Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2008 0:47:36 GMT
We have the same problems on the main line network. This year has been and is particularly bad. It seems to be going on forever! The MPV sandite trains are all very well but December is rapidly approaching and there are still plenty of leaves waiting to fall. I'm not sure if the MPVs can drop sandite and de-icer at the same time but I know that the old converted EMUs couldn't. If not then it's odds on that the fight against the leaves will be given up early in order to engage the enemy of the frost! The press still have a laugh but I'll bet none of them have been on 1500 tonnes of freight train sliding headlong towards a red'un... I have found that adrenalin is actually brown!  Of course, if they just cut the ****** trees down........  Silly me. They tried that in Yorkshire and people living next to the railway complained that they could see trains...... Don't get me started!  |
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Oracle
In memoriam
RIP 2012
Writing is such sweet sorrow: like heck it is!
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Post by Oracle on Nov 11, 2008 8:37:40 GMT
Trees were cut down in Berkshire, and there was an almighty explosion of anger...residents that backed on to the presumably GW main got local politicians involved. I gather that some British Deciduous trees don't now drop their leaves...I have yet to see any.
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Post by stanmorek on Nov 12, 2008 16:56:09 GMT
Cutting down trees can sometimes have unintended consequences. Like less uptake of water in clay embankments and swelling. There have been problems with a tunnel portal moving away at Southfields after some mature trees were removed. During the days of steam trees were pruned regularly as they were considered a fire hazard. The railway cuttings up in the Chorley Wood area are much steeper than would built nowadays and the soil conditions up there are chalky.
Whenever large areas of vegetation are removed there are complaints about noise from the lines. It could be a matter of perception as trains are more apparent as are now visible graffitied lineside structures.
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Post by 21146 on Nov 14, 2008 17:02:37 GMT
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Post by 21146 on Nov 17, 2008 18:26:11 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2008 10:44:21 GMT
I see the RAT was pressed into passenger service yesterday.
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Post by programmes1 on Nov 20, 2008 13:19:38 GMT
Yes it's been used by passengers quite a lot recently ongoing problem at Chalfont JT8.
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Post by neasdena60 on Nov 27, 2008 17:21:40 GMT
Seems to be a really bad leaf fall this year, too many units with flat wheels, and the depot just keeping up with the problem.
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Post by happybunny on Nov 27, 2008 17:49:45 GMT
So that old looking train in the pics, can actually run in passenger ?? What about the A stock one, can that ? |
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metman
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Post by metman on Nov 27, 2008 18:45:29 GMT
That old looking train is the same age as the A stock!! No the class 117 can't run in passenger because there are no windows, among other things!
The A stock can run in service and does, although extra crew are needed to keep people out of the RAC.
Wheel flats have been bad, you can hear it on most Motor cars, thud thud thud thud.....
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Post by happybunny on Nov 27, 2008 18:50:18 GMT
Wudnt it be possible to just isolate doors on the RAC >
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metman
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5056 05/12/1961-23/04/2012 RIP
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Post by metman on Nov 27, 2008 19:20:27 GMT
Think they are but people could still move through the R/S doors.
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Post by wellgroomed on Nov 28, 2008 10:39:47 GMT
No the class 117 can't run in passenger because there are no windows, among other things! Indeed. There are only four seats on the Waterjet. Those being, one driver and secondman seat at either end. |
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Post by citysig on Nov 28, 2008 10:58:28 GMT
The A stock can run in service and does, although extra crew are needed to keep people out of the RAC. Extra crew being just the Station Supervisor from Chalfont & Latimer, who entrains people via the butterfly cock into the leading car, rides with said people, and then detrains them at the other end - and then does the whole thing again in the other direction. It has run quite a few trips in service this year, not really as a result of it being a bad year, but more simply because the only timetabled trip to Chesham for the RAT is first thing in the morning. I wouldn't say this year has been any worse than an average year. There have been a few leaf-fall related failures / incidents, and a fair few trains with flats, but I don't think it's really any more or less than other years. |
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Post by neasdena60 on Dec 1, 2008 19:19:45 GMT
With only two units being turned a week on the wheel lathe, there is way too many flatted wheels, with some units going weeks without attention.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2008 21:48:55 GMT
I was on the RAT yesterday, was surprised that the flats were not too bad. Fortunately, because of the special working there were not many trains around and I could tip-toe around. The switch in the cab for the sandite has changed, and you would not beleive how cold the sandite car is compaired to the other cars.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
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Post by roythebus on Dec 13, 2008 11:24:34 GMT
I worked at Ricky for a short while in 1973/74, and we had either Sarah Siddons or John Hampden there or ESL118A/B for leaf clearing, assisting stalled DMUs and de-icing! Though i was trained on them, I never actually got to work on any of them, more's the pity.
I gather the Met locos weren't used that ofen to assist the DMU's but were there just in case...
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Ben
fotopic... whats that?
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Post by Ben on Dec 13, 2008 14:17:36 GMT
So presumably you would have been one of the last people to be qualified on T stock? How significant were the changes they had from passenger days, and was the control equipment the same?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
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Post by roythebus on Dec 14, 2008 23:18:10 GMT
As far as I remember, the control equipment was unmodified. everything worked off line volts, like the Q stock. some of the passenger compartments had the partitions removed to make way for the de-icing tanks and equipment. The remaining compartments even had the Met adverts and maps in them, still showing the Met line going to Aylesbury.
I can't remember if they were vacuum or air braked though.
I was also trained on the old CLR motor cars converted to de-icers, those with extra bogies in the middle. The only trip I had on one was from Neasden on the Met main line in about December 1973 and we got stuck somewhere near Preston Road!
The Chesham shuttle took over 3 hours to try and get to Chesham; it evetually gave up and set back into Chalfont. i suspect the crew retired to the pub to warm up!!
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metman
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Post by metman on Dec 14, 2008 23:20:27 GMT
The T stock had westinghouse air brakes. A few received ep brakes, but I'm not sure if the sleet pair did!
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Post by tubeprune on Dec 15, 2008 6:22:49 GMT
The T stock had westinghouse air brakes. A few received ep brakes, but I'm not sure if the sleet pair did! It was planned for the T Stock to get e.p. brakes but they never did. The traction control was electro-pneumatic. In fact it was the same as the tube sleet locos because the tube sleet locos had e.p. traction kit fitted from scrapped T Stock. |
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Ben
fotopic... whats that?
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Post by Ben on Dec 15, 2008 11:31:51 GMT
Tubeprune, do you know when the sleet locos would have been so fitted? Was it done ad-hoc, or was the whole sleet loco fleet done at a similar time?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,275
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Post by roythebus on Dec 15, 2008 16:21:05 GMT
From what I remember of the tube ex CLR sleet locos, they had Westinghouse brakes and no EP control equipment? But the the equipment on them seems to be similar to the stuff on the old W&C motor cars, which was EP, but all controlled at line volts. Maybe that's where my memory's fading..
Yeh, ESL118A&B did have Westinghouse brakes; that explains why we couldn't use them for DMU banking, no vacuum brake, and explains why the Met locos could be used, vacuum fitted! Ha.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2008 21:28:01 GMT
What price a photo of a Met electric loco shoving a DMU! THERE'S something to put on a model layout at a show.... A penny for everyone who rubbished the idea would pay for a good drink afterwards! It's hearing about stuff like this that makes me love London Transport!
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