The DfT has just released a document  today giving the results of the feasibility study recently carried out concerning the fitting of pantographs to Class 142 multiple units,this would enable savings to be made when running on electrified lines such as Newcastle to Morpeth and Chathill and Newcastle to Darlington also between Sunderland and Pelaw Jnct, this last section would require trains to stop at Pelaw Jnct in both directions to raise and lower the pantograph, the pantographs would be dual voltage to enable them to work over all the aforementioned lines.
The cost of these modifications would be covered by the savings in diesel fuel consumption.

I thought that McLaughlin had lost his complete mind, until I remember that it is April 1st.   

Found this quote hilarious in Railways Illustrated...

''How depressing is it that Porterbrook seriously thinks Pacers are worth investing in after 2020? They will be 35 years old by then, and there's only so many times you can patch them up. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig!''

Don't know how/why I found it so funny!

I see Northern are running special services from Newcastle to St. Peters for the match.
Does anyone know the times of these services? Is anyone going to go and take a pic?

It reminds me of were doing work on the main station and I got a 158 (back in the day of Transpennine to Sunderland!) to St Peters and a Stagecoach bus into town. Quite a nice treat to get off at there.

Northern Rail @northernrailorg
NEW: Due to a line-side fire between #Seaham and #Hartlepool all lines are blocked. Services may be cancelled or delayed.
6:24pm - 6 Apr 15

Found this quote hilarious in Railways Illustrated...

''How depressing is it that Porterbrook seriously thinks Pacers are worth investing in after 2020? They will be 35 years old by then, and there's only so many times you can patch them up. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig!''

Don't know how/why I found it so funny! [emoji14]

Pacers are horrible trains...

You cant polish a turd...If it looks like a turd and smells like a turd, it is most definately a turd, lol...

The day for Pacers to go cannot come soon enough in my opinion, the amount of bad backs I have had bouncing about on them is unbelievable

I see Northern are running special services from Newcastle to St. Peters for the match.
Does anyone know the times of these services? Is anyone going to go and take a pic?

It reminds me of were doing work on the main station and I got a 158 (back in the day of Transpennine to Sunderland!) to St Peters and a Stagecoach bus into town. Quite a nice treat to get off at there.

Hasn't Northern done that a few times now on Derby Days...

I also remember the TP to Sunderland days, and a couple of times come up from Liverpool and Manchester and having to get off at St Peters would have been back around 2001 or 2002

Two more Class 319 units delivered to Northern from Wolverton Works the other day were 319368 and 319382

Kind of related.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/12884268.display/

THE BROTHER of a tragic train driver who watched helplessly as his engine killed a teenager has called on rail companies to provide more help for traumatised staff.

David Roberts said he feared his brother Stephen Douglas would drink himself to death after his life fell apart following the horrific accident in 2003.
Mr Douglas, 50, from Darlington, started drinking heavily after the Arriva train he was driving hit and killed teenager Ben Williams, who had been lying across the rails.

Arriva said it could not comment on individual circumstances, but a spokesman said: “We have policies and procedures in place to ensure our drivers are supported during incidents which, like other rail operators, are sadly sometimes part of our operating environment.

Sloppy journalism from the Echo (yet again). The incident happened in 2003 under Arriva Trains Northern which have since passed on to Serco and Abellio; Northern Rail.
Yet the Echo ask Arriva themselves on their actions on incidents like this, even though they could be different (I hope not though, it's pretty standard to be offered counselling after a fatality).
An interesting read nonetheless though; it really puts into perspective how emotionally devastating these events can be.

Kind of related.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/12884268.display/
Sloppy journalism from the Echo (yet again). The incident happened in 2003 under Arriva Trains Northern which have since passed on to Serco and Abellio; Northern Rail.
Yet the Echo ask Arriva themselves on their actions on incidents like this, even though they could be different (I hope not though, it's pretty standard to be offered counselling after a fatality).
An interesting read nonetheless though; it really puts into perspective how emotionally devastating these events can be.

It's a very sad story indeed, the TOC (ATN) had sacked him because he had a drink problem but never was drunk at work; I find that petty and a horrible thing to do. 

I know a similar thing happened with a Tyne and Wear Metro driver, I think he became a counsellor for DB Regio or something along them lines.

Being the Echo, the trolls will come and rant about Arriva buses and bus stations and all the ones writing about how they feel sorry about the driver and the teenager will be heavily 'disliked'.

Not even a quick Google search can please the Echo, it's just another way to pick at Arriva.

It's a very sad story indeed, the TOC (ATN) had sacked him because he had a drink problem but never was drunk at work; I find that petty and a horrible thing to do.

I know a similar thing happened with a Tyne and Wear Metro driver, I think he became a counsellor for DB Regio or something along them lines.

Being the Echo, the trolls will come and rant about Arriva buses and bus stations and all the ones writing about how they feel sorry about the driver and the teenager will be heavily 'disliked'.

Not even a quick Google search can please the Echo, it's just another way to pick at Arriva.

As sad as it is, in my opinion, there is more to it than simply 'he was never drunk at work', I dont see how he could for that, as long as it did not impair his job, though he may have cracked with PTSD

I reckon he may just have cracked up and got the boot for something else...Railway deaths are not pretty, let me assure you on that, it is a psychological nightmare...

I have an idea of what that must be living with, I know where his mind probably is, I witnessed a 'one-under' at Kings Cross/St Pancras when I was a teen and have probably felt something close to that driver, I started to self medicate, both legally and illegally to mask bad dreams, the nightmares have come back recently after reading about rail deaths lately, tje meds I am on has seen me have shitty nightmares, add to that one of my mates being killed in Durham crossing the ECML in 2000, I know what the mind can do to people after stuff like that.

In these cases maybes TOCs should place drivers on indefinate leave with intense counselling to try get over accidently killing people, with the same for bus drivers and professional drivers

With the amount of suicides on the railway generally increasing, it would be detrimental to give drivers indefinite leave and counselling. Not only because it'd be very expensive but also they've lost a driver - typically, new drivers can't come to replace other drives fast enough. To get someone trained 'off the street' takes around a year and it costs around £70,000 per person.

Some people take it easy, some don't - at the FOC where I work, there was a driver there who had four and he was at around retirement age. Yet there's plenty of others who have had none, you can't predict them.

Christ, it still affects me when I pass an overbridge where I was driven past near Penrith around an hour after a fatality, you could see the police vans and other vehicles parked there. I just get a nervous twitch when I pass there.

With the amount of suicides on the railway generally increasing, it would be detrimental to give drivers indefinite leave and counselling. Not only because it'd be very expensive but also they've lost a driver - typically, new drivers can't come to replace other drives fast enough. To get someone trained 'off the street' takes around a year and it costs around £70,000 per person.

Some people take it easy, some don't - at the FOC where I work, there was a driver there who had four and he was at around retirement age. Yet there's plenty of others who have had none, you can't predict them.

Christ, it still affects me when I pass an overbridge where I was driven past near Penrith around an hour after a fatality, you could see the police vans and other vehicles parked there. I just get a nervous twitch when I pass there.

You wouldn't expect indefinite leave, but most should be entitled to an income protection scheme of some sort? It'd typically kick in after 6 months long term sick, and would pay the employee's wages (or at least a percentage of them) from then on. 

You wouldn't expect indefinite leave, but most should be entitled to an income protection scheme of some sort? It'd typically kick in after 6 months long term sick, and would pay the employee's wages (or at least a percentage of them) from then on. 

I'm not too sure what it is for my FOC, but that sounds about right. There must be some industry standards somewhere, given that it is a massive issue.
T&W Metro won't be bound by the same rules however so effectively they can do what they want! Knowing how, let's say, ineffective they can be, I don't imagine it'd be anywhere as near mainline companies. Mind, I assume they have less fatalities due to the typically lower speeds plus how good the brakes are on a pair of Metrocars - plus the networks seems generally well tied off from roads/pathways etc.

Get digging folks:

Northern Rail @northernrailorg
ENTHUSIASTS UNITE!! We're in need of photos of our 150/156 diesel units coupled in a 2-2 formation. Send to press.office@northernrail.org

319361 becomes the 4th of the Class 319s to enter Service, it was out on the Manchester Airport Line Yesterday

Just another update on these 319367 and 319369 arrived at Allerton on Monday 20th.

Does anyone know what timetable Northern Rail will run on Monday. I think its a normal Monday service but could be Sunday service just incase I have to look up train times as I know the Metro is supposed to be running a Saturday service but if today is to go by where I live there will be no metros like most of today.

Does anyone know what timetable Northern Rail will run on Monday. I think its a normal Monday service but could be Sunday service just incase I have to look up train times as I know the Metro is supposed to be running a Saturday service but if today is to go by where I live there will be no metros like most of today.

I think it'll be a Sunday service

Unless i have read it wrong, it is down to be a normal Monday-Friday service:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_di...93275.aspx

I think it'll be a Sunday service

Standard Monday service

Standard Monday service

Ahh right cheers

Just goes to show that buses and trains arent always the same. I was quite surprised to find that they were operating a normal Monday service on the national rail website prior to posting it on here. I was expecting a Sunday or Saturday service at least.

All Bank Holidays (with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day) on the railway are ran as normal service for that day.

Some services run Boxing Day however that is the exception to the rule.

All Bank Holidays (with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day) on the railway are ran as normal service for that day.

Some services run Boxing Day however that is the exception to the rule.

Cheers Sean

Not sure if it has been mentioned already, but Northern have got their deals on again with Johnston Press.

http://www.northernrail.org/JP2015

The prices quoted on the website are cheaper than the ones published in the Echo mind. The dates on the website have obviously been and gone too.

Not sure if it has been mentioned already, but Northern have got their deals on again with Johnston Press.

http://www.northernrail.org/JP2015

The prices quoted on the website are cheaper than the ones published in the Echo mind. The dates on the website have obviously been and gone too.

You got a pic of the ad in the Echo? Going to try and make the most of this, but would like to know what I'm looking out for in the Sunderland Echo (assume it is the same regardless of which paper)

You got a pic of the ad in the Echo? Going to try and make the most of this, but would like to know what I'm looking out for in the Sunderland Echo (assume it is the same regardless of which paper)

Big, half page ad each day.
Page 66 of tonights Echo

Just as a thought, how about a Day Ranger challenge?

See who can get the furthest in one day?

Upload pictures as they go and the winner, gets some sort of prize?

Just as a thought, how about a Day Ranger challenge?

See who can get the furthest in one day?

Upload pictures as they go and the winner, gets some sort of prize?

Think last time we tried to get a big group and all travel together.

I got the tokens last time round, but the problem was that you were limited to Northern Rail trains. You'd be pretty much restricted to Cumbria (unless you paid extra for VTEC to York and back).

I got the tokens last time round, but the problem was that you were limited to Northern Rail trains. You'd be pretty much restricted to Cumbria (unless you paid extra for VTEC to York and back).

Yeah that's one of the issues, although a return to York or Leeds/Doncaster will have you sorted as a lot of Northern services operate from there.

I don't see the point in a 'furthest away' challenge as, really, Crewe (furthest from the North East) is easily achievable in one day.

If you wanted to stick to Northern Rail only you'd have to go to Carlisle and then either to Leeds via S&C or to Carnforth/Lancaster/Preston via Cumbrian Coast, if Lancaster/Carnforth then to Leeds.