London Tramways - London Tramways - Permanent Way Incidents

Permanent Way Incidents

Reports - 1 - 50, 51 - 99, 100 - 150, 151 - 199, 200 - 249, 250 - 284,

250. On the 23rd April 1951 at 5.16am a delay of 19 minutes occurred to the Eastern Traverser in New Gross Depot delaying two Tramcars about to leave the depot on time, owing to the rail in the bottom of the pit fracturing and the broken piece falling out of position. A Permanent Way welder was transferred from other and made a temporary repair by means of plating and welding during the morning of the 23rd of April, a new rail was installed later the same day.

251. On the 24th April 1951 at 8.45am a delay of 8 Minutes occurred to the Tramway Services at Vauxhall Bridge Road opposite Gillingham Street up track when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1905 was broken. On inspection of the track it was found that the conduit slot rail was tight to gauge. The Breakdown Gang made a temporary repair by means of wedging open at the time of the occurrence and a Permanent Way Gang were transferred from other work and removed paving and renewed tie-rods and re-gauged slot rail during the morning of the 24th April

252. On the 25th April 1951 at 1.23pm a delay of 25 minutes occurred to the down track Tramway Services at Old Kent Road opposite the Express Dairy when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 98 was broken. Single line working was in operation at the time of the occurrence owing to a breakdown in New Kent Road. On examination of the track it was found that the joint of the conduit slot rail was out of alignment for reverse running. The Breakdown Gang made a temporary repair at the time of the incident and Permanent Way men were sent to re-gauge slot rail during the afternoon of the 25th April.

253. On the 29th April 1951 at 8.55pm a delay of 8 minutes occurred at the crossover New Kent Road by the Bricklayers Arms when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1930 was broken when car was turning from up to down track. On examination of the crossover it was found that the conduit slot rails were tight to gauge on the curved road. The Permanent Way Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and removed the paving and re-gauged slot rails during the night of 29th/30th April.

254. On the 1st May 1951 at 4.58pm Tramcar No. 1502 had to be taken out of service owing to having its magnets twisted at London Road Southwark opposite The Alfreds Head Public House On examination of The Special Work Castings forming the single junction it was found that movement was taking place on the trailing wing crossing causing the magnet to strike the facing casting. Permanent Way men were sent and removed the paving and repacked and tightened castings during the evening of the 1st May.

255. On the 8th May 1951 at 2.22pm a delay of 5 minutes occurred to the down Tramway Services in the Kingsway Subway near Aldwych Station when the rear bogie of Tramcar No. 1944 was derailed. On examination of the permanent way it was found that the track rail had fractured and the broken piece lifted as The car passed over. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out shortly after the incident and a rail closure was installed on the night of the 8th/9th May.

256. On the 16th May 1951 at 8.45pm a delay of 25 minutes occurred to the Tramway Services at Tower Bridge Road. The delay was mainly due to an electrical conductor rail being out of position but on putting single line working into operation it was found that the points at Fair Street crossover were out of order thereby lengthening the delay to 25 minutes. On examination of the points mechanism it was found that the pin in the fork end was worn and had dropped out of position.

257. On the 24th May 1951 at 4.23am a delay of 25 minutes occurred to one Tramcar only when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 577 was broken. On inspection of the track it was found that a conduit slot rail joint was out of alignment and on removal of the paving it disclosed the tie-rod nuts had slackened and allowed joint to become out of alignment. Permanent Way men were transferred from other work and tightened tie-rod and re-gauged slot shortly after the occurrence.

258. On the 28th May 1951 at 10.27am a delay of 21 minutes occurred to the Tramway Services at the crossover Mew Cross Road opposite Fairlawn Mansions when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1368 was broken. On examination of the crossover it was found that the off side point of the down track was worn and the tread of of the wheel was overriding the tip of the point tongue when taking the curved road. The point was changed on the night of the 28th/29th May

259. On the 4th June 1951 at 4.57pm a delay of 23 minutes occurred to the Tramway Services in Westminster Bridge Road opposite Baylis Road when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1934 was broken due to plough striking a low hatch cover. Permanent Way Staff were transferred from other work and repacked the hatch cover shortly after the occurrence.

260. On the 7th June 1951 at 8am a delay of 14 minutes occurred to the up Tramway Services at Camberwell New Road by Wyndham Road when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 136 was broken. Permanent Way Gang were breaking out the stone set paving at the time of the occurrence and allowed Tramcar to proceed over the excavation and failed to notice that a stone set was proud to the remaining paving.

261. On the 27th June 1951 at 3.10am a delay of 25 minutes to one Tramcar only occurred at the junction of New Cross Road and Lewisham Way when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 593 was broken. Single line working was in operation at the time of the occurrence and on examination of the Diamond Crossing it was found that the intersection of the conduit slot was out of alignment for reverse running. The Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and removed the paving and re-gauged the Special Work Castings during the early morning of the 27th June.

262. On the 3rd July 1951 at 2.12pm a delay of 13 minutes occurred to the down Tramway Services at Vauxhall Bridge Road due to the head of the conduit slot rail fracturing and the broken piece moving forward into the conduit. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out by Permanent Way Staff who were working in the vicinity and a new slot rail was installed on the night of the 3rd/4th July. No damage to any rolling stock was caused by this incident.

263 . On the 4th July 1951 at 5.25am a delay of 15 minutes to one Tramcar only occurred at Great Dover Street on the up track opposite Messrs Trees owing to the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1520 being broken. On examination of the permanent way it was found that the conduit slot was tight to gauge. A temporary repair by means of wedging open the slot was carried out by the Breakdown Gang at the time of the occurrence and Permanent Way Staff were sent for and removed the paving and re-gauged the slot during the morning of the 4th July.

264. On the 4th July 1951 at 10.33pm a delay of 32 minutes occurred to the down Tramway Services at Vauxhall Bridge Road by Bessborough Gardens when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1226 was broken due to the conduit slot rail fracturing and the broken piece moving forward into the conduit. Permanent Way welders were transferred from other work and carried out a temporary repair by means of welding a plate on the broken portion. A new slot rail was installed on the night of 4th/5th July.

265. On the 8th July 1951 at 6.56pm a delay of 21 minutes to the down Tramway Services occurred at Kennington Lane junction with South Lambeth Road owing to the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1952 being broken. On examination of the Special Work Castings it was found that the joint of the conduit slot was out of alignment. The Permanent Way Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and when the paving was removed it revealed that the tie-rod nut had stripped the thread and allowed the joint to become out of alignment. A new tie-rod was fitted and slot rails re-gauged during the evening of the 8th July.

266. On the 28th July 1951 at 10.49pm a delay of 26 minutes occurred at the junction of Southwark Street and Southwark Bridge Road owing to the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1993 being broken due to striking an obstruction in the conduit slot. On examination of the conduit it was found that a yoke head had fractured and the broken piece moved forward into the conduit. The paving was removed to clear the obstruction and a repair by means of plating was carried out during the night of the 28th/29th July.

267. On the 22nd August 1951 at 2.22pm a delay of 8 minutes to the up Tramway Services occurred at Plumstead High Street by Woodhurst Road when the rear pony wheels of Tramcar No. 96 were derailed due to a check rail breaking and lifting as the Tramcar passed over. The rails at this location are worn and a repair by means of check plate was carried out during the afternoon of tie 22nd August.

268. On the 12th September 1951 at 8.47am a delay of 23 minutes occurred to the down Tramway Services at Essex Road opposite the Underground Station due to the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 2003 being broken. On inspection of the track it was found that the cover of the conduit slot slide was out of alignment. The covers were removed and repacked by the Point Adjusters during the morning of the12th September.

269. On the 15th September 1951 at 7.45am a delay of 33 minutes occurred on the down track at Essex Road opposite Trolley Standard No. 107 when the plough carrier was broken and the magnets twisted on Tramcar No. 1939. This occurrence was due to the running rail fracturing through the fish plate bolts and the broken piece lifting when the Tramcar passed over. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out shortly after the incident and a rail closure installed on the 26th September

270. On the 16th September 1951 at 10.50pm a delay of 41 minutes occurred at Trafalgar Road opposite Park Row down track due to the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1532 being broken. On inspection of the permanent way it was found that a joint in the conduit slot was out of alignment. On removing the paving it revealed the tie-rod had broken and allowed the facing end of the slot rail to move forward into the conduit. The Night Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and renewed the tie-rod during the night of the 16th/l7th September.

271. On the 23rd September 1951 at 16.5pm a delay of 33 minutes occurred at the junction of Westminster Bridge Road and Kennington Road when the magnets of Tramcar No.1i71 were torn off the rocking lever. On inspection of the track it was found that the rail butting on to the toe of the points had fractured and the broken piece lifted when the Magnet Brake was applied. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out by the night welding crew and a rail closure installed on the night of the 24th/25th September.

272. On the 13th October 1951 at 12.16am a delay of 30 minutes to one Tramcar only occurred at the crossover at Abbey Wood Terminus when the magnets of Tramcar No. 343 were twisted. On inspection of the track it was found that the rail joint at the toe of the points had fractured through the fish plate holes and the broken piece lifted as the Tramcar passed over. The Night welder was transferred from other work and temporarily plated the joint and a rail closure was installed on the 14th of October.

273. On the 17th October 1951 at 7.48am a delay of 7 minutes occurred to the Tramway Services at the Leo Street crossover Old Kent Road when the plough of Tramcar No. 2046 left the carrier when turning from up to down tracks. The points are sprung from the curved road and on inspection of the points mechanism it was found that the nuts on the short rod connecting the condu t slot slides had slackened and did not allow slides to cover the curved road conduit. The Point Adjuster was sent from Bowles Road Depot and adjusted slides.

274. On the 20th October 1951 at 10.58am a delay of 17 minutes occurred at Romney Road Greenwich when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 586?(596?) was broken. On inspection of the track it was found that the conduit slot rail was tight to gauge. The Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and removed the paving and re-gauged the slot rail during the morning of the 20th October.

275. On the 5th November 1951 at 2.28pm a delay of 17 minutes occurred to the up Tramway Services at Trafalgar Road Greenwich opposite Greenwich Baths when the rear magnet of Wheel Van Ho. 012 was twisted. On examination of the track it was found that the running rail had fractured through the fish plate holes and the broken piece had lifted when the van passed over. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out during the afternoon of the 5th November and a rail closure was installed during the night of the 5th/6th November.

276. On the 7th December 1951 at 6.55am a delay of 18 minutes occurred at Loampit Hill opposite Tyrwhitt Road on the down track owing to the check of the running rail breaking and curling up underneath a Tramcar. The Breakdown Gang burnt away the check rail at the time of the occurrence and the track has since been rerailed with partly worn rails.

277. On the 13th December 1951 at l0am a delay of 16 Minutes occurred to the up Tramway-Services at Old Kent Road opposite Asylum Road when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 531?(581?) was broken and the magnets twisted. On examination of the track it was found that the running rail had fractured through the fish plate holes and the broken piece lifted when the Tramcar passed over. A temporary repair by means of plating and welding was carried out by Permanent Way Staff during the morning of the 13th and a rail closure installed on the night of 13th/14th December.

278. On the 15th December 1951 at 11.18am a delay of 22 minutes occurred to the down Tramway Services at Old Kent Road near Trafalgar Avenue when the rear truck of Tramcar No. 1909 was derailed. Permanent Way Gang were renewing two 45ft rails at the time of the occurrence. The offside rail had been installed but owing to the rails being badly worn the check rail of the near side rail broke away when the Tramcar was passing over the excavation and derailed the rear bogie of the Tramcar,

279. On the 4th January 1952 at 3.10pm a delay to one Tramcar only occurred at the crossover Bromley Road by Southend Ponds when the plough carrier of Tramcar No.1541 was broken when turning from up to down tracks. On examination of the crossover it was found that a conduit slot rail joint was out of alignment and plough struck same when passing through the crossover. On removing the paving it revealed the thread of the tie-rod had stripped. A new tie-rod was fitted by Mobile Gang during the evening of the 4th January

280. On the 27th January 1952 at 9.08am a delay of 18 minutes occurred at the junction of Brixton Road and Effra Road when the plough carrier of Tramcar No.1990 was broken due to the conduit slot being tight to gauge. On examination of the track the pressure of the heavy frost in the wood paving had caused the tie-rod nut to strip and allowed the conduit to become tight to gauge. The Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and removed the paving and renewed the tie-rod during the morning of the 27 January.

281. On the 28th January 1952 at 8.58am a delay of 12 minutes occurred to the up Tramway Services at Camberwell Green Headway, when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 177 was broken. On examination of the track it was found that the conduit slot rail joint butting on to The Special Work Castings was out of alignment due to the heavy frost in the wood paving causing additional pressure on the tie-rod whereby the nut stripped the thread. The Breakdown Gang made a temporary repair at the time of occurrence and the Mobile Gang were transferred from other work and removed the paving and renewed the tie-rod on the morning of the 28th January.

282. On the 27th February 1952 at 7.11am a delay of 14 minutes occurred to the up Tramway Services at the Depot entrance New Cross Road when the plough carrier of Tramcar No. 1876 was broken. On examination of the Special Work Castings forming the Diamond crossing it was found that the intersection of the conduit was slightly out of alignment. The paving was removed and the Castings re-gauged and tightened down during the morning of the 27th February.

283. On the 2nd April 1952 at 11.38 am a delay of 20 minutes occurred to the up Tramway Services at Westminster Bridge Road by Lower Marsh owing to a stone set being wedged under the motor case of a Tramcar. Permanent Way Gang were breaking out the paving in the vicinity and the Tramcar caught up the stone set when passing.

284. On the 5th June 1952 a delay of 19 minutes occurred at 2.24pm to the up Tramway Service at New Cross By Pomeroy Street owing to a broken carrier to Tramcar No. 343 This was caused by a wedge left in the conduit slot by Permanent Way Gang.

Reports - 1 - 50, 51 - 99, 100 - 150, 151 - 199, 200 - 249, 250 - 284

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