Trivia: Intermediate stations with frequent crew changes

[GordonT]

I'm particularly thinking of Newcastle and Preston where severe delays to Anglo-Scottish services in one direction through these stations are likely to impact on trains in the opposite direction awaiting crews from the severely delayed services. Any other examples including shorter distance services? I suspect Finsbury Park may be an example with reference to Thameslink services.

 

[Western Sunset]

Eastleigh, if you include freight.

 

[GordonT]

Eastleigh, if you include freight.

Happy to include freight although hadn't previously considered it.

 

[Bill57p9]

Reading and Birmingham New Street for XC

Freight wise, the Carlisle yards.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Fratton, Staines, Woking, Guildford, Basingrad, Salisbury, Bournemouth.

Some of these have multiple platforms so service disruptions can be mitigated if a train’s waiting crew. Some don’t. Staines is a particular headache.

Further afield you’ve got Colchester, Garscadden, Manchester Oxford Road, Northampton, Selhurst, Norwood Junction, Perth, Derby and Bishop’s Stortford

 

[75A]

Barnham.

 

[clagmonster]

There will be absolutely loads.

Manchester Oxford Road is an interesting one worth pointing out as there is no train crew depot there. It is used instead of Piccadilly so that there are routes around trains awaiting a fresh crew.

 

[Grid56005]

Westbury

 

[D6130]

Skipton....for Leeds-Carlisle/Lancaster/Morecambe services.

Leeds, Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate....for lots of Northern services.

Bathgate and Perth for Scotrail services.

 

[wobman]

Here are a few TFW intermediate Crew changes Llandudno junction/ Wrexham (no train crew depot) / Shrewsbury / Crewe / Chester to name just isn't a few

 

[gledhill56]

Is Wakefield Kirkgate used as a changeover for freight still?

 

[sw1ller]

Shrewsbury can be bad. That whole place needs remodelling.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Farnham and Aldershot both have very regular crew changes throughout the day. Farnham has a traincrew depot but only up and down platforms - to clear the line stuff can go into the depot, but subject to the crew being from a depot that signs it. Aldershot just has a messroom for breaks, but a loop on the down can facilitate ‘getting around’ something in the down direction only.

 

[Highlandspring]

Dundee has some complicated relief arrangements that frequently go awry.

 

[brick60000]

Reading and Birmingham New Street for XC

Freight wise, the Carlisle yards.

Quite a lot for CrossCountry, due to the long distance nature of the routes.

Others include:

On the Anglo Scots - Newcastle, Leeds, Derby, New Street, Bristol

On the 170s - New Street, Cambridge, Leicester

 

[306024]

There are lots. The key is to have a diagramming strategy that minimises the risk. No intermediate relief is a good starting point but clearly impractical for longer distance services. Relief where there is a traincrew depot located is next best, gives you more chance of recovering the service. Relief where a train can be removed from the running lines easily or not block up platforms is preferable. Keeping the crew with the train as much as possible on short suburban workings helps too.

 

[D6130]

Is Wakefield Kirkgate used as a changeover for freight still?

Yes, it is.

 

[Taunton]

Earls Court on the District Line.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Birkenhead Central - Merseyrail crews always seem to change there.
But you'd hardly know normally, the stop is usually brief.
When turnround times at the extremities of the Wirral network are extended for any reason, there will always be a long wait at Birkenhead Central (and sometimes at Rock Ferry), while the clockface timetable onwards through the loop catches up.

 

[Taunton]

Birkenhead Central - Merseyrail crews always seem to change there.
But you'd hardly know normally, the stop is usually brief.
When turnround times at the extremities of the Wirral network are extended for any reason, there will always be a long wait at Birkenhead Central (and sometimes at Rock Ferry), while the clockface timetable onwards through the loop catches up.

A curious hangover from long ago. Birkenhead Central was the operating base for the old Mersey Railway, and likewise Birkenhead North for the Wirral Railway. Although merged together into one electric system over 80 years ago, the old mid-route bases persist. I don't know what the diagrams are like nowadays, but some years ago it was still the way that Central crews mixed in on the New Brighton line, while West Kirby was the province of North crews - which reflected the way the initial Wirral electrics were shared between the two onetime companies.

 

[Ianno87]

Cambridge

Manchester Oxford Road

 

[NoMorePacers]

I've seen them happen at Worcester Foregate Street.

 

[skyhigh]

Sheffield, Harrogate and Selby too. There's probably hundreds across the network.

 

[Djgr]

There will be absolutely loads.

Manchester Oxford Road is an interesting one worth pointing out as there is no train crew depot there. It is used instead of Piccadilly so that there are routes around trains awaiting a fresh crew.

And what a nightmare this turns out to be

 

[Tomnick]

Nottingham's a good example not only for passenger trains, but also for freight. On several occasions, a freight train has turned up from the east with no driver to work it forward, and with the inward driver not signing anywhere west of the station - if they're allowed into a platform, they invariably cripple the east end of the station as they're too long to clear the various connections, but even if they're held back at the last signal, anything else following them will be stuck for the duration too.

 

[newtownmgr]

I've seen them happen at Worcester Foregate Street.

Great Western change crews at Worcester Shrub Hill. West Midlands use both Worcester Stn’s for traincrew relief. Both traincrew depots are located at Worcester SH

 

[zwk500]

Haywards Heath used to be, because of the number of trains splitting/attaching there. Not sure if that still happens.

 

[75A]

Chichester & Lewes as well as H.H.in Sussex.

 

[Gloster]

Chichester & Lewes as well as H.H.in Sussex.

Chichester? I thought all the changes were done at Barnham.

 

[D6130]

Chichester? I thought all the changes were done at Barnham.

In my days at Brighton in the 'eighties Chichester was only used for freight train crew relief in normal circumstances.