Pulaski

We have long had threads for planes and automobiles, why not trains?

I have been mulling over for several months starting a thread to discuss trains, and as a train has been headline news today in the UK, albeit for tragic reasons, today seems a good day to start the thread.

So Scotrail has experienced a serious derailment, reportedly killing three people, including the driver.

It used to be common practice to send out a train at slow speed after extreme weather on lines where there were bridges at risk from flood damage and where lines were at risk of being damaged by landslides or subsidence. I wonder if the reported landslip was unprecedented on that line?

On the matter of the train, I see that the canny Scots are now running 40 year old locomotives and rolling stock that started out on the old BR western region between London Paddington, SW England, and South Wales, though I believe that the same trains were used at one time on the Penzance - Aberdeen service, so may not be entirely unknown to Scotland.

scrubbedexpat142

Just found this on the BBC -

Is that an HS125?

Pulaski

It makes me wonder as the driver had already found one landslip and had avoided it, how did he run into a second, when he was already aware of the risk?

Yup.

Here is the non-derailed locomotive, at Sheffield - apparently the original Western Region sets had been used for Midland Mainline services from St Pancras to Sheffield too. As the two ends were sometimes switched, I am not sure which locomotive was attached to the other end and was derailed earlier today. Originally I believe it would have been 43029.

Giantaxe

According to this, there are many Class 43s still in service in various parts of the UK. Not sure how up to date the list is though:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britis...Class_43_(HST)

Pulaski

Well some have only been refurbished and transferred to Scotland within the past few years, so they are likely to remain in service for many more years.

At the moment AFAIK they are still all working in pairs, but it was orignally anticipated that they would eventually be "downgraded" to non-express service, with a single locomotive hauling carriages.

civilservant

Dang. They're still using the old 125s?

I had not seen one on the Paddington-Penzance mainline in awhile, and that was back in 2013.

Pulaski

The Scots have only recently acquired 26 sets, with reduced rakes of 4 or 5 carriages, compared to their original rakes of 7 (Western Region) or 8 (ECML) carriages. The first set "entered" service in Scotland in October 2018.

caretaker

How fast was he going? After switching tracks, was there a slow order on anything in front of him? It could be a failure of protocol.

scrubbedexpat099

I used to commute on those into Paddington, lived in a small village and one stopped early in the morning. Sadly the BR Director who also lived there retired and the stop was discontinued and I had to change at Reading.

joto

The way I read it, was they came across the 1st land slide, then went back up the line towards Stonehaven. I then think that there was that second landslide after they had passed by going south, then slammed into it on their way north. Just my take on it. Just tragic, all round.

penguinsix

What UK railroad magazine would you recommend? The Railway Magazine? Modern Railways? What is most recommended.

Pulaski

I was always a reader of Modern Railways, but it has been a very long time since I have seen a copy, at least several years before I left the UK, and that was nearly 19 years ago.

scot47

https://www.modern-railways.com

I have long been a fan of railways. Use them still and have used them internationally for many years. When living In Bulgaria I travelled widely with Bulgarian State Railways. Wife and Bulgarian colleagues thought this was a manifestation of insanity or at best , British eccentricity.

https://www.bdz.bg/en

Deutsche Bahn is also good but I preferred the system in the GDR, which was anachronistically, called "Deutsche Reischsbahn"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsc...ecember%201993.

scrubbedexpat142

You're not interested in British trains then!

civilservant

I have to ask, what is it about trains and railways that appeals to people?

I get planes - the dream of being able to take flight yourself has been around pretty much since the dawn of man. I get cars too (although I am not much of a petrol head myself) because of the speed you can attain and how some just 'look pretty'

However I don't get trains. While I enjoy a train journey, they're ugly, noisy diesel things. I don't get it. That said, I am willing to be educated! Be gentle!