Lewes derailment - Thursday 13th August

[Snow1964]

The reopening date has been announced internally at network rail so shouldn't be too long before its public.

Some news sites are reporting it as 1st September

Some are going for headline 'next month'

 

[altnabreac hq]

If the track is a continuous track as said to me earlier.

Can someone explain to me how a continuous rail track can expand with the hot or cold weather please

 

[SECR 65]

I can confirm that as of mid-morning today (20th Aug) a white 387 coach was at Cooksbridge on the down platform. We can reasonably extrapolate this to be the county end driving car of 387304. How would it have got there, if the down line is significantly damaged? Would it be possible to haul (or propell) the coach slowly if the rail is still intact albeit damaged? Did this coach stay on the rails or not?

 

[swt_passenger]

I can confirm that as of mid-morning today (20th Aug) a white 387 coach was at Cooksbridge on the down platform. We can reasonably extrapolate this to be the county end driving car of 387304. How would it have got there, if the down line is significantly damaged? Would it be possible to haul (or propell) the coach slowly if the rail is still intact albeit damaged? Did this coach stay on the rails or not?

There are photos in post #184 showing it off the rails but still almost vertical, but next to a badly distorted rail. My suggestion is the Kirov cranes might have lifted it onto the other track?

 

[NaZzAtAzEr]

I saw a video circling around on Facebook of them towing a carriage by crane very slowly.

Derailed carriages at Cooksbridge station. | Facebook

Derailed carriages at Cooksbridge station. The derailed carriage clear up situation has been happening this afternoon .. Usually one doesn’t think about the clear up but being so close to all of...

www.facebook.com

Video links to Facebook and shows a kirkrow crane towing the crane from one end through a station.

 

[RUK]

I presume that the black-on-yellow hazard stripes on the part of the crane lifting and dragging the damaged end of the carriage might show the parts which are wider and higher than the usual loading gauge, and hence would have had to be pre-checked for special clearance along the route that they wanted to take?

 

[BayPaul]

I presume that the black-on-yellow hazard stripes on the part of the crane lifting and dragging the damaged end of the carriage might show the parts which are wider and higher than the usual loading gauge, and hence would have had to be pre-checked for special clearance along the route that they wanted to take?

There was a lot of that crane that wasn't painted with stripes that was clearly hugely out of gauge in the video. I would have thought it would need an assessment whenever it was moving with the crane deployed.

 

[yorkie]

If the track is a continuous track as said to me earlier.

Can someone explain to me how a continuous rail track can expand with the hot or cold weather please

This thread is just to discuss the actual incident itself (and what is actually happening in relation to it); any spin-off discussions are very welcome, but only in threads of their own, please

The good news is, here are some links for you to find a lot of information on the topic; see below...
Current thread:

Pros and cons of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR)

Moderator note: Spit from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/lewes-derailment-thursday-13th-august.305792/page-5#post-7901185 As for the track it is a consequence that the benefits of CWR are sometimes undone in hot weather, but much work effort is made to build provision for this into the track.

www.railforums.co.uk

(In particular, take note of the posts by @Bald Rick in the thread linked above, and you may also want to read the article I linked to)

Other/previous threads include:

Heat related issues (25 July 2019 and subsequent days)

Just a heads up. With tomorrow potentially experiencing record breaking temperatures (up to 40 degrees), quite a few TOC's have an amended service in place to minimise delays and are also advising not to travel unless necessary. Up to date information is available on the National Rail Enquires...

www.railforums.co.uk

Continuous Welded Rail (CWR)

We've all probably seen lengths of CWR laid between tracks for subsequent renewal. I understand it is transported on the special wagons from viewing YouTube, but how does it get round curves and junctions on its journey? My understanding of steel is that it doesn't bend, and some lengths...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[kitchenoven]

Some news sites are reporting it as 1st September

New NR video confirms 1st september.

An update from Lucy McAuliffe, the route director for Sussex at Network Rail, a week on from the derailment at #Lewes. The line between Lewes and Haywards Heath will reopen to customers on Tuesday 1 September:

 

[DarloRich]

Its a rather wild photo that even though obviously it could have been way worse. Well done to the onboard staff, imagine being that guy, I don't know if I'd save and keep that photo or never want to think about it again! I thought the calmness of the announcements that got reported on was very good too, last thing you want is panic in the rest of the train.

I would put it in my next performance review to evidence that I had exceeded the customer support objectives!

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

New NR video confirms 1st september.

Surprising they need another 11 days here but a lot of civil works happening in the background suggesting maybe some concern over the embankment so use the opportunity to provide long term remediation

 

[liam456]

Yes indeed, part of the return to service remit includes earthworks on both sides - work to support the cranes while they lift the carriages further from the track as well as a permanent remediation to the embankment on the down side. Also included is around 400m worth of track renewal for obvious reasons...

 

[cats_five]

I saw a video circling around on Facebook of them towing a carriage by crane very slowly.

Derailed carriages at Cooksbridge station. | Facebook

Derailed carriages at Cooksbridge station. The derailed carriage clear up situation has been happening this afternoon .. Usually one doesn’t think about the clear up but being so close to all of...

www.facebook.com

Video links to Facebook and shows a kirkrow crane towing the crane from one end through a station.

I'm not surprised it was slow, looks like what was the back of the carriage is being supported by the crane. Sans wheels? Or no weight on the wheels?

 

[Harpo]

it’s also been observed that the derailment site was next to a bridge - which opens the possibility of any change in the earthworks happening abruptly.

The transitions from earthworks to overbridges are often problematic as the sheer mass of the bridge makes it a mostly immovable object, while the approaches either side are flexible. I’ve seen the effects of that registered many times in track measurement vehicles with engineers on board generously explaining the issues.

 

[D6130]

The transitions from earthworks to overbridges are often problematic as the sheer mass of the bridge makes it a mostly immovable object, while the approaches either side are flexible. I’ve seen the effects of that registered many times in track measurement vehicles with engineers on board generously explaining the issues.

....but this is an underbridge.

 

[Rick1984]

One of the cranes can be seen towing the
re-railed carriage. I take it the other one follows to the point where the carriage is transferred to road?

Update:
I see in later post a road based crane is lifting them off the track onto a low-loafer

 

[gabrielhj07]

What appears to have been the leading carriage of 387304 seen today on the M25.

 

[styles]

What appears to have been the trailing carriage of 387304 seen today on the M25.

Why have they covered up the logo?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Theres some pictures of 387304s coaches being transferred to road vehicles presumably at Cooksbridge

More carriages from a train that derailed near Lewes have been lifted off the tracks and searched as passengers wait to be reunited with their belongings.

A recovery operation is ongoing after the Southern 14:24 BST service from London Victoria to Eastbourne came off the tracks on 13 August, with 150 people on board.

British Transport Police are "sweeping the carriages for personal possessions as soon as they are safe to enter", said a spokesperson for Southern. Network Rail said two out of four carriages at the site were lifted and moved on Thursday, with two others to be moved on Friday.

 

[BRX]

Why have they covered up the logo?

To reduce the opportunities for bad PR I imagine

 

[styles]

To reduce the opportunities for bad PR I imagine

Yeah, it's been really positive as a result

 

[BRX]

Yeah, it's been really positive as a result

Actually looking at other images I'm not sure those coaches had any logos on them? So maybe something else.

 

[Zeremony]

Actually looking at other images I'm not sure those coaches had any logos on them? So maybe something else.

If I remember correctly, the intermediate coaches don't have logos.

 

[43096]

What appears to have been the trailing carriage of 387304 seen today on the M25.

That looks to be the leading vehicle of 387304, not trailing. If it was the trailing vehicle, the side in the photo would have been the one it came to rest on and it clearly isn't.

 

[hwl]

That looks to be the leading vehicle of 387304, not trailing. If it was the trailing vehicle, the side in the photo would have been the one it came to rest on and it clearly isn't.

Agreed, leading vehicle of the 387304

 

[bramling]

Agreed, leading vehicle of the 387304

Definitely the leading vehicle as it’s the 424*** car. The rear of the train contained the 421*** car which overturned.

 

[SECR 65]

Theres some pictures of 387304s coaches being transferred to road vehicles presumably at Cooksbridge

This indeed looks to me like Cooksbridge railway station. I recognise the house on the left. This looks like the station car park. I have to assume they have lifted the coach over the platforms. For reference the line runs from bottom left in this image to centre middle. The light that can be seen on the pole towards the left of the image stands square to the edge of the platform

 

[Stephen96]

I'm guessing 304 will be Farmbrough Bound for more analysis by RAIB

 

[GEC465]

intriguing how none of the pics show the sides that were previously facing the ground

 

[Intercity_225]

intriguing how none of the pics show the sides that were facing the ground

Would it be because no one's short enough?