Slipping and sliding in the Cotswolds

[whole diary]

[81F]

Logged on to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journeycheck just after 9.00 to be informed that there is a "good service" Hereford-Worcester-London. 

[81F]

According to Realtime Trains, 1030 Tues 4/11/14

1W12  This service was cancelled between Moreton-in-Marsh and Great Malvern due to it being Autumn (TT)

[Oberon]

I wonder if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) might ask Network Rail to cut back some lineside trees & bushes to make the railway fit for purpose. Isn't that what they are supposed to do?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Network Rail have been doing exactly that just west of Hanborough recently - a notorious sliding spot. Don't know about Honeybourne.

[IndustryInsider]

Network Rail have been doing exactly that just west of Hanborough recently - a notorious sliding spot. Don't know about Honeybourne.

Honeybourne could certainly do with a chainsaw or two.  The area around the station and up the bank for the first mile or so as far as the former Poden Farm Crossing presents few problems, but after that it's pretty much tree-lined for the next 2.5 miles until you reach the tunnel with only the odd break, so the combination of the 1/100 gradient and leaf mulch means you slowly lose speed from then onwards and if you haven't reached 40mph by Poden then it seems to be touch and go in a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) these days - even a notch 1 power application brings instant wheelslip!

[Oxonhutch]

even a notch 1 power application brings instant wheelslip!

Even with sand?

[IndustryInsider]

Whilst HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) sets have WSP (Wheel Slip Prevention) technology, they don't have sanding equipment.

[Oxonhutch]

Another bit of simple Victorian engineering done away with. 

As a trainee loco man on a heritage line, I know that injudicious use of sand can cause traction damage due to it being suddenly very effective on otherwise greasy rails.  Perhaps the designers of this very successful loco did an effect-benefit analysis and said "perhaps not... "

Good sand works well.  Look at all freight locos.

[dzug]

The 0642 from Hereford finally made it to Paddington shortly after midday despite cutting out its Honeybourne stop. A lot of waiting for trains ahead of it to clear the area and for the single line at Charlbury

The real time train times doesn't seem to be able to cope with disruption on this scale - lots of misinformation for several hours

Effectively almost no morning service in either direction

Hope there isn't a repeat tomorrow - I'm hoping to use it

[ChrisB]

Someone needing to be working at court in London decided to drive to CHiltern this morning - couldn't risk not arriving....

[JayMac]

Someone needing to be working at court in London decided to drive to CHiltern this morning - couldn't risk not arriving....

Let's hope they got to sit down and weren't affected by the numerous short-formed services that Chiltern put out this morning.

[IndustryInsider]

The real time train times doesn't seem to be able to cope with disruption on this scale - lots of misinformation for several hours

That's the fault of the old signalling systems that still work much of the line.  Reports are still done manually at some locations and there was at least one manual entry error during yesterday's confusion.

[John R]

I'm slightly confused as RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) shows it arriving into PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) only a couple of minutes late.

I can understand how the absence of reports at timing points might make it unreliable en route, but once its picked up some actual  reports (which I would expect once past Oxford), I can't understand how it would report a train as broadly on time when it isn't.

Another area where RTT doesn't appear to cope is when a train is diverted en route. There doesn't appear to be the facility to record that it is now going a completely different way.

[bobm]

Another area where RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) doesn't appear to cope is when a train is diverted en route. There doesn't appear to be the facility to record that it is now going a completely different way.

That is a problem for other systems like the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System).  If a train from the West is booked to run via the Berks & Hants but is sent via Melksham and Swindon at the last minute the system "loses" it at Westbury and after the default 10 minutes the CIS starts showing the train as "Delayed" until it reaches Oxford Road Junction just outside Reading.  At that point the screens then revert to showing a time.

[81F]

Thursday 6 November. FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) home page service updates show a "good service" on the Paddington/Oxford/Worcester/Hereford route.
The first up train, 1P07, 0511 ex Worcester, appears to have got through on schedule, but it appears that the next two services have been diverted from Worcester. Not good news for passengers between Pershore and Hanborough who have no idea when the next up train may appear.
Why can't FGW just be honest and say they can't operate a reliable service at the present time, and stop posting lies on their homepage?