Post by District Dave on Oct 25, 2007 15:54:38 GMT
Sorry - this is a bit techie and aimed squarely at my DR T/Op colleagues!
Solidbond I know is already aware of a problem relating to these little buggers, but the situation seems to be getting worse.
Some of you may have noticed the TMS occasionally flashing up a Service Brake warning which lasts a few seconds and then disappears; you can guarantee that if you ask for a fitter it stops as soon as he gets in the cab........
But - and this is the point - it's also manifesting itself whilst carrying out a brake test.
Last Friday I was prepping a train in ECMDT with my trainee and we'd carried out a test in the west end unit (7098 for those interested) and repeated the process in the east end unit (7021).
On carrying out the test in both full and slow speed the test initially passed, but then went to fail. We rreturned to the west cab to call the fitter and repeated the test in that cab - it now too showed exactly the same.
The fitter attended, and (from what I could see) by the process of lifting a seat in car 3 and doing 'something' (I know not what) we were then able to get valid passes in both units. On questioning he told me it was the BPMS.
Now - and this is what I want to draw to your attention - the situation repeated itself with at least two trains on Sunday (and I've heard tales of others). Apparently the Depot staff tried to tell the drivers that it was OK and that they could take the trains out as the fault was only a fault with the monitoring system, not with the brake circuits themselves.
That's all very well, but a fail is a fail, and I (and you!) should not move that train until it has been resolved. I checked this with the LSM and he agrees. If it fails it does not enter service.
Incidentally this is not a refurb exclusive problem; it occurs on non-refurbs too.
Here endeth the first lesson - but if anyone wants to comment on this, I'm sure that our interested readers will pick up on the matter.
Solidbond I know is already aware of a problem relating to these little buggers, but the situation seems to be getting worse.
Some of you may have noticed the TMS occasionally flashing up a Service Brake warning which lasts a few seconds and then disappears; you can guarantee that if you ask for a fitter it stops as soon as he gets in the cab........
But - and this is the point - it's also manifesting itself whilst carrying out a brake test.
Last Friday I was prepping a train in ECMDT with my trainee and we'd carried out a test in the west end unit (7098 for those interested) and repeated the process in the east end unit (7021).
On carrying out the test in both full and slow speed the test initially passed, but then went to fail. We rreturned to the west cab to call the fitter and repeated the test in that cab - it now too showed exactly the same.
The fitter attended, and (from what I could see) by the process of lifting a seat in car 3 and doing 'something' (I know not what) we were then able to get valid passes in both units. On questioning he told me it was the BPMS.
Now - and this is what I want to draw to your attention - the situation repeated itself with at least two trains on Sunday (and I've heard tales of others). Apparently the Depot staff tried to tell the drivers that it was OK and that they could take the trains out as the fault was only a fault with the monitoring system, not with the brake circuits themselves.
That's all very well, but a fail is a fail, and I (and you!) should not move that train until it has been resolved. I checked this with the LSM and he agrees. If it fails it does not enter service.
Incidentally this is not a refurb exclusive problem; it occurs on non-refurbs too.
Here endeth the first lesson - but if anyone wants to comment on this, I'm sure that our interested readers will pick up on the matter.
.
Now as any D stock driver can tell you, there is no way the brakes can release that quickly, proving that it was a spurious indication.
