Pacer catches fire at Backwell!

Post by **madhattie** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 2:42 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/3754902.stm

Fire breaks out on Bristol train

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire
More than 20 passengers have been taken off a train after a carriage caught fire on the outskirts of Bristol.
Passengers reported the blaze on the 8.06pm Wessex trains service from Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-super-Mare.

Eyewitnesses said flames reached 20 feet into the air from both sides of the front carriage.

All on board escaped the blaze but three people have been treated for the effects of breathing in smoke.

The train came to an emergency halt near the village of Blackwell in north Somerset.

Some passengers were forced to move to the rear three carriages to stay safe.

A passenger told the BBC: "I smelled burning and then heard a bell going off. The door wouldn't open at first.

"We finally opened it and jumped down to rail side."

One passenger said there had been a smell of burning from the time the train left Bristol.

An investigation is under way to determine what caused the fire.

Post by **James** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 12:41 pm

Interesting...I took a Wessex Pacer (22:30 service) from Bristol Temple Meads-Taunton on Sun 19th Sept, and there was a great cloud of purple-ish smoke emanating from the underside of one of the carriages while it was in the station. No one was paying any attention to it though, not even the station staff who were almost next to it. Then when I was sat on board, it smelt of hot plastic, and then the interior lights went out and the noise of the engine dropped...something had been switched off...maybe they were waiting for it to cool down? The driver restarted and pulled out of the station and the trip was uneventful from then on, but it wasn't the most comfortable experience.

"Another told the BBC: "We could hear some alarms going off for about four or five minutes and then one of the other passengers could smell smoke so they alerted the conductor and he said there was nothing the matter.

"The next thing we knew there was smoke and flames ripping down the carriageway. "

Sounds about right...

Should I call British Transport Police and report this? I'm wondering if it was the same unit. Is there any way to trace the unit used on the service I was on? There were two pacers and a 153 coupled together.

Post by **madhattie** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 5:35 pm

James wrote: Should I call British Transport Police and report this? I'm wondering if it was the same unit. Is there any way to trace the unit used on the service I was on? There were two pacers and a 153 coupled together.

The unit involved last night was 143613. Can't say I know if it would be possible to find out if this was the same unit as you travelled on though. I wouldn't bother getting the transport police involved. As there were no casualties I doubt if they'd be interested

You could email the Evening Post though...

Post by **James** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:41 pm

The thing is, if there was already a problem with this unit and they didn't fix it resulting in this fire in which it was damn lucky no one died, then it makes the whole situation a lot more serious than a one-off freak event.

Post by **madhattie** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:53 pm

Very much so, which is why I'm sure the media would be a better place to air your experiences.

Post by **James** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:47 am

The Evening Post has been mailed...

Now i'm just waiting for the Wessex Trains lynch mob to knock down my door

Post by **James** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:00 pm

Argh, now they want to "phone me to have a chat"

Post by **madhattie** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:32 pm

Well just make sure you have your Bristol-Rail T shirt on if this leads to any TV appearances

Post by **James** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:56 pm

I hate journalists...the way they twist and misquote...hmm

*ponders whether to go ahead with this*

Why can't they just take the info and leave me alone hehe

Graham · Post by **Graham** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 11:57 pm

This was on BBC Points West last week, and the presenter was talking to a Wessex trains spokesman, apparently he didn't know why the emergency door-open system didn't work.

Maybe the passengers didn't listen to the "Welcome aboard. Please listen to the following announcement for your safety..." messages that repeatedly play on Wessex' services...!

Also apparently, the entire Wessex fleet is maintained by Arriva Trains Wales- all pretty strange

Post by **James** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:44 pm

In case you were wondering what happened to this unit, it's at Crewe, with another scorched 143!

Look at that frame sag

http://units.fotopic.net/p20057888.html

http://units.fotopic.net/p20057886.html