Should All Trains Have Grab Handles By The Doors?
These pictures show the vertical grab handles on London Overground Class 710 trains.
Note the vertical handles everywhere and especially tucked into the corner behind the door.
These pictures show the interior of a 1973 Stock train on the Piccadilly Line.
There are worse trains in the UK.
It should be noted that the trains were extensively refurbished in 1996-2001.
Should all trains have lots of grab handles like these two examples? And especially by the door?
I think they should.
This is an interesting picture of a Siemens design study, which I wrote about in Siemens’ View Of The Future Of The Underground.
Note the grab handles by the sides of the doors.
So at least Siemens are following the rule of grab handles by the door.
Train-Platform Interface On Platform 1 At Willesden Junction
Access to trains at Willesden Junction station can be difficult for some people.
I took these pictures of the access between train and platform for a Bakerloo Line train at Platform 1.
It is a step down from the platform of at least twenty centimetres.
These for a Watford DC Line train are not much better.
Once at this station, an elderly Indian lady in a sari was getting off one of these trains. She shouted something like “Catch me!” and jumped. Luckily, I caught her and it was smiles all round.
Of the ten stations that are shared by both services, it appears that only Queen’s Park has level access for both services.
These stations are an accident waiting to happen.
Hydrogen-Powered Ambulance Drives Into Glasgow Ahead Of London Trial
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on New Atlas.
This is the first paragraph.
Back in February, ULEMCo and industry partners announced plans to design an electric rapid response ambulance for the UK’s NHS Trust that would run on batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. Now, the working prototype has driven into Glasgow to give global leaders attending the UN’s COP26 climate summit a closer look at the technology.
Surely, this is a good application of hydrogen power.
Could they be used in the scenario I proposed in Big London Hospital Was Close To Running Out Of Oxygen?
Hospitals would have an electrolyser, which would produce the following.
- High grade oxygen for the hospital.
- Hydrogen to power the vehicles and especially the ambulances.
Note.
- There would be no oxygen delivery problems.
- The excess hydrogen could be stored to use as an emergency power supply.
- Would it improve the air quality by the hospital?
I have checked with the world’s premier electrolyser company; ITM Power of Sheffield and my idea is feasible.
Death Of A Commuter At Waterloo
This tragic accident is reported in this article on ITV, which is entitled Commuter Crushed To Death After Falling Unseen Into Tube Gap At Waterloo.
These are the first two paragraphs.
A commuter was trapped and crushed to death by a Tube train after he fell down the gap on the northbound Bakerloo line train at Waterloo, an investigation has found.
Tube staff did not spot the man after he slipped and fell on to the track where he lay for more than a minute before being hit by a second train, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.
The accident is partly blamed on the curve of the track in the station.
I took these pictures at Waterloo station.
Note.
- Pictures were taken on both platforms, which are similar, as they are above each other.
- The gap is wide, but not the widest on the Underground.
- When I boarded a train, I realised there was no grab handle.
- I got my hand rather dirty using the door to pull myself across the gap.
Could this have been a factor in the death of the commuter, in that he looked for the grab handle, noticed there wasn’t one and then overbalanced?
This picture shows the detail on the inside of the door.
I’m sure a design could be created, that would give those who needed a pull-up something to grab.
Restoring Your Railway Planning Funds Allocated
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
The Department for Transport has announced the successful bidders for the third ’and for the foreseeable future final’ round of funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme’s Ideas Fund.
The DfT received eighty-nine applications and these were the lucky thirteen.
Reopening The Darlington – Weardale Line To Passenger Services
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
See Reopening The Darlington – Weardale Line To Passenger Services
Reopening The Ashton – Stockport Line To Passenger Services
I wrote about this line in July 2020 in Beeching Reversal – Stockport And Ashton Line.
Reopening The Middlewich Line To Passenger Services
I wrote about this line in July 2017 in Business Case Requested For Middlewich Reopening.
Introducing Passenger Services On The East Lancashire Railway Between Rawtenstall And Buckley Wells Near Bury
I wrote about this in January 2019 in Rossendale Reopening Prospect.
Reopening Corsham Station
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
Reopening Stonehouse Bristol Road Station
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
See Reopening Stonehouse Bristol Road Station
Reinstating The Line Between Tavistock And Bere Alston And Providing New Services To And From Plymouth
This would appear to be a change of emphasis, so I have written a new post.
Reopening The Gaerwen – Amlwch Line On Anglesey
I wrote about this in March 2017 in Reopening The Anglesey Central Railway
Reopening The Oswestry – Gobowen Line
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
See Reopening The Oswestry – Gobowen Line
Reopening the Stoke – Leek Line
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
See Reopening the Stoke – Leek Line
Reopening The Askern Branch
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
See Reopening The Askern Branch
Reopening The Don Valley Section Of The Former Woodhead Line Between Stocksbridge and Sheffield Victoria To Passenger Services
I haven’t covered this one before, so I have written a new post.
Reinstating the Beverley – Market Weighton – York Line
I wrote about this in July 2020 in Beeching Reversal – Reinstatement Of The Beverley And York Rail Line
The DfT will provide up to £50 000 to cover 75% of the cost of developing early-stage proposals and business cases for each scheme.
Reopening The Don Valley Section Of The Former Woodhead Line Between Stocksbridge and Sheffield Victoria To Passenger Services
On October 27th this Beeching Reversal Project was given £50,000 to build a case for reopening.
Stocksbridge is introduced like this in its Wikipedia entry.
Stocksbridge is a town and civil parish, in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies just to the east of the Peak District. The town is located in the steep-sided valley of the Little Don River, below the Underbank Reservoir. It blends into the areas of Deepcar, Bolsterstone and the eastern end of Ewden valley around Ewden village, which are also within the civil parish. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 13,455.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note there are a large number of steel related industries all connected by an extensive railway system.
This Google Map shows part of the area to a more detailed scale.
I suspect that a station could be built somewhere to the South of the works.
I have followed the Stocksbridge Railway out to the East and it takes a loop to the South to Deepcar Tram and Railway station, as is shown on this Google Map.
Note.
The Eastern end of the Stockbridge site is in the North-West of the map.
Deepcar station is shown by a blue dot in the South-East corner of the map.
This Google Map shows Deepcar station in greater detail.
Note.
- The Stocksbridge Railway curving to the West is clearly visible.
- The other railway going North is the former Woodhead Line to Manchester.
This map clipped from Wikipedia shows the Lines through Deepcar station.
This shows the route between Stocksbridge and the former Sheffield Victoria station.
I have also found this article on the Sheffield Star, which is entitled Passenger Trains Could Return On Sheffield To Stocksbridge Don Valley Railway Line After major Funding Boost.
This is a paragraph.
The plans also involve reopening Sheffield Victoria station, which could serve a new Barrow Hill line to Chesterfield, stopping at Darnall, the Advanced Manufacturing Park, Woodhouse and other new stations, similar funding for which was granted last year.
This would seem to be a sensible plan.
These are my thoughts.
Sheffield Victoria Station
This Google Map shows the site of the Stocksbridge Line going through the centre of Sheffield.
The line starts in the North-West corner of the map and goes diagonally across.
The site of Sheffield Victoria station is at the Eastern edge of the map and is shown enlarged in this Google Map.
The street and hotel names are a giveaway.
There would appear to be space for a simple station with one or two platforms on the single-track through the area.
My preference would be for a single bi-directional platform, as has been used successfully at Galashiels station.
With well-placed passing loops, stations like these can handle two trains per hour (tph) and they can be step-free for all users.
Onward To Chesterfield
The plans as laid out in the paragraph in the Sheffield Star would appear to be feasible.
Darnall and Woodhouse are existing stations.
It would serve the proposed new station at Waverley, that I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Tram-Train Route To A New Station At Waverley.
Chesterfield station will be rebuilt for High Speed Two, so extra platforms could surely be added.
I wrote about plans for the Barrow Hill Line in Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield.
It certainly looks to me, that taken together the Barrow Hill and Stocksbridge schemes could be a valuable new railway for Sheffield.
Rolling Stock
I have ridden all over Karlsruhe in Germany on their tram-trains, which are a German variant of Sheffield’s Class 399 tram-trains and I can see no reason, why the combined route couldn’t be designed and built for these trains.
- They are very good on hills.
- They can work on both 750 VDC and 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- The closely-related Class 398 tram-trains in Cardiff will have batteries.
- They are already working successfully in Sheffield.
- There must be design advantages for stations.
- Travellers in Sheffield are used to the tram-trains.
- There is maintenance and operational experience in Sheffield.
It is also my belief, that Class 399 tram-trains would make excellent replacements for Sheffield’s current trams. I wrote about this in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Renewal Of Supertram Network.
Electrification
Looking at the Stocksbridge and Barrow Hill Lines together, I believe there is a strong case for electrification of both routes with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
This would enable the following.
- Class 399 tram-trains to work the combined route.
- East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains to access Sheffield station via the Barrow Hill Line on electricity.
- Electrified freight trains could use the route.
It could also be an easy route to electrify and be a good start to the electrification of Sheffield, which will happen in the future.
Electrification Between Sheffield And Clay Cross North Junction For High Speed Two
This electrification is needed for High Speed Two’s connection to Sheffield. It will also entail a lot of disruption for trains between Derby and Sheffield.
For these reasons, I believe that opening up the Barrow Hill route early between Sheffield and Chesterfield could be an excellent blockade buster.
Conclusion
There’s more to reopening the Stocksbridge Line, than as a local service in Sheffield.
RMT Head Office Closed Due To Strike Action
The title of this post, is the same as this article on ITV.
Looks like a case of the biter bit!
My First Ride On A Class 484 Train
These pictures tell the story of my first ride in a Class 484 train.
Note.
- Ryde Pier Head station could do with a refurbishment.
- The train was formed of a pair of two-car units.
- The interior shows its origins in London Underground D78 Stock.
- There is a fully-functioning information display.
- At some stations, there is step-free access between train and platform.
These are a few of my other thoughts.
Ride
This was like a D78 Stock train on a good day after a major service.
Operating Speed
I timed the train running along happily at 40 mph on my phone.
Build Quality
More 2020 than 1978.
Timekeeping
The single train was running an hourly service.
As time went on it was getting further behind schedule.
Could this have been due to the power supply not being able to power two trains at the same time, in the same place on the line?
I have just looked at the Real Time Trains figures for yesterday and they are documenting power supply and signalling problems.
It also looks like some trains lost time between Ryde St. Johns Road and Brading. Perhaps this section is short on power.
Customer Reaction
It appeared to be positive.
Portsmouth Waterfront – 1st November 2021
I took these pictures as the ferry to the Isle of White left Portsmouth.
I would have taken some of the ferry, but I caught it with just twenty seconds to spare.
A Dreadful Hot Chocolate At Woking Station
On my trip to the Isle of Wight today, to ride on the new Class 484 trains on the Island Line, I got on a Portsmouth & Southsea train, rather than one to Portsmouth Harbour station.
I was told be the guard, that it would be convenient to change at Woking station, which I did.
I took these pictures at the station.
Note.
- I alighted on Platform 5, where there is a Starbucks.
- I bought a hot chocolate in the Starbucks.
- I then moved to Platform 4 to catch my train to Portsmouth Harbour.
- It was a bit of a precarious platform transfer as the lifts are at the other end of the station.
- Where there was a Pumpkin.
It’s a pity, I didn’t wait to get my drink, as it was one of the worst Hot chocolates I’ve ever tasted.
Later I had a much better hot chocolate in another cafe at Ryde.
The Anonymous Widower 