Emergency brake used to stop Sleeper train in Edinburgh

[pre65]

The Caledonian Sleeper train was stopped using an emergency brake after overshooting the platform at Edinburgh Waverley.

The Northbound Lowlander service ended up several hundred yards to the east of the station after the incident on Thursday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...-fife-49202981

[Beeyar Wunby]

Originally Posted by Aunty Beeb

“Our own early investigation indicates there are no technical or safety concerns with the rolling stock and that this was an isolated operational mistake."

Oops. Sounds a bit like someone forgot they were due to stop there. But it will be interesting to see WHY the Rail Accident Investigation Branch turned out for this. An 'accident' is an event where injury or damage occurs. A 'serious incident' is an event which has the potential to turn into an accident.

A station overrun is hardly in either of those brackets, UNLESS there's a bit more to this.

We await the report with fascination.

BW

[aussiesteve]

Ah, the crew should have just used the standard response to a missed stop that is used here.
I promise to stop there twice tomorrow.
$100,oo fine if you misses a stop in smog hollow now.
WORSE, if you overshoots and then attempts to set back.
The good ole days rule book did permit setting back after an overshoot, BUT ONLY if the rear wagon was still next to the platform ramp.
And not in automatic signalled territory.
Setting back is VERBOTEN in the smog hollow underground.
You needs special permission to attempt that, today being a Special Proceed Authority.
A following train can be right behind you providing NO room for setting back.
Well, it was a SLEEPER train, the cattle were probably all snoozing anyway so would not have noticed the missed stop.
HA!
I presume that the Tailgunner pulled the emergency brake.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Hi Steve. Many moons ago we had a guy who had a stop short, and a few years later a station overrun. He tried to tell the beak that it averaged out right, but for some reason they wouldn't wear it. By his own admission he wasn't really one for 'precision driving', as he also bumped the stops at a London Terminus, and cheerfully explained to us that he'd now reduced our walk to the messroom by 2ft. They eventually got rid of him, which was a shame as he was a lovely guy, but in all honesty you wouldn't really want your family to travel on his train.

If you do want to 'set a train back' the Rulebook allows you to go as far as 400 yards, if the signaller will let you. It's the one occasion that you don't need to change your lights over, so that you're running with reds on the 'front' and whites at the rear (which used to be a Rules exam question).

It's pretty straightforward with a double-ender like an HST (Class 43), you just change ends and use the other cab, making sure that you don't mangle any trailing points, since you're making an unsignalled move.

But it's a right PITA with a loco hauled set because sticking yer head out the window and looking back won't cut it nowadays. Presumably on the Caledonian Sleeper, the guard/conductor can open the rear door and talk the driver through the movement with a wony-tonky or telephone ?

Anyway...poor buggers. Nobody likes to see their colleagues on the naughty step when the vicious UK press has got wind of it.

Cheers, BW.

[aussiesteve]

G'day BW,
Did yer colleague excuse his buffer snot by saying that he had recently watched the flick Silver Streak.
The train slamming into the terminal concourse.
Our Southern Aurora overnighter eggspress snotted the buffers at Sydney terminal station many moons ago.
The train had locos with B7EL Westinghouse brake valves.
The train lobbed into Sydney in the morning and most of the cattle were having showers etc.
There was naturally a big drain on the air pressure supply to the water system.
That air pressure coming from the brake pipe via carriage triple valves.
The hogger made a minimum reduction in the brakes as he entered the yard.
With B7EL that means that the air ports are lapped.
With so much air being fed into the water supply system, the brake pipe air pressure reduced quickly.
This had the initial effect of applying the brakes more and almost stopping the train.
So, the driver moved the valve to release to recharge the brake pipe and auxiliary tanks.
But, the brake pipe air went to the water supply system instead of the wagon auxiliary's.
When he had to again apply the brakes there was almost nil air in the wagon auxiliary reservoirs to go to the brake cylinders.
The train consequently didn't stop and snotted the buffers.
Well, he stood the cattle up ready to get out.
The 26L brake valve has pressure maintaining feature which would prevent this situation, supposedly, unless the air drain was very severe.
When I had some fun on our dinkum Silver Streak back in 1989, I had to drain the water supply high pressure supply on one wagon.
It had caused a locked up volume in the auxiliary tank, brake cylinder and water supply side of the triple valve.
The water supply system was back feeding into the brake cylinders applying the brakes.
The cattle weren't having enough showers or flushing the dunny sufficiently.
Yes, changing ends on a double ended dmu or emu is a simple way of setting back.
Providing that you can under the rules.
But, verboten here for a crew member to open a door to lean out and control a set back motion.
He might fall out.
So, that crew member must walk along in the four foot controlling the set back movement.
Ah, just love the modern day rule book.
Enjoying retirement away from that modern day rule book Steve.

[pre65]

A brake pipe valve was left closed on a Caledonian Sleeper train which overshot the platform at Edinburgh Waverley, a preliminary rail accident investigation has found.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...eporting-story

[Beeyar Wunby]

Originally Posted by Pre65

A brake pipe valve was left closed on a Caledonian Sleeper train which overshot the platform at Edinburgh Waverley, a preliminary rail accident investigation has found.

Wow.

The requirements below MUST be carried out every time you drive a train. Even if you've driven the same train 10 times already that day, you still do these brake tests every trip.

Originally Posted by Drivers' Rule Book - Section TW1 Preparation and movement of trains

4.1 Making sure brakes are working correctly
The automatic brake must normally be in use on every vehicle in a passenger, parcels or postal train. You must make sure that the brakes are working correctly before allowing a train to enter service.

4.2 Carrying out a brake continuity test on locomotive-hauled trains or HSTs
You must carry out a brake continuity test:
• when a locomotive is coupled to the train
• after a brake defect has been repaired
• after a train has been left unattended and the traction unit shut down (except where authorised in local instructions)
• when a vehicle is uncoupled from the train, unless it is uncoupled from the extreme rear
• when a vehicle is coupled to the train.

4.6 Carrying out a running brake test
You must test that the automatic brake is working properly by carrying out a running brake test.

When you carry out a running brake test, you must do so from a speed that is high enough for you to be sure that:
• the brake is operating effectively
• the speed of the train is being reduced.
Locomotive-hauled trains and HSTs
You must carry out the running brake test at the first opportunity after beginning the journey.
You must, if possible, also carry out a running brake test in good time before approaching:
• the first stopping place
• a crossing place on a single line
• a steep falling gradient
• a terminus or dead-end platform line.

Maybe I've led a sheltered life, but I've never met a driver who didn't perform a Running Brake Test within 5 minutes of starting out. Our Traction Inspectors would come down on us if we didn't. We're required to scrub off 10 mph with a quck dab of brake. You'd know straight away from this if there were a brake problem.

Staggered, BW

[aussiesteve]

Crikey, HMMMMMMM.
Somebody will get the DCM out of this incident.
I remember a tragic French accident where the hogger accidentally closed the brake pipe tap behind the front emu car.
He consequently could not stop at the terminal station.
And some light engines could not stop quickly here in the smog hollow Metrop.
The crew had mistakenly crossed the Number 3 (actuating) and Number 4 (Control) air hoses between the locos.
That mistake preventing the engine brakes from working.
Fortunately the emergency train brake did work to halt them.
Mercifully no collision.
The coupling heads (glad hands) of the number 3 and number 4 hoses were subsequently changed to prevent accidental coupling.
Mistakes can occur.
And, usually when people are in a hurry to accomplish something.
Thankfully, yer Caledonian Sleeper did not suffer a collision.
Steve.

[ianrail]

Isn't this Caledonian Sleeper service run by an outfit like Serco? Where do they get the guys who actually drive the trains and do they really know how to operate trains on a railway? They have indeed had a lot of bad press but this isn't surprising with the number of incidents and problems with the new trains.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Originally Posted by ianrail

Isn't this Caledonian Sleeper service run by an outfit like Serco? Where do they get the guys who actually drive the trains and do they really know how to operate trains on a railway? They have indeed had a lot of bad press but this isn't surprising with the number of incidents and problems with the new trains.

Just been thumbing through Rail #885. They have an article on it. They say..

Originally Posted by Rail 885

GB Railfreight supplies drivers and traction to CS. Managing director John Smith said "On Thursday August 1, Caledonian Sleeper's Train Manager deployed the Emergency Brake at Edinburgh Waverly. Serco, which operates the service on its safety case, with GBRf locomotives, is investigating the incident"

So it looks like the driver may have been GBRf, and the groundstaff in charge of the coupling may have been Serco. I don't find the above terribly clear.

BW