Recent content by Greybeard33

The amateur video below includes drone footage of the train shot on the day of the derailment. There appear to be nine derailed wagons, with five still on the rails behind them. The rearmost derailed vehicle is on the bridge over Sidmouth Street, so it appears that was the site of the initial...

My memories of the sliding latches are mainly from old non-corridor LHCS, on suburban services out of Kings Cross in the early 1970s. I do not recall major problems operating them - it was just a knack you acquired. Occasionally there would be an extra stiff one that forced you to open the...

From a random sample on RTT, most Blackpool - Manchester Airports are pathed for 323s, versus 331s in the current timetable. Of course, that does not necessarily mean they will all be worked by 323s.

The NR press release is misleading, in that it fails to state that the blockade includes the whole of the Atherton line, not just Daisy Hill. This is made clear in the Newsletter. From RTT it appears that, M-F, replacement buses will run hourly all stations Wigan Wallgate - Bolton and hourly all...

Related to the small cross section, the tunnel ventilation shafts are sealed off except in emergencies. The train spec requires the HVAC system to switch to a recirculation mode through tunnels. To prevent CO2 levels in the saloon rising above a specified threshold, assuming crush loading and...

Presumably, then, the slow line pathing will have to be such that each freight is overtaken by one or two (flighted) HS2 trains between the Handsacre crossover and Colwich. But if a freight is brought down to a stand before Colwich, it will then occupy the two track Shugborough bottleneck for...

If, as suggested in the OP above, (some?) HS2 Manchester services are routed Handsacre - Stafford - Norton Bridge - Stone - Stoke, instead of using the more direct Colwich - Hixon - Stone line, might that help to maximise capacity through the Trent Valley? It would avoid capacity-eating crossing...

Any of the alternatives to Phase 2a would require several years of work before construction could start. Detailed route design, followed by an environmental assessment, then public consultation before granting of legal powers, either (depending on scope) by a new Hybrid Bill or by the TWAO...

I believe the Weaste freight branch was last used three years ago. See this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/eccles-to-weaste-freight-traffic.212729/#post-4999247 The Sectional Appendix still shows the branch as part of the National Rail network.

The Train Service Specification for 2a did not envisage any HS2 services northwards from Birmingham Curzon Street. Such services were dependent on the additional capacity provided by the 2b Crewe bypass tunnel. The TSS did envisage at least 3tph WCML fasts from Stafford to Crewe, namely Euston -...

Although the Up Slow is only 75 for nearly 6 miles from Colwich to Armitage. More than a minute slower than non-tilt on the Up Fast (110/EPS125). Not a good look for HS2 services.

Observed from the WCML, it appears there has been no civils work on the site of Handsacre Junction since the "pause" of March 2023. New vegetation has recolonised the previously cleared land around the abandoned portacabins. I imagine it will be a considerable time before this end of the line...

Travelling north on an Avanti service this evening, we overtook these two Marston Vale 150s on the WCML north of Stafford. Might this be a temporary unit swap for Newton Heath to carry out some heavy maintenance on the LNW units?

Northern's LTP unit diagrams for the June timetable are available from a FOI request, linked in this post on another thread: There are a total of 23 323 diagrams, so 6 of the ex-WMT units included. But 6 diagrams are for units that are stabled all day, at Springs Branch, Blackpool CS or...

A recently published cab ride video passes the scene of the incident while the re-railing operation was in progress. The northern bogie of the wagon appears to be back on the rails, with the southern bogie still to be moved. At about 46:30 in the video. The very slow approach to the location...