Signalling equipment not liking the cold?

[jopsuk]

seems to be a rash of signalling problems today- big disruption at Gidea Park and Southall, but also some disruption at Thetford, Sanderstead, Stourbridge Junction and Edinburgh Park. Mere coincidence? Moisure got into electronics that has then frozen?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's usually caused by the weather, and one of the problems you have in a country where the weather fluctuates as wildly as is does here in the UK. Just you wait until the weather shuts Heathrow or Gatwick and the TV send out an interviewer to find some passengers from Canada or Norway (where it snows 250 days a year) to say they dont understand why we cant cope with a bit of snow or freezing cold because they can manage it just fine.

 

[michael769]

seems to be a rash of signalling problems today- big disruption at Gidea Park and Southall, but also some disruption at Thetford, Sanderstead, Stourbridge Junction and Edinburgh Park. Mere coincidence? Moisure got into electronics that has then frozen?

The term signalling fault is often used for points failure so we can put frozen points into the mix.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Canada or Norway (where it snows 250 days a year) to say they dont understand why we cant cope with a bit of snow or freezing cold because they can manage it just fine.

This makes me laugh - anyone remember the chaos in Sweden a couple of years back?

I work with a Canadian who assures me that they most definitely do not manage just fine in bad winter weather.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I work with a Canadian who assures me that they most definitely do not manage just fine in bad winter weather.

Nope! No train, plane or automobile has ever been late or cancelled abroad ever. They are always really clean and far cheaper than ours too.

 

[joeykins82]

Traffic disturbances at Stockholm Arlanda Airport
SAS regrets to inform that snow are to be expected at Stockholm Arlanda airport today, December 6. Both delays and cancellations are to be expected. Due to the weather situation SAS offers rebooking for passengers holding a reservation on flights to and from Arlanda Airport the 6 Dec 2012. For rebooking please contact the point of sale where the ticket was purchased.

It's not just Heathrow that can't cope with the snow!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

At the risk of taking this further off topic, I was joking about the perception that it is only us who cant cope with poor weather. I just thought I would get it in before somebody genuinely complained that it is only us who cant cope with poor weather. We can go back to talking about frozen points now.

 

[sprinterguy]

Mere coincidence?

Maybe. Weather conditions were not responsible for the total meltdown of the Snow Hill lines between Smethwick and Stourbridge Junction today (Although the recent problems in the Old Hill area were).

 

[jon0844]

Just you wait until the weather shuts Heathrow or Gatwick and the TV send out an interviewer to find some passengers from Canada or Norway (where it snows 250 days a year) to say they dont understand why we cant cope with a bit of snow or freezing cold because they can manage it just fine.

That's funny... Stockholm just got hit with a huge amount of snow a few days back, and believe me it went tits up (and was all over the TV and Internet). I believe four people died. Luckily this was after me, the wife and baby had flown back from Arlanda for a weekend break where the snow was quite moderate and everything was indeed getting on as normal.

The first day of snow in Sweden always results in carnage as people aren't prepared (even with winter tyres fitted) and the trains DO fail, although not as badly because they have built a network to cope with it - and many trains have dual redundancy, or electrical equipment fitted on top rather than under the trains.

We could do that, which would then lead the same journalist sent to Gatwick to be ranting on about why we're wasting so much money on preparing to cope with weather we only get for a few days a year.

One thing that is rather different is that for a long time the temperatures remain low, so you get snow and it stays as snow. There's time to move the snow, which is still snow, off the road and into piles in car parks, residential areas etc. People are also dressed for snow, and wear boots to walk in snow. All vehicles have winter (or possibly snow) tyres.

Here, we have snow, then it quickly starts to melt and freezes and then you have lethal ice, with a bit more snow on top - rinse and repeat. We don't have winter tyres (although more people are now seeing the benefits) and many don't dress as if they're ready for a massive unpredicated snowfall. Even if the railway industry sorted itself out, the roads would remain a mess unless we made winter tyres compulsory and people got some common sense.

 

[Temple Meads]

Signalling equipment doesn't particularly like having a bath either, as passengers in the Exeter area have seen recently

 

[tsr]

We could do that, which would then lead the same journalist sent to Gatwick to be ranting on about why we're wasting so much money on preparing to cope with weather we only get for a few days a year.

Off-topic, but...

Gatwick is a bad example as they already have a massive fleet of snow and ice treatment vehicles, and have had for at least one or two years. It's now rare for Gatwick to be "shut" in the event of reasonable levels of snowfall. You do get some delays and cancellations, but it's nowhere near as bad as those at other airports. Indeed, I hear Gatwick has actually been widely praised in enthusiast and industry circles for actually doing something about getting sufficient equipment.

Heathrow, Stansted and Luton, on the other hand...

 

[Class172]

Maybe. Weather conditions were not responsible for the total meltdown of the Snow Hill lines between Smethwick and Stourbridge Junction today (Although the recent problems in the Old Hill area were).

I was trying to work out what had caused the problems, but I didn't think it was the weather that had caused it when I saw that it was still affecting trains home from school this afternoon. What was the cause of the chaos then?

 

[sprinterguy]

I was trying to work out what had caused the problems, but I didn't think it was the weather that had caused it when I saw that it was still affecting trains home from school this afternoon. What was the cause of the chaos then?

Rats in the cabling on Wednesday night.

 

[Class172]

Rats in the cabling on Wednesday night.

Typical... :roll:

 

[jon0844]

BAA doesn't seem to care much these days, and has even dropped the name due to its poor reputation. Luton probably has to share equipment with all the roads outside the airport!

 

[biggus]

When a system is equipped against extreme weather it is amazing to see things swing into action. I was on an Amtrak train from washington dc to NYC on 12th feb 2006, the night 24" of snow fell. We completed the 3.5 hr trip in warmth and comfort though it took all of 7hrs to get through. They had much of the route as single line bidirectional, and all along the way we passed gangs of workers battling under arc lights to keep the trains moving. I got the distinct impression that they were queuing trains up and flighting them nose to tail through the single sections at about 10 MPH but that might be a hazy and libelous fantasy as this was almost 7 yrs ago and i have no idea if that is even technically possible. In any case it was an impressive display of muscle and agility that night IMHO.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Rats in the cabling on Wednesday night.

They should get some CATS then lol

 

[Tiny Tim]

Maybe. Weather conditions were not responsible for the total meltdown of the Snow Hill lines between Smethwick and Stourbridge Junction today (Although the recent problems in the Old Hill area were).

Meltdown at Snow Hill? Ha ha!