Avocet Line - Exeter to Exmouth - incidents and events; services, stock and related improvements

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Links from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2138

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2139

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2140

[devon_metro]

At least the ride will improve for pacers!

Surprised Paignton isn't up for half term, it normally is every February/October 

[TJ]

At least the ride will improve for pacers!

The original plan was for track replacement between just beyond Digby and Polsloe Bridge but you only have to ride the line to realise that this stretch is not the worst, that accolade belongs to the length from Topsham to just beyond the Motorway bridge towards Digby, although there are a couple of other stretches which come close! On Saturday I observed that alongside the Topsham/Motorway stretch there were new 60' length rails, which presumably will be laid during the forthcoming blockade. Whether it is a simple case of re-railing (no new sleepers) or whether new sleepers and/or welding will be incorporated remains to be seen. If anyone has any more information this would be appreciated.

There is no doubt that is both stretches of track are dealt with the quality of the 142 ride on the Exmouth Branch will be greatly improved.

TJ

[gaf71]

At least the ride will improve for pacers!

The original plan was for track replacement between just beyond Digby and Polsloe Bridge but you only have to ride the line to realise that this stretch is not the worst, that accolade belongs to the length from Topsham to just beyond the Motorway bridge towards Digby, although there are a couple of other stretches which come close! On Saturday I observed that alongside the Topsham/Motorway stretch there were new 60' length rails, which presumably will be laid during the forthcoming blockade. Whether it is a simple case of re-railing (no new sleepers) or whether new sleepers and/or welding will be incorporated remains to be seen. If anyone has any more information this would be appreciated.

There is no doubt that is both stretches of track are dealt with the quality of the 142 ride on the Exmouth Branch will be greatly improved.

TJ

Sorry to be a bringer of bad news, but i heard at work yesterday from someone who assures me he knows about these things, that the section between Topsham and the motorway bridge is going to be replaced, but not with continuous weld rail. It's still going to be jointed, but even so the quality of ride should still improve. If this is true, seems a bit strange, after all the other track renewal on the devon branches has been with continuous weld! So lets hope my source is wrong!

[devon_metro]

A backwards step?

I was on a refurb 150 and the ride was poor, let along a 142 which was pretty awful, perhaps improved by the fact that it was a 4 car.

[smokey]

Sorry to be a bringer of bad news, but i heard at work yesterday from someone who assures me he knows about these things, that the section between Topsham and the motorway bridge is going to be replaced, but not with continuous weld rail. It's still going to be jointed, but even so the quality of ride should still improve. If this is true, seems a bit strange, after all the other track renewal on the devon branches has been with continuous weld! So lets hope my source is wrong!

There's nothing wrong with relaying jointed track, I believe the Falmouth Branch has been relaid with jointed track, the ride is super, the important thing is to move the New Rail Joints to what would have been the Middle of the Old 60ft Rails because after years of Wheel Beats the Ballast and Ground beneath gain a memory that can go down about 20ft.

The New Jointed track CAN BE as smooth as CWR^▸ (Continuously Welded Rail).



Edit note: Quote marks fixed. CfN.

[vacman]

Sorry to be a bringer of bad news, but i heard at work yesterday from someone who assures me he knows about these things, that the section between Topsham and the motorway bridge is going to be replaced, but not with continuous weld rail. It's still going to be jointed, but even so the quality of ride should still improve. If this is true, seems a bit strange, after all the other track renewal on the devon branches has been with continuous weld! So lets hope my source is wrong!

There's nothing wrong with relaying jointed track, I believe the Falmouth Branch has been relaid with jointed track, the ride is super, the important thing is to move the New Rail Joints to what would have been the Middle of the Old 60ft Rails because after years of Wheel Beats the Ballast and Ground beneath gain a memory that can go down about 20ft.

The New Jointed track CAN BE as smooth as CWR^▸ (Continuously Welded Rail).

They put loads of welded rail on the Falmouth last time around, sorry smokey, your mistaken!



Edit note: Quote marks fixed. CfN.

[Lee]

From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

Train services between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth have been disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment in the Topsham area.Engineers have worked as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations and delays of up to 20 minutes may still occur.

[Lee]

From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

15:39 Barnstaple to Exmouth due 17:17

This train will be terminated at Exeter St Davids.It will no longer call at: Exeter Central, St James' Park, Polsloe Bridge, Digby & Sowton, Topsham, Exton, Lympstone Commando, Lympstone Village and Exmouth.This is due to a train fault.

17:20 Exmouth to Barnstaple due 19:08

This train will be started from St James' Park.It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Digby & Sowton and Polsloe Bridge.This is due to an earlier train fault.

[Lee]

From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

Train services between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth are being disrupted due to signalling problems in the Topsham area.Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 20 minutes can be expected.

06:37 Exeter St Davids to Exmouth due 07:07

This train has been terminated at St James' Park.It will no longer call at: Polsloe Bridge, Digby & Sowton, Topsham, Exton, Lympstone Commando, Lympstone Village and Exmouth.This is due to signalling problems.

07:15 Exmouth to Paignton due 08:39

This train will be started from St James' Park.It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Digby & Sowton and Polsloe Bridge.This is due to signalling problems.

09:18 Exeter St Davids to Exmouth due 09:45

This train will be terminated at St James' Park.It will additionally call at: St James' Park.It will no longer call at: Digby & Sowton, Topsham, Lympstone Village and Exmouth.This is due to signalling problems.

09:20 Exmouth to Newton Abbot due 10:22

This train will be started from Exeter St Davids.It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Digby & Sowton, Polsloe Bridge, St James' Park and Exeter Central.This is due to signalling problems.

13:43 Newton Abbot to Exmouth due 14:46

This train will be terminated at Exeter St Davids.It will no longer call at: Exeter Central, Digby & Sowton, Topsham, Lympstone Village and Exmouth.This is due to earlier signalling problems.

14:50 Exmouth to Barnstaple due 16:30

This train will be started from St James' Park.It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Digby & Sowton and Polsloe Bridge.This is due to earlier signalling problems.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

this has happend a couple of times in this area is there any vandalism going on i chased some kids away near digby throwing stuff off the bridge, i would have called the police but they ran pretty far :-)

[Lee]

Problems continuing this morning (28/10/2008.) From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

Train services between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth are being disrupted due to signalling problems in the Topsham area.Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations and delays can be expected.

06:40 Exmouth to Exeter St Davids due 07:12
This train will be started from Topsham.It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando and Exton.This is due to signalling problems.

Interestingly, the Exmouth line is the only one of the Devon & Cornwall branch lines not to be included in the current extended engineering works shutdown programme. Will that change if the problems continue further? (link below.)
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3940&NewsAreaID=2&SearchCategoryID=7

[TJ]

As I understand it the Avocet^▸ (Branch line from Exeter to Exmouth) line is due to be shut in December between Christmas and the New Year for track relaying in the Lympstone area, and will also be shut 10/11 & 18 January.

The relaying will obviously not solve the Topsham problem, whatever that is - I have not heard any details of what the faults were.

TJ

[signalandtelegraph]

Track circuit failure which necessitated pilot working, it subsequently self rectified and then failed again which seemed to add to the confusion!  (In the end it was a power supply unit failure)

[devon_metro]

As I understand it the Avocet^▸ (Branch line from Exeter to Exmouth) line is due to be shut in December between Christmas and the New Year for track relaying in the Lympstone area, and will also be shut 10/11 & 18 January.

The relaying will obviously not solve the Topsham problem, whatever that is - I have not heard any details of what the faults were.

TJ

No replacement of the jointed track between Digby and Topsham then?