WCML closed

[Metroland]

Wagons shed load near Tring, also closed at Lancaster because of another obstruction.

Passengers travelling on the West Coast railway line can expect severe delays after high winds blew containers from two freight trains onto the tracks.

The winds, which battered much of England overnight, blew freight onto track at Shap in Cumbria and onto a stretch of the line in Buckinghamshire.

Engineers are working to remove the containers and to check for any damage to the track and infrastructure.

Virgin customers are being advised not to travel or to use alternative routes.

Track damage

A spokesman for Network Rail said he could not estimate what time services will get back to normal.

He said: "A freight train passing through the Shap area lost some containers. These containers are now lying on the line."

The containers are thought to be empty.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7272373.stm

 

[Jord]

Taken from Scot-Rail

1. Obstruction on the line between Tring and Bletchley

56301 on 4E90 Grain - Doncaster/Birch Coppice lost 2 containers on WCML at Leighton
Buzzard
90026 on 1M11 Glasgow - Euston sleeper terminated platform 5 at Birmingham
International and still there.

Last Updated: 08:17
Route Affected: London Euston, Rugby, Stafford & Manchester Piccadilly/Liverpool
Lime Street/Glasgow Central and London Euston, Birmingham New Street & Wolverhampton
also Northampton, Bletchley, Tring & London Euston
TOC/s Affected: First ScotRail, London Midland, Virgin Trains
Description: Train services between Tring and Bletchley are being disrupted due to
an obstruction on the line.

Train services between Hemel Hempstead and Bletchley are currently suspended.

Virgin Trains services travelling towards London Euston will terminate at Milton
Keynes Central. London Midland services travelling towards London Euston will
terminate at Bletchley. Replacement road transport will operate between Milton
Keynes Central and Watford Junction and between Milton Keynes Central and Hemel
Hempstead. A shuttle train service will operate between Hemel Hempstead and London
Euston.

East Midlands Trains, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, Northern Rail, First
Transpennine and National Express East Coast are accepting Virgin Trains customers.

There is currently no estimate for a normal service to resume.

2. Obstruction on the line between Carlisle and Lancaster

4S83 Felixstowe/Tilbury - Coatbridge lost 6 containers at Shap

90*** 1M16 Inverness - Euston still at Penrith.
90*** 1S26 Euston - Glasgow still at Tebay
66420 4M62 Coatbridge - Daventry DRS intermodal looks to have been diverted, but
means 66 out of fuel, so 37218 and 609 working train onwards to Daventry from Crewe,
which means the 37s return on 4Z50 1030 Daventry - Grangemouth, but a refuelled 66
from Crewe ;-(

Last Updated: 07:00
Route Affected: London Euston, Rugby, Crewe, Lancaster, Carlisle & Glasgow Central
and Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton, Preston & Carlisle also Birmingham New Street,
Crewe, Penrith & Carlisle
TOC/s Affected: First ScotRail, First Transpennine Express, Virgin Trains
Description: Train services between Penrith and Lancaster are being disrupted due to
an obstruction on the line.

Train services are currently suspended between Penrith and Lancaster.

There is currently no estimate for a normal service to resume.

 

[Metroland]

That seems pretty unusual that two container trains have had their load blown off in one day. I don't recall containers ever being shed. There was cars blown from wagons going over Ribblehead viaduct in the 1960s, that's the only thing I can recall.

 

[33056]

Hmmmm, have been "on the job" over 20 years and have never known containers just fall (or get blown) off trains. Can think of a few instances where things have not been properly secured and come to grief, but not saying this is what has happened this time.

Looks like I'll have to drive to work later :mad:, so will go via Cheddington / Tring to be nosey!

 

[Metroland]

Now confirmed by Freightliner

Freight operators Freightliner said the containers would have been locked onto the wagons and that this is the first time this has happened since the company was formed

 

[voyagerdude220]

And because the closure between Lancaster and Carlisle has rather inconveniently happened at the same time as engineering works over the S&C for the next 8 days, this rules out diversions over it, hence coaches to/from Lancaster.....

I'm so glad i'm not one of the very unlucky people having to face a coach from Lancaster to Scotland.... I can only just cope with being on one for 2 hours...

 

[mbonwick]

Looks like I'll have to be on the lookout for the coaches when I get back to school [which is in Lancaster]

Pictures:

6C37 Chirk-Carlisle empty logs stuck in the section

From http://www.burgess57.freeserve.co.uk/

 

[matt]

1M11 was terminated at Carlisle.

So which sleeper was 90026 working as it was at Birmingham International earlier today with the pan down.

 

[mbonwick]

A thought regarding diversions; there's the Cumbrian Coast as an option;

(Again from DB's site)

With the S&C closed for a major engineering blockade this weekend, diversionary paths are going to be hard to find. One solution was to send this convoy of 66s from Warrington to Carlisle via the Cumbrian coast.
66165 + 66143 + 66021 approach Grange.

 

[1D53]

Shame there is a seriously limited number of paths via the Cumbrian Coast. I imagine most freight will have gone via the East Coast

 

[westcoaster]

looks like the 57 came close to a collission, hope that the containers activated the track circuits, strange how it happened twice in one night any more news about the ones at leighton buzzard.

 

[Coxster]

Trains are now able to run between Tring and Bletchley.

 

[Mojo]

From the picture on the BBC News website, it looked like it happenned between Tring & Cheddington on the road which turns off the B489, though I could be wrong as the picture could have been taken anywhere!

 

[westcoaster]

mojo that picture is from shap, not sure where it was.

pictures of ledburn junc and cheddington here

http://jcp.fotopic.net/c1467316.html

 

[matt]

I'm saying what's on the system.

1M11 got to Carstairs 20 down. But made that up by Carlisle where 1M11 was terminated.

Well one of the sleepers got as far as Intl although Im not sure which one as it appears the southbound sleeper didn't get past Preston so it may have been a terminated northbound sleeper?

 

[Ascot]

I'm saying what's on the system.

1M11 got to Carstairs 20 down. But made that up by Carlisle where 1M11 was terminated.

This system you are saying about, it will say 20 down as it says the arrival time not the departure and it's booked 20 mins at Carstairs to bash the sets together.

1M16 made it to Carlisle. (Highland South)
1M11 in Brum Int. (Lowland South)
1S26 Carnforth stabled there. (Lowland North)
1S25 Made it. (Highland North)

 

[87015]

Container remains on up slow at Ledburn Jn (the real one) I am informed...a fine farce!! It was too much of a ned container to cope with 56301 haulage so was ejected hock:

 

[33056]

I believe that the class 57 in the picture at Shap was sent to examine the line, hence its apparent closeness to the containers. Also note that the effect of the telephoto lens at that angle will make it appear closer than it really is.

The one that worries me however, is the one at Ledburn where there is axle counters.......

WCML started running around 2000 hrs, between Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead, the return Northern Belle was one of the first trains on the down.

 

[Metroland]

looks like the 57 came close to a collission, hope that the containers activated the track circuits, strange how it happened twice in one night any more news about the ones at leighton buzzard.

I would say (bit of speculation) that the containers put the track circuit down at Shap. The next train was sent in to examine the line, only to find containers on it! By this time, the train they fell off was north of Gretna - which was probably stopped at Lockerbie and the driver asked to check the load.

The Cheddington one might have been more luck than judgment (again speculation) with the axlecounters. Possibly a train spotted it on another line and phoned in.

No doubt we'll be able to read all about it on the RAIB report when it comes out.

As the containers fell off on embankments, it's highly likely the wind was in a very unusual direction and gust strength to funnel up the sides and get underneath and help push them off. Extremely rare though, I can't find any data in this country on anything similar. And two happening is one day is almost freakish.

 

[will1337]

The platforms at Euston were eerily empty this afternoon (King's Cross and St P on the other hand..), and annoyingly didn't find out that the WCML was shut until I was at Harrow and Wealdstone having come from Willesden Junction. At H&W a 390 really shot past the platform so I think it may have been the shuttle service between Euston and Hemel Hempstead.

 

[djw1981]

And because the closure between Lancaster and Carlisle has rather inconveniently happened at the same time as engineering works over the S&C for the next 8 days, this rules out diversions over it, hence coaches to/from Lancaster.....

I'm so glad i'm not one of the very unlucky people having to face a coach from Lancaster to Scotland.... I can only just cope with being on one for 2 hours...

Can VWC not run a 390 Shuttle from Glasgow to Carlisle, thus meaning buses only needed Lancaster - Carlisle? Anyway I'm sure they will have something open by monday if the wind drops. We should also remember that on Saturday morning BBC Travel were talking of M74 and M6 both shut due to lorries being blown over, so its not just Rail....

Cumbrian coast line has limited gauge/clearances - even HST stock has to be a no heads out, and windows on 15x and 14x are blocked to stop you sticking limbs or heads out IIRC. The journey takes an additional 2hrs and there are limted paths, so it is, sadly, a non starter IMO.

 

[1D53]

Very unlucky the Settle and Carlisle is off for a ten day blockade! Freight must have gone East Coast, Sleepers tomorrow night probably going East Coast and have the line ready for opening on Monday,

 

[Ascot]

Very unlucky the Settle and Carlisle is off for a ten day blockade! Freight must have gone East Coast, Sleepers tomorrow night probably going East Coast and have the line ready for opening on Monday,

Sleepers go East Coast every Sunday until end of Easter anyway at the moment due to the engineering works so no difference.

 

[Metroland]

If you are really unlucky, then the replacement rail bus service could crash (although not this particular incident!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7272642.stm

 

[mbonwick]

I had to laugh at the Local radio (The Bay), who reported the line being closed due to "a transpennine train shedding its load"

 

[voyagerdude220]

Can VWC not run a 390 Shuttle from Glasgow to Carlisle,

Nope, I thought we already knew that the line north of Carlisle is closed due to engineering works until tomorrow morning?

I had to laugh at the Local radio (The Bay), who reported the line being closed due to "a transpennine train shedding its load"

hock: I know that 185's are hellfire, but not that good!

 

[driver9000]

I had to laugh at the Local radio (The Bay), who reported the line being closed due to "a transpennine train shedding its load"

The Bay rarely knows what day it is!!

All trains for Lockerbie & Carlisle were showing as Cancelled at Preston on Saturday, no mention of the coaches running from the car park, and the explanation screen (arrivals) just mentioned high winds being the cause and nothing about a blockage. Sometimes I hate walking around a station in uniform - I got stopped about 60 times with people asking about how to get to X place, and unfortunatly I knew nothing either!

 

[33056]

The Cheddington one might have been more luck than judgment (again speculation) with the axlecounters. Possibly a train spotted it on another line and phoned in.

The Cheddington one tripped the overheads and a train was sent to examine the line....now what if there were no overheads

(I don't rate axle counters BTW, but also bear in mind that there are still long sections of absolute block around)

 

[class 313]

The Cheddington one tripped the overheads and a train was sent to examine the line....now what if there were no overheads

A yinger was sent wasn't it.

 

[33056]

A yinger was sent wasn't it.

I think it was actually the 0200 Euston to Milton Keynes which was on the fast lines.