Twyford overshoot

[whole diary]

[Boppy]

Anybody else "enjoy" the 18.47 from London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa missing it's first stop at Twyford by one train length last night?

Pretty unlucky I thought as the driver must have realised slightly too late and was unfortunate enough that the last carriage door was just beyond the platform.

In the end it took about 15minutes to get things sorted so we could reverse back into Twyford before continuing on to Reading.

I take it from this occurrence that the signals aren't set in a way to force the train to stop at Twyford - it's just up to the driver to remember that the first stop is Twyford rather than Reading?

Boppy.

[eightf48544]

Stopping is down to driver, the signal at Twyford which used to be half way down the platform (is it still there?) would more than likely be at green. Previously when under Reading it would have run auto most of the time now under Didcot the ARS^▸ (Automatic Route Setting) would heve cleared it ready.

[Boppy]

Ah thanks eightf48544.

So are there any aids to remind a driver to stop at a particular station or does a post-it note in the drivers cab suffice?!  I assume there is an official route calling list, diagram or something?

[ChrisB]

the have a service card, showing station calls and times.

[devon_metro]

Might have been a problem with rail adhesion. Tress are starting to shed their leaves already!

[ChrisB]

not a whole train length, surely? That's some slippage?

Unfortunately, it seems to me that the driver forgot he was stopping there....

[quedgeley2002]

I was on the 1847 last night as well through as far as Stonehouse and got chatting with the Train Manager about the incident.

This particular train is crewed from Swansea depot and is apparently the only trip on any of that depot's rosters that requires a Twyford stop. With 40 or so drivers at that depot the opportunity to drive the 1847 doesn't come around that often. It would seem that whilst the driver knew he needed to make the stop he simply misjudged the stopping distances such that the rear power car was 10 meters beyond the platform end when the train came to a halt.

In view of the view of the time involved in getting clearance to set back and the driver having to change ends twice to achieve this (i.e., to reverse and then go forward again) just about 30minutes was lost by the time the train got to Reading.

I would have thought that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should have cut its losses and gone on to Reading with the Twyford passengers coming back on an alternative train as a number of following HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) had been routed onto the slow lines around us. Quite what the cumulative delay penalties would be to FGW I don't know but presumably the driver would have been invited for a chat with his supervisor at the end of his shift?

At least it added to the entertainment on what is normally an uneventful trip.

[BBM]

Back in the spring of 2009 I was on the 17:06 which failed to stop at Twyford one evening, apparently it was simply the case the stop had been omitted from the timing sheet with which the driver had been issued. I didn't have to wait long at Reading for a Turbo back to Twyford.

But going much further back in time to about 1986, I remember I used to finish work at about 18:30 and I would get a loco-hauled service from Paddington at just after 19:00 which was first stop Twyford. I recall one night when that overshot Twyford by about a coach length but the driver simply reversed the train back into the platform with the minimum of fuss and delay. I think times have changed since then!

[ChrisB]

With 40 drivers to keep up route familiarity, is once every 40 days the norm to keep up route knowledge? I think mot.

Who's rrsponsible for overseeing drivers route knowledge? Who wiuld the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) complain to? Is there an authority for overseeing?

[super tm]

Route knowledge is for a route.  A swansea driver will come to london on average 4 out of 5 days.  Stopping at individual stations is not a requirement to keep up your route knowledge.

[ChrisB]

thanks, didn't realise that.

[eightf48544]

Back in my days on BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) I was told anyone can start a train it's stopping it in the right place that's the skill. Seems things haven't changed.

[bobm]

Years ago I knew one of the signalmen who had worked at Twyford West box.  He told a story of an evening rush hour in the 1930s when things went wrong nearer to London and the trains reached Twyford out of sequence.  Unfortunately the message didn't reach the box or was misunderstood and the points were set to take a commuter service onto the Henley Branch.  However a Cornish Express came in its place and the driver took the route.  Thankfully he stayed on the rails going round the curve and after appropriate conversations were had he reversed back onto the main line and was away.  Apparently the signalman was so ashamed at what he had done that he resigned the next day.

[dog box]

Drivers and guards are responsible for overseeing there own route knowledge, and 95% of Drivers are members of ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about)

[ChrisB]

Blimey! Isn't that open to abuse? Shouldn't it be independently chrcked?