Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
FGW Power Cars - 1253/3577
Written by martyjon on Monday, 29th January 2007

I dont know if any of you know this but twice in the past few days FGW Powercars on their HST's have caught fire, one approaching Neath in South Wales which caused severe disruption on the South Wales Main line last week 22-26/01!/2007 and then on Sunday whilst the Bath - Didcot section of the GWML was closed for engineering work another PC caught fire. This is a copy of the e-mail I received of this incident ;-

43136 suffered a serious exhaust fire at Wooton Rivers just east of
Pewsey, 3 fire appliances attended and firefighters described the flames as being 3 feet high, the PC's exhaust deflector melted in the heat and there is severe damage to the clean air compartment roof, the powe

Re: FGW Power Cars - 1253/3597
Written by Lee on Tuesday, 30th January 2007

We covered this a while back (link below.) Thanks for the additional info.
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1211.msg3465#msg3465

In a similiar development , firefighters have tackled a blaze on a goods train on the main railway line between Scotland and England (link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6312439.stm

The last carriage of the train at Drem , in East Lothian , had been alight. The fire started at 0635 GMT.

Ten fire engines had put the fire out by 0840 GMT. Some services on the East Coast Main Line have been disrupted.

Buses have replaced trains between North Berwick and Prestonpans , with rail services starting and terminating at Berwick upon Tweed.

Eyewitness Steve Dalgleish told the BBC Scotland news website: "I passed this train at 0730 GMT and it was well alight."

"It looked like it was a car transport fright train.

"Fifteen foot flames were visible from Drem and there were multiple fire engines and emergency vehicles on scene."

EWS , which operates about 800 freight trains a day across the country , refused to say what type of vehicles were being transported.

Graham Meiklejohn , spokesman for the firm , said they would not reveal further details on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Update - Rail journeys will continue to be affected until Wednesday (31/01/2007 , link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6312439.stm

The train was carrying 36 new cars , which were destroyed.

Re: FGW Power Cars - 1253/3732
Written by James on Sunday, 4th February 2007

Was 1 of the MTU power cars again yesterday that went up at Didcot, caused the 0945 & 1045 PAD - Swansea to be over 80 late

 
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Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham.

Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome.

The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users.

We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can.

-- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021


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