Unit Quarantine

[leomartin125]

Hi,

A question from a while ago, hopefully someone can help!

345046 attended RAIL Live in 2018 at Long Marston and whilst flicking through some old photos I noticed it had a sticker over the doors which read “Quarantined Unit Do Not Enter” - any idea what this was about?

I have supplied a link to an image of the unit at the event below for reference:

345046 'Railive' Event @ Long Marston 200618 S Widdowson (1)

Explore 50008"thunderer"'s 16128 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

Many thanks

 

[NSE]

If an incident has happened then a unit could be impounded until a download has been done to assess if a driver has been at fault. Similarly, if a unit has hit someone, it may be kept as evidence until the necessary people have what they need. In these cases people won’t be allowed in, so maybe these stickers reflect that.

That said, I’d be surprised if a unit in that sort of, ‘impounded’ situation would have been sent up to a rail live event. Unless it was held there by chance while the event took place simultaneously.

 

[357]

If an incident has happened then a unit could be impounded until a download has been done to assess if a driver has been at fault. Similarly, if a unit has hit someone, it may be kept as evidence until the necessary people have what they need. In these cases people won’t be allowed in, so maybe these stickers reflect that.

That said, I’d be surprised if a unit in that sort of, ‘impounded’ situation would have been sent up to a rail live event. Unless it was held there by chance while the event took place simultaneously.

Is this your own knowledge or pure speculation?

I've never quarantined a unit, or seen a unit quarantined with stickers after any such incident.

I've used them in some very specific scenarios but I'll wait to see if someone more knowledgeable can give a better reply.

 

[dooton]

At my TOC, it's high impacting, safety related or high numbers of repeat defects that can quarantine a train. We don't put stickers/ signs on though.

A serious incident would do the same, until investigation is complete.

 

[357]

a download has been done to assess if a driver has been at fault

Just got to come back and say I love the assumption it's likely the driver was at fault.

FYI I've had two brake applications in my career, one was due to a signalling fault and one was due to a train fault.

A download of a quarantined unit is more likely to reveal a train fault than a driver fault in my experience.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If 345 046 hadn't been formally delivered by that point, it may have still been the property of the manufacturer and therefore nobody should be entering it at that time.

 

[357]

If 345 046 hadn't been formally delivered by that point, it may have still been the property of the manufacturer and therefore nobody should be entering it at that time.

Yes, the 720s delivered to my TOC had exact same stickers until they'd been commissioned.

 

[NSE]

Just got to come back and say I love the assumption it's likely the driver was at fault.

FYI I've had two brake applications in my career, one was due to a signalling fault and one was due to a train fault.

A download of a quarantined unit is more likely to reveal a train fault than a driver fault in my experience.

I didn’t say the driver had been at fault. I said ‘if a driver had been at fault’. Plenty of things happen, as you say have done so in your career, that need downloads to be done to confirm the driver wasn’t at fault. Depending on the severity of the incident in question, a unit may need to be impounded before the download can be done as not just anyone can do a download.

Equally, I didn’t say this was the reason, I’m giving an example of something I’ve had previous experience of as being a possible reason.

 

[800001]

Usually it means a unit has been completed by a manufacturer and has been tested and signed off as complete.

At that point it is quarantined until handed over to the operator to ensure the unit remains in condition it is in.

 

[Russel]

Probably irrelevant in this case, but I recall back in early EMT days a 222 was "quarantined" due to a flea infestation.

 

[fgwrich]

Probably irrelevant in this case, but I recall back in early EMT days a 222 was "quarantined" due to a flea infestation.

I don’t know what some Northerners did to some of our 180s, but at least one if not two of the Adelante’s spent some time under quarantine whilst being fumigated at Acton Yard prior to returning back to their second stint with FGW!

 

[800001]

Many trains get 'quarantined' for a short time, in particular services which have cafe bars, kitchens etc. as they often get an infestation of fruit flies.