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to poor rail conditions.
Last Updated: 04/11/2014 08:48

08:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 11:00
This train will be starting late from Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to poor rail conditions.
Last Updated: 04/11/2014 08:43

[ChrisB]

So remove the halt to ensure that train can at least coast through....sensible I guess

[IndustryInsider]

An additional MIM-OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) special,calling all stations to Oxford ran at about 9am using the set that would have gone to Malvern at 08:39 from MIM. (06:48ex PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)).