Snow/Wintry conditions

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

If you're train is cancelled, call their Customer Service line for info....

[grahame]

just get the next train

If you're train is cancelled, call their Customer Service line for info....

I think both of those are good advise in appropriate circumstances.  We have guest leaving by train tomorrow ... and we'll be keeping an eye on live updates so that we can help him on his journey in the statistically unlikely event of a cancellation.  I suspect he won't want to wait for the next train.

[James Vertigan]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) statement:

Wednesday 6th January 2010.

With the anticipation of severe weather conditions  across much of the First Great Western network from later this evening, an amended timetable is being planned for Wednesday 06th January and will be available on this website from approximately 17:00 today.
.

[ChrisB]

And there isn't a flake of snow after all?.....it could easily be the case!

Grrr - this really makes my blood boil - in years gone by, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) just made as gallant an effort to run trains as possible, and every commuter chose whether or not to travel. No one complained about the eventual service - those choosing to turn up were grateful for efforts made.....

Why on earth can that not happen now???

[IndustryInsider]

And there isn't a flake of snow after all?.....it could easily be the case!

Grrr - this really makes my blood boil - in years gone by, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) just made as gallant an effort to run trains as possible, and every commuter chose whether or not to travel.

You're right that the 'Dunkirk' spirit of old may have diminished a little, but having a prepared timetable is no bad thing. Warning the public that it might be in place is also no bad thing. What would be a bad thing is to impose it at the first sign of a flake of snow.

If it really is bad (which we'll see in good time of course) then a proper amended timetable with units, drivers and TM^‡(resolve)'s allocated is a much better starting point than to try and run all the trains. In BR days, to give an example, what quite often happened was that the local service from Oxford-Paddington ran as two shuttle services every 30 minutes, one all stations Reading to Oxford and one all stations Reading to Paddington. That might be a sensible way to operate tomorrow if it's bad.

As is often the case, the biggest problem with resourcing a full service might not be the infrastructure or trains, but the fact that many staff might not be able to get into work.

[James Vertigan]

Knowing FGW^▸ (First Great Western), an amended timetable in the case of the Greenford line (which includes trains from Oxford/Reading early in the morning and late at night) means shutting the line - just look at last February!

[TheLastMinute]

In my view FGW^▸ (First Great Western) deserve credit for telling people now to expect disruption tomorrow. Everyone (rightly) moans when train companies don't communicate when there are problems. When they now let everyone know that there is going to be changes tomorrow, people moan again.

Watching the local lunchtime forecast on BBC1 West, it seems that the forecasters have a pretty high confidence in their computer models that are predicting a lot of snow. To quote Richard Angwin, "We are looking at a major weather event. There's no hype with this - this is looking like a really serious situation across our region."

As ChrisB says, there are very good reasons for running an amended timetable. Do all units and HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) have snow ploughs fitted? I'm not sure, perhaps they want to ensure that those units with ploughs are used in the areas expected to have the worst snow fall. On the other hand, they may just be taking the easy way out - we won't really know until tomorrow.

TLM

[ChrisB]

I don't think there are any ploughs available these days - maybe the odd one that can be fitted to a loco....but it won't be south of Birmingham / Mancherster, that's for sure!

A major reason for the advance notification is that to avoid penalties on performance, a replacement timetable has to be in place and notified by 6pm. So it runs even with no snow.....

That is what needs changing!

[IndustryInsider]

Knowing FGW^▸ (First Great Western), an amended timetable in the case of the Greenford line (which includes trains from Oxford/Reading early in the morning and late at night) means shutting the line - just look at last February!

It's one of the first services to go - perhaps understandably. If you're short of drivers because they can't get in to work, then if you're running an all stations shuttle from Reading to Paddington that would mop up Hanwell, West Ealing and Acton ML. Greenford itself is largely covered by the Central Line, and so that leaves just Castle Bar Park and Drayton Green both of which are on bus routes or within walking distance from West Ealing.

Do all units and HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) have snow ploughs fitted? I'm not sure, perhaps they want to ensure that those units with ploughs are used in the areas expected to have the worst snow fall.

No HST's or units have snow ploughs. I don't think there are any dedicated snow plough trains in the south of England either. Luckily that probably won't be a problem tonight though as there is little wind in our regions so drifting won't be a major factor.

A major reason for the advance notification is that to avoid penalties on performance, a replacement timetable has to be in place and notified by 6pm. So it runs even with no snow.....

That is what needs changing!

Yes indeed, as you say they might assume the worst and operate far fewer trains than they could do.

[JayMac]

I don't think there are any ploughs available these days - maybe the odd one that can be fitted to a loco....but it won't be south of Birmingham / Mancherster, that's for sure!

There have been two parked in a siding at Barton Hill near Bristol Temple Meads for ages. Big black things with 'Network Rail' logos. Look like the sort of thing that would be attached to a loco. You can even see them on Google Earth.

Pretty sure Bristol is south of Birmingham/Manchester.....

[ChrisB]

Good to hear it.....

[Brucey]

It is now snowing (and has settled) here, just north of Portsmouth.  Probably about 1cm at the moment on our front drive.

Awaiting the timetable with anticipation.

[devon_metro]

Nothing as usual in "The English Riviera" however its going to be rather icy tomorrow"!! eek.

[willc]

Just you wait and see - may well be snow in those palm trees yet!

Certainly lots of it falling on the Cotswolds right now. I have put a few snowy scenes taken this afternoon at Moreton-in-Marsh station here http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

The town was pretty much shut down by 4pm. The post office staff told me stuff I had posted wasn't going anywhere until tomorrow at the earliest, as they weren't risking sending a van to Gloucester sorting office this evening in case it couldn't get back - entirely sensible looking at the state of the A429 at the end of my road right now.

As for snowploughs, I suspect what Last Minute meant, rather than a great big black loco-powered one, was something like these that were fitted to many older locos every winter http://www.trainweb.org/cfa/dalzell/history.html

I suspect the obstacle deflectors on 66s and some units, like a number of these 150s http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Pages%20DMU/Recognition%20DMU/IllusDMU_150.html will function as ploughs if the snow is deep enough, though I'm not sure what the fairings on the front of Turbos are like if they encounter deep snow.

[RailCornwall]

See Stobart Rail have had a derailment incident with one of their freight trains, at Carrbridge between Inverness and Aviemore.

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