“Lost shoe” at North Pole, 2Y01 August 12th 2010
Coming up the stairs at Willesden Jn High Level there were serious crowds on the platform, a farce scenario. A points failure at Camden Rd meant all trains were 15 or so late, so no great issue today. 378006 soon arrived on 2Y01 0742 to Clapham Jn and left at 0758. As usual on these rancid new units there were no spare seats, so I propped myself up near the coach connection. The station announcements had advised that this service would be terminating at Shepherd’s Bush for a Southern service forward. The guard advised better news with the train now going to Kensington where we at least have District line connections forward.
We were then checked at Mitre Bridge Jn for the Southern “connection” to proceed ahead of us!. At North Pole the AC/DC switchover was begun, down went the pan with the usual thud but then we had several flashes, loud bangs and smoke as the unit’s “shoes” were lowered. We then moved off but abruptly stopped almost immediately with more bangs and flashes. The lights and more importantly the air conditioning then died and the wedged stock heated up very quickly. I resorted to sitting on the floor with others, we were in for a long wait. After about 10 minutes the guard advised we were experiencing problems and we will be “checking the train”. Cue umpteen mobile phone calls and resigned looks from stranded passengers.
After 20 minutes or so we were advised by the driver that we had “lost a shoe” and will probably have to return to Willesden Jn. The heat inside the unit was now getting nasty, but I think the pan was then raised as we definitely got air con again. The staff then opened the units locked hopper windows too. Cue the unmistakable grumbling, EE type 3 growl approaching, was it a “tractor” to the rescue? !! 37706 on kettle stock drew up alongside us wrong line for a few minutes, before easing off down the bank to the Bush with frothing device 44932 on the back.
After 50 minutes the driver advised we might now be going to Shepherds Bush but more bangs and smoke as the shoe was lowered answered that claim. We now had Network Rail chaps in hard hats checking out matters, “damaged rail there” was the claim. A pair of “skips” then passed, also wrong line, busy place the North Pole! An hour after our abrupt halt , we finally returned under AC power wrong line back to Willesden Jn. Here it seem to take an age to get the broken unit out of the way and the delayed 0922 for Clapham to arrive. I’m sure I felt the huge sigh of relief as 378013 successfully switched to DC at North Pole 10 minutes later. Eventual arrival at work for me was 1020, just the 2 hours down!
On various forums you have to chuckle at the claims by various experts who extol the virtues of 378’s against the 313’s they have replaced on the West London Line. This is my third on train 378 failure this year, this is against 0 313 failures in the previous 3 years WLL commuting on 313’s..
.