Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Witham Bobby]

Last night's down sleeper has failed at Menheniot and is awaiting rescue.

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) at 0939 today, it's not moved yet.  Unless either RTT or I are missing something, there appears to be no rescue locomotive approaching from either direction

[RobT]

Watching on OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) the rescue loco was 1Z99 which took the sleeper back to Plymouth, then on to Laira.
I'm wondering what the rescue loco would have been? In the past they have used 2 back-to-back HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power cars.

[GBM]

Watching on OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) the rescue loco was 1Z99 which took the sleeper back to Plymouth, then on to Laira.
I'm wondering what the rescue loco would have been? In the past they have used 2 back-to-back HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power cars.

Unfortunately there was no mention of what 1Z99 actually was.
It delayed 1A78 (Penzance - Paddington) leaving Plymouth whilst waiting for 1Z99 to pull into Laira.
Only by 8 or 9 minutes, but looking at RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) it was delayed further between Cogload Junction and Athelney Crossing, so now 27 minutes down.

[RobT]

The rescue was carried out by a 4 coach Castle set! Wonder what they will use once the Castle class is retired?

[grahame]

The rescue was carried out by a 4 coach Castle set! Wonder what they will use once the Castle class is retired?

They could use the class 57 off the sleeper as their Thunderbird.

Oh - oops .... 

[Witham Bobby]

Having lots of locos standing idle at depots is obviously an expensive and bad thing But one or two Thunderbird locos strategically located would be very useful.

I suppose with most passenger trains now being powered by more than a single power unit, the general thought is that even the failure of a couple of its engines would not mean a train cannot limp on

For failures in Cornwall, is there a way to seek assistant locos from the remaining loco pool for the clay traffic?

[a-driver]

Having lots of locos standing idle at depots is obviously an expensive and bad thing But one or two Thunderbird locos strategically located would be very useful.

I suppose with most passenger trains now being powered by more than a single power unit, the general thought is that even the failure of a couple of its engines would not mean a train cannot limp on

For failures in Cornwall, is there a way to seek assistant locos from the remaining loco pool for the clay traffic?

You’d think they’d be a case for funding from the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) of additional 57s based at Laira purely for rescuing IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) at Dawlish