17-05-2012 Train racing and other fun things...

So today I got to race another train. May seem like an unusual thing to type but its not and I'll explain. First off all I would also like to point out that its not racing in the conventional sense (as in Forumla One) and is not speeding or anything else like that. It happens when you are at Woking station. If you are ever there at xx59 past the hour, you will notice that in the London direction two trains will arrive at much the same time. One comes up from Basingstoke the other from Portsmouth. Well both these trains are timed to depart from Woking at exactly the same second. So once  you get the ready to start signal from the guard (which usually happens simultaneously between the two trains) you off and accelerating up to the linespeed (which is 100mph) at that point. Obviously, we are both on rails and have signals to obey (although these are usually greens for both) and can't steer so it's just a case of seeing which train is better than the other to accelerate.
Now as my train is a 444 (5 car train with two powered coaches) and my "opponent" is a 450 (4 car train with two powered coaches) I'm at a disadvantage as I have more weight for the power available, and this is obvious as we leave Woking as the 450 races away from me. My advantage is that my "opponent" has to call at Weybridge. So we head up the mainline still both perfectly safe and on green signals with him moving further away from me until we come round the corner approaching Weybridge. As we do so he has to start slowing for the station call whereas my next station is London Waterloo and I can carry on at 90mph! With Weybridge is sight I am gaining on the 450 very quickly and easily take victory on behalf of Fratton depot (my opponent being from Basingstoke I believe!)

Other fun things today..

Congratulations have to go to my DI who managed to have complete hicups all the way from Waterloo to Haslemere taking just over an hour! The ability to keep them despite trying every idea both of us have ever heard to get rid off hicups was truly something else. Fortunately, for him he got rid at Haslemere during our 11 stop!

And finally, while at Haslemere, I realised just how relaxed this job is. We are booked to arrive and wait at Haslemere for 11 minutes why the fast service overtakes. Well I secured the train, and sat out on the platform. I could hear birds singing and the sun was shinning with just enough breeze to make you think sometimes the weather is perfect! Below is a picture!

It's hard to believe when I got back here going towards London about 2 hours later there was heavy rain. Hey ho! It was lovely when this was taken!

15-05-2012 - back at the pointy end...

Hello

I am back after 5 rest days. Still with my DI at the moment and am still clocking up hours. Bad start this morning as well, after having the time off (and being quite busy over the weekend!) I come back and seem to have forgotten how to drive a train. Fratton was the first stop, and past the stop car mark I went. Had another go at Hilsea and had to brake quite hard to stop at the end! By Bedhampton, I'm starting to get the hang off it again and managed to stop well as Havant.
Then my DI said the cursed words... "Something is going to happen today..." So for the rest of the day were driving between Portsmouth and Waterloo waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. The weather has been mad today with it being dry but cold in Portsmouth, dry and bright coming up to Havant, little bits of rain up towards Guildford and when we get to Woking it is really raining. As I approach and brake to stop at Woking were sliding all over the place, but fortunately we get it under control and stop on the mark.
Come Waterloo, and there is cold wind, heavy rain (which turns to hail) and then even a few rumbles of thunder. I know enough about railways and weather to know that we really want to get as close to home as possible before it gets bad, as signalling doesn't tend to like thunder!!
Apart from a large emergency speed restriction which practically goes from Clapham Junction all the way to Wimbledon delaying us by Petersfield we are back on time and at Havant after some amazing work by the signallers we are a little early. Even as we approach Fratton where would normally approach and be checked down to a red as we come through Portsmouth we see nothing but greens! Arriving at the Harbour (routed straight in and not waiting for anything!) I made a bit of a mistake and stop no where the buffer stops (supposed to be 6 feet) but the train is definitely accommodated and seeing as how we are taking it back out in a minute we left it!
Despite the weather and the great work by Havant signallers nothing really has gone wrong and were starting to think that this would be a nice easy day. We leave the Harbour with our train empty back to the depot and even get the route set all the way to the depot (which is very unusual, you normally get held all over the place until the depot are ready for you!)
So I slow the train down to 3mph to go through the carriage wash thinking almost done, and as I come out of the carriage wash I hear an almighty bang and see a flash. My DI sticks his head out the window and says he can see smoke coming from under our train. I'm getting warning lights on the cab panel in front of me, so on go the emergency brakes. The shunter comes running towards me shouting have you had a SPAD (signal passed at danger)? I'm shouting back saying NO, No (the signal was definitely clear) and so he says "whats wrong then?" So I'm shouting at him to cut the power to the third rail as something has gone bang and affected my train.
He does and also calls for the Network Rail Manager to come and have a look. So everyone starts looking round my train and the power is discharged. Bearing in mind at this time of day there are lots of trains that are behind me waiting to come into the depot and so delays are starting to build.
Eventually, nothing can be found so they decide to recharge the power and see what happens. While I am sat in the cab, the power is put on and I'm watching to see if any fault appear. Quite a few do (as seen in the picture below) but they can all be attributed to the power being off. The shunter then gives us permission to carry on into the depot, and so I try and take power to move the train and nothing happens. A new red fault appears on the saying traction package fault. Fortunately, I manage to clear this fault by turning power off and starting again. Once I did this, the train started to move which is a relief so I take it all the way into the depot and shut it down. As were walking back down the depot we bump into the Network Rail Manager and ask him what happens. He believes that a piece of foil he found had blown onto the third rail and shorted against something which knocked all the power off! Amazing to think something so small, broke our train and blocked an entire depot. Even when I got home after writing the report there are still delays in the Fratton area because of empty trains making the area congested why they wait to enter the depot!!
So my DI was right and the moral of this story is never say you think something is going to happen!!!

list of my faults caused by the power being cut... (except the bottom two which are just air con faults!)

my train stranded in the depot why we try and find out what happened. Where the man is stood is roughly where the bang came from!

06/05/2012 - Eastleigh, Eastleigh, Eastleigh again...

Well a new route today, and also first day where I have driven with a huge cold. My concentration levels were hard to maintain with a blocked nose, then a runny nose, then congestion etc but I made it through with no mishaps.

Portsmouth to Eastleigh is a nice route and not overly complicated. All the braking points I was taught were at bridges and signals so not too difficult to remember. Returning to Eastleigh was a bit memorable as that was my first railway job on the platform there in 2005 and it was nice to see Mr Keeling still there after all this time.

I also had my first decent scare. It might not sound much but today was my first proper drive on a single line (between Fareham and Botley) and as the evening drew in and I was driving my third trip to Eastleigh, my headlight reflected off a substation and before I knew it I could have sworn there was a train coming towards me. On go the brakes before my DI points out that it is a substation! My heart was thumping but fortunately I didn't put the emergency brake in!! As I came of the single line there was a Southern service waiting to go on, but he was no where near me!

It was also another good day for a few smaller reasons. I had two separate passengers thank me for a smooth journey which is always nice and I also had my fianceé on the train for the first time, so she has been on a train driven by me!

Hey ho, another good day I feel and hopefully I haven't passed this cold on to everyone I have met today and more importantly I hope that it goes by tomorrow so that I can enjoy my day!

Good night!

05-05-12

Good morning all, I promised an update the other night but the thing with these lates is that when I get home I am knackered so go straight to bed!

Double Waterloo's are quite long but for the most part (especially at my stage of training) really good because you get a lot of driving in!

sat at Waterloo before going back to Portsmouth

Last nights train ready to go home!

Driving at night is still going well, after the first night it doesn't faze you as much as my DI has taught me braking points for stations that are either audible (ie AWS magnets) or visual in the dark (whistle boards, substations etc). Plus as we have been solely on the Portsmouth to Waterloo via Guildford route I'm already starting to pick up the route which is very pleasing and I have already developed my own braking technique for Petersfield!!
I am in process now of starting to learn level crossings and CSR (Cab Secure Radio) channels along the route and as they weeks progress my DI is going to add more and more so that it sinks in and this will continue until mid-June when I go back to Basingstoke for a week for Advanced Route Learning (which is between Woking and Clapham Junction) and because I travel over the ARL route a lot I am trying to learn this piece of route as well so that I am ready for it.
Anyway, today's agenda is seeing me go out route learning as my DI is on leave, and for a change of scenery (and because my duty on Sunday goes that way) I am going to head to Eastleigh and back a few times!
See you later...

01/05/2012 - New Day, New Month, New Post

Just a quick update from my last post.

I am still steadily building up my hours and I am now up to 18ish hours. That's out of the 225 hours that I have to complete (which is looking at being around the end of July!)
Since my last update, I have still been driving Desiro trains in varying formations and I have also been down to Poole, where while I was waiting in the sidings to go back a steam train passed me heading to Swanage!
The weather was nice today as well which is a first since I started driving, and it was actually quite warm. I'm on my firsts double Waterloo tomorrow, and I'll report back then. Otherwise nothing else out of the ordinary has happened! One of my colleagues on the same course had a signal go back to red on him because of a trespasser on the track, and ironically I was in my either guise as a Special Constable at the time heading to the area to try and find him!!
Anyway, I'll keep updating this blog as and when anything happens, take care all!