1A85 18.10 BTN - VIC sent wrong way

[theageofthetra]

You'd think so, but I can think of an entire link at one depot who regularly drive on the Chathams but don't sign the Catford Loop (or at least don't sign the bit of it from Nunhead - Shortlands junction).

Yes its a ridiculous situation. Caused the usual chaos the other night when there was a track circuit failure at Herne Hill at there were Vic- Orps trapped at Vic with drivers who didn't sign the diversion route. Same thing last year with the fatality at Sydenham Hill.

This isn't some minor route that only gets occasional use- its an important contingency that should be on all links route cards who sign Vic imho.

 

[Bromley boy]

Yes its a ridiculous situation. Caused the usual chaos the other night when there was a track circuit failure at Herne Hill at there were Vic- Orps trapped at Vic with drivers who didn't sign the diversion route. Same thing last year with the fatality at Sydenham Hill.

This isn't some minor route that only gets occasional use- its an important contingency that should be on all links route cards who sign Vic imho.

Totally agree.

Down to cost, I guess, as there are virtually no SE metro services that use the loop (possibly one networker working in the morning that comes up from Sevenoakes via Bat and Ball and the loop?).

But as you say it’s a key diversion.

 

[ComUtoR]

Yes its a ridiculous situation. Caused the usual chaos the other night when there was a track circuit failure at Herne Hill at there were Vic- Orps trapped at Vic with drivers who didn't sign the diversion route. Same thing last year with the fatality at Sydenham Hill

I was sweating it out on cover. (I sign way too much)

The problem with diversionaries is that without regular use they will drop off your route card anyway. This issue has been ongoing for years and will continue to do so. This also happened with Vic/Dartfords. There was a depot who signed the route but didn't sign either of the diversionaries. How dumb is that !

It is about to happen again (but worse) when the GTR depots open. Their approach will cripple the network when things go wrong.

The 'railway' doesn't cater for when things go wrong. The cost to do that is an expense that TOCs refuse to swallow.

 

[Bromley boy]

LOL. It's alright to blame the signaller as long as you don't take the route, like the drivers involved in recent incidents have done - hence the split responsibility. We can all play the blame game...and TOC & Network Rail seem to do that on a daily basis. Basically people don't want the delay on their doormat.

This is very true.

If you’re on a train with a load of passengers you’ve just taken the wrong way you’re going to blame anyone you can .

There is definitely some resentment (from some drivers) towards signallers on the basis that wrong routes (if taken) get drivers into more trouble than the signallers - but to be fair this is largely because Network Rail is rather more grown up than TOCs in the way it manages its staff!

 

[Taunton]

The 'railway' doesn't cater for when things go wrong. The cost to do that is an expense that TOCs refuse to swallow.

Just needs some cooperation with other companies where there are rosters that periodically get swapped for a day in an organised manner, so you each maintain wider knowledge.

The GWR and the SR managed to do this from the 1920s onwards between Exeter and Plymouth, so each knew the other's route in case of need. If delay attribution knocked it back on the TOC that when there was a disruption you could have gone another way but hadn't got crews who sign it, things would soon change.

The same goes for emergency crossovers etc that progressively get removed at each resignalling by NR just to save their budget, sticking the problem back on the operator when things go wrong (the curtailing of the GW electrification, forcing the TOC to run on diesel where they never planned to, is an extreme version of this).

 

[Bromley boy]

I was sweating it out on cover. (I sign way too much)
.

Don't knock the cushy top link - 3 hours PN in Cricklewood sidings, isn't it, before a gentle drive back down south?!

Beats working for a living, I guess

 

[backontrack]

wrong thread

 

[Malcmal]

Sometimes taking the wrong route can lead to really hellfire things like a class 40 working an oil train on the main line!!!

 

[tsr]

Don't knock the cushy top link - 3 hours PN in Cricklewood sidings, isn't it, before a gentle drive back down south?!

Beats working for a living, I guess

However, I would add that it can only be considered to be a decent link if it has a permanent diagram which goes: "PASS" ... 1hr later, route refresh ... "PASS" for half an hour ... PNB ... small bit of actual work ...

 

[30907]

Totally agree.

Down to cost, I guess, as there are virtually no SE metro services that use the loop (possibly one networker working in the morning that comes up from Sevenoakes via Bat and Ball and the loop?).

But as you say it’s a key diversion.

I still think it's ridiculous, and if it means the link concerned having a trip to Maidstone or Gillingham regularly, it's time the LDC and SE talked!

 

[Tringonometry]

Kings Norton hasn't seen any Virgin services since 2007/8. I assume you're thinking of Crosscountry.

The instruction to drivers is the same. That was the salient point.

Drivers tend not to worry about whose branding is on the train as long as we get paid.