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Trains where they shouldn't have been / weren't route cleared

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mainframe444

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Many years ago I lived in the Northamptonshire village of Rothersthorpe (after which the original M1 services were named)

Just up the road from there was Banbury Lane level crossing, with its own signal box, on the WCML, where I would often go spotting.

I got talking to the signaller one day, who told me the reason he was working at that box was that he had inadvertently routed a class 310 from Northampton up the remains of the erstwhile (and unwired!) Market Harborough branch.

Working that box was his punishment!
 

43096

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I suspect that was all about emissions and lack of ventilation affecting the low roof, and not a route clearance issue as such; the sectional appendix basically just says that if an HST or diesel hauled train finds itself in there accidentally the engines must be switched off until just before departure.
The London end power car was shut down on arrival anyway and the country end power car would be well clear of the roof on Platform 0. In any case, the restriction was removed at some point as HSTs used to use that platform regularly.
 

Dstock7080

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Didn't a district line going to Ealing Broadway once end up at North Ealing.

All the way to South Harrow, as I understand it. The late District Dave himself, as he recounted in his own website.
Was a reasonably regular occurrence until after the last D Stock was withdrawn and the signalling at Hanger Lane junction was then altered to detect a train longer than 6-car ‘73 and not permit the signal to be cleared for North Ealing.
 

trainmania100

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A bit off topic, but a 43 went to Portsmouth Harbour once upon a time (intentionally). I think it was a football special and has only ever happened once.
 
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The first 318 being used for testing purposes during the electrification of the Rutherglen to Coatbridge line spent a nice night trundling up and down the line, until it was routed across the crossover at Langloan... which hadn’t been wired yet. It wasn’t carrying enough momentum to reach the wired section. I think another 318 was dispatched to haul it the short hop back to the live section.

Also, about 2-3 years ago, the diesel only Haymarket TMD seen its first electric train arrive when a 380 was routed into the depot from Plat 0. IIRC, attempts to haul it out with a 170 or Sprinter failed and it had to be dragged out by a loco on the nightshift.
 

NoMorePacers

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From what I know Pacers are banned from going between Bridlington and Scarborough yet on multiple occasions last year Northern chucked both 142s and 144s up that line.
 

james60059

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A few years ago, the tanks to Bedworth were accidentally diverted over the flyover at Nuneaton into Platform 7 instead of going through 1 or 2. 40145 dragged the ensemble back over the flyover to Abbey Street Junction where the tanks continued on their way to Bedworth and 40145 carried on to the Nene Valley Railway.

NOT MY VIDEO: 40145 sounds mint here 8-)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Dr_Paul

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Back when the Anglia 170 units did Hull, one day there was a sudden block on at Ferme Park (a factory fire, iirc) and they were ready to go with one at KX so it was right away Hull via Copenhagen Tunnel, reverse, up the Incline to Camden Road, reverse, North London to Stratford, onto the GE, blast down the main, turn left at Ipswich, across to Ely, Peterborough and then booked route to Hull! Anglia was a “can do” outfit.

Quite some diversion, the sort of thing that cheers up the enthusiast, but not so much the normal passenger (I remember a bloke getting most annoyed when an up fast from Surbiton, already delayed, went via East Putney: I didn't mind at all). Presumably the driver knew the road, or was another who did brought in who did?

Didn't a district line going to Ealing Broadway once end up at North Ealing.

I've seen the mercury-filled pipes at Hammersmith and Finchley Road suspended from a gantry over the tube lines which, if struck by sub-surface stock proceeding erroneously on these lines, would cut off the power before the train reached the tube tunnels. Have there been any instances of these being used?
 

6862

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I've seen the mercury-filled pipes at Hammersmith and Finchley Road suspended from a gantry over the tube lines which, if struck by sub-surface stock proceeding erroneously on these lines, would cut off the power before the train reached the tube tunnels. Have there been any instances of these being used?

I wasn't aware of this method for stopping wrong-routed trains. Presumably if they were to be broken at some point there would be a horribly complex clean up and disposal process afterwards! I'm surprised they haven't been replaced by a less toxic alternative.
 

Dr_Paul

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I wasn't aware of this method for stopping wrong-routed trains. Presumably if they were to be broken at some point there would be a horribly complex clean up and disposal process afterwards! I'm surprised they haven't been replaced by a less toxic alternative.

I must admit that I haven't looked for them at either of these stations for several years, so there might be some other method. Perhaps somebody in the know can advise. I agree: having mercury splashed around is not a good idea, even if it does stop an errant sub-surface train.
 

route101

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Northern 156 that ended up on the East Kilbride branch on a service.

A bit off topic, but a 43 went to Portsmouth Harbour once upon a time (intentionally). I think it was a football special and has only ever happened once.

HST?
 

swt_passenger

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I wasn't aware of this method for stopping wrong-routed trains. Presumably if they were to be broken at some point there would be a horribly complex clean up and disposal process afterwards! I'm surprised they haven't been replaced by a less toxic alternative.
They have been replaced with some sort of conductive paint on the interior of the tube, but AIUI look exactly the same as before.
 

Wilts Wanderer

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Early on in the days of ARS between Paddington and Heathrow Airport Jcn a system error resulted in a down HST getting routed onto the Heathrow Airport branch. I understand the driver took the route but stopped on the section adjacent to the DML. Possibly caused by transposed headcodes in ARS?
 

6862

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I must admit that I haven't looked for them at either of these stations for several years, so there might be some other method. Perhaps somebody in the know can advise. I agree: having mercury splashed around is not a good idea, even if it does stop an errant sub-surface train.

They have been replaced with some sort of conductive paint on the interior of the tube, but AIUI look exactly the same as before.

I guess that's not very surprising given the complexity of disposing of mercury. From my limited experience of mercury use/disposal, contaminated items must be disposed of rather than just cleaned. I imagine TfL wouldn't be very keen on disposing of a tube train, hence replacing it with a safer alternative.
 

swt_passenger

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A bit off topic, but a 43 went to Portsmouth Harbour once upon a time (intentionally). I think it was a football special and has only ever happened once.
That’s definitely not an issue of being in the wrong place, remember XC used HSTs via Guildford to Portsmouth 20 years ago. There haven’t been that many specials, but I’m sure FGW definitely ran more than one Football HST via Eastleigh, and I think there was a private charter (Cotswolds?) a few years ago, I saw that one in Portsmouth but can’t remember the date.
 

Dstock7080

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I've seen the mercury-filled pipes at Hammersmith and Finchley Road suspended from a gantry over the tube lines which, if struck by sub-surface stock proceeding erroneously on these lines, would cut off the power before the train reached the tube tunnels.
Would not cut the traction power, but replace the next signals to danger and as they have significant identification cannot be passed by drivers.
 

CW2

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That’s definitely not an issue of being in the wrong place, remember XC used HSTs via Guildford to Portsmouth 20 years ago. There haven’t been that many specials, but I’m sure FGW definitely ran more than one Football HST via Eastleigh, and I think there was a private charter (Cotswolds?) a few years ago, I saw that one in Portsmouth but can’t remember the date.
Sunday 01/12/2002 43063 + 43155 worked 10:25 Manchester Piccadilly - Portsmouth Harbour and 16:30 return, via Reading and Guildford. Normally the train ran to Bournemouth but that weekend it was diverted due to an engineering block at Bramley. Similarly, the train was booked to be a Voyager, but there were a few HSTs in use by Virgin Cross Country at the time. My notes state that 43155 was smoking very heavily. I wouldn't normally have been in the area to cover it, but 40145 had returned to main line operation on a Crewe - Holyhead railtour the previous day, so I fell into an HST to Portsmouth Harbour as my way home.
I don't think there were many HSTs that reached Portsmouth Harbour.
 
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Im guessing they realised when they went looking for it to form a Carlisle.....
That was intentional, and was I believe caused by Engineering Works somewhere preventing a ScotRail 156 from getting out of Newcastle and the Northern 156 from heading back there. So they basically swapped diagrams. Northern even noted on their Twitter feed that one of their Sprinters was off on its holidays.

Sunday 01/12/2002 43063 + 43155 worked 10:25 Manchester Piccadilly - Portsmouth Harbour and 16:30 return, via Reading and Guildford. Normally the train ran to Bournemouth but that weekend it was diverted due to an engineering block at Bramley. Similarly, the train was booked to be a Voyager, but there were a few HSTs in use by Virgin Cross Country at the time. My notes state that 43155 was smoking very heavily. I wouldn't normally have been in the area to cover it, but 40145 had returned to main line operation on a Crewe - Holyhead railtour the previous day, so I fell into an HST to Portsmouth Harbour as my way home.
I don't think there were many HSTs that reached Portsmouth Harbour.
If I had to guess, I would have said that Locos were banned from Harbour station, given the fairly rickety structure under it. I’d have been wrong.
 

CW2

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If I had to guess, I would have said that Locos were banned from Harbour station, given the fairly rickety structure under it. I’d have been wrong.
Rickety it may be, but there were regular loco-hauled workings to Portsmouth Harbour. There used to be a Waterloo - Portsmouth - Exeter and return booked a 50, which got 33s or 47s on occasions, and a Saturdays Brighton - Exeter which produced a 73 now and again.
 

Gloster

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Rickety it may be, but there were regular loco-hauled workings to Portsmouth Harbour. There used to be a Waterloo - Portsmouth - Exeter and return booked a 50, which got 33s or 47s on occasions, and a Saturdays Brighton - Exeter which produced a 73 now and again.

REPLY:

Not so many years ago the Bristol services were class 33 worked and before that it was a 31. Additionally there was often a 08/09 stabled with the fuel tanks on the road beyond Platform 5.
 

83G/84D

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No idea if this is true, but a friend told me he once went on a loco-hauled rail tour that went from the mainline onto the Looe branch.

This move is fully signalled however is not normally allowed to convey passengers. There has been the odd exception though.
 

swt_passenger

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Rickety it may be, but there were regular loco-hauled workings to Portsmouth Harbour. There used to be a Waterloo - Portsmouth - Exeter and return booked a 50, which got 33s or 47s on occasions, and a Saturdays Brighton - Exeter which produced a 73 now and again.
There are variable restrictions dependent on platforms, but in the online sectional appendix most loco types, and 43s, are still shown as being OK in P4 and P5. That fits with the idea that the structural issues are mainly concerned with the northern side of the pier, hence P2 being taken out of use.
 

norbitonflyer

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Would not cut the traction power, but replace the next signals to danger and as they have significant identification cannot be passed by drivers.

As it's the Underground, returning the signals to danger would set the tripcock off so the train would be stopped automatically.

I understand there is a different arrangement at Queens Park, involving a means on the route approaching the Bakerloo platforms of detecting negative shoes. Overground trains not having such embellishments, the signal would not clear. (I imagine if a 378 did get past the point of no return it would demolish the roof of the Bakerloo car shed, which Tube trains pass through (in passenger use!) on their way to and from the "DC lines".
 

Finfanero

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I cannot remember the time, but im sure an 86 on the mail was sent Leeds Line at Colton Junc (South of York) insead on ECML and was accepted by the driver, first he knew was when the Panto was took off on the bridge.
 

Halish Railway

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I cannot remember the time, but im sure an 86 on the mail was sent Leeds Line at Colton Junc (South of York) insead on ECML and was accepted by the driver, first he knew was when the Panto was took off on the bridge.
If this train was travelling along the Normanton line would he have had any time to stop? That junction is 125mph either way so their wouldn’t have been any flashing preliminary caution/regular caution signals.
 

MadMac

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If this train was travelling along the Normanton line would he have had any time to stop? That junction is 125mph either way so their wouldn’t have been any flashing preliminary caution/regular caution signals.

Didn't it end up getting flashing yellows for this very reason?
 

Flange Squeal

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If this train was travelling along the Normanton line would he have had any time to stop? That junction is 125mph either way so their wouldn’t have been any flashing preliminary caution/regular caution signals.
Trains heading west from Basingstoke towards Southampton or Salisbury used to get greens for either route on the approach to Worting Junction. As a result the first a driver knew which route they’d been signalled for was when the junction signal came into view, which was handily located directly after a curve! I believe there had been instances of electrics being routed towards the non-electrified Salisbury line. So when the area came to be resignalled a number of years back now, the opportunity was taken to give flashing yellows when the route was set towards Salisbury to give advance warning. So it’s certainly possible flashing yellows could be implemented somewhere for reasons after than speed if it was deemed necessary.
 
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