69. WCML all stop!-31.10.21

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2021 > 69. WCML all stop!-31.10.21

Following a severe weather event that included a fifteen-minute intense storm burst, the railway through Roade came to a halt! The destruction following a fairly narrow and defined track went roughly southwest to northeast through Northamptonshire causing chaos with many fallen trees and damage to property. The railways once again proved their lack of resilience to such events with the catenary shredded by a number of fallen trees. It has been said before but the simplest way to ease this problem is for Network Rail to get crews out to the trackside and cut down errant trees. This will also alleviate the perennial leaf fall issue that on the same day has been provisionally blamed for causing the crash between a SWT unit and a GWR unit at Salisbury later in the evening.

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Images 1-10 of 10 displayed.

221106, stopped, dead train ex Milton Keynes Central (1Z77), A508 bridge
All is not what it seems in this photograph. It is not a particularly poor going-away image of a Voyager passing through Roade but one showing 221106 stationary due to downed catenary just in front of it. I am not at all sure if it was a service train or an ECS sent to inspect the line. I say this as I observed it both on Open Train Times and just across the field from home moving at a walking pace until forced to sop here in Roade seen from the A508 bridge.
Keywords: 221106 stopped dead train ex Milton Keynes Central 1Z77 A508 bridge Voyager Avant West Coast

221106, stopped, dead train ex Milton Keynes Central (1Z77), Hyde Road bridge
This is what happens if you do not manage the embankments and trackside areas of your railway! After what was, admittedly, a particularly severe weather burst lasting some fifteen minutes or so this tree along with a number of others further down the line crashed on to the line and the catenary causing the line to be closed. The slow lines were unaffected with no blockages but they were under a planned engineering possession so could not be used to divert passenger workings causing absolute chaos! Within a couple of hours the engineering blockade was lifted early and trains diverted around the damage to the fast lines. The first Pendolinos started to pass this spot on the slows by midafternoon. Notice the black burning to the trunk of the poor unfortunate juvenile ash tree that was wiped out by the very strong wind event a little earlier.
Keywords: 221106 dead train ex Milton Keynes Central 1Z77 Hyde Road bridge Avanti West Coast Voyager

Damaged wiring, Hyde Road bridge
With register arms dropped and wiring laid asunder on the track, this is the result of a small ash tree falling on to the catenary. It goes to show how vulnerable the railway network can be during extreme weather events and something that will need to be addressed as the events become more frequent with the onset of climate change. The simple way to help is for a programme of tree clearance along the side of the tracks but it seems that NR seems unwilling to undertake this except in small and localised spots.
Keywords: Damaged wiring Hyde Road bridge

Broken registration arm, Hyde Road bridge
A rather sad registration arm hangs limply down having had its contact wire ripped away that can be seen lying in the four foot. The small ash tree that caused this damage is the other side of Roade's Hyde Road bridge that I am standing on looking down on to the track. Ironically, many of the thousands of passengers inconvenienced by this extreme weather event that did this damage, and lots of others for that matter, were delegates travelling to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow!
Keywords: Broken registration arm Hyde Road bridge

66504, 12.05 Bletchley Relief-Bescot (6Y66, 113L), Hyde Road bridge
With its tail lights illuminated 221106 will head back south on the up line in order to clear the obstruction of the ash tree laying on the catenary. Meanwhile, in an effort to clear the engineering blockade on the slow lines to allow passenger traffic to run there was quite a rush to clear the lines and return them for traffic. 66504 heads north past Roade leading the 6Y66 12.05 Bletchley to Bescot engineering train.
Keywords: 66504, 12.05 Bletchley Relief-Bescot 6Y66 Hyde Road bridge Freightliner

66596, 12.05 Bletchley Relief-Bescot (6Y66, 113L), Hyde Road bridge
Dead in tow on the rear of the 6Y66 12.05 Bletchley to Bescot engineering train 66596 is dragged through Roade cutting taken from the village's Hyde Road bridge. This train made good progress to clear the engineering blockade between Northampton and Rugby as part of the rushed efforts to open the slow lines for passenger traffic following the closure of the fast lines due to damaged catenary.
Keywords: 66596 12.05 Bletchley Relief-Bescot 6Y66 Hyde Road bridge Freightliner

66078, Rugby-Bescot (6R01), Hyde Road bridge
After the morning's storms the sun has come out and everything is now far more benign! This engineering train was not scheduled to make this journey until later in the afternoon but due to the forced closure of the up and down fast lines the engineering work north of Northampton was stopped early for the line to be cleared so passenger trains could be diverted, something that eventually got going in the early afternoon. 66078 leads the 6R01 Rugby to Bescot engineering train that would layover at Bletchley for the rest of the day returning to Birmingham in the late afternoon when everything had calmed down a little!
Keywords: 66078 Rugby-Bescot 6R01 Hyde Road bridge DB

66059, Rugby-Bescot (6R01), Hyde Road bridge
66059 is dragged at the rear of the 6R01 Rugby to Bescot engineering train through Roade cutting past the stationary Voyager 221106. Visible to the right is the small ash tree that has been blown down on to the catenary neatly resting on the feed wire with the contact wire layin on the track below. The Voyager will soon creep back southwards to Milton Keynes wrong line unable to make it any further north with more trees on the catenary towards Blisworth and Weedon.
Keywords: 66059 Rugby-Bescot 6R01 Hyde Road bridge EWS DB

221101 & 221106, stopped & work crew, site of Roade station
Several vans had gathered at Roade on the site of the old station preparing themselves to assess and then prepare to clear the lines from fallen tree debris. Unfortunately, at this stage, I am not at all sure that they realised quite what they were up against in terms of the damage done. For example one of the workers rather optimistically took a step ladder and a single registration arm with him not realising that he would need another four at this location alone! I find it utterly frustrating watching NR rail staff, the fabled 'orange army'. They are so slow in their work spending all their time on their mobile 'phones rather than actually getting on with it! Now, where did I leave my tin hat?!
Keywords: 221101 221106 stopped work crew site of Roade station Avanti West Coast Voyager

Track inspection & rainbow, Roade cutting
With a chainsaw, some fuel and a billhook a group of track workers head very slowly along the line through Roade cutting carrying out an inspection of the lines paying particular attention to fallen trees or branches. I do not understand why they are on the slow lines and headed off along these tracks as these were clear with two engineering trains having traversed them a little earlier? I bet that the workers did not spot the lovely rainbow above them from the depths of the cutting!
Keywords: Track inspection rainbow Roade cutting

Images 1-10 of 10 displayed.