ATW's website [funsite]

[Welshman]

Sorry for the frivolous posting - however:-

It is now 0835 on Monday 18th February 2013, and I've just read on the ATW website that this morning's 1044 Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly [due 1257] is full and standing from Newton-le-Willows!

If they possess such powers of foresight, why can't they strengthen the train to cope?

 

[317666]

Perhaps they've already detected that the unit they would use to strengthen it will fail at Llandudno Junction!

 

[merlodlliw]

Sorry for the frivolous posting - however:-

It is now 0835 on Monday 18th February 2013, and I've just read on the ATW website that this morning's 1044 Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly [due 1257] is full and standing from Newton-le-Willows!

If they possess such powers of foresight, why can't they strengthen the train to cope?

Its not frivolous at all, the Chester/Manchester service is usually full, I wonder of they have taken a block booking on this train.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Its not frivolous at all, the Chester/Manchester service is usually full, I wonder of they have taken a block booking on this train.

Might be it was a 2 car instead of 3 or it could be because of the amount of rolling stock consumed to run the mainly except at certain times of day/direction lightly loaded Holyhead to Cardiff services

 

[merlodlliw]

Might be it was a 2 car instead of 3 or it could be because of the amount of rolling stock consumed to run the mainly except at certain times of day/direction lightly loaded Holyhead to Cardiff services

Now there's, a thought,sometimes the Borders section of Wales & Borders is forgotten by ATW,in my opinion

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Sorry for the frivolous posting - however:-

It is now 0835 on Monday 18th February 2013, and I've just read on the ATW website that this morning's 1044 Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly [due 1257] is full and standing from Newton-le-Willows!

If they possess such powers of foresight, why can't they strengthen the train to cope?

I was on the 1350 ex MAN today (next working for the train you mention).
It was a 2-car 175. Busy but not desperate (to Chester at least).

 

[Michael.Y]

There was some last-minute shuffling of rolling stock today due to a pax heavily soiling a 175/1 on an early CDF-HHD working which led it to terminate at SHR, to be replaced by a 2-car 158 sacrificed, it appears, from the Brum-Aber service (2 cars rather than 4). We pushed the soiled 175 north to Chester for deep clean, and I'm assuming that 158 took over its workings for the rest of the day.

There was also, according to a passenger, a fair amount of Man Utd fans crossing from Ireland to catch the FA Cup match tonight.

 

[CC 72100]

...due to a pax heavily soiling a 175/1 on an early CDF-HHD working which led it to terminate at SHR...

That don't sound too nice!

 

[Gareth Marston]

That don't sound too nice!

there was an empty 175/1 on 4B in Shrewsbury at 0720 this morning, I left before 0524 ex CDF arrived I assumed they were swapping unit over.

On my return (1450) there was a 158 on Platform 3 it maneuvered out to cotton hill and joined up with the 2 car 158 that arrived from Cambrian on 4B at 1524. This being the 1709 BHM INTL -Holyhead on its return.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Now there's, a thought,sometimes the Borders section of Wales & Borders is forgotten by ATW,in my opinion

I'm sure a fully commercial operation would devote more time to it.

 

[trainophile]

That don't sound too nice!

It's disgusting that some people board trains without wiping their feet!

 

[merlodlliw]

There was some last-minute shuffling of rolling stock today due to a pax heavily soiling a 175/1 on an early CDF-HHD working which led it to terminate at SHR, to be replaced by a 2-car 158 sacrificed, it appears, from the Brum-Aber service (2 cars rather than 4). We pushed the soiled 175 north to Chester for deep clean, and I'm assuming that 158 took over its workings for the rest of the day.

There was also, according to a passenger, a fair amount of Man Utd fans crossing from Ireland to catch the FA Cup match tonight.

I picked up this interesting snippet below about the ferries today from North Wales Rail newsboard written by the editor Charlie Hume


"About 06:00 on 16 February, the Finnarrow, incoming from Dublin Port, ran into trouble at Holyhead; it is believed that it came alongside the berth with its stabilisers still protruding, and coming into contact with a fixed structure. All 77 passengers and 43 crew on-board the vessel were evacuated and the vessel was safely berthed.

The Finnarrow has been chartered as a relief ship for the Stena Nordica whilst the Stena Nordica relieved the Stena Europe which is in dry dock. Whilst repairs take place there will be major disruption in the Port of Holyhead as the Finnarrow is now stuck on the Irish Ferries berth, reportedly with the aft end visibly low, having taken in water."

Anyone know if the problem as been solved, seems a bit like an airliner landing without the landing gear down.

 

[Lrd]

Anyone know if the problem as been solved, seems a bit like an airliner landing without the landing gear down.

Not quite, stabilisers are big paddles that swing out from the hull to stop the ship from rocking so much, if they were left out then they would be able to damage both the berth and ship.

 

[Welshman]

Not quite, stabilisers are big paddles that swing out from the hull to stop the ship from rocking so much, if they were left out then they would be able to damage both the berth and ship.

As we seem to have wandered a little from my original [and frivolous] post, then I reserve the right to push it further off-course

I would suggest it's rather like dragging a Class 91 over unelectrified track without first securing the pantograph down.

 

[Michael.Y]

Anyone know if the problem as been solved, seems a bit like an airliner landing without the landing gear down.

According to Ferrycheck, all Finnarrow sailings have been cancelled (obviously) which is having a knock-on effect on the Stena Adventurer sailings, with delays of 90 minutes yesterday and again today. Hence why when I arrived at HHD yesterday, there was nobody waiting (usually about 50-100+ pax).

This apparently will continue until the 19th March.

 

[tsr]

Not quite, stabilisers are big paddles that swing out from the hull to stop the ship from rocking so much, if they were left out then they would be able to damage both the berth and ship.

Yep - quite an embarrassing mistake - a check should usually be easy(ish) and made as a matter of course for any such equipment being incorrectly used on approach to a berth, so I'd be interested to know what went wrong in this case. I guess any staff in the vicinity of the berth were unable to contact an appropriate person onboard in time for the problem to be solved.

 

[capital12]

Yep - quite an embarrassing mistake - a check should usually be easy(ish) and made as a matter of course for any such equipment being incorrectly used on approach to a berth, so I'd be interested to know what went wrong in this case. I guess any staff in the vicinity of the berth were unable to contact an appropriate person onboard in time for the problem to be solved.

As they're under water they wouldn't be visible to anyone near the beth - unless they were taking a dive of course!

 

[tsr]

As they're under water they wouldn't be visible to anyone near the beth - unless they were taking a dive of course!

Ah yes. Point taken. I was perhaps imagining the water was unusually clear and they could sort of distort their vision. I'm a bit tired this evening...

 

[Lrd]

Seeing as the Finnarrow is a relief ship, perhaps the crew weren't quite familiar yet, anyone know if the Stena ships have stabilisers?

 

[Michael.Y]

Seeing as the Finnarrow is a relief ship, perhaps the crew weren't quite familiar yet, anyone know if the Stena ships have stabilisers?

Stena Europe definately does - we had them down last time I went over t'water.

 

[merlodlliw]

As they're under water they wouldn't be visible to anyone near the beth - unless they were taking a dive of course!

In my opinion the bridge must have known they went out, there must be some method of control from the bridge, unless some gear was jammed on entering the port.

 

[PHILIPE]

This thread seems to have turned intol a thread on ferries without even really leading into it from the OP

 

[tsr]

In my opinion the bridge must have known they went out, there must be some method of control from the bridge, unless some gear was jammed on entering the port.

That is exactly what I was thinking yesterday evening, but perhaps did not express myself very clearly at all on here!

 

[Lrd]

I looked yesterday but couldn't find anything in the news about it. Anyone seen anything online about it?

We'll have to wait for the MAIB to find out what happened.