Tuesday started well, the first day when it’s been warm and sunny enough to leave the cab door open, switch into Coded Manual and enjoy a quick trip round the HAI-WOO loop. Sadly after that it all went horribly wrong; at WAN there was a “next platforms and hold” call for all WB trains LES-LIS and all EB trains WHC-LIS for a signal failure. Now signal failures usually happen at a single signal so it’s either in one direction or the other, in order for both directions to be brought to a halt this was obviously a major malfunction.
I made my way up to LES, pulled into Plat. 2 and after about ten minutes it was announced over the station PA that the Line was suspended between LES and MAA though we didn’t receive confirmation of that over the train radio until a lot later. I spent the next hour or so explaining the situation to the passengers and trying to direct them towards their destinations. A good proportion of those I spoke to were trying to go EB; during that time three trains were reversed off Plat. 1, two to EPP and one empty to HAI depot while from Plat. 3 a solitary HAI via NEP came in from LEY.
Eventually we were given the all clear and I took the train up to WER. I had just over half an hour until my next train which was enough time to squeeze in a meal relief but obviously my next train was running very late. Fortunately the TOp on the next train in was due to get off but the TOp supposed to be relieving them was still out on the line somewhere so that train was quickly changed into mine and I was able to start my second half only a few minutes down.
I must have been one of the few TOps not claiming overtime that night.
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