Memories of Delays

[goodfella]

In typical railway fashion it isn't a good day without a delay. I'm sure many of us here have a large amount of memories. My delays always seemed to involve a GNER 225 set. I come from Glasgow and regularly travel down to York to go to the NRM. I always arrive on time but out of the three times over the last three years I've been. The train always turns up late.
1st time. A class 91 pulled down the overhead wires at Newark-It was the 19:30 service to Glasgow. Didnt turn up at York till 23:15 got into Glasgow at 02:30!!!
2nd time. The train turned up on time but was delayed before Motherwell due to people on the line. Arrived in Glasgow just after Midnight
3rd time. It was just late. It also was the 19:30 service to Glasgow turned up around 9 o'clock I think

I Miss GNER!!!!

anyway feel free to share your experiences.

[gswindale]

Main memory is that of being stuck at Worcester (prob Shrub Hill) waiting for a train to arrive that the rostered driver for my journey could drive. Was only about 1/2 hour late though.

[chriscooper]

Most of my memories of delays involve Central Trains 158s, including some particularly memorable delays of around 2 hours. 2 of these involved breakdowns, 1 a gas leak, the two breakdowns were made worse by incompetance and indesision from CT control (made particularly annoying since in both cases it took nearly 2 hours for control to autherise the train crew to do what they had been planning for over an hour). Others involve cancellations of 158s (and sometimes 170s) at Leicester, Nottingham, Norwich or Ely (usually followed by a cramped journey on the next hours train). Strangely though, despite 158s seeminly responsible for more collective delay minutes than all other types put together, I wouldn't say my milage on them is particularly high compared to other types, 170s and HSTs probably exceed them.
A few more interesting ones involve delays that have built up, one of the best being a trip from Loughborough to Harwich via London where every train I caught (including the Underground) was delayed, finally arriving 3 hours later than planned, having missed most of the sea festival (the secondary reason for the trip) and having found the 306 (the primary reason for the trip) to have failed and been replaced by a (then) boring 312. This was followed by a delay to the Manningtree to London train (since someone forgot to tell the signaller that the Harwich shuttle wouldn't be working to London as was planned with the 306 since the 312 was needed to carry on with the shuttle, so it was routed onto the mainline rarther than into the bay), which was the packed solid, and a delay to the London to Loughborough train, which was standing and lacked aircon in most coaches (this was when MML made Central look good).
Also got a few of those really annoying ones where a fairly small delay has caused me to just miss a train, followed by the next train getting a serious delay, worst being a fatality and a 2 hour delay (that was a memorable one, 2 hours on a stopped Virgin West Coast train in the middle of the Cheshire countryside knowing someone had chosen it as a messy way of ending their life about 20m infront of me, and this being just a few days after Christmas aswell).
I suppose I shouldn't complain too much though since quite a few of these trips I've not actually paid for the tickets, since I've been using vouchers from previous delays, infact at one time Central were so bad I was probably getting about every 5th journey free (although I tended to save the vouchers for a big journey rarther than using them on the routien trips, ironically the Harwich being one).

[y2flexy]

Think my worst was on a trip from Paddington to Reading one night, there had been a massive signal failure after apparently, an engineer cut the wrong wire. I was on the first train out of paddington in 4 hours,very very packed, squashed like beans. It took about 3 hours to go from Paddington to Reading, having to stop at every single signal on the way and ask for permission to pass through it, loooong long trip.

Then there's last year with the 2 fires in london that caused chaos to SouthEastern Trains, going from Gravesend to london, ending up in Victoria after a 3 hour journey up to london, i quite enjoyed it!

[gswindale]

Well, there was the trip home from work that included 45 minutes to get from the signal before Twickenham station, through the station and out past the Strawberry Hill turn off due to someone nicking the signal cabling.
The other day was bad as well as someone had killed themselves between Bracknell & Wokingham causing me to be 1 1/2 hours late for work.

[arabiandisco]

A couple of incidents spring to mind.

Way back in 1994 (BR days...) I was trying to get from Bath to Basingstoke on the last train via Salisbury. This was cancelled because of "a fatality", and our tickets weren't valid via Reading. So the nice people at Bath had to issue us with special tickets (and a free cup of tea) to go that way. It wasn't a huge delay, but it sticks in the mind because it was "exciting" to me at age 12!

More recently (aout 5 years back) was Newcastle - Kings Cross, on the last train (about 1900 from Newcastle IIRC), the train was full of Leeds supporters whining about how useless Mark Viduka was in very loud voices. We were stuck at Peterborough for about 2 hours (it seemed at least that long!) as the police dealt with "an incident". By the time we got in my brain had dribbled out of my ear because of the guy in the seat in front who was shouting at anyone and everyone for the whole journey... I try to avoid all football types now.

[allypally]

About 1996 when Birmingham New Street caught fire.

Was on a Great Yarmouth to New Street summer saturday direct train.

It started badly at Yarmouth when the train turned up with a single 158 instead of the booked 2 158s and 153 formation. Several people were turfed off the train because my mother was 8 months pregnant and so it was considered essential for H&S reasons that she had a seat.

All went well until the train got to Nuneaton, when it was announced that the train would be terminating because New Street station was on fire. Buses forwards from there yadda yadda.

Luckily though my mother was chatting to one of the platform staff and she happened to mention we were going to Wolverhampton - coincidentally a diverted EBW train was stood at Nuneaton waiting to run up to Stafford and then reverse into Wolverhampton, so the train was held, we were bundled into the station lift, and had a rather merry ride on the big 'Intercity train' as I knew it then!

[photons66]

During the windy night of 18th January 2007, the line out of Euston was shut hence my way home was blocked. I had to go into St Pancras and board a very stuffy 222 Meridian bound for Bedford, which was overcrowded, cramped and my legs were killing me. The train was 35 minutes late leaving St Pancras, 45 late arriving in Bedford, my Marston Vale line train home was further delayed, and I eventually got home by 21:30 as opposed to 16:30.

[TheAmateurBasher]

I have a few delay stories from my memory to tell you, and here is one of them. It took place on Saturday 12th July 2003, five years ago.

It was the third mainline outing for 40145 (then in BR Green, as D345). I was originally going to stand at a station to photograph the tour, then decided to do the tour, after my family offered me a lift from Crewe (after the charter had visited Liverpool and Carlisle).

Anyway, there was I, at a baking hot Liverpool Lime Street (July 2003 was one of the hottest to my memory), waiting for the charter to show up. Around 90 minutes I waited; it later transpired that the 56 working the charter from the Midlands, had failed at Stafford with dragging brakes. It was rescued by a Split-box Mainline blue class 37, then swapped at Crewe by EWS 37684. It was between 11.30 and 12.00 when the charter finally arrived, and D335 was attached, ready to take the strain to Carlisle.

Unfortunately, soon after leaving Liverpool, someone did himself an injury. Whether he was flailing or leaning out too far I do not know, but he had to be removed at Wigan North Western, causing a further delay of two minutes or so. Thankfully it seemed he wasn't seriously hurt, but Pathfinder and Network Rail however, weren't happy bunnies. The former even threatened to remove the loco at one point; luckilly the behaviour improved from that point onward.

The messed up itinerary however, meant only an hour's break or so at Carlisle. D335 performed impeccably well that day, apart from a minor cooliant problem. On the way back South via the S&C, the train called briefly at Hellifield, presumably to get water for the cooliant.

The final indignity came when we neared somewhere towards Blackburn. I can't remember where we were held, but it was near a signalbox and a level crossing. We waited for what I felt was ages. After a crew change at Blackburn however, it was non stop all the way to Crewe, arriving after 19.00 or so. I made my rushed farewell to D345, then went to meet my family who were picking me up. A good day out, despite all the delays, and rounded off with a quick drink at the Ring O' Bells pub in Daresbury in Cheshire.

Cheers.

[photons66]

I have a few delay stories from my memory to tell you, and here is one of them. It took place on Saturday 12th July 2003, five years ago.

It was the third mainline outing for 40145 (then in BR Green, as D345). I was originally going to stand at a station to photograph the tour, then decided to do the tour, after my family offered me a lift from Crewe (after the charter had visited Liverpool and Carlisle).

Anyway, there was I, at a baking hot Liverpool Lime Street (July 2003 was one of the hottest to my memory), waiting for the charter to show up. Around 90 minutes I waited; it later transpired that the 56 working the charter from the Midlands, had failed at Stafford with dragging brakes. It was rescued by a Split-box Mainline blue class 37, then swapped at Crewe by EWS 37684. It was between 11.30 and 12.00 when the charter finally arrived, and D335 was attached, ready to take the strain to Carlisle.

Unfortunately, soon after leaving Liverpool, someone did himself an injury. Whether he was flailing or leaning out too far I do not know, but he had to be removed at Wigan North Western, causing a further delay of two minutes or so. Thankfully it seemed he wasn't seriously hurt, but Pathfinder and Network Rail however, weren't happy bunnies. The former even threatened to remove the loco at one point; luckilly the behaviour improved from that point onward.

The messed up itinerary however, meant only an hour's break or so at Carlisle. D335 performed impeccably well that day, apart from a minor cooliant problem. On the way back South via the S&C, the train called briefly at Hellifield, presumably to get water for the cooliant.

The final indignity came when we neared somewhere towards Blackburn. I can't remember where we were held, but it was near a signalbox and a level crossing. We waited for what I felt was ages. After a crew change at Blackburn however, it was non stop all the way to Crewe, arriving after 19.00 or so. I made my rushed farewell to D345, then went to meet my family who were picking me up. A good day out, despite all the delays, and rounded off with a quick drink at the Ring O' Bells pub in Daresbury in Cheshire.

Cheers.

At least you weren't desperate to get home. I didn't even have a drink in the pub.

[TheAmateurBasher]

At least you weren't desperate to get home. I didn't even have a drink in the pub.

You were right in saying that I wasn't desperate to get home. It just would have been better if everything that day had gone to plan, but that was the way of it. Fate can be mysterious sometimes. Right, where did I put that bottle...



(Not intended to make fun of your misfortune photons66, apologies if this be the case)

[photons66]

But you were lucky in seeing 40145

[TheAmateurBasher]

But you were lucky in seeing 40145

Yes I was. And I was lucky enough to bash it two more times after that (and with many more to come!)

[XPTE]

Don't have many memories of delays really. Most of the trains I get allways seems to be on time.

Most annoying one though is a journey from Bristol Temple Meads-London Bridge via Salisbury in August 2006. The first part of the journey was to salisbury on the 1855 FGW service. Which actually arrived late and departed 7 minutes late. Turned it had got delayed due to emergency speed restrictions in the Severn Tunnel Junction area. Scheduled time to arrive at Salisbury was 2005. My booked connecting journey to London Waterloo was at 2027. The 1855 FGW service arrived into Salisbury at 2027. I dashed off the train to the adjacent platform to get the 2026 service which I assumed would be waiting for this important connecting train. I couldn't believe it(and nor could a number of other passengers) when the 2026 service had in fact departed bang on time, and failed to wait just a couple of minutes for the late running connecting FGW service. It had pulled out of the station just as the FGW service was literally just pulling into the platform! Unbelievable. I could understand if it would have caused the 1926 service to depart several minutes late if it waited for the FGW service. But not just a couple minutes late, where it would easily have been able to make up the time quickly. The next scheduled service to London Waterloo wasn't for another hour at 2126!!!! The platform staff member advised people travelling to London to get on the 2033 service as far as Southampton and change there for an onward train to London. So I(and others did this). I'd rather do this than wait another hour at Salisbury for the next service.

One person was travelling to Grately. Was supposed to board the 2026 service as planned, but couldn't. He would have had to wait another TWO HOURS for the 2226 service, as the 2126 service doesn't stop at Grately!

The next part is it a bit sketchy as I can't remember the exact details of it. a rrived at Southampton at about 2105. We all assumed the next service to London Waterloo would be pretty soon. Turned out we just missed out by 10 minutes. And the next one wasn't untill 2155!!!!!!!! 50 minutes stuck at Southampton now!!!!! Then an announcement said that due to flooding services will be disrupted. Later another announcement......

Will have to finish this one off in more detail tomorrow. But definitely by far the most annoying and exhausting journey I've ever experienced, thanks to a delay on the first part of the journey and the other service failing to wait just an extra couple of minutes for the connecting service. Which actually caused me to arrive at my destination around THREE HOURS late.

Just a few weeks later I travelled the normaly Bristol-London Waterloo route again. This time on a weekday daytime. Service was 19 minutes late departing Salisbury. It had made up SEVEN minutes of time by the time it departed Basingstoke. This is when the timetable is a bit tighter and there are more services about. Unlike the Sunday timetable when it's actually a bit slacker and there are less services about. So on that Sunday a few weeks earlier, that 2026 could have EASILY made up those couple of minutes if it had waited for the connecting service to allow the extra passangers to board the train.

It's water under the bridge now, some 18 months later. But jeez was I annoyed with South West Trains for this incident back then.

[6rdfar90]

Few years ago, was on the Dundee - Penzance Voyager. Getting into Leeds, someone decided to Shoot an Airgun at the train, smashing the drivers window and one of the first class windows as well. Once we got to Leeds, we were then there for 45 minutes whilst the windows were repaired. So, with 45 minutes behind schedule we set off.
Later on, one of the middle coaches was on fire. The heat inside the carriage was intense, but we all put it down to it being summer. Anyways, someone complained about it, and the train manager obviously wasn't pleased. So we pulled into the outside track 5 minutes outside of Derby to be told that there was a severe engine failure on one of the carriages. So we pulled into Derby (took us half an hour even though we were 5 minutes outside of Derby) and we were then told to wait onboard the train at Derby. Half an hour later, we were told that anyone travelling further south than New Street, had to wait on Platform whatever. When the train pulled into the platform, it was packed. People were having to get off the train to let others on. So, me and my grandma and sister sat in first class. My grandma then gave the argument that myself and her couldn't possibly stand all the way to New Street, let alone Penzance.
So now, with our journey delayed by about 90 minutes, the new train then got stuck at New Street for 30 minutes. We were now 2 hours 30 minutes behind schedule. On arriving into Plymouth we had made up some time and we were only 105 minutes behind schedule. On arrival into Penzance, 45 minutes late. Nearly two hours after our original train was supposed to get in.