Haze

A friend of mine was a fireman and latterley driver on the Southern Railway. He told me that one year he was firing the lucrative 'Golden Arrow' dining train from London to Dover, and what went wrong one trip... It was a blazing hot day and the haze was terrible on the track as it obscured their view (when I say haze I mean the heat ripples you see occasionally). When they reached Ashford it was even worse, as of course the line is almost perfectly straight from there to Dover. Suddenly, he noticed some white specks on the track. He alerted his driver and they slowed down a bit, but it was too late. When they reached Dover the passengers were met with the site of the remains of several sheep over the front of the engine! Needless to say the railway was fined as it was their duty to maintain the fence...

Has anyone else had incidents involving animals and railways?

 

There was an incident at Windmill Farm when the Rio ran into a bull's backside!

 

#-o Then again my Dad almost ran over a cow in his BMW, although the car came off worse 8-[

 

Hi

A long time back, before proper battery lights for evening trains, a Talyllyn evening train train into a black cow, it walked it off and back into its field.

Alex

 

Didn't think the TR had battery lights on the engines now, but I may be wrong.

I've heard that story many times in the Loco Office from those who were there.

After the Strathspey Railway opened its extension to Broomhill in 2002 80105 ran over two sheep heading north one day. In 2007 another sheep was mown down by No.17 and the hens kept in the station garden at Broomhill suffered a few losses to our steam locomotive fleet.

 

Hi

Depends whos driving as to what light is used on the front Neil, some of the older drivers stick to "proper" lamps with wichs and then others take a modern mainline style head lamp which is excellent on a dark night. We also have a lamp that runs of a car battery as well.

Alex

 

One of my first turns as a Passed (Pissed) Cleaner was on a photo charter when No.3 was turned to face the sea in 2004. Martin Fuller and I took 3 on the back of a train hauled by No.7 up to Brynglas one night with nothing but a red marker on the back and a parriffin lamp on the way back to Tywyn.

A good night out but very very cold in Spring on the coast.

 

Hi

Agreed Neil but at the best of times Tywyn can be classed as cold! It was -6 walking back from the Tred on friday night!

Alex

 

Sounds a typical night out in Tywyn.

The Tred was by far the best pub in Tywyn when I visited.

 

I'm not sure that many crews actually involved in slaughter will reply. It's usually best to keep these things quiet! However, at telegraph pole 184 on the K&ESR some years ago...........

 

Had to get rid of a sheep we hit a few years ago. Went up light engine, chucked it on the front, took it up to a deserted part of the line (what a photo that would have made!) and lobbed it down the embankment.

Trouble is the sheep had been there about a fortnight, so by God did it stink!

 

I can't guarantee the accuracy of this story since it's very second hand, but one very dark night a parcels train drawn by a Class 40 arrived at Liverpool Lime St Station with its front end coverd in blood, much to the distress of all on the platform. Initial thoughts of a suicide or fatal (there was a lot of blood) caused the stopping of all trains on the Liverpool & Manchester line while a search was made (there was no blood when it left Manchester Victoria).

Those at Lime St eventually noticed pieces of hide, complete with traces of black and white fur, embedded in various parts of the loco, at about the same time that the search party found many well spread bits of what turned out to be about a ton of prize bull, somewhere in the area, I think, of Newton-le-Willows.

The driver had seen nothing of the bull (it was before the use of high intensity headlamps), nor did he hear any bump.

 

Two collegues of mine were involved in a problem with a pet sheep at orchard crossing on the Severn Valley line. Every time the frieman put the sheep in a safe place, it just climbed back over the fence and followed him beck to the loco. He then instructed his driver to draw the train forward while he held onto the sheep. The driver did this, and the fireman then ran back to the loco, with the on train staff looking on shouting "He's gaining on you Terry"
Of course, when he got back to the loco, and looked over his shoulder, there was the sheep! In the end, it was bundled into the brake van, and then taken to Bewdley, where it was locked in the station master's office for saftey.
When the train arrived back from Kidderminster, the Bobby at Bewdley North was now looking after the sheep, and calmly walked down the signal box steps to hand over the token with it on the lead that he usually keeps for his dog!

 

I must admit to writing off a works van after hitting a dear.
this was on the way to a red zone works.

The van only had 38 miles on the clock.

 

Does anybody have a copy of Locomaster Profiles' "A Load of Rubbish" class 31 cab ride from Northolt to Calvert? The end of the journey features the train chasing a flock of sheep down the line with the traction inspector and trainman trying to persuade tham to go back to the right side of the fence.

Animals on the line were not uncommon on the route between Aylesbury and Calvert, have also known of a class 60 hauled "binliner" which ploughed through another flock of sheep, killing several and the same train running down a herd of young cows.

 

About five years ago, heading north from Arley on "Bradley Manor", my old driver, Baz was driving. We were running tender-first and were just at about line speed, coming off the right-hand curve on to Kinlet straight, when I saw four sheep emerge, almost literally from under the tender buffers into the cess on my, (fireman's) side. It is fair to say I came out with a little bad language. After a short pause, Baz said,"How many sheep came out your side, John?" "Four," I replied, "How many did you see?" "Five." "Ah."

Sure enough, on the way back, as we approached we could see a sheep, nicely sliced in two, lying either side of the riverside rail. Needless to say, this gave rise to some banter, a few "Baa-aa-aas" and "Murderer", directed at Baz. We told the staff at Arley, who informed the farmer, who was not happy, but was encouraged to mend his fence!

 

Was this an old dear, or just someone you were previously fond of? :smt080

better tell GG if this is what you do to ex's [-X

 

Perhaps it was no eye deer.

 

I bet his insurance premium is dead dear now, poor fallow ](*,)

 

I remember chasing a herd of cows near Rolvenden! I think someone commented on the state of the line lol