AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!

That was a pre-emptive scream as I'm just about to go and watch the
television news which is reporting on the crash of a Virgin train
somewhere in the Lake District.

As their reporting always drives me mad due to its utter inaccuracy I
felt the need to let the tension go now.

Apologies for the interruption to your evening.

 

If I hadn't already enjoyed a couple of fine ales I could have gone
and had a look for you, it's less than an hour down the road. Where's
occasional poster PDannyD? IIRC it's only a couple of miles from him.

 

The 17:15 Virgin Train was derailed and fell down the embankment.

 

AT 17:15, left where at 17:15, all trains are somewhere at 17:15.

 

On Friday 23 February 2007 21:50, DR [] wrote

<waves>

Too pissed to ride out and have a look as I've been round at a neighbour's
house drinking wine.

Lots of vehicles with flashing lights to-ing and fro-ing. It sounds like
it's in the middle of some fields with limited and very muddy access. No
exact location yet but sounds like it's near the tiny village of Docker. If
it's where I think it is then there'll not be anything to see until you're
at the crash site which will be blocked off. Asking to be let through to
have a look will likely be met with hard stares and extreme sarcasm.

A685 between Tebay and Kendal is closed to through traffic as my flatmate
has just come back from shopping and was directed onto the M6.

No more news later because I'll either be drunkerer, asleep or doing
something else.

 

17.15 departure from Euston travelling to Glasgow. Its stop previous to
the crash site was Preston, its next scheduled stop was at Carlisle.

 

That's the second time tonight Mr. Bear.

 

Good for you young man.

 

How was the news?
How much scope for inaccuracy is there in a derailment?
Did they manage to mention global warming?

 

But then someone who hasn't ever seen a railcrash would tell you it's
bullshit if you post here saying that you've seen one.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Eiron

I see Bob Crow's on fine form:

'Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union,
said the inquiry must be allowed to find out the full facts of what
happened.

But he added: "If points failure is the cause there must be a robust
investigation into the management system's failings that led to it and
there must be no attempt simply to scapegoat staff."'

Ah, so now we now it was due to 'management system's failings'.

Well done, Bob.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (Falling apart) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Apparently Richard Branson's praised the driver for "staying in the cab
& steering the train to safety". Now I'm no expert, but I'm /fairly/
sure that trains don't have steering wheels.

--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

I'm saying there's no way to know until the true cause is known. Getting
a pre-emptive 'it wasn't us' in just makes him look stupid. But then,
making himself look stupid is one of Bob Crow's major talents.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (Falling apart) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Wiping his fingerprints off a points changing lever?
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..88045../..23727.../..31893.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG*
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11
'^' RBR Clues: 00 Pts:0000 Miles:0000

 

I'd imagine he was asked to comment on the incident and his first
responsibility is to the members of his union.

I suppose he should have said that no way could the management or any
of the systems implemented by them have failed so it must be the
numpty train driver at fault. I wonder if Sweller has been
moonlighting for Virgin?

 

snip>

Making his way home down the M6.

 

Whoever expects a Virgin to go all the way anyway?

 

Whistling, probably.

 

Northern bound, no way would I have been on that on a Friday

 

Nobody knows what happened yet. This is why this relentless news
coverage is such utter crap and a complete fucking distraction.

All sorts of things *might* have caused this crash. Here is a short list
of possibilities - you tell me whether a failure of management is behind
*all* of them.

Something breaks on the train causing a derailment.
Points are not repaired correctly and eventually fail.
The rail breaks.
Animals get on to the track and train hits them.
Malicious damage / vandalism.
Sabotage.
Infrastructure collapse due to the weather.
Something falls off a goods train going the other way and lands in the
path of this train.
etc etc etc.

Only some of the above can be prevented via the correct application of a
management system.

Mr Crow needs to be a bit careful about sticking it all on the
management. It might just be one of his members who made an error and
then another of his members who then failed to spot the problem via an
inspection. That is simply human error and believe me it happens all the
damn time. If he then seeks to use this incident as another
"renationalisation" argument then he deserves to be hung out to dry for
shameful opportunism.

I actually feel a bit sorry for people like Richard Branson and John
Armitt who are shoved in front of cameras and interrogated by a set of
ignorant journalists who just want tittle tattle about the people
involved and their injuries or else a scapegoat to put on the gallows
and flog. It's simply impossible for them to know with any certainty
what has gone wrong.

As the DfT are now in charge of the whole lot I wonder where Douglas
Alexander is in all of this - he hadn't appeared on the goggle box or
made a statement before I popped out at lunchtime. Even deadly dull
Alastair Darling appreciated he needed to get off his backside and
wander round looking concerned when the Ufton Nervet collision (train
into car on level crossing) happened.