Northern at Skipton 9 June

[BantamMenace]

As I write I'm sat on the 14:01 Skipton to morecambe train still sat at Skipton P3.

The guard made an announcement saying the rear unit was having issues (a 150) and that a 153 from the incoming Carlisle to Leeds service (a 153 and a 158) would be attached to rear of our train to form us up as a 4-car 153-150-153. The engine of the faulty 150 is still running so does anyone know what the issue might be?

The leeds bound 158 has now departed only a few minutes late and we're looking like continuing only 20 or so minutes late so well played Northern. It would've been easy for them to just let the leeds train continue and cancel this morecambe bound one as there's only 10 or so of us on it and it returns to leeds on the next move of its diagram which isn't an all that important service.

 

[Crossover]

Looks like they terminated it short at Lancaster, such that it then began (nearly) right time on its return to Leeds via the Hest Bank curve. Meant that Morecambe lost a return shuttle from/to Lancaster

 

[BantamMenace]

they did but Morecambe has an additional shuttle ten minutes after that service from leeds to cater for the demand of schoolkids returning to bare lane and morecambe

 

[Tim R-T-C]

That explains the four car unit I saw at Carnforth yesterday.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

And here it is, pity I didn't get a shot of the whole formation.


153317 leads an unusual formation by Tim R-T-C, on Flickr


153304 lending a hand on a Morecambe train. by Tim R-T-C, on Flickr

I'm guessing they must have fixed it since 153304 had disappeared by the time the 150 returned through a little later. I wonder what happened to it.


150215 in Carnforth on a Leeds train by Tim R-T-C, on Flickr

 

[aal7]

Why did it need a 153 adding on to the back? Are we saying that the entire 4-car train was powered by just the two 153s?

 

[noddingdonkey]

Sounds plausible - a 2-car unit can generally rescue another 2-car unit of the same family, so the 2x153 should have no issues with rescuing a 150.

For some faults just adding a single 153 can sort it - there have been occasions when a 158 with a faulty compressor have been paired with a dogbox solely so it can provide compressor facilities for the whole train.