I would expect the depot batteries would be fine for getting over shortish dead-spots at low speed, but chances are that if the third-rail is iced over in one place it probably is elsewhere too.
No, I mistakenly thought all 777 were to be converted to IPEMU but this is not the case
just the 7 that will be used primary on the Kirkby line. The question still stands though - can we assume the Kirkby line will fare slightly better in icy conditions?Isn't one of the things that cause arcing the units struggling to get around tight corners, like in the tunnels? Which the 777s have been specifically designed around, with shorter carriages.
Nope, this is still done sometimes. Some hardy souls on both sides of the river running back and forth in the dead of night to hopefully keep the 3rd rail somewhat usable.
The first 8 Class 507s were fitted with some form of de-icing equipment, though it was removed some years ago in favour of running trains periodically through the night. These days there does not seem to be the same degree of determination to fund the resources to keep the service going. In my recollection, the previous generation of Class 502 units were less vulnerable to the effects of an icy 3rd rail. Maybe it was their extra weight, though I have seen a photo of one in service in very wintry conditions piloted by an 8F steam loco. Now that would be a sight to see.
There already is on the Southern Region
Network Rail moved from an oil based de-icer fluid to water based anti-ice liquid two years ago.
Props to Stadler for making such well designed units.
No, that was track replacement between Central and Brunswick and between Moorfields and Sandhills.
Southport passengers could always jump on between Sandhills and Central if so inclined. But 1 train taking passengers is classed as being in passenger service cunningly enough
There are Train Manager vacancies on the Merseyrail website for Southport, Kirkdale and Birkenhead Central. This is the first time Guards vacancies have been advertised as TM. Looking at the job description, it looks virtually the same as the Guards description.
Many thanks for the information. That is interesting to hear. It is very disappointing they are introducing the ridiculous "Train Manager" job title. I hate this job title so much but so many TOCs seem to be using it these days. A "Train Manager" sounds like someone who is sitting in the head office at a desk behind a computer running and managing the train company. A "Train Manager" does not sound like someone who works onboard trains. They ought to have kept the title "Guard" which is much better.
Why not both? Then the baton can simply be a backup to the card reader.
Down sides of RFID is that you could probably get fake versions of it, like NFC tags. Kids then cause chaos by making their own tags
Contactless door systems usually involve an encrypted token being loaded onto the chip on the card. So merely knowing the serial number isn't going to help produce a fake one. The important part is having a robust system to manage cards/fobs/etc. so you know what has been issued to whom and can revoke permissions if one is lost. Or if the member of staff leaves, rather than trying to retrieve their fob, just cancel it. They're relatively cheap and a cancelled fob has no value unlike a T-key.
Hope so, then I can get the 1608 from Moorfields up to Kirkdale then get off and wait for an Ormskirk!
www.merseyrail.org
