West Somerset Railway - Bishops Lydeard to Minehead (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Spare crossing barriers are held in stock, but the delays suggest that something more than a simple replacement is being considered.

When are the next trains scheduled to operate?

[broadgage]

The first scheduled passenger trains are expected on March 19 AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know).

There might of course be the odd ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) or other non public trains planned before then.

[IndustryInsider]

Probably no great rush to complete the repairs then?

[broadgage]

The Seaward lane and Minehead station webcams are back on line.
The view APPEARS to show all 4 four level crossing barriers in place, but they look to be of two different designs.

[stuving]

Aren't barrier arms short-life items, needing frequent replacement? I can't find any statistics, but there's two or three old ones dumped beside the track at our crossing, and they havn't been there that long.

That's due to vehicles driving into them. If wind damage is going to be a recurrent problem, there is the "Redcar Solution".

Britain’s first sliding gate level crossing barriers are now operational in the North East after a recent upgrade as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The new, telescopic barrier slides out across West Dyke Road in Redcar from alongside the railway tracks and marks the end of the existing boom gate barrier which was plagued by reliability problems during high winds.

[IndustryInsider]

Presumably they’re designed to break if hit with strong winds or a vehicle, without causing damage to the raising/lowering mechanism?  Spare sets are kept by the crossing at some locations to allow a speedy replacement.

[Oberon]

In any case what's wrong with posting a couple of people with red flags to stop traffic. Or is this reckoned to be a dangerous thing to do in these days of health & safety dominance over common sense?

[IndustryInsider]

In any case what's wrong with posting a couple of people with red flags to stop traffic. Or is this reckoned to be a dangerous thing to do in these days of health & safety dominance over common sense?

If the average modern day human came fully equipped with common sense it would make sense.

[broadgage]

Presumably they’re designed to break if hit with strong winds or a vehicle, without causing damage to the raising/lowering mechanism?  Spare sets are kept by the crossing at some locations to allow a speedy replacement.

Indeed, and I understand that the WSR did have spare barriers stored, not certain where exactly but said to be available. There was however an initial reluctance to simply fit the spare barriers, without investigation into the failure in extreme but foreseeable wind conditions.

[broadgage]

In any case what's wrong with posting a couple of people with red flags to stop traffic. Or is this reckoned to be a dangerous thing to do in these days of health & safety dominance over common sense?

I suspect that these days it might ACTUALY be dangerous. The more rabid motorists might run over the man with the red flag !
"How dare you tell me what I can and can not do ! I have GOT to take my children to school. MOVE NOW !"

The slightly less rabid motorists might drive around the man with the flag, and after being hit by a train would complain.
"I did not know that it meant stop"
" I could not see a train coming"
"I did not see the flag"

[IndustryInsider]

Presumably they’re designed to break if hit with strong winds or a vehicle, without causing damage to the raising/lowering mechanism?  Spare sets are kept by the crossing at some locations to allow a speedy replacement.

Indeed, and I understand that the WSR did have spare barriers stored, not certain where exactly but said to be available. There was however an initial reluctance to simply fit the spare barriers, without investigation into the failure in extreme but foreseeable wind conditions.

Perhaps any investigation that took place had something to do with the fact the crossing is new?  Perhaps that would make sure a warranty claim to cover the cost of replacement barriers was successful?  Or to check there was no obvious design flaw - I should imagine elements of every crossing is bespoke even if the bulk of the equipment is 'off the shelf'.

Perhaps it could, and would, have been repaired much more quickly, but they knew they have a month before any train movements are planned?

Anyway, lots of theories...not all of them negative or linked to a conspiracy.

[The Tall Controller]

Repair works to the level crossing have now been completed and normal working has been restored.

As II rightly said in an earlier post, the barriers are designed to break without damaging the moving gear so it turned out to be a simple replacement of the broken barriers but understandable that the WSR wanted to investigate properly before fixing.

Staff training and various ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) movements will now take place before Minehead welcomes its first passenger train in over 2 years on 19 March.

[broadgage]

I will NOT be there, on the first day.
Probably overcrowded and more chance of something going wrong. I look forward to travel after a few days.

[stuving]

Here's a rather strange thing for a heritage line to be doing. Selected quotes from Thales (for now):

Rail safety system demonstration shows importance of agile innovation

Thales is working with Network Rail and the West Somerset Railway (WSR) to run a live demonstration of its Train Protection and Warning System - Continuous Supervision (TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System)-CS).

TPWS-CS builds on radio-based limited supervision (RBLS) system, which is currently being defined by Network Rail and industry. The new system continuously updates a train’s position and warns the driver when approaching a stretch of track closed for maintenance or under speed restrictions, applying an emergency brake if necessary. The system enables the Person in Charge of Possession to apply specific permitted movements to trains within the possession, which will be automatically supervised by the TPWS-CS to warn the driver or apply the brake when necessary. The driver can receive updates in their cab constantly, without the need for trackside infrastructure.

The technology

The system consists of three core elements: continuous positioning sensors, including radar, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and inertial measurement unit (IMU); an interface for communicating with the driver; and access to the emergency braking system through the existing Train Protection & Warning System.

Thales has also shown that the TPWS-CS system can be fitted and integrated quickly and cheaply into a cab. The system has been installed as part of Thales’s Robust Train Positioning System on an in-service GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Class 150 cab, which is acting as a rolling laboratory to gather data.

It does seem a bit odd for a very early prototype, used for proof of concept trials, to get this kind of publicity. Usually it's done in private, or even under strict secrecy, due to concerns about keeping your trade secrets as long as you can and the embarrassment of it not working at all when exposed to real life.

[GBM]

I'm concerned about the GPS side of things.
Occasionally in incident reports there are mentions that the drivers GSM-? didn't work, or there was no radio signal in that area.
Everything works well when there is a signal.
There are many areas around the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) with either no signal or a very poor signal level.
Perhaps too much dependence on technology?