My Train Journey This Morning

[gricerboy]

Delayed by 20 minutes this morning.

This was due to the late running of en earlier train. By all accounts it had a mechanical fault and only one of its power cars was working.

We were fine up to Bristol but had 15 minutes stationary outside Temple Meads where we were held up by the 06.55 service to Westbury. We continued to be held up by this service until it left the mainline at Bathampton where it proceeded on its journey up the branch line via Bradford On Avon and Trowbridge.

Then, on leaving Bath, we where further delayed by the train in front which was the original set with the mechanical problems. Fortunately, this train was not scheduled to stop anywhere after Swindon en route to Paddington so once we cleared Chippenham we began to make up a bit of time. Overall result was that we were 20 minutes late pulling into Swindon with a maximimum delay over the course of the journey of 27 minutes. It would be interesting to plot a graphical representation of delay time over the course of a journey as I suspect it would be exponential in the case of being held up by a preceeding service.

[gricerboy]

As a footnote, I'd like to add that the air con wasn't working & it was standing room only so for once I'm enjoying the "benefits" of my desk being situated directly under the air conditioning vent LOL!

[shaunbhoy]

It would be interesting to plot a graphical representation of delay time over the course of a journey as I suspect it would be exponential in the case of being held up by a preceeding service.

Interesting? It would make the decade worthwhile!!

[gricerboy]

As the train pulled into WSM this morning I saw something that had me lamenting the way we used to name locos in the past. They used to have names like Thor, Thunderer, Chieftain. Well, do you know what the name of the unit that pulled today's train was called? I'll tell you, it was called "Mavis Jones - Mum of the Year 2005". WHat sort of a new labour, a namby pamby emasculated sort of a name for a train is that?? I've seen some other odd ones too - like ones named after TV programmes - there's a "BBC Points West" and even a "BBC Eastenders" out there somewhere. Come on people, let's pull together and tell these train companies that we want our locos to have proper manly macho names just like they always used to have not something that has to be vetted by some ghastly female PC HR type. I'm going to start a petition and I hope that regular readers of this thread will sign up and we'll have loco names that we can be proud of once again.

[Churchill]

As the train pulled into WSM this morning I saw something that had me lamenting the way we used to name locos in the past. They used to have names like Thor, Thunderer, Chieftain. Well, do you know what the name of the unit that pulled today's train was called? I'll tell you, it was called "Mavis Jones - Mum of the Year 2005". WHat sort of a new labour, a namby pamby emasculated sort of a name for a train is that?? I've seen some other odd ones too - like ones named after TV programmes - there's a "BBC Points West" and even a "BBC Eastenders" out there somewhere. Come on people, let's pull together and tell these train companies that we want our locos to have proper manly macho names just like they always used to have not something that has to be vetted by some ghastly female PC HR type. I'm going to start a petition and I hope that regular readers of this thread will sign up and we'll have loco names that we can be proud of once again.

That's a bit of a sexist comment coming from a self-confessed ring chaser!

Does it turn you on thinking about trains and tunnels?

Bloody pervert!

[threaded]

It would be interesting to plot a graphical representation of delay time over the course of a journey as I suspect it would be exponential in the case of being held up by a preceeding service.

As a dabbler in S&T during a misspent period of my youth (I got sent there to learn all about Railways, I learned they downed tools over many weird and wonderful things) I also got interested in train delays as I noticed a near Fibonacci series. This I discovered was due to switch and track circuit time-outs; you can have multiple trains but only, hopefully, one in any section at a time and the deltas in their velocities trigger the sequences to form.

Also learned that a donkey legging it down the track from a glue factory will bring the whole of the East coast main line to a halt. Which made the traffic, when it resumed, run smoothly.

Useful stuff to know.

Anyway, not exponential, but a Fibonacci.

[gricerboy]

As a dabbler in S&T during a misspent period of my youth (I got sent there to learn all about Railways, I learned they downed tools over many weird and wonderful things) I also got interested in train delays as I noticed a near Fibonacci series. This I discovered was due to switch and track circuit time-outs; you can have multiple trains but only, hopefully, one in any section at a time and the deltas in their velocities trigger the sequences to form.

Also learned that a donkey legging it down the track from a glue factory will bring the whole of the East coast main line to a halt. Which made the traffic, when it resumed, run smoothly.

Useful stuff to know.

Anyway, not exponential, but a Fibonacci.

WOW! Clagtastic!! Can I quote you on that?

[gricerboy]

That's a bit of a sexist comment coming from a self-confessed ring chaser!

Does it turn you on thinking about trains and tunnels?

Bloody pervert!

I will ignore your juvenile comments

[Churchill]

I will ignore your juvenile comments

I bet you don't.

[shaunbhoy]

As a dabbler in S&M during a misspent period of my youth

FTFY