Big fire at Barking

[Deleted]

Wow! What happened there then? Looking out of my back door some 1/2 mile from the station and there's a massive black cloud drifting over the trees!

Had to drive through the cloud to pick up my sister from Upton Park after she got stuck stuck there. Horrid smell, almost rubbery and plasticy. Fire crews from Barking, Stratford and Ilford and a Fire Brigade Command Unit I believe all attended.

Coming home I was diverted via Upney and saw the last remains a train evacuation in progress.

Not a good night for the District tonight me thinks.

[flippyff]

Probably needs to be bounced over to SSR.....

District - no service Whitechapel - Upminster
H&C - no service Moorgate - Barking
Circle - Delays anti clockwise
Overground - no service Barking - Woodgrange Park

www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/tube/default.html

How is C2C still managing to serve Barking?


Simon

[mattj]

The Goblin has resumed via Barking P7 -- I guess Barking P1 is probably compromised now due to the crossover?

Looks like something either power or signalling related has gone up -- TC off and no signal power all the way from Upminster to beyond Barking to the west.

[Deleted]

Fire is on the cable run just west of Barking just beyond the Overground Platform 1.

Has knocked out Signal Main, Traction Current, Telephones, Computer Lines, to the whole of the east end of the District/H&C.

Occurred about 1715hrs, a fairly large number of stalled trains had to detrain passengers to the track to nearest stations once procedures were in place.

[Ben]

Thank goodness that Whitechapel is still actually there. How long could the repair works take, at a guess?

[mrfs42]

Jul 2, 2010 23:36:18 GMT Ben said:

Thank goodness that Whitechapel is still actually there.

Very, very true.

[21146]

If they don't get it back it should combine nicely with the inevitable weekend shutdown of the east end of the District Line.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2010 23:47:05 GMT mrfs42 said:

Jul 2, 2010 23:36:18 GMT Ben said:

Thank goodness that Whitechapel is still actually there.

Very, very true.

A shame, then, that the Whitechapel plans are set in stone and that modifying them now to retain the very useful reversing facilities now in use would likely be difficult to impossible.

Has the loss of services fed via the cable run made it all the way to Bromley-by-Bow? Obviously the burnt out cabling would preclude normal use of the site as a reversing point, but if the closure is long-term it would be interesting to know if the attempt would be made to reverse a portion of the District Line service there to free up space at Whitechapel for the Hammersmith & City service.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2010 23:47:05 GMT mrfs42 said:

Jul 2, 2010 23:36:18 GMT Ben said:

Thank goodness that Whitechapel is still actually there.

Very, very true.

When Whitechapel goes, where will be the next reversing opportunity after Tower Hill?

Is the possession between Whitechapel and Upney still on, or has this fire scuppered that too?

[mattj]

I guess the possession is probably scuppered, but I imagine it may go ahead anyway... simply because a) there are trains stuck on the line due to no TC, and b) the crossover at Barking is compromised.

Will the new West Ham siding be bidirectional?

[21146]

Possession suspended due to stalled C/D stock blocking access for engineers' trains.

[mrfs42]

Jul 3, 2010 8:18:40 GMT @mattj said:

Will the new West Ham siding be bidirectional?

Yes, and partially slotted with/by Plaistow.

[Tom]

Jul 3, 2010 6:51:03 GMT @ltmuseumguy said:

When Whitechapel goes, where will be the next reversing opportunity after Tower Hill?

Why is everyone talking about 'When Whitechapel goes'?

Even after the crossrail works it will still be possible to reverse there, both E-W and W-E.

[Colin]

But not in it's current form.

At the moment you can have a train depart/arrive whilst a driver is changing ends on another; with the planned new layout, nothing can move until a terminating driver has changed ends and departed.

EDIT:

@ mattj: why would the crossover between the Goblin and Eastbound District be compromised? It's permanently scotched, clipped & padlocked making it one of the easiest sets of points to deal with in a failure scenario!!

[DWS]

Not the first time a fire on the cable run has knocked out the District Line & H & C Line at Barking, the amount of rubbish left by the line side by all and sundry and the lack of clean up its no wonder this has happened.

[programmes1]

It's on you tube already.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2010 6:51:03 GMT @ltmuseumguy said:

When Whitechapel goes, where will be the next reversing opportunity after Tower Hill?

Aldgate East.

Looks like this won't be back to normal for a few days.

[Colin]

Jul 3, 2010 15:11:33 GMT programmes1 said:

It's on you tube already.

Indeed - this is probably the better one:



I heard a rumour today at work that we may not be able to offer a full service until possibly Thursday. I stress this is purely a rumour, original source unknown.

Some stranded trains have now made it back to Upminster depot, though predictably almost all of them have been graffitied; some still remain out on the line.

The cause? Again it's purely a rumour from an unknown original source....I'm told youngsters were seen in the area with petrol.

The one sour note in all this though is c2c, who ran a full service throughout, even with westbound trains being detrained onto the track, initially at full line speed!!

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2010 18:58:46 GMT Colin said:

Some stranded trains have now made it back to Upminster depot, though predictably almost all of them have been graffitied; some still remain out on the line.

The only one left out now is in Dagenham East bay road (and that one is pretty badly graffitied), all the others (including a few C stocks) have been moved to Upminster depot.

I have seen some of the pics and the damage looks pretty severe, I think the end of next week would be unsurprising for resuming normal services.

[Tom]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it drags on even longer than that.

[andypurk]

Jul 3, 2010 18:58:46 GMT Colin said:

The one sour note in all this though is c2c, who ran a full service throughout, even with westbound trains being detrained onto the track, initially at full line speed!!

Where would the blame lie for that though? Surely detraining should wait until it is certain that all the relevant companies and people (especially the train operators / controllers) have been told to slow down and / or stop?

[angelislington]

Jul 3, 2010 19:30:38 GMT Tom said:

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it drags on even longer than that.

Jeepers. Has anyone got an idea now of whether or not it was actually arson? Little ****s. And those who graffiti'd the stationary trains.

Ironic, isn't it, that this thread's icon is in flames.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2010 21:49:50 GMT angelislington said:

Jul 3, 2010 19:30:38 GMT Tom said:

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it drags on even longer than that.

Jeepers. Has anyone got an idea now of whether or not it was actually arson? Little ****s. And those who graffiti'd the stationary trains.

Ironic, isn't it, that this thread's icon is in flames.

Vandalism generally is quite a big problem on the east end of the line. BTP apparently were asked to increase patrols last night because of the trains being left all over the place but nonetheless they got graffitied......oh well Upminster depot probably have plenty of time to get them all cleaned up before they have to send them out again!

When I left work this evening (and no, before anyone asks I wasn't late turn yesterday when the incident happened) discussions had begun about the precise nature of the emergency timetable we will be running on Monday. There are a number of factors including crewing/reliefs and also availability of rolling stock (obviously everything that's in Upminster will be unavailable, also several D stock went to Northfields last night so they're likely to be out of the picture). I expect next week to be a tough one for the District line.

[21146]

As of Sat afternoon Traction Current and Air Main was restored from Campbell Road to Upminster depot. Signal Main only from Campbell Road to East Ham and Upney to Upminster depot I believe.

BTP reckoned no crime scene which is why LU got access so quickly.

Stalled trains worked east on E/B or W/B (WDM) tracks to reach Upminster depot, with the whole line east of Whitechapel secured for through running! Anything in a bay road left there,

However no control of signals from Barking cabin which means IMRs will have to be manned at East Ham, Upney, Plaistow or Dagenham East etc come Monday depending on where service reverses.

The "not all back to Thursday" estimate has been made but is maybe a "worst case" scenario.

[Colin]

Reading the two posts above this one speaks volumes, to me at least.

I suppose the service offered will depend on the will of whoever is involved high up the chain of command, versus the will of those that have to implement it (I'm talking no lower than the level of service control - us drivers will have to do whatever we're told to do!!).

I did hear that a certain manager was pushing for a service to be offered today (well, Yesterday now) even though it was blindingly obvious that it just wasn't possible. IMO people like that don't help.

I just hope the right decision is made in terms of when we run again - ie, I hope it's a safe robust service and not a rushed in unsafe one that can't cope just for the sake of it.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2010 22:11:32 GMT @tfc said:

Vandalism generally is quite a big problem on the east end of the line. BTP apparently were asked to increase patrols last night because of the trains being left all over the place but nonetheless they got graffitied......oh well Upminster depot probably have plenty of time to get them all cleaned up before they have to send them out again!

This is annoying! Aware there was a risk of such acts of vandalism, I decided not to post detail that trains were left stranded on the main line or indeed the location.

However one must wonder when this vandalism took place. When I observed all the trains again yesterday morning (admittedly front, rear and north side only). Two trains had been garfittied, one with some tags on the two east most cars, between Becontree and Upney westbound. The other was heavilly muraled and this was on the eastbound home signal to Barking, just 50 yards from where the burnt cable repairs were taking place ... how did this get done unnoticed?

I gather buses have been contracted to run on Monday, but, of course, they can be stood down if not required.

[Deleted]

I am planning on spending the day tommorow traveling the district line network with a couple of freinds, Should i assume that the district Line is likely to be at least disrupted east of whitechapel?

[Deleted]

Jul 4, 2010 1:59:53 GMT Colin said:

I just hope the right decision is made in terms of when we run again - ie, I hope it's a safe robust service and not a rushed in unsafe one that can't cope just for the sake of it.

Surely not.
I'll get your coat.

[Colin]

In this weather?!! ;D ;D

I see on the TfL website that the suspension is now Whitechapel to Hornchurch, which implies there is an Upminster to Hornchurch shuttle operating (I'll find out when I book on at 1600).

This is exactly what I mean; what is the point of that? Upminster Bridge is probably the quietest station on the line and Hornchurch is only ever sort of busy during the weekday peaks - and it's nowhere near the town centre. This is running a silly shuttle for the sake of it rather a useful service.

[Deleted]

Jul 4, 2010 12:28:53 GMT Colin said:

I see on the TfL website that the suspension is now Whitechapel to Hornchurch, which implies there is an Upminster to Hornchurch shuttle operating (I'll find out when I book on at 1600).

This is exactly what I mean; what is the point of that? Upminster Bridge is probably the quietest station on the line and Hornchurch is only ever sort of busy during the weekday peaks - and it's nowhere near the town centre. This is running a silly shuttle for the sake of it rather a useful service.

Check that everything on this stretch is safe to use, so that hopefully, a service of some description can be run over as much of the line tomorrow morning as possible.