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Fire! |
Leaving Leeds with a test train consisting of 5 x Mk3 coaches and a surrogate DVT, I was travelling with a colleague in the propelling class 91 loco as was the norm, when out of the rear of the train we noticed billowing smoke! The train was stopped and we leapt out fire extinguisher in hand. What we saw was lots of smoke from the brake pads. On examination it was found that the class 91's hydraulic parking brake was still applied. I don't think it had been taken off when we left Leeds, either the TDM system on the HST's didn't have an indicator or the driver didn't notice. No harm done!
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Mind the door |
Arriving at Retford Down loop one afternoon with a test train consisting of TC10 plus 5 x Mk3 sleepers we had to run the loco round so we opened the door of the leading vehicle to unplug the intercom and other cables from inside the coach. Something must have distracted the staff and hence when the train left the loop heading south, the trailing Mk3 had a door swinging open. As we gained the Up line we passed a class 365 on test and were later stopped by the box and told that the driver of the 365 had reported the problem. We were able to close the door and continue but it was a close thing.
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Total Failure! |
Heading north one day on a mileage run with 5 x Mk3 coaches and surrogate DVT 43014, which at the time had a defective power unit, both the compressor relays on the class 91 burnt out . This was un-noticed until the brake pipe pressure began to fall and eventually we came to a stand on the main line with no way of releasing the brakes. Luckily in those days of loco-hauled parcels trains the next Down train was hauled by a class 47 which was able to buffer-up to the DVT, get the brakes off and propel us into Carlton Down loop (Nottinghamshire) where we stayed for what seems a very long time. We were eventually rescued by a class 56 which hauled us all the way back to BN arriving after midnight. I had a cab ride all the way back and was impressed with the turn of speed of a class 56 which managed 80 mile/h most of the way home.
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Out late |
After one of the Derby-Doncaster-Derby ride tests (see Page 4) we were extensively delayed in Ferme Park and hence by the time we got back to Donny for the loco change the original crew had long gone. Luckily Control managed to rustle up a crew from somewhere and we eventually arrived back in Derby around midnight. However the crew parked the train on the Goods Road by the station which does not allow direct access to the RTC sidings. I walked up to the loco to ask them what they were going to do only to find an empty cab! To cap it all the station was suddenly engulfed in police and every movement stopped as the Royal Train was due through! After further extended delays we pressurised the Derby traincrew office to supply a driver with threats of screwing on the parking brake and abandoning the train. It worked but goodness knows what time we eventually got inside the RTC
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Stuck en route |
On the service trains we rode, the most prestigious was the Yorkshire Pullman which left KX at 17.45 running to Leeds and Harrogate. At the time the line from Leeds to Harrogate was not electrified hence a diesel loco was employed to haul the train to Harrogate and then to York and back to Leeds.
On one occasion we
arrived in Leeds to find that a class 31 had been allocated for the task.
This was not too bad at first glance as the loco (unlike class 47’s) was
fitted with sanders. However we assumed (incorrectly) that they were working
and of course they weren’t. The line from Leeds to Harrogate has some severe
gradients and a number of speed restrictions, one of which is at the
beginning of a steep grade. On this particular trip the loco got halfway up
the gradient when it slipped to a stand. The sanders were full of wet sand,
which could not be directed via the nozzles onto the track. In order to get
the train moving the additional staff (the traction inspector and I)
detrained and scooped handfuls of sand from the sandboxes using the nice
trendy litter bins from the coaches to carry it in and hence to deposit onto
the railhead. In this way the train finally got underway and arrived in
Harrogate about an hour late, where the very few passengers who bothered to
remain with the train alighted. By this time most passengers were opting for
the easier way and detrained at Leeds, and procuring a taxi for the trip to
Harrogate.
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A very close call |
Another occasion I remember well
was an ‘incident’ at Peterborough. We had been to Grantham on another
ordinary run where we had picked up several traction inspectors from the
Doncaster area to give them a taste of the locomotive.
The train was made up of a class 91 – five Mk3 sleepers and an HST DVT. We
set off back to Bounds Green with the HST leading and had dawdled down Stoke
behind a local I think. I was in the blunt end of the class 91 at the rear
of the train. As we had been following another train we had been running on
double yellows at about 30 mile/h and as we approached Peterborough the
signals cleared to green
North of Peterborough was the controlling signal for the Up platform 2 which
at the time had a fibre-optic route indicator display instead of the more
common separate route indicators. These consisted of 5 white lights in a row
for each possible route and known as ‘feathers’. However the principal was
the same, the direction of the route set would be indicated on a large black
screen adjacent to the signal head. Hence if the train was routed into the
Up platform the left pointing horizontal ‘feather’ would be illuminated. If
into the Down Slow the upper left ‘feather’ at approx 45 degrees, if into
the Down Fast (on the opposite side) the upper right ‘feather’ at approx 45
degrees etc and if no feathers were lit then the route would be set for the
Up line.
So we were headed towards Peterborough under clear signals with the display
blank i.e. a clear road through on the same Up Fast line hence no ‘feathers’
were lit – so the driver opened her up.
At the time we had approx 8000 HP available hence we took off like a rocket.
As we were approaching the turnouts for the Up platform the driver and
inspectors noted to their dismay that they were set for the platform road
and a 30 mph restriction applied when turning onto the Up Slow with a 20 mph
restriction from Up Slow to the Up Platform 2. From estimates we were
probably doing about 70 when we hit the first turnout. Needless to say the
brakes were applied but even so I was thrown about in the class 91 as it
lurched right then left then right again before stopping. We must have
entered the platform at about 40 mile/h but came safely to a stand.
The Power Box was contacted to find out why the route set was different to
the indications – quite what was said was not clear but the outcome was an
enquiry and investigation which I understand discovered that the fibre-optic
route indicator display was faulty and was indeed displaying nothing at all.
Indications in the power box were normal hence when the route was set the
display showed that the fibre-optic route indicator was operating correctly.
Lucky for the driver that he had several expert witnesses in the cab with
him! Lucky for us all that the train didn’t derail and end up on platform 2
instead of alongside it!
A very near miss!
Not long after the incident the traditional type of route indicator ‘feathers’ were installed at the signal.
Driver training.........in the snow
We used to run to Carlisle and back during the driver and conductor training based on Polmadie depot, Glasgow. This was during the winter of 90-91 when 'the wrong kind of snow' was playing havoc with the class 91's on ECML. Problems occurred when propelling as the snow was whipped up and entered the loco's air intakes and at once melted and short-circuited the electronics.
I was on a class 91 pushing the set up Beattock in a snowstorm when the call came on the mobile 'Whatever you do, don't propel in the snow!' Oops! Too late, but when we got to the summit I had the loco run round- still in the blizzard helped by the volunteer conductors who had to uncouple and couple the loco.
Imagine the comments when we reached Carlisle to find no snow at all!
I guess the West Coast snow was the 'right kind'
More will be added!