On the subject of metal/cable thefts, when I was an Inspector at Liverpool I received a call from a Signalman at Edge Hill one Monday morning. He said youd better get up here so I asked him why. He said the OHLE is sagging down outside of the Box. He had a reputation for exaggerating things but you cant take any risk with 25Kv. So I got up there and he was not exaggerating the OLE was sagging all the way up the crack sidings down to Picton Road bridge.
So, I toddled off up the sidings until the wires were about three feet of the ground and 5 feet from the cess. By this time cowardice had replaced curiosity and I had crossed to the other side of the Sidings It was only two roads, with a wall either side and going uphill at a very steep angle, it was used by Downhill as a storage Sidings for coaches but it was empty at the time.
Have you ever had that feeling where you know there is something seriously wrong, but you cant quite put your finger on what?. Well about half way up the Sidings I got that feeling. When I got to the top there was OLE and insulators on the ground and it was obvious what was wrong: there was about 100 yards of Contact Wire missing nicked in fact.
Someone had cut into the anchor point with bolt cutters during the weekend isolation and legged it with about 100 yards of wire. They had to have staff knowledge Im sure. Anyhow, the Electric Control Room Operator refused to believe what I was telling him and wasnt keen on granting an emergency isolation as hed have to isolate everything from Speke Feeder Station to TOW Lime Street Station. So I told him to leave it live until OLE Staff arrived to localise it, and Id make sure nobody went near it. OLE staff arrived and were gobsmacked that it could happen. They also believed that either staff were involved or, at least, provided the information.
A few weeks later, the thieves returned but got the nastiest surprise of their lives. They cut in between the anchor point and the last insulator so that bit was dead anyway and they werent hurt. But, when the OLE hit the ground it tripped the CBs and there was an almighty flash and bang, and they legged it empty handed.
A few years later, I was on duty in the Box. There were two rows of condemned coaches on the Crack sidings. About 10 pm I was looking up the Sidings when I saw something move. Then there was a terrific flash, and a bang, then a scream from up there, and then something burning on the roof of a condemned coach. So it was obvious what happened. I got an emergency isolation, called the Emergency Services and advised Downhill CS Staff and Control. They found the body of a 17 year old boy on top of the coach. Two of his friends were found close by badly shaken. Eventually they permanently isolated and earthed the Sidings and (to my knowledge) there has been no further attempts to nick OLE from the area.
Anyhow, I hope people found this useful.
G
