Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

On Jun 23, 7:05*pm, SB wrote:
Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Got this email from FGW CS:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Due to the theft of signalling cable at West Drayton, an extremely
limited train service is able to operate between London Paddington and
Reading.

Network Rail?s Engineering Team are working as hard as possible to
resolve this issue, but due to the amount of cable removed, disruption
is likely to continue until 2200 this evening.

If you are planning on travelling today, we strongly advise that you
check www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk for further information.

Whilst we will make every effort to operate the advertised train
service, we do strongly recommend that you leave extra time for your
journey.

We apologise for any potential disruption to your journey.

First Great Western
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

On Jun 23, 7:45*pm, CJB wrote:
On Jun 23, 7:05*pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Got this email from FGW CS:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Due to the theft of signalling cable at West Drayton, an extremely
limited train service is able to operate between London Paddington and
Reading.

Network Rail?s Engineering Team are working as hard as possible to
resolve this issue, but due to the amount of cable removed, disruption
is likely to continue until 2200 this evening.

If you are planning on travelling today, we strongly advise that you
checkwww.firstgreatwestern.co.ukfor further information.

Whilst we will make every effort to operate the advertised train
service, we do strongly recommend that you leave extra time for your
journey.

We apologise for any potential disruption to your journey.

First Great Westernwww.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

As an aside there are quite a few scrap metal yards bordering the
railway and canal in the West Drayton / Iver area. Frequently there is
a pall of acrid black smoke permeating the air from there which drfits
right over to Heathrow and Harlington and Southall. This black smoke
stinks of burnt plastic obviously from burning cables. At the weekends
there are no Council inspectors around, so this largely goes
unreported. But it is highly illegal as is the theft of the cable in
the first place. CJB.

On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:
On Jun 23, 7:05*pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Got this email from FGW CS:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Due to the theft of signalling cable at West Drayton, an extremely
limited train service is able to operate between London Paddington and
Reading.

Network Rail?s Engineering Team are working as hard as possible to
resolve this issue, but due to the amount of cable removed, disruption
is likely to continue until 2200 this evening.

If you are planning on travelling today, we strongly advise that you
checkwww.firstgreatwestern.co.ukfor further information.

Whilst we will make every effort to operate the advertised train
service, we do strongly recommend that you leave extra time for your
journey.

We apologise for any potential disruption to your journey.

First Great Westernwww.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

This seems to have occurred in daylight and involved a substantial
length of 48 core signalling cable. The area is dotted with scrapyards
and infested with parasitic pikeys.

On Jun 23, 9:41*pm, "
wrote:
On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:





On Jun 23, 7:05*pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley..
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Got this email from FGW CS:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Due to the theft of signalling cable at West Drayton, an extremely
limited train service is able to operate between London Paddington and
Reading.

Network Rail?s Engineering Team are working as hard as possible to
resolve this issue, but due to the amount of cable removed, disruption
is likely to continue until 2200 this evening.

If you are planning on travelling today, we strongly advise that you
checkwww.firstgreatwestern.co.ukforfurther information.

Whilst we will make every effort to operate the advertised train
service, we do strongly recommend that you leave extra time for your
journey.

We apologise for any potential disruption to your journey.

First Great Westernwww.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

This seems to have occurred in daylight and involved a substantial
length of 48 core signalling cable. The area is dotted with scrapyards
and infested with parasitic pikeys.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10398387.stm

Says 300 ft of cabling.

CJB.

"CJB" wrote in message
...
On Jun 23, 9:41 pm, "
wrote:
On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:





On Jun 23, 7:05 pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Is there not a way that a spare core or two of the cable could carry a nice
deterrent voltage to stop this?

(probably banned cos of elf n safety!)

Kev

In message
"Kev Lawrence" wrote:


"CJB" wrote in message
...
On Jun 23, 9:41 pm, "
wrote:
On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:





On Jun 23, 7:05 pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Is there not a way that a spare core or two of the cable could carry a nice
deterrent voltage to stop this?


Wouldn't stop them trying. There was a case recently of someone electrocuted
in a sub-station trying to steal the main feeder!

Many years ago, when I lived in Nairobi, thieves stole a great chunk (about a
mile) of the main umpteen KV feeder between the town and the airport!

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:43:08 +0100 someone who may be "Kev Lawrence"
wrote this:-

Is there not a way that a spare core or two of the cable could carry a nice
deterrent voltage to stop this?

If they steal the wrong cable they have to contend with the
signalling supply, up to 650V.

A core of the cable could carry a higher voltage, if the insulation
of all cores is suitable for the higher voltage and this is
maintained throughout the system. However, what would happen to
signalling components if exposed to a higher voltage? Vital
signalling equipment needs to be treated with care if the potential
for a crash is to remain as low as reasonably practical.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000...#pt3-pb3-l1g54

Kev Lawrence wrote:
"CJB" wrote in message
...
On Jun 23, 9:41 pm, "
wrote:
On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:





On Jun 23, 7:05 pm, SB wrote:
Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Is there not a way that a spare core or two of the cable could carry a nice
deterrent voltage to stop this?

(probably banned cos of elf n safety!)

Kev


A better way might be to have one core with an 'active' TDR ping.

Time Domain Reflectometry sends a pulse down a wire, and recieves a
reflection from any defect, be it conductor or insulator.

This way ('cos of speed of light..) you can tell instantly exactly here
a cable is being damaged, and signal control center could arrange for
police to arrive on site..

It wouldn't work just for theft, but for any location, say where water
was getting into insulators.

Jim Chisholm

On 24 June, 07:43, "Kev Lawrence"
wrote:
"CJB" wrote in message

...
On Jun 23, 9:41 pm, "

wrote:
On 23 June, 19:45, CJB wrote:

On Jun 23, 7:05 pm, SB wrote:

Trains cancelled to Worcester. Trains cancelled to Wales and West
Country. Trains cancelled to Oxford and Bourne End and also to Henley.
All other trains subject to huge delays. Reason = 'signalling
problems' in the West Drayton area from last night = 'vandalism' in
the Iver area = Pikeys cut the signal cables to burn off the plastic
and sell the copper. SB

Is there not a way that a spare core or two of the cable could carry a nice
deterrent voltage to stop this?

(probably banned cos of elf n safety!)

Kev

It is banned, in fact it's downright illegal, it's called "setting a
man-trap". But you could put the functional 650v supply in the same
cable.