Snow ploughs

[Scotrail84]

Scotrail have published a video (with commentary!) from a plow job on the WCML

Nothings getting through that anytime soon.

 

[furnessvale]

Just the one plough as the other is blocked in in March sidings. Will have to keep turning which is going to be a bit time consuming.

PLEASE tell me it is not blocked in by snow! That would be a joke too far!

 

[dk1]

PLEASE tell me it is not blocked in by snow! That would be a joke too far!

Nah!! Couple of liner flats & an OTM by the looks of it.

 

[furnessvale]

Nah!! Couple of liner flats & an OTM by the looks of it.

Thanks. Good piece of forward planning with snow expected!

 

[jamesontheroad]

No, scrap that, the March plough is currently running a 7Z37 on its way to save Anglia.

Richard Clinnick has tweeted pics: https://twitter.com/Clinnick1/status/969902148480794624 and https://twitter.com/Clinnick1/status/969867355273809920

 

[Highlandspring]

One of the two Beilhack snowblowers has now been mobilised to clear some very large drifts on the WCML between Carstairs and Beattock.

 

[furnessvale]

One of the two Beilhack snowblowers has now been mobilised to clear some very large drifts on the WCML between Carstairs and Beattock.

Is the GSW open?

 

[TheEdge]

How many days since the snow began to fall? Even then, there had been a week of warnings that snow was on its way.

It's not rocket science, or expensive, to keep an unpowered independent snow plough fit for use

Perhaps the depth or quantity of drifting was not expect, especially in the notoriously highlands of East Anglia. Or more likely it was expected/hoped that most of the drifts could be cleared by the normal movement of trains or by the many locos fitted with miniature ploughs. Now personally I can't remember the last time these were needed, especially around this part of the world, so the eternal issue might have been sourcing drivers and staff trained to use the thing, rather than keeping it serviceable. And no doubt those trained up are in high demand and clearing some secondary branch lines in Anglia was of lower importance than the WCML.

 

[Highlandspring]

Is the GSW open?

Yes it is.

 

[GarethC]

Perhaps the depth or quantity of drifting was not expect, especially in the notoriously highlands of East Anglia. Or more likely it was expected/hoped that most of the drifts could be cleared by the normal movement of trains or by the many locos fitted with miniature ploughs. Now personally I can't remember the last time these were needed, especially around this part of the world, so the eternal issue might have been sourcing drivers and staff trained to use the thing, rather than keeping it serviceable. And no doubt those trained up are in high demand and clearing some secondary branch lines in Anglia was of lower importance than the WCML.

It is easy to underestimate the contribution of the wind in the more extreme effects of the snow, particularly in the largely flat and open areas of Norfolk and Suffolk. The light dusty snow and the strong winds continued until Friday and it took some time for Suffolk Highways to clear the drifts on their Priority 1 routes, with them then being covered again. The repeated closures of the A140 Ipswich-Norwich road shows how difficult it was on the roads. Consequently the Priority 2 routes, although treated, took a back seat and everything else has had to wait. It is no surprise they've only just been out yesterday and today onto the Norfolk routes. Any ploughing earlier would probably have been replaced by more drifting until the wind dropped.

I've been teaching in Suffolk for just over 10 years and have only had four days where school has been closed due to snow, three this week and one in December 2010. The big difference then was, although the temperatures were lower for longer in 2010 the snow didn't blow about! The buses were completeoy stopped on Wednesday and most of Thursday and haven't been able to run off the main routes, so no surprise that trains can't run across isolated parts of the Norfolk and Suffolk broads!

Gareth

 

[Steptoe]

The 'Greater Anglia Offers' FB page currently has a video featuring the March snowplough being used in Norfolk with two DRS 37's (apologies for my lack of techie ability to get the video in the post!)

 

[Jimini]

The 'Greater Anglia Offers' FB page currently has a video featuring the March snowplough being used in Norfolk with two DRS 37's (apologies for my lack of techie ability to get the video in the post!)

Aye, I spotted that too:

 

[dk1]

The 'Greater Anglia Offers' FB page currently has a video featuring the March snowplough being used in Norfolk with two DRS 37's (apologies for my lack of techie ability to get the video in the post!)

Strumpshaw Fen. Just the Brundall side of Buckenham Station.