Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3695
Written by Lee on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

From the FGW website :

Train services between Swindon and Reading are being disrupted due to a fire in a power car in the Didcot area. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays can be expected.

There is no risk to customers.



Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3698
Written by Lee on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

FGW have revised their message to state that the fire is in the Didcot station area. It does look as if trains are being diverted.

Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3709
Written by Gwr2006 on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

The rear power car on 0800 Swansea to Paddington burst into flames as it approached Didcot Parkway due to a fire in the exhaust system. The set terminated in platform 4 and the fire brigade attended in numbers (8 fire engines, foam tender, communications and major incident support vehicles). The station & train were evacuated whilst the flames were extinguished. The set was later taken to Reading Depot.

I must say that the incident was handled very professionally by FGW station staff who kept everyone informed, and they had all the passengers on their way again in less than 90 minutes on a fleet of hired coaches. Well done to them. Because the main lines were closed for engineering work, the incident caused major delays of up to 2 hours, with many trains cancelled or diverted via Newbury.

Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3713
Written by streety7 on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

I'm a little surprised at how many of the FGW Power Cars have set on fire recently... a lot of them seem to be catching alight, and soon if more keep setting on fire they won't have any left... whats this now 3 or 4 incidents in the matter of a few weeks?

Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3717
Written by bubblecat on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

Yes Chris!

There really have been quite a few. There was also a tram, but that was in Liverpool or somewhere.....so can't really blame FGW....I think.



Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3718
Written by Steve Bray on Saturday, 3rd February 2007

Yes, the other weekday it was the 0600 (I think) Swansea to Paddington that only reached Neath before it "caught fire". When I saw the headline on the BBC website, why was I not surprised when I saw that it was a FGW unit that it had happened to?

Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3728
Written by Lee on Sunday, 4th February 2007

Here is an article on this (link below.)
http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1168323.0.express_train_catches_fire.php

Re: Train Fire In The Didcot Area (03/02/2007) - 1307/3736
Written by James on Sunday, 4th February 2007

[quote author=bubblecat link=topic=1307.msg3717#msg3717 date=1170543612]
Yes Chris!

There really have been quite a few. There was also a tram, but that was in Liverpool or somewhere.....so can't really blame FGW....I think.


[/quote]

Blackpool, apprentally the electronics went up
[quote author=Chris Street link=topic=1307.msg3713#msg3713 date=1170534241]
I'm a little surprised at how many of the FGW Power Cars have set on fire recently... a lot of them seem to be catching alight, and soon if more keep setting on fire they won't have any left... whats this now 3 or 4 incidents in the matter of a few weeks?
[/quote]

They haven't been "set alight" they have "caught light" They also ALL have been the new german "MTU" powercars

 
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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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