ECML Disruption (07/02/14 Huntingdon)

[cjp]

Never having seen this I feel compelled to ask
What sort of balloon stops a train - and why?

 

[user15681]

Never having seen this I feel compelled to ask
What sort of balloon stops a train - and why?

I'd say it is odd to have two similar incidents in quick succession like there has been. The sort of balloon that stops a train is one that gets caught in the OHLE, particularly metallic helium balloons, that then short the electricity. At Huntingdon, major damage was caused when the balloon got caught in the wires.

 

[A-driver]

Never having seen this I feel compelled to ask

What sort of balloon stops a train - and why?

The balloon string gets wrapped around the contact wires. If a train passes the string is very likely to get tangled in the pantograph and as the train passes it will basically pull the wires down. Then you end up with the line closed for a day or so whilst they bring the cherry pickers down and re-attach miles of wire.

Plastic bags, ground sheets, rouge kites etc can all cause the same problem.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The TPE end of the journey was an absolute farce though. A 3-car train on a major route at peak commuter time seems a bit iffy to me anyway, but with the extra load, it was 100% full as far as Huddersfield, and even then had almost as many standing passengers as seated until Leeds. In order to let people board I had to put one sizeable item of luggage on my head so people could squeeze through the tiny gap.

Yeah, I was on the 1756 from Manchester and it was very crowded. I managed to get a seat in first class but had to elbow quite a few people out the way to get into the compartment. The trolley hostess was very good at getting people out of the first class compartment too, and making them stand up if they didn't have a first class ticket. The train was empty after Leeds though.

 

[samuelmorris]

Yeah, I was on the 1756 from Manchester and it was very crowded. I managed to get a seat in first class but had to elbow quite a few people out the way to get into the compartment. The trolley hostess was very good at getting people out of the first class compartment too, and making them stand up if they didn't have a first class ticket. The train was empty after Leeds though.

1711 here (1716 in practice due to the dwell time), and there wasn't even the slightest possibility of a member of staff navigating through the train until at the very least Huddersfield, with a trolley not until Leeds. After Leeds it was much quieter, but pretty much every seat was taken, there were just a minimal number of people standing.