Cancellations Golden Valley

[whole diary]

[phile]

I've noticed recently a large number of trains from Paddington to Cheltenham and the return workings being cancelled on a Sunday due to traincrew issues.     It strikes me that these services are the first ones to take a hit when crew shortages.

[grahame]

I've noticed recently a large number of trains from Paddington to Cheltenham and the return workings being cancelled on a Sunday due to traincrew issues.     It strikes me that these services are the first ones to take a hit when crew shortages.

The Golden Valley is also hosting London to South Wales services at present, and I've seen at least one occasion on which the South Wales services have made some extra stops to cover for a missing Cheltenham. If something *has* to go, it would seem logical for the cancellations to be Cheltenham services while the Severn Tunnel's shut.

[Adelante_CCT]

What with tomorrow expected to be a scorcher and it being fathers day, I was going to suggest anyone with plans to travel to/from Cheltenham may as well give up now with the usual driver shortage no doubt coming into force. However I see all weekend its buses to/from Swindon anyway so probably a good thing for planned engineering works.

[patch38]

Yup - line closed all weekend. General situation not helped by a power car fire at Swindon this morning:

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/15354495.Chaos_at_Swindon_station_after_train_fire/

Weekend commuters have been faced with long delays this morning, after a train engine caught fire at Swindon railway station.

Firefighters were called at 9:31 this morning after reports of a fire in a railway train engine. Three crews from Swindon and Strattor fire stations rushed to the scene, where they were joined by a Railway Incident Officer.

A firefighter at the scene said there had been no casualties.

The three fire engines left the station at around 11:15 this morning. But those attempting to travel continue to face long delays to their journeys.

Daryl Hearn, 25, was due to travel to Bristol for his stag do. The Swindon man, surrounded by six pals all dressed in monkey costumes, said: "We're going to get a taxi now."

Mohammed Innamulaha, 35, was waiting in line with his five-year-old daughter for a train to Bristol. "She has a birthday party." he said. "I think we should be able to make it."

Another man, Phil, who only wished to give his first name, still hoped to make it to London for a matinée performance of musical Bat Out of Hell - the tickets for which had been booked months ago.

Asked if he thought he'd reach the theatre in time Phil, 68, said: "I don't know. I've got a reserved seat, but I don't know how they're going to the run the trains."

Wroughton woman Rachel Radley-Leach had been queing for ten minutes when she told us: "I'm meeting my friend from Hereford. She's in Cardiff and I'm stuck here."

Standing beside her was new friend Kristie Lloyd. The pair had just met in a pub across from the station. Kristie said: "I'm supposed to be seeing my father in Carmarthen."

Disruption continues to some services, although the timetable appears to be largely back to normal.

The Adver seems to have managed to wring a dramatic story out of it, liberally dotting it with words like 'chaos' but I'm sure it was fairly minor. You've got to feel sorry for the chaps dressed in monkey costumes though - it was 26C in Swindon around lunchtime 

[ChrisB]

"....railway train engine...."

What other type of train fitted the bill? :-)

[patch38]

From a later update to the same article:

A spokesman for Great Western Railway, which operates the station, said: "There was a small fire on the rear locomotive, away from passenger areas, of a London bound train which was reported by a member of the public. The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Brigade attended to the fire at Swindon station and the customers on-board changed to the next available service."

'Railway train engine' has gone, replaced with:

Firefighters were called at 9:31 this morning following reports of a fire in the exhaust system of a Great Western Railway passenger train.

The name 'Stratton' has also now been corrected.

Maybe the journo reads this forum!

[ChrisB]

Dorset fire brigade?.....or has it combined with the Wilts brigade? (Doubtful, personally)

[grahame]

Dorset fire brigade?.....or has it combined with the Wilts brigade? (Doubtful, personally)

Yes, they have combined.- https://www.dwfire.org.uk

[Phil]

Dorset fire brigade?.....or has it combined with the Wilts brigade? (Doubtful, personally)

Yes, they have combined.- https://www.dwfire.org.uk

At the time the merger was being discussed I wrote and suggested that they named it the Dorset Wilts Area Rescue and Fire Service (DWARFS)

For some reason my idea didn't come to fruition (although I did get a very funny email back from the then community coordinator for Wiltshire, who probably already knew his job was going to be merged out of existence...)

[Bmblbzzz]

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

The recently merged Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have also been making the news elsewhere - on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page). 

[JayMac]

The recently merged Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have also been making the news elsewhere - on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page). 

Not so much a rescue from the flames. More a postponement.

[Rob on the hill]

The recently merged Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have also been making the news elsewhere - on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page). 

A case of "Out of the fire into the frying pan". 

[martyjon]

I've noticed recently a large number of trains from Paddington to Cheltenham and the return workings being cancelled on a Sunday due to traincrew issues.     It strikes me that these services are the first ones to take a hit when crew shortages.

Today, 27 August 2017 being no exception but the excuse today is due to urgent track repairs BUT if this is so why aren't the Cheltenham / Gloucester - Swindon shuttles cancelled also IF the track needing the urgent repairs is on the Golden Valley route. IF the track needing urgent repairs in on another section of the route i.e. between Swindon and Paddington why not use the stock from one of these cancellations as a shuttle to Swindon connecting with Bristol - Londons and South Wales - Londons which seem to be running more or less as planned.

[patch38]

Something to do with a weight limit on the particular section of track perhaps? The shuttles are, at most, 3-car DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) whereas the London Paddington services are HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) - significant difference in tare weight.