Caledonian Sleeper

[hexagon789]

Fort Bill portion cancelled tonight:

“We are very sorry to advise that tonight’s service from London Euston to Fort William has been cancelled as our coaches remain blocked in Fort William following the derailment of another train. Unfortunately, this means we do not have the required carriages available to operate tonight’s service.”

Thankfully we are on the Aberdeen portion. Anyone know whose train has derailed?

Snowploughs.

 

[Wuggie Norple]

Snowploughs.

You couldn’t make it up!

 

[GLC]

Picture from Friends of West Highland Line Facebook

 

[tram21]

View attachment 210541

Picture nabbed from Facebook

Where's that? Near Fort William?

 

[pitdiver]

Where's that? Near Fort William?

Yes that's Fort William. I believe it's the siding where the sleeper stock is kept during the day

 

[D6130]

Where's that? Near Fort William?

The old oil delivery Sidings immediately to the South of Fort William Junction - formerly Mallaig Junction - whose semaphore signals can be seen in the background. The CS locos stable there during the daytime. The stock is normally stabled in the siding alongside the station platforms.

 

[tram21]

Lucky it's not affecting the running line, as I'm going there later

I'm just curious why they were moving the snow plough

 

[D6130]

Lucky its not affecting the running line as I'm going there later

I'm just curious why they were moving the snow plough

Probably arriving back from Summer maintenance....or storage at Eastriggs?

 

[pitdiver]

Yes that's Fort William. I believe it's the siding where the sleeper stock is kept during the day

Oops my mistake. Yes of course hence the grey pipes?

 

[117]

You couldn’t make it up!

Imagine paying a premium for the sleeper and expecting an amazing journey over Rannoch moor on one of the best summer nights of the year only to have it ruined because someone decided to move snowploughs in August. That is just unacceptable in my eyes what a joke the railway can be.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I'm just curious why they were moving the snow plough

Probably arriving back from Summer maintenance....or storage at Eastriggs?

But what were they doing there though? Aren’t they kept round the corner at the depot?

 

[paninaro]

Imagine paying a premium for the sleeper and expecting an amazing journey over Rannoch moor on one of the best summer nights of the year only to have it ruined because someone decided to move snowploughs in August. That is just unacceptable in my eyes what a joke the railway can be.

In a parallel universe people are complaining about snowploughs not being in the right place in January and wondering why they weren't maintained and moved in the summer before they were needed

 

[Peter Mugridge]

But what were they doing there though? Aren’t they kept round the corner at the depot?

Is there any other way they could reverse to get in or out from the depot area?

I'm assuming they'd want to try to avoid reversing in the platforms as far as possible.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

But what were they doing there though? Aren’t they kept round the corner at the depot?

Is there any other way they could reverse to get in or out from the depot area?

I'm assuming they'd want to try to avoid reversing in the platforms as far as possible.

Normally to access the depot they would reverse on the main line (signalled move). A snow plough facing Fort William however would block a loco in at the depot so perhaps that one is normally stabled in the oil sidings.

 

[Highlander1]

Imagine paying a premium for the sleeper and expecting an amazing journey over Rannoch moor on one of the best summer nights of the year only to have it ruined because someone decided to move snowploughs in August. That is just unacceptable in my eyes what a joke the railway can be.

Would moving them in a different month make a difference? Would people be less annoyed in September or November? They've paid the same for the same experience

 

[cats_five]

Would moving them in a different month make a difference? Would people be less annoyed in September or November? They've paid the same for the same experience

In November they might be needed!

 

[117]

Would moving them in a different month make a difference? Would people be less annoyed in September or November? They've paid the same for the same experience

It’s not going to make sense to the average person booked on the sleeper as to snowploughs being out and about in August is it.

 

[TheWierdOne]

It’s not going to make sense to the average person booked on the sleeper as to snowploughs being out and about in August is it.

I don’t imagine it would be hard for someone to understand “we move them to a maintenance depot in spring and bring them back at the end of summer to make sure they are in position ahead of snowfalls”

 

[paninaro]

It’s not going to make sense to the average person booked on the sleeper as to snowploughs being out and about in August is it.

Running a railway based on "will this make sense to the average person" rather than the actual requirements of running a railway doesn't seem like a great idea to me.

 

[Falcon1200]

only to have it ruined because someone decided to move snowploughs in August.

The Sleeper was not cancelled because someone decided to move snowploughs in August but because the snowploughs derailed; Which was probably not the plan.