stranded drivers/trains

[Chris M]

I've just noticed that the DR is currently suspended between Earl's Court and Edgware Road due to a fire alert at HSK.

Presumably there were DR trains and consequently drivers on this branch when the suspension happened. What happens to them? Do they just get told to tip out and go and sit in a siding/platform (if it doesn't block anything else) until the suspension is over?
Presumably as this branch uses C stocks, they could be given to H&C drivers to do H&C or circle serivces, with an equivalent number of H&Cs/Circles between GR and Barking being given exchanged. Or would they just be piloted round the north side of the circle?

Presumably if the line was suspended say south of Putney Bridge, the trains would just be trapped until the suspension was lfited?

Chris

[Deleted]

There is no simple answer to this. Piloting around the north side of the circle is very unlikely, but not impossible - normally a C&H driver would take the train.

Depending on the reason for the service suspension, it may be possible for trains to go through the area out of service. If told to take the train to a siding, the driver may be told to stay on it, or stable and report to DMT. If the driver has reached the limit of his hours then the train will be stabled as soon as possible.

Sometimes trains are stabled in platforms in such situations. I once had to leave a train in the platform at Richmond - I was 3 hours past my booking off time and there was no prospect of going anywhere soon.

In the example of a suspension south of Putney Bridge, trains between Putney Bridge and Wimbledon might be stabled in platforms at Wimbledon (eastbound trains could be reversed at Wimbledon Pk or East Putney, or even do a wrong direction move).

[TMBA]

I was stuck at Richmond for 20 odd Min's, they wouldn't let me go towards Gunnersbury because the didn't want me to block the junction and stop the Silverlinks running, so I had to stay at Richmond.

The service was suspended between West Kensington and Hammersmith eastbound and everything was held until an all clear was given which eventually was at 1235ish. it originated at roughly 1140.

The Edgware road service was going to Mansion House and a couple were stowed at Parsons Green, if you were on the Wimbledon road you were ok because they were routed through platform 2 at Earls Court which isn't affected and the Circles were being tipped out at South Kensington WB run empty to Gloucester Road and reversed WB to EB via main line shunt.

[Deleted]

tmba said:

Circles were being tipped out at South Kensington WB run empty to Gloucester Road and reversed WB to EB via main line shunt.

That's interesting. Why not tip them out at Gloucester Rd where the Circles have their own platform instead of holding up the District, I wonder? Maybe more staff available at S. Ken.

[TMBA]

What I couldn't work out myself is why they kept the Circe's running anyway? normally they are the first service to be canceled, but they tipped them out so that they could run them O.O.S to Gloucester Road ready for the main line shunt so they didn't interfere with the District service.

[c5]

adw said:

tmba said:

Circles were being tipped out at South Kensington WB run empty to Gloucester Road and reversed WB to EB via main line shunt.

That's interesting. Why not tip them out at Gloucester Rd where the Circles have their own platform instead of holding up the District, I wonder? Maybe more staff available at S. Ken.

I think the staff might be the reason, though the delay would probably be the same. Havig said that, I think someone said that the area was full to the brim of C stocks. It is unlikely that staff would be sent from South Ken to Glous Road as the former is a Picc or District station and the latter a Circle (and Hammersmith) station (me thinks) so the staff would be un-familirised.

Just to add to trains in section. If the failure was know to be a long-running one, the DMT would probably send the stranded Operator home if they were finishing and send a new one via Special Taxi

[prjb]

Ok, lets start at the begining. Eastbound Districts between HSK and ERD would be worked to Edgware Road and either laid over in the platform (awaiting clearance), put into the sidings at ERD, or the train would be worked to Hammersmith Depot and cancelled (if C&H staff were available to do that), they could also be reformed at ERd if an H&C or Circle were cancelled and staff available. Eastbound (Outer Rail) Circles would continue and be reversed at Moorgate or Aldgate and then back to Hammersmith.
Westbound Districts/Circles between ERD and HSK would be held in platforms and detrained awaiting clearance with the crews remaining on board. If the failure was prolonged then arrangements would be made for C&H staff to relieve Circles and District staff to relieve the Wimbledons (via taxi or the DMT incident response vehicle).
We do not generally swap crews or trains on the running road on the south side of the Circle, so no we would not do a kind of swapping of crews/trains and balancing of the service as suggested by Chris M. this would be a logistical nightmare and unmanageable other than at locations where crews/managers are available on site and the trains to be swapped are both at the same location (what we call a 'stock and crew' procedure).
Circles are generally kept running because firstly once you have diverted them it takes time to get them back 'on book' (to timetabled working), and secondly because generally by the time the train reaches the nearest reversing point to the incident (in this case Gloucester Road) the problem has been resolved. An exception to this might be the Outers continue to run as far as Aldgate and then reverse, to save blocking up the District further on (G Rd). They could then either run west to Edgware Road and reverse (and possibly reform) or down to Hammersmith and then return east for the booked working at Edgware Road (provided the incident had been concluded).
ADW is right on the subject of detraining though. The Outers should have run to Gloucester road Circle platform and detrain there, thus allowing the Ditricts to continue to run through their own dedicated platform. Detrainment at South Ken Outer Rail just blocks back the entire Westbound/Outer Rail. Staff at Gloucester Road would attend (if available) to detrain regardless of who the station is grouped to but in this case it is a District line Station as I believe is South Ken (not sure on the latter but it is definately NOT an C&H Station).